Annotated Bibliography: The Cross Section of ARts Genres and Social Justice

Annotated Bibliography

The Cross Section of Arts Genres and Social Justice

By Janice Mautner Markham, October 8, 2021

Author’s note: This compendium of article citations and their descriptions is a useful toolkit in exploring the intersection of music, theater and other forms of creative arts and how they impact social justice and human rights work. My goal is to continue to find articles that can be added to this list, as well as expand the catalog to include video, visual art and photography. Hats off to the scholars, journalists, artists and activists who have braved challenging paths to create a better world for us all. 

1. Langfield, M., William, L. & Craith M. (2010) Cultural Diversity, Heritage and Human Rights: Intersections in Theory and Practice, Routledge Press

This groundbreaking anthology explores the often problematic connections between maintaining cultural heritage, encouraging cultural diversity, establishing cultural citizenship, and protecting human rights. This particular collection of writings is viewed as a trailblazing entity, as it paved the way in this past decade for more in depth examination of cultural diversity, heritage and human rights. This anthology serves as a crucial three-legged stool of humanity with an intersection of those three concepts and is set up in three parts: First, setting agendas, in which there is an honest look at the intersectionality of culture and human rights, and what needs to be done to preserve heritage. The second part of the anthology looks at national rights versus local rights. Each chapter of this section explores the historical occurrences that led to human rights abuses that had an impact on heritage and culture. The final chapter ties up some of the historical loose ends and presents a landscape of cultural degradation, expulsion and crisis. There is also an emphasis on recovery from colonization, which involves rediscovering lost music, art, dance, ritual, religion and spiritual practice. The strength of this collection is noted in its call for cultural recognition within the framework of economic reconstruction and the ability to provide humanitarian aid. Oftentimes societal culture is dismissed when there is a call for life-saving protections, and only recently has there been a true historical research-based exploration of cultural preservation and defense of human rights. Finally, the anthology wraps with an acknowledgement of the desire for cultural preservation as well as the yearning for economic stability, and how the two can be in conflict, as well as the need for local communities to do much of the heavy lifting in maintaining cultural heritage. 

2. Alger, B. (2018) Their Own Agenda: The History, Development, and Culture of Women's Orchestras Outside the United States, University of Maryland Publishing 

Historically speaking, women have been participating in arts and culture since before the Medieval period, yet their contributions have largely been pushed aside or buried. Women’s involvement in instrumental music is no exception, and even within the start of the twenty-first century, women’s recognition within the orchestra world is still a hot topic of discussion, exploration, and need of an evolutionary fix. This particular peer-reviewed work examines the history of women’s orchestras outside the United States, tracks their development, as well as their multifaceted reasons for existing. There are quite a few aspects of these orchestras that are reviewed including time period, country, political stability and heritage in which the ensemble is present. The span of time researched and explored gives birth to the astonishing gift of this often overlooked genre. The genesis of the women’s orchestra is traced from the Ospedali of 18th century Venice to the present day. All-female ensembles from England, Canada, Cuba, and Afghanistan are profiled, as well as the Women’s Orchestra in Auschwitz. An aspect of these orchestras that is at the forefront involves the patriarchal societal influences that impacted this creativity, in part not a choice but a necessity.  Bonnie Alger examines two  modern-day women’s orchestras – the Allegra Chamber Orchestra in Vancouver, British Columbia, and her very own recital orchestra at the University of Maryland – in order to get a focused view regarding the culture of women’s orchestras. The work looks to answer the questions “What is the culture of women's orchestras today, and should they continue to exist?” Beyond this particular work, but perhaps inspired by it could be a further question: “If a cultural genre is brought about due to the human rights failings of a political/social system, should that genre continue to exist if the human rights abuse is eradicated?”

