Title From biblical book to musical megahit : William B. Bradbury's Esther, the beautiful queen / Juanita Karpf

Published Jackson : University Press of Mississippi, [2023]

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Description 1 online resource (xiii, 280 pages) : illustrations Contents Prelude : Bradbury, musician and entrepreneur -- "Esther" : the early years -- "Esther," revised -- Genre intrigue -- Religious controversy -- Interlude : "Esther" images -- "Esther" and minorities -- An international megahit -- Epilogue Summary "Many church-goers will recognize the name William Bradbury, a nineteenth-century American composer of popular hymns still sung at Sunday services. Bradbury's name may also bring to mind Esther, the Beautiful Queen, his choral setting of a text based on the biblical Book of Esther. Written for amateur singers, the uncomplicated score became enormously popular almost immediately after its initial publication in 1856. In From Biblical Book to Musical Megahit: William B. Bradbury's "Esther, the Beautiful Queen," Juanita Karpf traces the work's rich performance and reception history. Bradbury emphatically stated that he intended Esther to be sung as an unadorned religious and educational piece. Yet many music directors exploited the potential for his score, producing elaborately staged events with costumes, scenery, and acting. Although directors retained Bradbury's original music, they nonetheless facilitated Esther's rapid entre̹e into the realm of music theater. This stylistic transformation ignited a firestorm of controversy. Some clergy and religiously pious citizens condemned theatrical representations of biblical texts as the epitome of debauchery, sacrilege, and sin. In contrast, more tolerant and open-minded theater enthusiasts welcomed the dramatic staging of Esther as wholesome entertainment and as evidence of a refreshingly enlightened approach to biblical interpretation. However heated this debate seemed at times, it did little to quell the continued rise in popularity of Esther. In fact, by the late 1860s, Bradbury's score had worked its way across the continent, north to Canada and, eventually, to Great Britain, Australia, Asia, and Africa. With performances recorded over a century after Bradbury published his score, Esther became, by any measure, an international megahit"-- Provided by publisher Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index Notes Description based on online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on December 08, 2023) Subject Bradbury, William B. (William Batchelder), 1816-1868. Esther, the beautiful queen. Bradbury, William B. (William Batchelder), 1816-1868 -- Performances Esther, Queen of Persia -- Songs and music -- History and criticism SUBJECT Bradbury, William B. (William Batchelder), 1816-1868 fast Esther, Queen of Persia fast Esther, the beautiful queen (Bradbury, William B.) fast Subject MUSIC / Ethnomusicology Performances Songs Music. Music. Genre/Form Criticism, interpretation, etc. Form Electronic book LC no. 2023035019 ISBN 9781496848925 1496848926 9781496848949 1496848942 9781496848918 1496848918 9781496848932 1496848934

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