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Re: Nabokov and music
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Don Stanley: Just in case anyone is still interested in the topic of Nabokov and music, he has a story with just that title, “Music” (1932)...There is a very good and admirably brief analysis of the story at http://www.mantex.co.uk/2009/09/26/music/
JM: Interesting link about the inclusion, in "Music," of Tolstoy's "Kretuzer Sonata," and the wink to Chekhov. Although it's impossible to read Nabokov "innocently," this often works for me.
Here's Dmitri Nabokov's acessment of his father's collected stories: (an excerpt) "...the eerie doubling of space-time (in "Terra Incognita" and "The Visit to the Museum") that foreshadows the atmosphere of Ada, Pale Fire, and, to a degree, Transparent Things and Look at the Harlequins...Nabokov's predilection for butterflies is a central theme of "The Aurelian" and flickers through many other stories. But what is stranger, music, for which he never professed a special love, often figures prominently in his writing ("Sounds," "Bachmann," "Music," "The Assistant Producer")...But perhaps the deepest, most important theme...is Nabokov's contempt for cruelty—the cruelty of humans, the cruelty of fate—and here the instances are too numerous to name...".
Nabokov mentions a cóuple of Italian operas he must have attended to hear Dmitri sing ( for eg,"La Bohème" in "KQKn" & perhaps, "Ada"), and inserts passing mentions to Richard Wagner ("The Return of Chorb" and "Laughter in the Dark") - almost like adding random ingredients to a poutpourri ( I wonder why). Like the "contrafactum" item (: text/html - Welcome to UC Santa Barbara ) all this has been brought up at the Nab-L before. Vladimir's father and his brother often attended concerts together. His cousin Nicolas Nabokov was a composer*
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* from wikipedia: "Nabokov's first major musical work was the ballet-oratorio Ode, for Serge Diaghilev's Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, in 1928, followed by his Lyrical Symphony in 1931. In 1933 he moved to the U.S. as a lecturer in music for the Barnes Foundation. His ballet Union Pacific was composed in 1934. He taught music at Wells College in New York from 1936 to 41, then moved to St. John's College in Maryland. In 1945, worked for the U. S. Strategic Bombing Survey in Germany, upon the suggestion of W. H. Auden, and stayed to work as a civilian cultural advisor in occupied Germany. Back in the US in 1947, he taught at the Peabody Conservatory, then, in 1950-51, served as music director at the American Academy in Rome. In 1951, he became Secretary General of the newly-formed Congress for Cultural Freedom (CCF) and remained in the job for more than fifteen years, organizing well-known music and cultural festivals. He composed an opera Rasputin's End (libretto by Stephen Spender) in 1958 and a ballet on Don Quixote in 1966. With the effective dissolution of the CCF in 1967, Nabokov found a series of teaching jobs at American universities, and in 1970, became resident composer at the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies, where he remained until 1973.His opera Love's Labour's Lost (libretto by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman) was composed in 1971 and performed in 1973. Although well-connected socially with many prominent cultural figures throughout his life, very little of his music has been recorded as of November 2010." Brian Boyd's biography carries more detailed information about Nicolas' relationship with Vladimir ( I seem to remember, but I'm not sure, that Vladimir Nabokov had one short-story published by the initiative of the CCF. Does anyone know if it's true and what short-story it was?)
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JM: Interesting link about the inclusion, in "Music," of Tolstoy's "Kretuzer Sonata," and the wink to Chekhov. Although it's impossible to read Nabokov "innocently," this often works for me.
Here's Dmitri Nabokov's acessment of his father's collected stories: (an excerpt) "...the eerie doubling of space-time (in "Terra Incognita" and "The Visit to the Museum") that foreshadows the atmosphere of Ada, Pale Fire, and, to a degree, Transparent Things and Look at the Harlequins...Nabokov's predilection for butterflies is a central theme of "The Aurelian" and flickers through many other stories. But what is stranger, music, for which he never professed a special love, often figures prominently in his writing ("Sounds," "Bachmann," "Music," "The Assistant Producer")...But perhaps the deepest, most important theme...is Nabokov's contempt for cruelty—the cruelty of humans, the cruelty of fate—and here the instances are too numerous to name...".
Nabokov mentions a cóuple of Italian operas he must have attended to hear Dmitri sing ( for eg,"La Bohème" in "KQKn" & perhaps, "Ada"), and inserts passing mentions to Richard Wagner ("The Return of Chorb" and "Laughter in the Dark") - almost like adding random ingredients to a poutpourri ( I wonder why). Like the "contrafactum" item (: text/html - Welcome to UC Santa Barbara ) all this has been brought up at the Nab-L before. Vladimir's father and his brother often attended concerts together. His cousin Nicolas Nabokov was a composer*
...................................................................................................................................................................................
* from wikipedia: "Nabokov's first major musical work was the ballet-oratorio Ode, for Serge Diaghilev's Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, in 1928, followed by his Lyrical Symphony in 1931. In 1933 he moved to the U.S. as a lecturer in music for the Barnes Foundation. His ballet Union Pacific was composed in 1934. He taught music at Wells College in New York from 1936 to 41, then moved to St. John's College in Maryland. In 1945, worked for the U. S. Strategic Bombing Survey in Germany, upon the suggestion of W. H. Auden, and stayed to work as a civilian cultural advisor in occupied Germany. Back in the US in 1947, he taught at the Peabody Conservatory, then, in 1950-51, served as music director at the American Academy in Rome. In 1951, he became Secretary General of the newly-formed Congress for Cultural Freedom (CCF) and remained in the job for more than fifteen years, organizing well-known music and cultural festivals. He composed an opera Rasputin's End (libretto by Stephen Spender) in 1958 and a ballet on Don Quixote in 1966. With the effective dissolution of the CCF in 1967, Nabokov found a series of teaching jobs at American universities, and in 1970, became resident composer at the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies, where he remained until 1973.His opera Love's Labour's Lost (libretto by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman) was composed in 1971 and performed in 1973. Although well-connected socially with many prominent cultural figures throughout his life, very little of his music has been recorded as of November 2010." Brian Boyd's biography carries more detailed information about Nicolas' relationship with Vladimir ( I seem to remember, but I'm not sure, that Vladimir Nabokov had one short-story published by the initiative of the CCF. Does anyone know if it's true and what short-story it was?)
Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en
Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm
Visit "Nabokov Online Journal:" http://www.nabokovonline.com
Manage subscription options: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/