3. Richards, A. (2012) Witnessing the death of Yiddish language and culture: holes in the doorposts p. 267-285 of The Power of Witnessing; Reflections, Reverberations, and Traces of the Holocaust; Trauma, Psychoanalysis, and the Living Mind. Edited by Nancy R. Goodman and Marilyn B. Meyers. New York: Routledge, 2012

In Witnessing the death of Yiddish language and culture: holes in the doorposts, a powerful entry in anthology that uncovers the emotion, contemplations and powerful memories of the Holocaust. In the chapter by noted psychoanalyst, Arnold Richards, focus is pointedly on the painful threat of the demise of the Yiddish language. The “holes in the doorposts” referenced in the title, refers to the holes left on the doorposts of the homes once occupied by Jewish families - families that had been forcibly removed, and systematically murdered. These holes formerly were made to nail a mezuzah to the doorpost or doorframe - a marking of a Jewish home that included a prayer, a marker still used by Jews all over the world. And yet, as detailed by Richards, these are not just physical holes created by a nail into a wooden beam. It is also a cultural hole or absence, it’s not just the removal of a marker of a Jewish home, it’s the eradication of words, expressions, art and communication. A common theme in detailing the disappearing of Yiddish - a language dating back to possibly the 10th or 11th century - is assimilation. There has always, it seems, been a shame associated with being a diasporic and maligned people, and often the younger generation has a sad but present drive to distance from all that is connected with this “failing” state. This is a great tragedy, of course, to the continuation and maintenance of language and culture. Richards goes on to explore the tragedy of the destruction of Yiddish during the Holocaust.  The most powerful aspect of this particular chapter are two particular lists - one is a list of noted Yiddish writers murdered between 1940-1950 about whom a significant about is known. The next list, and all the more painful, are those whose names we know, but whose work we do not - a cultural heartache that can never be repaired. 

4. Balsa, M. (2008) Recourse to Action: The Renewal of Politics and Theater in Hannah Arendt, Antonin Artaud, and Augusto Boal, Princeton University Scholarly Journal, Volume 23, Issue 46

Augusto Boal published the essays that compose the Theatre of the Oppressed in 1974, which have become the template, the bible of sorts in the marriage of theater and activism, of theater as the mirror of society and the tool in which to witness social change. The main ingredient to be noted is the symbiosis of the “playwright” (the performers) and the audience and closing that divide. This is what is spoken to in this examination of this work. “In this instance, the relational nature of Arendtian action echoes in Artaud's proposal for the recuperation of the relationships between the participants in the Theater of Cruelty, where "direct communication will be re-established between the spectator and the spectacle, between the actor and the spectator, from the fact that the spectator, placed in the middle of the action, is engulfed and physically affected by it" (p 96). This is the pinnacle of theater as a protest art, as an activist art when these lines are blurred and the audience member ceases to be solely an individual, but evolves into a member of a movement of sorts. The line drawn between the power of these literary and artistic forces is connected by communication and the smashing of the fourth wall to pull people in and not allow them to leave until they have had a transformative experience. This type of artistic experience becomes active, not passive. This is the difference between being a concert hall up in the balcony listening to Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony, and suddenly finding yourself in the percussion section banging on a tympani, and then taking the reverberations home with you. 

5. Fackler, G; Goeschel, C.; Wachsmann, N. (2010) Cultural Behaviour and the Invention of Traditions: Music and Musical Practices in the Early Concentration Camps, 1933-6/7, Journal of Contemporary History 

Vol. 45, No. 3 (JULY 2010), pp. 601-627, Sage Publications, Inc.

This article explores musical expression in the concentration camps during the Holocaust. The complexities of the existence of music in the camps were plentiful.  For the guards and authority figures, ordering the imprisoned musicians to perform was a giant cover-up, a way to display to the world a false normalcy. This practice was also a way to control the prisoners and desecrate what was formerly a beautiful cultural and expressive art form. However, the other side of this picture was also clear: for the prisoners, the ability to play an instrument could mean the difference between a life extinguished and a life saved. Additionally, the authors note the solidarity that accompanies musicians grouped for a common cause, an occurrence that is normally not allowed in the inhuman and unbearable conditions of the camps. This article looks at the various genres and styles of music brought into the camps, from classical to folk, as well as the impact this music had on the day to day life of the prisoners. Also addressed was the strong ties the musicians had to the music that was so much a part of their everyday and cultural lives. Those who were able to play a bit of music addressed these times as life-saving. At times this musical experience was degraded down to just whistling, which could result in swift punishment, were it found out. Thus the double edged sword - the music in the camps was exclusively for malintent: To show off a false face of what actually occurred in the camps, to torture prisoners, and to experience the music that the authority figures in the camps wished to have, while at the same time destroying that very culture. 

