Kailan R. Rubinoff, Associate Professor of Musicology, joined the University of North Carolina at Greensboro faculty in 2007. She holds a B.A. in Music from the University of Pennsylvania, a Performance Certificate and Second Phase diploma in historical performance (Baroque and Classical flute) from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, and a Ph.D in Music from the University of Alberta. Her primary research projects, which have been supported by grants from the Fulbright program and the Social Sciences and Research Council of Canada, center on historical performance and 1960s countercultural movements, eighteenth-century improvisation, and the Dutch Early Music scene. Recent publications have appeared in twentieth-century music, Music and Politics, New Sound, and in the collection Music and Protest in 1968 (Cambridge, 2013). She is currently working on a monograph, Making Bach Dutch: Heritage, Identity and Historical Performance in the Netherlands. In addition to her work as a scholar, Dr. Rubinoff is also an active performer on the Baroque and Classical flute.
Explores questions about the historically informed performance movement (HIP) and the importance ... more Explores questions about the historically informed performance movement (HIP) and the importance of the 1960s to the movement, including how a movement that was essentially retrospective in repertoire could also be progressive aesthetically and politically. The essay focuses on the Netherlands, the U.K., and the U.S.—early music's emergent postwar centers. The author draws on programs, reviews, and other documents, and personal interviews she conducted with musicians active during the 1960s. The 'long 1968' (circa 1965 to 1975) was transitional; HIP concerts flourished and period instruments were widely adopted. This critical mass of activity increased HIP's visibility, thus accounting for a lingering popular misperception that historical performance emerged in the 1960s. At the same time, HIP's association with leftist causes, education, and concert life reform movements led to its perception as radical or revolutionary, though the actual political beliefs of performers and audience members varied. HIP's growth in the late 1960s was part of a broader interest in the music cultures of the past, coupled with a questioning of traditional means of engaging with them—a process of interrogating authoritarian structures that historical performers shared with many people of the time, including contemporary composers, students, and anti-war demonstrators.
The Notenkrakersactie of 17 November 1969 was a landmark event for Dutch musical life: a group of... more The Notenkrakersactie of 17 November 1969 was a landmark event for Dutch musical life: a group of composers disrupted a concert of the Concertgebouw Orchestra, protesting against the orchestra’s lack of contemporary music programming. Scholars have tended to interpret this protest as a watershed for the avant-garde, but historical performance – not just contemporary music – proved to be a significant beneficiary. Early Musicians, like New Musicians, had common political goals and appealed to the youth counterculture. Ensuing reforms to the federal arts subsidy system, state-funded music schools, and conservatories in the 1970s were also advantageous for the Dutch Early Music movement. During the welfare retrenchment of the 1980s and the subsidy restructuring of the 1990s, Early Music ensembles economized and had greater success with mainstream recording companies and audiences than new music groups. Nearly forty years after the Notenkrakersactie, traditional symphony orchestras have...
This article explores the contentious position of improvisation in the contemporary Baroque music... more This article explores the contentious position of improvisation in the contemporary Baroque music revival. Paradoxically, historical performers aim to obey the composer‘s intentions by paying careful attention to the written instructions of the musical score yet they also seek to recreate the performative conventions—and freedoms—of an earlier era. The performance practice literature, the recording industry, and the conservatory education of historical performers reinforce a text-centered approach to music that is antithetical to spontaneous creativity. While in-depth understanding of Baroque performing conventions and repertoire is important, greater rapprochement with living improvisatory traditions might result in more liberatory performances of early music.
Established in 1795 in the aftermath of the French Revolution, the Paris Conservatoire emerged fr... more Established in 1795 in the aftermath of the French Revolution, the Paris Conservatoire emerged from a training school for National Guard musicians. Aligned with the French Republic’s broader educational reforms, the Conservatoire was marked by its secularization, standardized curriculum, military-style discipline, and hierarchical organization. Among its most ambitious achievements was the publication of new instruction treatises from 1799 to 1814. Covering elementary theory, solfège, harmony, and all the major instruments, these methods articulated the Conservatoire’s pedagogy and circulated widely in nineteenth-century Europe. Hugot and Wunderlich’s Méthode de flûte (1804) exemplifies the Conservatoire’s approach, making a distinct break from methods published only a few years earlier: abstract technical drills predominate, evenness of tone quality in all key areas is emphasized, and the instruction of improvisation is curtailed. Airs, brunettes, and other pieces typical of ancien...
