Abstract
An exhibit celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Handel and Haydn Society, H+H, was held on March 24, 2015. Many of the artifacts available were printed materials, which, while beautiful and interesting, could not convey the essence of a musical performance. This project sought to answer a question printed materials could not: How did the first H+H concert sound? A visitor to the exhibit could look at programs and scores, but imaging how the music sounded in the early 19th century would be extremely difficult. The creation of an interactive installation, however, allowed any visitor, regardless of their level of musical knowledge, to hear history. This paper chronicles the process of transforming the printed information into an interactive app so that anyone might experience the unique performance practice of early 19th century Boston. For this project, the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah was chosen for several reasons: this chorus concluded the first H+H concert in 1815; it has been sung frequently throughout H+H’s history, becoming almost synonymous with H+H in the United States; and, of all the works on the first H+H concert, Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus is the one most audiences would recognize today. The app allowed listeners to experience both the vocal and instrumental arrangement used by H+H in its first years as well as compare that performance to one using Handel’s original four-part chorus setting and a 2014 H+H performance. Now, any listener was able to experience a unique moment in the history of American music.
Presenters
Teresa NeffSenior Lecturer in Music, Music and Theater Arts, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
INTERACTIVE EXHIBIT, MUSIC, INTERACTIVE APP, PERFORMANCE