6. Miley, F.; Read, A. (2020) Entertainment as an archival source for historical accounting research, Sage Journals, Volume 26, Issue 1

This writing heightens indigenous voices within an historical context. As is needed it removes the power of the colonizers’ voice and aptly replaces it with the voices of indigenous people. There is a comprehensive view of rice accounting, in some regions labeled “white gold” in accessing its value. There was a time when Cambodia had written archives rich with narrative and deep historical content, but after a string of wars and coups, these writings have tragically been destroyed. The adage of  “history was written by the victors” could actually be applied in this case, as the archives of the French (the colonizers) are the writings that have survived. As in any accounting by an oppressor, there is a narrow and false view of actual occurrences. The poignancy of this material is that aspect of how this particular version of rice accounting manifests. Stands to reason that the story is told through a traditional form of Cambodian entertainment: circus performance. This particular Circus performance is steeped in true cultural storytelling and genuine heritage and ritual. As the authors aptly note, “This  research examines how, in preserving collective memory, traditional forms of entertainment can facilitate a richer understanding of accounting history when the written indigenous archive is impaired, destroyed or has failed to recognise the indigenous voice.” 

7. Friedman, J. (2013) The Routledge History of Social Protest in Popular Music, edited by Jonathan C. Friedman, Taylor and Francis

The primary aim of this anthology of essays is to explore the genres, instrumentation, and lyrics used in popular music to explore and examine the human condition. This series of writings reach back from the 19th century to contemporary culture to delve into the historical context of protest music. The overriding thesis begins with What is social protest music? This exploration demonstrates the impact of art imitating life and life imitating art, particularly in the symbiosis of music and the labor movement in the United States. Another poignant survey of this genre is looking at the Jewish voices of protest on Broadway, and putting them in the context of when they were first presented to the masses. This topic is further explored with a look at the antiwar music of the 70s, and how this impacted the culture of what a popular song could and should be. The global view of protest music expands the scope of this topic, ranging from the political protest music of Brazil to the South Africans finding a musical voice in fighting apartheid. With all of this music common themes emerge - fighting racism, government and police brutality, sexism and oppression of women, and a fight for freedom. Also noted are the various musical genres within protest music that have become more mainstream because of the strong messaging, such as reggae, rap, and even Bollywood music. Indigenous music styles are also noted, and the language and lyrics contain a desire to reach out to indigenous people, to fight back and to heal, as well as a warning to colonizers, that indigenous voices are here, and are creating a narrative based on pain, truth and survival. 

8. Jolaosho, O. (2019) Singing Politics: Freedom Songs and Collective Protest in Post-Apartheid South Africa, Cambridge University Press

This article explores the crucial impact of protest music in South Africa by examining the use of anti-apartheid freedom songs alongside the  emergence of new art forms in the various modes of community engagement and activism. Almost two years of focused study in Johannesburg, South Africa, uncovered some concrete themes in the use of song and protest. Freedom songs are looked at in terms of their antiphony, or chanting-like quality which can be stirring, meditative and enlightening.  The use of repetition inherent in many South African music forms lend itself to the need to speak out, to communicate a message connected with a cause. And, connected with this repetition, repetition, this musical “vamping” is rhythm itself. This article looks at the difference between simply giving a speech and the emotional impact of underscoring with rhythm, that rhythm that can be like bullets from a gun or the beating of a heart. organizes protest gatherings, allows for democratic leadership, and fosters collective participation. These practices yield a plasticity in the songs that makes them adaptable to changing political circumstances. Just like a pop song can have a “hook”, a particular phrase that is memorable, and even emotionally stirring, a protest song can have the same with extra impact because of the political force and determination behind it. Beyond the genre there are also the particular issues of the day and the musicians and activists that joined forces to mobilize in creative and effective ways. Finally, there is a look at the music itself and what is its ultimate purpose? Is it to entertain, to politicize, or rev the masses, to inflame and ignite? And if the goals are realized, what does this music become? 