Established in 1795 in the aftermath of the French Revolution, the Paris Conservatoire emerged fr... more Established in 1795 in the aftermath of the French Revolution, the Paris Conservatoire emerged from a training school for National Guard musicians. Aligned with the French Republic’s broader educational reforms, the Conservatoire was marked by its secularization, standardized curriculum, military-style discipline, and hierarchical organization. Among its most ambitious achievements was the publication of new instruction treatises from 1799 to 1814. Covering elementary theory, solfège, harmony, and all the major instruments, these methods articulated the Conservatoire’s pedagogy and circulated widely in nineteenth-century Europe. Hugot and Wunderlich’s Méthode de flûte (1804) exemplifies the Conservatoire’s approach, making a distinct break from methods published only a few years earlier: abstract technical drills predominate, evenness of tone quality in all key areas is emphasized, and the instruction of improvisation is curtailed. Airs, brunettes, and other pieces typical of ancien régime tutors are replaced with exercises demanding repetitive practicing.Meticulous instructions for the mastery of the flute’s four-key mechanism bear a striking resemblance to rifle-handling directions in contemporary military training and combat manuals by Jacques-Antoine-Hippolyte, Comte de Guibert, and others.
The Conservatoire instruction manuals serve not only as guidebooks to historical fingerings and period performance style; they also can be read as social and political texts. Meant to advance a more rational music pedagogy, these treatises show the extent to which the military model permeated everyday life in post-revolutionary France. Further, they demonstrate a new conception of musical training beyond personal development toward the creation of professional musicians serving a patriotic, republican function. The treatise thus becomes what Michel Foucault calls a ‘‘simple instrument,’’ disciplining musicians’ bodies for the political goals of the state.
In the 1960s, Gustav Leonhardt transformed from locally successful Dutch harpsichordist into a gl... more In the 1960s, Gustav Leonhardt transformed from locally successful Dutch harpsichordist into a global phenomenon. Ironically Leonhardt, an advocate for historical performance and building preservation, achieved critical and commercial success during an era marked by rhetoric of social protest, renewal, and technological progress.
An analysis of Leonhardt’s American reception reveals paradoxes of taste, aesthetics and political engagement. Record company advertisements, interviews and other materials promoted Leonhardt not only as a virtuoso performer-conductor, but also as a serious and scholarly persona. Leonhardt’s recordings demonstrate an “authenticist” stance, contrasting with the Romantic subjectivity of earlier Bach interpreters and the flamboyant showmanship of competing harpsichordists. Complementing this positioning were Leonhardt’s austere performances in Straub-Huillet’s film Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach, his advocacy for historical instruments, and his uncompromising repertoire choices. Associations with the Fulbright program and prestigious American universities further strengthened his reputation as a scholar-performer.
To a conservative older generation, Leonhardt represented sobriety and a link to the past. Nonetheless, Leonhardt’s staid persona had broader appeal: an unlikely ‘guru,’ he attracted flocks of devotees. Younger musicians, inspired by Leonhardt’s speech-like harpsichord articulation and use of reduced performing forces, viewed his performances as anti-mainstream protest music—despite Leonhardt’s own self-consciously apolitical stance. Moreover, the antiquity of the harpsichord and historical instruments complemented concurrent interests in craftsmanship, whole foods and authenticity; yet early music’s popularity was dependent upon technological mediation, especially high fidelity recordings. Leonhardt thus emerges as a complex figure whose appeal transcended generational boundaries and bridged technological mediums.
