Award will support book on American composer William Schuman
 Steve Swayne (photo by Joseph Mehling '69)
|
The National Endowment for the Humanities
(NEH) has granted a one-year fellowship to Associate Professor of Music Steve Swayne.
Swayne will use the support to complete a book about American composer William Schuman (1912-1992), the
first person ever to receive a Pulitzer Prize for music in 1943.
“William Schuman contributed so much to American music, not only through his
many compositions but also through his leadership as president of the Juilliard
School and as president of New York City’s Lincoln Center,” says Swayne. “A
comprehensive book about his life and music is long overdue, and I’m grateful
that the NEH recognizes the value of this project.”
According to Swayne, Schuman wasn’t afraid to reach new audiences or to
appeal to the popular aspects of America’s culture. “Schuman went toe-to-toe
with Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein, and Roy Harris in terms
of name recognition among audiences. In the middle of the 20th century, he
chalked up as many performances as any of them,” says Swayne. Schuman’s
symphonies and quartets especially were routinely heard in concert halls, on
the radio, and through critically acclaimed recordings.
Schuman also left a wealth of research materials, which, Swayne says, have
yet to be sufficiently studied by scholars. The fellowship will allow Swayne to
delve further into the William Schuman Papers at the New York Public Library for
the Performing Arts and Schuman’s music manuscripts at the Library of Congress. Swayne is eager to learn
more about who and what influenced Schuman and to discover the various people
and institutions that Schuman helped to shape.
Swayne’s research thus far has focused on Schuman’s role as educator,
citizen, businessman, administrator, and artist up until 1950. Because of this
work, Swayne is increasingly considered the leading authority on Schuman.
In his proposal to the NEH, Swayne wrote, “Several colleagues routinely ask
me about my research and when they might expect a book. They know, as I do,
that Schuman profoundly shaped America’s musical landscape and that his story
has not been adequately told.”
Support from the NEH will extend Swayne’s sabbatical, allowing him the time
and resources to focus on completing the book. NEH Fellowships support
individuals pursuing scholarly projects that contribute to the public’s
understanding of the humanities. Swayne is one of about 90 people this year to
be funded from an applicant pool of nearly 1,200.
By SUSAN KNAPP
|
RSS/XML Feed