9. Davies, D. (2018)  Performing Urban Violence: Protest Theatre and (Semi-)Public Space in London and Cape Town, Johns Hopkins University Press

This essay relates two performances of original site-specific theater in London and Cape Town. The connection between the two pieces exists in their marriage of protest theater art in public spaces. A theme that continually comes to light is that true protest theater cannot exist in the concert halls where those who truly are being oppressed are not privy to the work. These two pieces respond to the need to have theater literally in the streets. The first piece is from London and involves the play Brothers by Tunde Euba and was created and produced by the Greenwich and Lewisham Young People’s Theatre (GLYPT) from (2013-2014). The second play involves the controversial and ground-breaking work of the Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT) in Cape Town. Both of these unique pieces go beyond simplistic presentational genres and use challenging and interactive modes to reach out to audiences. The goal in these theater pieces must be to cross over the line of entertainment to a larger purpose, and in this instance it is to educate and mobilize. One of the greatest challenges in these and many other cities, is to maintain the freedom to have public spaces in which to present work that is critiquing and in many cases “taking down” that very government. This is a theme that is explored not only in terms of what is thought of as public art offerings, but what this particular art needs to be in order to impact real change. And, to those ends the theatrical devices such a flash-mobs and Greek Chorus style presentations are utilized for the social mobilization purposes. 

10. Barkan, E. (1991) Taking Dada Seriously: "Degenerate Art" The Fate of the Avant-Garde in Nazi Germany, Berghahn Books

This article looks at the remarkable exhibit from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (1991) inspired by the modernist art of Nazi Germany. The writing takes on three major areas that the exhibit reflected: First, the conflict between modernist styles such as the avant-garde, surrealism, abstraction, expressionism, even heightened realism and the Nazi view of acceptability. The “collision” as Barkan aptly describes it, resulted in the desecration of art, writing, music, culture, much of which was not retrievable. Secondly, this writing explores the celebration of the art of the Weimar republic, from the bold Dadaist and avant-garde genres to the entrance into a new era of modernism that would forever change the face of art and culture. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, this writing highlights the cautionary tale of dictatorial state sanctioned artistic censorship. But, really, to just focus on censorship alone does not adequately do justice to the gravity of this time period in relation to the lives of the artists of this time period. Barkan smartly takes a step back and deconstructs what is meant by “degenerate art.” This leads us through twists and turns of a Nazi party that refused to tolerate anything other than a glorified ideal of “human perfection” as noted in Greek renaissance art. Any type of cultural art outside of this mode, what we think of as folk art, for example, was looked at as dirty and primitive. But, even beyond this aspect, there is a final exploration of the multi-faceted layers of modernist German art, in all of its genres and textures, and that the throughline was this striated mode: layers of perception, imagination and irony that created intrigue and thought provoking imagery. This was the power of this work, that in the end has survived. 

11. Boal-Palheiros, G (2017) Singing Against Loneliness: songs of a homeless choir in Porto, Music & Arts in Action, Vol. 6, No. 1

It is no mystery that the arts have a way of lifting people up emotionally, spiritually and intellectually. Although this is not a recent finding, it is truly only within the past few decades that there has truly been a movement to reach individuals suffering from poverty and homelessness through community choirs. Using that phraseology practice of “social inclusion”  the concert hall Casa da Música (CM) in Porto, Portugal, looks to reach out to individuals that are considered at risk due to their dire circumstances. This article looks at this particular model, now growing throughout the world, of pairing professional musicians and arts educators with those needing economic, spiritual, artistic and emotional healing. As noted in this work, the goals are twofold: to use this mode of community artistic expression to give hope and stimulate creativity and confidence, and also for this type of powerful spiritual growth to encourage healing and progress in other areas, such as getting health care and securing employment. There is mention of the value of performance, that encouragement and appreciation that many who have been in at-risk situations are not familiar with. Additionally, the article details the style and functionality of the music - at times it is melancholy, honest and revealing of circumstance. But there is also the hope and joy that comes through musical expression that can be the most liberating and motivating tool available for social progress. 