In Music and Protest in 1968, ed. Beate Kutschke and Barley Norton, 2013
Explores questions about the historically informed performance movement (HIP) and the importance ... more Explores questions about the historically informed performance movement (HIP) and the importance of the 1960s to the movement, including how a movement that was essentially retrospective in repertoire could also be progressive aesthetically and politically. The essay focuses on the Netherlands, the U.K., and the U.S.—early music's emergent postwar centers. The author draws on programs, reviews, and other documents, and personal interviews she conducted with musicians active during the 1960s. The 'long 1968' (circa 1965 to 1975) was transitional; HIP concerts flourished and period instruments were widely adopted. This critical mass of activity increased HIP's visibility, thus accounting for a lingering popular misperception that historical performance emerged in the 1960s. At the same time, HIP's association with leftist causes, education, and concert life reform movements led to its perception as radical or revolutionary, though the actual political beliefs of performers and audience members varied. HIP's growth in the late 1960s was part of a broader interest in the music cultures of the past, coupled with a questioning of traditional means of engaging with them—a process of interrogating authoritarian structures that historical performers shared with many people of the time, including contemporary composers, students, and anti-war demonstrators.
Discusses the 1968 film, Chronik der Anna Magdalena Bach, directed by Jean-Marie Straub and Daniè... more Discusses the 1968 film, Chronik der Anna Magdalena Bach, directed by Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet, in which the harpsichordist Gustav Leonhardt performs the role of J.S. Bach. What the film reveals about Bach performance practice in 1968 is explored.
The Notenkrakersactie of 17 November 1969 was a landmark event for Dutch musical life: a group of... more The Notenkrakersactie of 17 November 1969 was a landmark event for Dutch musical life: a group of composers disrupted a concert of the Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest, protesting against the orchestra's lack of contemporary music programming. Scholars have tended to interpret this protest as a watershed for the avant-garde, but historical performance—not just contemporary music—proved to be a significant beneficiary. Early musicians, like new musicians, had common political goals and appealed to the youth counterculture. Ensuing reforms to the federal arts subsidy system, state-funded music schools, and conservatories in the 1970s were also advantageous for the Dutch early music movement. During the welfare retrenchment of the 1980s and the subsidy restructuring of the 1990s, early music ensembles economized and had greater success with mainstream recording companies and audiences than new music groups. Nearly 40 years after the Notenkrakersactie, traditional symphony orchestras have less influence on Dutch musical life, but recent cutbacks to arts subsidies threaten contemporary music and historical performance alike
Explores the contentious position of improvisation in the contemporary Baroque music revival. Par... more Explores the contentious position of improvisation in the contemporary Baroque music revival. Paradoxically, historical performers aim to obey the composer’s intentions by paying careful attention to the written instructions of the musical score yet they also seek to recreate the performative conventions and freedoms of an earlier era. The performance practice literature, the recording industry, and the conservatory education of historical performers reinforce a text-centered approach to music that is antithetical to spontaneous creativity. While in-depth understanding of Baroque performing conventions and repertoire is important, greater rapprochement with living improvisatory traditions might result in more liberatory performances of early music.
Explores questions about the historically informed performance movement (HIP) and the importance ... more Explores questions about the historically informed performance movement (HIP) and the importance of the 1960s to the movement, including how a movement that was essentially retrospective in repertoire could also be progressive aesthetically and politically. The essay focuses on the Netherlands, the U.K., and the U.S.—early music's emergent postwar centers. The author draws on programs, reviews, and other documents, and personal interviews she conducted with musicians active during the 1960s. The 'long 1968' (circa 1965 to 1975) was transitional; HIP concerts flourished and period instruments were widely adopted. This critical mass of activity increased HIP's visibility, thus accounting for a lingering popular misperception that historical performance emerged in the 1960s. At the same time, HIP's association with leftist causes, education, and concert life reform movements led to its perception as radical or revolutionary, though the actual political beliefs of performers and audience members varied. HIP's growth in the late 1960s was part of a broader interest in the music cultures of the past, coupled with a questioning of traditional means of engaging with them—a process of interrogating authoritarian structures that historical performers shared with many people of the time, including contemporary composers, students, and anti-war demonstrators.
