Notes and News Dr. Ken Hoppmann Call for Papers The fifty-second annual Western Literature Association conference will be held October 25–28, 2017, in Minneapolis. The conference theme is Sweet Land, Mighty Waters: Myth and Storytelling West of the Mississippi. The conference’s theme grew from the short story collection Sweet Land by Minnesota writer Will Weaver and Minnesota’s long heritage of nature and regional writing. The state is also known for its mythic figures and master storytellers. Innovative proposals are encouraged on the following topics: myth, storytelling, and storytellers; nature writing and literature of place; plays, theater, and performance; Native American and other ethnic writers and writing; borders and border crossing; Minnesota/midwestern writers and literature; food writing. The conference organizers are open to sessions on teaching, workshops, and roundtable discussions. Submissions must include a 250-word abstract, name, affiliation, contact information, and audiovisual requests. Proposals for panels and roundtable discussions should include an abstract for each paper or presentation. Deadline: June 15, 2017. Please submit abstracts, proposals, or questions to Florence Amamoto <amamoto@gac.edu> or Susan Maher <smaher@d.umn.edu>. For more information see <http://www.westernlit.org/wla-conference-2017/>. Editor’s Note We would like to call attention to a unique musical event that occurred in honor of Chief Standing Bear (Ponca). A special performance of a new composition was introduced in 2016. Below, the artistic director of the Standing Bear Project describes this innovative event. Standing Bear: A Ponca Indian Cantata in Eight Tableaux The Hildegard Center for the Arts in Lincoln, Nebraska, recently presented a newly commissioned chamber work by American composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, a self-described Chickasaw classical composer. In his piece Standing Bear: A Ponca Indian Cantata in Eight Tableaux, Tate has set one of the most important Native American stories of all time. His musical rendering employs a traditionally classical setting for solo baritone, piano, and string sextet. His musical ideas convey the drama and strength of the nineteenth-century Ponca chief while incorporating European compositional techniques from the twentieth century and beyond. It is understandable that American Indians would fiercely protect their indigenous cultures and stories. It is also understandable that there could be resentment toward non-Native people, ancestors of their first oppressors, who attempt to co-opt important and sacred stories that hold deep cultural significance for a tribe. Hildegard Center for the Arts is honored to be entrusted with the story of Chief Standing Bear. We acknowledge that we are among those who need to learn from and experience the rich culture of our Ponca friends. It has been a challenge for us to authentically and accurately represent Standing Bear with our European art and music, yet we believe that it is vitally important to do so. [End Page 75] In his cantata, Jerod Tate sets the story of Standing Bear in a manner consistent with his classical training. He uses traditional compositional techniques and western European instrumentation. His harmonic language is based primarily on accepted European quartal and quintal intervals, while he combines shifting accents and unexpected metric groupings to create a Stravinsky-like rhythmic drive. The story unfolds within a compositional framework consisting of eight tableaux, or movements. This formal structure allows Jerod Tate ample space to move about and develop the dramatic pull necessary for such a weighty story. Tate’s experience as an operatic and ballet composer is evident in his use of dramatic techniques even within the confines of a small ensemble. He succeeds in filling the smaller compositional space with the mastery of a Baroque painter, making certain that every square inch is effectively and powerfully utilized. There is no shortage of western Europe in Tate’s Standing Bear cantata. But what about Native America? Throughout the Indianist era, western composers attempted to “Indianize” compositions simply by creating Native-sounding titles, incorporating a few Native rhythms, or by using an established Native story as the basis for a piece. In Tate’s piece, however, we are presented with many substantial and authentic Indian qualities. The story is one of Ponca strength and resilience. In telling it, the composer extends his Chickasaw hand of friendship to the...
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Sep 13, 2023
Anthony R Prisco + 3
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