12. Read, H. (2016) The Legacy of a Hidden Camera: Acts of Making in Japanese-Canadian Internment Camps During the Second World War, as Depicted in Tom Matsui’s Photograph Collection, Material Culture Review 84 (March)

This article details various object and artistic practices that occurred during the internment of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War. The arts-informed study paper was one of many projects under the umbrella of  Landscapes of Injustice Project (LOI), which looks at the pain and consequences of the dispossession of Japanese Canadian property during this era. In the lead up to, and during the Second World War, creativity was buried, property was confiscated and artists were imprisoned or murdered. The response to this tragedy is detailed in this writing:  Japanese Canadians’ reaction was to continue to create with whatever means were available. Additionally, even within dire circumstances there was still beauty and growth of ideas and artistry: gardens, furniture, toys and even living structures, all created while in horrific conditions in the internment camps. Some of the examples of these disturbing conditions are brought to light in the first part of the writing, which then leads to the compelling   photographs of Tom Matsui. These remarkable photographs depict a side of survival that is unique to a creative mind - to continue to be productive no matter the circumstances. The article is layered in its approach as there are the actual art and practical objects created, there is the photographic evidence, and the story they tell, and then thirdly, the article - the narrative passing along the story and imagery. This triad informs the importance of art and culture, of documentation and of critique, and finally of the study of both realms.  

13. Haycock, J. (2015) Protest music as adult education and learning for social change : A theorisation of a public pedagogy of protest music, Australian Journal of Adult Learning Volume 55, Number 3, November 2015

What is the power of protest music? This is the question explored in this article along with seeing protest music as part of a pedagogical musical framework. Beginning with a look at the artists of the 1960s in America, there is a clear emphasis on the response of youth culture to war, discrimination, racism and many other societal ills. There is also an uncovering of what it means to be “counter-culture”, to push the political envelope, to be outside the norm, yet to be successful and mainstream. Additionally, there is a push to trace protest music, not as drug-induced fluff, but as legitimate radical practice that was rooted in the need for expression. Haycock takes apart the modes of expression, the motivation and mass reaction looking at various genres, such as blues and jazz. He highlights the throughline from the surface-oriented light-weight fare of the 1950’s sock-hop music, the love songs and dance tunes to what followed: the reflection of the Vietnam war, the fight for women’s rights, Black liberation. The idealism and optimism is noted, yet so are the failings, punctuated by drug overdoses and life living in excess. This concept of protest music as “Adult education for social change” had a resurgence in the 1980s, even with the Reagan-style me generation - in spite of it or because of it. What followed were the Tracy Chapman and Suzanne Vega style song-writers tackling issues of the day in a balladeering style that invited all to the table. Yet the myths of protest music in its lasting weight, its efficacy and profundity are turning over, flipped back and forth, connecting to the godfathers of protest tunes, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan. 

14. Eggerman, M. & Panter-Brick (2010) Suffering, hope, and entrapment: Resilience and cultural values in Afghanistan, Soc Sci Med. 2010 Jul;71(1):71-83 

Eggerman and Panter-Brick’s work focuses on in-person interviews with over a thousand children aged 11-16 as well as adult guardians/caregivers that were selected at random throughout Afghanistan, primarily in the central and northern regions. The goal of these face-to-face conversations was to take a critical look at how individuals of varied ages contend with adversity and what survival looks like in these circumstances. What are the elements that maintain optimism and courage? What are the aspects of life in these situations that motivate individuals to fight back against injustices, even at a very young age. The circumstances of those children and teens at-risk are universal, but pin-pointed; they include: abject poverty, social and educational equality, and domestic violence. The method in which these inquiries were handled was of a more conversation and advocacy oriented mode. The questions were a door to an opportunity for the youth to tell of their experiences, especially situations that were difficult to weather. Besides the conflicts and challenges there was also a deep dive into what was healing. Elements such as family, faith, community, creativity, identity were all a part of these conversations, many very sophisticated for young people to be mulling over. The end result was a patterning together the positive aspects of life in Afghanistan when there is economic and societal stability. And, conversely, it is noted the ills that can occur when there is social unrest and an economic downturn. The other line that is drawn by Eggerman is the tie between cultural experience and mental and and emotional health, specifically within this population in Afghanistan, but globally applicable. 