The Notenkrakersactie of 17 November 1969 was a landmark event for Dutch musical life: a group of... more The Notenkrakersactie of 17 November 1969 was a landmark event for Dutch musical life: a group of composers disrupted a concert of the Concertgebouw Orchestra, protesting against the orchestra’s lack of contemporary music programming. Scholars have tended to interpret this protest as a watershed for the avant-garde, but historical performance – not just contemporary music – proved to be a significant beneficiary. Early Musicians, like New Musicians, had common political goals and appealed to the youth counterculture. Ensuing reforms to the federal arts subsidy system, state-funded music schools, and conservatories in the 1970s were also advantageous for the Dutch Early Music movement. During the welfare retrenchment of the 1980s and the subsidy restructuring of the 1990s, Early Music ensembles economized and had greater success with mainstream recording companies and audiences than new music groups. Nearly forty years after the Notenkrakersactie, traditional symphony orchestras have...
This article explores the contentious position of improvisation in the contemporary Baroque music... more This article explores the contentious position of improvisation in the contemporary Baroque music revival. Paradoxically, historical performers aim to obey the composer‘s intentions by paying careful attention to the written instructions of the musical score yet they also seek to recreate the performative conventions—and freedoms—of an earlier era. The performance practice literature, the recording industry, and the conservatory education of historical performers reinforce a text-centered approach to music that is antithetical to spontaneous creativity. While in-depth understanding of Baroque performing conventions and repertoire is important, greater rapprochement with living improvisatory traditions might result in more liberatory performances of early music.
Established in 1795 in the aftermath of the French Revolution, the Paris Conservatoire emerged fr... more Established in 1795 in the aftermath of the French Revolution, the Paris Conservatoire emerged from a training school for National Guard musicians. Aligned with the French Republic’s broader educational reforms, the Conservatoire was marked by its secularization, standardized curriculum, military-style discipline, and hierarchical organization. Among its most ambitious achievements was the publication of new instruction treatises from 1799 to 1814. Covering elementary theory, solfège, harmony, and all the major instruments, these methods articulated the Conservatoire’s pedagogy and circulated widely in nineteenth-century Europe. Hugot and Wunderlich’s Méthode de flûte (1804) exemplifies the Conservatoire’s approach, making a distinct break from methods published only a few years earlier: abstract technical drills predominate, evenness of tone quality in all key areas is emphasized, and the instruction of improvisation is curtailed. Airs, brunettes, and other pieces typical of ancien...
Established in 1795 in the aftermath of the French Revolution, the Paris Conservatoire emerged fr... more Established in 1795 in the aftermath of the French Revolution, the Paris Conservatoire emerged from a training school for National Guard musicians. Aligned with the French Republic’s broader educational reforms, the Conservatoire was marked by its secularization, standardized curriculum, military-style discipline, and hierarchical organization. Among its most ambitious achievements was the publication of new instruction treatises from 1799 to 1814. Covering elementary theory, solfège, harmony, and all the major instruments, these methods articulated the Conservatoire’s pedagogy and circulated widely in nineteenth-century Europe. Hugot and Wunderlich’s Méthode de flûte (1804) exemplifies the Conservatoire’s approach, making a distinct break from methods published only a few years earlier: abstract technical drills predominate, evenness of tone quality in all key areas is emphasized, and the instruction of improvisation is curtailed. Airs, brunettes, and other pieces typical of ancien régime tutors are replaced with exercises demanding repetitive practicing.Meticulous instructions for the mastery of the flute’s four-key mechanism bear a striking resemblance to rifle-handling directions in contemporary military training and combat manuals by Jacques-Antoine-Hippolyte, Comte de Guibert, and others.
The Conservatoire instruction manuals serve not only as guidebooks to historical fingerings and period performance style; they also can be read as social and political texts. Meant to advance a more rational music pedagogy, these treatises show the extent to which the military model permeated everyday life in post-revolutionary France. Further, they demonstrate a new conception of musical training beyond personal development toward the creation of professional musicians serving a patriotic, republican function. The treatise thus becomes what Michel Foucault calls a ‘‘simple instrument,’’ disciplining musicians’ bodies for the political goals of the state.
In the 1960s, Gustav Leonhardt transformed from locally successful Dutch harpsichordist into a gl... more In the 1960s, Gustav Leonhardt transformed from locally successful Dutch harpsichordist into a global phenomenon. Ironically Leonhardt, an advocate for historical performance and building preservation, achieved critical and commercial success during an era marked by rhetoric of social protest, renewal, and technological progress.
