jan 1, 1928 - The Threepenny Opera

Description:

Music for Political Action
1. Some composers felt that music should provide social commentary, not just satiric fun
(as in Hindemith and Krenek or the French).
2. Kurt Weill’s Zeitopers did just that and were compared favorably to Wozzeck.
3. Weill collaborated with Bertolt Brecht.
a. Brecht sought to do away with conventional theater’s attempts to portray “real”
actions.
b. Brecht’s new ideas about theater were part of a political agenda, as was Weill’s music.
4. Weill noted that music achieves its value when it interrupts the action at the right moments, positioning itself as regards the action and influencing the listener’s response.
5. The most famous Weill/Brecht collaboration was The Threepenny Opera (1928).
a. They modeled it on Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera.
b. Instead of operatic singers, the cast included cabaret singers and dramatic actors.
6. Like Wozzeck, The Threepenny Opera is a commentary on how society deals with the poor.

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