15. Nanay, B. (2015) On Clive Bell’s “Art and War”, University of Chicago Press

In this article Bence Nanay explores Clive Bell’s lesser known work “Art and War”, including Bell’s thesis that there needs to be a separation between art and politics and there is no such thing as actual patriotic art. The basis of this argument is that art has continually been used and misused for malintent, especially for political purposes, and that is not the purpose of art. This brings us back one step to ask “What is art, and how should it be used?” Nanay focuses on this ideal of Bell’s that if art is truly of value it should transcend  politics or nationality, in fact none of these aspects should be inherent in the work, such as political party, stance, and even country of origin. In other words, art should be universal and it should be enjoyed, and should be dissociated from any aspect of the aesthetic or communication that would have any type of political sway. This work also asks us to consider Bell’s “slippery slope” of infusing politics and art - in other words if art is a mere means to a political ends, art ceases to be art and becomes simply propaganda. And, if art becomes propaganda, the universality and enjoyment is not present, according to this interpretation. Of course, if one were to attempt to extract political and social justice themes from art, music, dance, any of the artistic genres, that is removing a large percentage of work from the arts landscape, not to mention the motivation for creation. But, this topic is ripe for discussion, and Nanay wraps the article by positing the benefit of stripping concepts like nationalism and patriotism from art with the argument that if the art was steeped in values “like tolerance and broadened sense of community” art could be a positive force in the world.  

16. Humphrey, A. (2018)  Emotion and secrecy in Australian asylum-seeker comics: The politics of visual style, International Journal of Cultural Studies, 21(5), 457–485

Although the common view of comics is that of fluff and enjoyment, and at its most pejorative “time-wasting”, Aaron Humphrey has researched two online comics regarding Australia’s policies of detaining asylum seekers. The first comic was created by the Australian government’s Customs and Border Protection Service (CBPS) and the other comic from the experimental site, The Global Mail. The account of the first comic from CBPS describes the nature and aim of this work, including the lack of text and the overarching goal of the main character. The former detention center employee that the action is centered around is used as a cautionary tale for any potential asylum seekers - an on-the-nose blatant warning not to consider Australia as a protective destination. However, the comic published by The Global Mail, “At work inside our detention centres: a guard’s story”, had the opposite purpose, one that actually highlighted the struggles of asylum seekers and was meant to call attention to the plight of those disenfranchised by a system fraught with human rights abuses. A noted aspect of the research into these comics was the artwork itself. The limitations on anyone reporting on detention centers in any way were heavy, and no matter the propagandizing or retelling of these accounts, the government controls forbade photography of any kind. So, the artwork was really a sort of de facto way that a story could be told, no matter the purpose. Finally, Humphrey reminds us that both comics are examples of how narratives can arise of marginalized groups without their consent, and how even if there is a good intention in the use of the art work and messaging there can still be a disconnect from the subject matter. 

17. Draisey-Collishaw, R. (2021) Listener Discretion Advised: The Power and Politics of Intercultural Encounters on Music Radio, Music and Politics, Volume 15, Issue 1

Welcome to the world of Fuse, a weekly radio program produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) from 2005-2008. The aim of this show was to give voice to marginalized and under-represented artists and genres by having them join forces. 

“I’ve been told to warn you that the upcoming episode of Fuse has coarse language and listener discretion is advised. Can you have listener discretion? Anyway, get ready to fuse now with Cadence Weapon and Final Fantasy.

These words, spoken over a fleeting moment of radio silence, prefaced the April 14, 2007, episode of Fuse, a weekly concert program produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) between 2005 and 2008.” 