An analysis of Leonhardt’s American reception reveals paradoxes of taste, aesthetics and political engagement. Record company advertisements, interviews and other materials promoted Leonhardt not only as a virtuoso performer-conductor, but also as a serious and scholarly persona. Leonhardt’s recordings demonstrate an “authenticist” stance, contrasting with the Romantic subjectivity of earlier Bach interpreters and the flamboyant showmanship of competing harpsichordists. Complementing this positioning were Leonhardt’s austere performances in Straub-Huillet’s film Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach, his advocacy for historical instruments, and his uncompromising repertoire choices. Associations with the Fulbright program and prestigious American universities further strengthened his reputation as a scholar-performer.
To a conservative older generation, Leonhardt represented sobriety and a link to the past. Nonetheless, Leonhardt’s staid persona had broader appeal: an unlikely ‘guru,’ he attracted flocks of devotees. Younger musicians, inspired by Leonhardt’s speech-like harpsichord articulation and use of reduced performing forces, viewed his performances as anti-mainstream protest music—despite Leonhardt’s own self-consciously apolitical stance. Moreover, the antiquity of the harpsichord and historical instruments complemented concurrent interests in craftsmanship, whole foods and authenticity; yet early music’s popularity was dependent upon technological mediation, especially high fidelity recordings. Leonhardt thus emerges as a complex figure whose appeal transcended generational boundaries and bridged technological mediums.
In Music and Protest in 1968, ed. Beate Kutschke and Barley Norton, 2013
Explores questions about the historically informed performance movement (HIP) and the importance ... more Explores questions about the historically informed performance movement (HIP) and the importance of the 1960s to the movement, including how a movement that was essentially retrospective in repertoire could also be progressive aesthetically and politically. The essay focuses on the Netherlands, the U.K., and the U.S.—early music's emergent postwar centers. The author draws on programs, reviews, and other documents, and personal interviews she conducted with musicians active during the 1960s. The 'long 1968' (circa 1965 to 1975) was transitional; HIP concerts flourished and period instruments were widely adopted. This critical mass of activity increased HIP's visibility, thus accounting for a lingering popular misperception that historical performance emerged in the 1960s. At the same time, HIP's association with leftist causes, education, and concert life reform movements led to its perception as radical or revolutionary, though the actual political beliefs of performers and audience members varied. HIP's growth in the late 1960s was part of a broader interest in the music cultures of the past, coupled with a questioning of traditional means of engaging with them—a process of interrogating authoritarian structures that historical performers shared with many people of the time, including contemporary composers, students, and anti-war demonstrators.
Discusses the 1968 film, Chronik der Anna Magdalena Bach, directed by Jean-Marie Straub and Daniè... more Discusses the 1968 film, Chronik der Anna Magdalena Bach, directed by Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet, in which the harpsichordist Gustav Leonhardt performs the role of J.S. Bach. What the film reveals about Bach performance practice in 1968 is explored.
The Notenkrakersactie of 17 November 1969 was a landmark event for Dutch musical life: a group of... more The Notenkrakersactie of 17 November 1969 was a landmark event for Dutch musical life: a group of composers disrupted a concert of the Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest, protesting against the orchestra's lack of contemporary music programming. Scholars have tended to interpret this protest as a watershed for the avant-garde, but historical performance—not just contemporary music—proved to be a significant beneficiary. Early musicians, like new musicians, had common political goals and appealed to the youth counterculture. Ensuing reforms to the federal arts subsidy system, state-funded music schools, and conservatories in the 1970s were also advantageous for the Dutch early music movement. During the welfare retrenchment of the 1980s and the subsidy restructuring of the 1990s, early music ensembles economized and had greater success with mainstream recording companies and audiences than new music groups. Nearly 40 years after the Notenkrakersactie, traditional symphony orchestras have less influence on Dutch musical life, but recent cutbacks to arts subsidies threaten contemporary music and historical performance alike
Explores the contentious position of improvisation in the contemporary Baroque music revival. Par... more Explores the contentious position of improvisation in the contemporary Baroque music revival. Paradoxically, historical performers aim to obey the composer’s intentions by paying careful attention to the written instructions of the musical score yet they also seek to recreate the performative conventions and freedoms of an earlier era. The performance practice literature, the recording industry, and the conservatory education of historical performers reinforce a text-centered approach to music that is antithetical to spontaneous creativity. While in-depth understanding of Baroque performing conventions and repertoire is important, greater rapprochement with living improvisatory traditions might result in more liberatory performances of early music.