So the question needed to be answered - if this experiment is realized and brought to light, what can we gain artistically, intellectually, socially and politically?  The experimentation of cross-cultural collaboration is not new, but at times the follow-up is lacking. Out the gate, there is already an inorganic start in that we don’t have an artist meeting on a club dance floor or a house party. Attention is given to the work of ethnomusicologist Ian Goldstein and his “multimusical sensibility”, which involves communication and a familiarity with fellow musicians, the active decisions made in performative situations, and their prejudices and attitudes toward the work and each other. Fuse ended up as a conventional setting with unconventional entities to motivate creativity and pass judgements and come out with information that can do what? Inspire future collaborations? Show that cross cultural and cross genre mash-ups are worthwhile for community growth and healing? The verdict is still out, but the push in the article is for more of this exploration, whether it be through music, visual art, dance, whatever means of communication stimulates conversation and identity expression. Each genre has it’s unique sets of limitations and ability to challenge and engage the listener/audience. 

18. Anderton, A. (2015) Displaced Music: The Ex-Concentration Camp Orchestra in Postwar Germany, Journal of Musicological Research, 34:2, 141-159

On a warm summer afternoon in late May 1945, eight recently liberated Jewish Holocaust survivors gave their first concert on the hospital lawn of Bavaria's St. Ottilien Monastery. After accepting seven new members, the ensemble soon became known as the Ex-Concentration Camp Orchestra, concertizing throughout the American Zone of Germany between 1945 and 1949. 

In this work, Abby Anderton looks at what we think of as displaced music - and specifically, music that is out of the context of its place and/or time. Music can have a particular impact in its deplacement because of the historical context - we see where the music originated, it’s roots, then the tracing of the melodies through ghettoization and genocide and then to liberation. In a sense, if the music survives, this is like the survival of a human being, with the added potential legacy of being passed along through the generations.  The article speaks to the crippling aspects of music creation in horrendous circumstances, from the poor-quality instruments to the actual music itself, limited by lack of sheet music, and other material items to create a healthy functioning ensemble.  Yet, unlike many musicians and ensembles whose existence was aborted during the Holocaust, this group survived and needed to make the transition to post-camp life and creative expression. The concept of location and site specific work having an impact, this orchestra was no stranger to this model. The majority of performances were not in theaters or concert halls, but in the camps themselves or at the minimum, in areas that were accessible and not class-based or biased. Having a commonality of experiencing and surviving trauma as well as a musical connection, these performances were weighted with the profound joy of the music as well as the toll of human suffering. The grand take-away might be a question more than a statement: What is the power of human suffering in terms of its eventual liberation and do the consequences of societal inhumanity inform future generations?

19. Quarisimo, L. (2016) Charlotte Charke, a Shilling, and a Shoulder of Mutton: The Risks of Performing Trauma, Johns Hopkins University Press Volume 26, Number 3, November 2016

This unique and curious title of Lisa Quarisimo’s article is drawn from a particular theater piece from the 18th century, Mr. Brown, that explored gender and social norms. This piece was a jumping off place for Quarisim to take her theater students through classic “sense memory” exercises to get to the truth of a character. What unfolds here is a classic conundrum: How do we use our own trauma and abuses of social and human rights to deepen our artistic expression without punishing ourselves by living through the trauma repeatedly and profoundly? This is a theme explored in this work, with no real hard and fast answers, as that would be like answering the question of “How can we be happy knowing there is evil in the world?” There seems to be a triad of connections in the dissemination of the work that ensued. There was the original work that the piece was based on - an almost Shakespearean style crossdressing and genderbending storyline that is then taken into a more contemporary context. And then the final layer, the experiences and attitudes of gender norms and behavior that the performers experienced and created through conversation and improvisation. There was a “back-to-basics” in expression that was utilized in dealing with how sound and movement is created in this context, almost giving a birth to death feel of social and political theater creation. And, in the end, there is that question to be answered: What is the result of shared trauma communicated in an artistic mode? 