Uploads
Papers by Kailan Rubinoff
The Conservatoire instruction manuals serve not only as guidebooks to historical fingerings and period performance style; they also can be read as social and political texts. Meant to advance a more rational music pedagogy, these treatises show the extent to which the military model permeated everyday life in post-revolutionary France. Further, they demonstrate a new conception of musical training beyond personal development toward the creation of professional musicians serving a patriotic, republican function. The treatise thus becomes what Michel Foucault calls a ‘‘simple instrument,’’ disciplining musicians’ bodies for the political goals of the state.
An analysis of Leonhardt’s American reception reveals paradoxes of taste, aesthetics and political engagement. Record company advertisements, interviews and other materials promoted Leonhardt not only as a virtuoso performer-conductor, but also as a serious and scholarly persona. Leonhardt’s recordings demonstrate an “authenticist” stance, contrasting with the Romantic subjectivity of earlier Bach interpreters and the flamboyant showmanship of competing harpsichordists. Complementing this positioning were Leonhardt’s austere performances in Straub-Huillet’s film Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach, his advocacy for historical instruments, and his uncompromising repertoire choices. Associations with the Fulbright program and prestigious American universities further strengthened his reputation as a scholar-performer.
To a conservative older generation, Leonhardt represented sobriety and a link to the past. Nonetheless, Leonhardt’s staid persona had broader appeal: an unlikely ‘guru,’ he attracted flocks of devotees. Younger musicians, inspired by Leonhardt’s speech-like harpsichord articulation and use of reduced performing forces, viewed his performances as anti-mainstream protest music—despite Leonhardt’s own self-consciously apolitical stance. Moreover, the antiquity of the harpsichord and historical instruments complemented concurrent interests in craftsmanship, whole foods and authenticity; yet early music’s popularity was dependent upon technological mediation, especially high fidelity recordings. Leonhardt thus emerges as a complex figure whose appeal transcended generational boundaries and bridged technological mediums.
The Conservatoire instruction manuals serve not only as guidebooks to historical fingerings and period performance style; they also can be read as social and political texts. Meant to advance a more rational music pedagogy, these treatises show the extent to which the military model permeated everyday life in post-revolutionary France. Further, they demonstrate a new conception of musical training beyond personal development toward the creation of professional musicians serving a patriotic, republican function. The treatise thus becomes what Michel Foucault calls a ‘‘simple instrument,’’ disciplining musicians’ bodies for the political goals of the state.
An analysis of Leonhardt’s American reception reveals paradoxes of taste, aesthetics and political engagement. Record company advertisements, interviews and other materials promoted Leonhardt not only as a virtuoso performer-conductor, but also as a serious and scholarly persona. Leonhardt’s recordings demonstrate an “authenticist” stance, contrasting with the Romantic subjectivity of earlier Bach interpreters and the flamboyant showmanship of competing harpsichordists. Complementing this positioning were Leonhardt’s austere performances in Straub-Huillet’s film Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach, his advocacy for historical instruments, and his uncompromising repertoire choices. Associations with the Fulbright program and prestigious American universities further strengthened his reputation as a scholar-performer.
To a conservative older generation, Leonhardt represented sobriety and a link to the past. Nonetheless, Leonhardt’s staid persona had broader appeal: an unlikely ‘guru,’ he attracted flocks of devotees. Younger musicians, inspired by Leonhardt’s speech-like harpsichord articulation and use of reduced performing forces, viewed his performances as anti-mainstream protest music—despite Leonhardt’s own self-consciously apolitical stance. Moreover, the antiquity of the harpsichord and historical instruments complemented concurrent interests in craftsmanship, whole foods and authenticity; yet early music’s popularity was dependent upon technological mediation, especially high fidelity recordings. Leonhardt thus emerges as a complex figure whose appeal transcended generational boundaries and bridged technological mediums.