20. Leonard, H. (2020) The Arts are from Freedom: Centering Black Embodied Music to Make Freedom Free, Journal of Performing Arts Leadership in Higher Education Volume XI Fall 2020

In this article, Hakeem Leonard explores BIPOC artistic expression, it’s place in modern culture and the consequences of marginalizing and shutting out artists of color. The term “normative” is brought up in this article, and I believe this is a crucial aspect of the linguistic descriptors in parsing through artistic control and expression. As stated in this piece, “whiteness is centered as the normative curriculum and expression in art and artistic spaces”. Therefore, those outside this description, artists of color, Black and Indigenous dancers, musicians, theater artists are unable to live their truth before an audience and share creative expression. Additionally, there is an immediate hierarchy set up in which the acceptable white artist is getting the stage, literally, and the artistic bully pulpit and there is a lack of representational art. This is the very definition of the destruction of freedom of expression. Beside the edifices of the Performing Arts Centers, there are the educational institutions in which there is a divide between what is present and what is tolerated. Leonard goes on to quote Frederick Douglass with, "Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will" and extends this concept specifically to the artist. Traditionally, the artist is often in a powerless position in general, too often asking for permission to be heard, to be presented, to be given a platform. And, when the overwhelming layer added on is that the artist is Black or indeigenous or multi-racial, say, anything outside of the safety of white control, there is a shutting down and marginalization. What follows is the lack of BIPOC narrative, of story, dance, music, and art. One of the fascinating aspects of Leonard’s conclusion is he notes the view of academic institutions being these bastions of liberalism and places often known and even critiqued for freedom of thought and radicalization. However, there are still barriers to BIPOC voices, especially when there is a mirror held up to the oppression experienced, as in the truth and reality of lives led.  

21. Fisher, A. & Gilboa, A. (2016) The roles of music amongst musician Holocaust survivors before, during, and after the Holocaust, Psychology of Music, Volume 44, Issue 6

It is fairly universally noted that music can enhance the life experience, it can bring comfort, joy and solace. But how does it aid in coping with extreme adverse conditions including those with horrific human rights abuses? The goal of this study is to explore that impact that music had on musicians during the Holocaust. Seven musicians Holocaust survivors were interviewed for this research with a chronology of five different time periods that had a musical connection. Firstly, what was the role music played in the pre-Holocaust time period? Was the music classical and orchestral, or was it more communal and folk-oriented? How much did the musician connect with their instrument as part of their career and/or identity? Secondly, as the Holocaust began to change lives of the musician and those around them, perhaps music as a stabilizing force. Next during the Holocaust: Was the ability to play music a means of survival? Of shame? Following this, the aftermath of the Holocaust. Was music connected with painful memories or a mode of healing? Was the music or ability to play kept hidden away or passed along to the next generation? Finally, a look at present day with how the musician views music and the ability to play and perform. This particular era also deals with many facets to the music that can be emotionally triggering and trauma related, including the language (Yiddish and Hebrew), the melodies and even the specific instruments played. There is a complex response to this concept of “L’dor v’dor” or passing culture and music to the next generation, particularly when there is pain and trauma connected with it. “Never Forget” can come with an emotional price. 

22. Alan Lareau (2005) Lavender Songs: Undermining Gender in Weimar Cabaret and Beyond, Popular Music and Society, 28:1, 15-33, DOI: 10.1080/0300776042000300954

In review of the existence of “divine decadence” in Berlin during the pre-World War 2 era, this study looks at a variety of music and theatrical presentation from the German cabaret and Weimar republic to explore gay and lesbian personae, representation and identity. The various song styles indicate a wide range of freedom in sexual and gender expression, as well as the societal shut-down of those liberating practices. This study also details the life and work of composers and songwriters whose work was celebrated, reviled and ultimately extinguished by the Nazi era. A notable parallel of study to Lareau’s article would be the Weimar Republic series by the Los Angeles Philharmonic (Janice Mautner Markham as guest artist) LA Philharmonic series program notes: The Weimar Republic began as a bold German political experiment at the end of the First World War and lasted until the rise of Nazism. The era was marked by incredible intellectual productivity, with German artists making lasting contributions in the fields of literature, art, architecture, music, dance, drama, and film. Berlin, in particular, proved to be fertile ground for artists, including composers Kurt Weill and Paul Hindemith. Join in a wide-ranging look at this fascinating, turbulent time. https://www.laphil.com/concerts-and-events/the-weimar-republic-festival-19-20