Juilliard: A History (review)

Juilliard: A History. By Andrea Olmstead. (Music in American Life.) Urbana, Ill.: University of Illinois Press, 1999. [368 p. ISBN 0-252-02487-7. $37.50.]

Andrea Olmstead has written a fascinating account of the personalities, politics, and cultural background of the Juilliard School, the colorful institution that has trained the elite of performing artists in the United States throughout the twentieth century. Olmstead has firsthand knowledge of several conservatories. She studied violin and music history at the Hartt College of Music (now the Hartt School) and taught music history at Juilliard (1972-80). Since 1981, she has been the coordinator of the Department of Music at the Boston Conservatory.

Juilliard: A History is the first comprehensive history of an American conservatory. Many schools publish pamphlets on their history, such as Bruce McPherson and James Klein's brief account of the New England Conservatory, Measure by Measure: A History of New England Conservatory from 1867 ([Boston]: The Trustees of New England Conservatory of Music, 1995). But there is a need for well-researched, impartial publications on the Curtis Institute of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Peabody Institute, Eastman School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, and other music schools. Such studies should offer an understanding of the role of conservatories in training performing artists and the place of classical music in American culture.

Olmstead emphasizes three factors that have contributed to the eminence of a few conservatories: "the endowment in the absence of government support, the goals of the founders and subsequent directors, and the achievements of the faculty and students" (p. 5). After tracing the history of the institutions that evolved into the Juilliard School of Music--the Institute of Musical Art, founded in 1905, and the Juilliard Graduate School, founded in 1920 --she includes chapters on some of the school's major departments and outstanding leaders. Despite the depression and World War II, substantial progress was made under the leadership of Ernest Hutcheson (1927-45): B.S. and M.S. degree programs were established at the Institute of Musical Art, an opera school was formed, and Albert Stoessel developed an excellent orchestra program. William Schuman, president from 1945 to 1962, was an outspoken leader who discharged many faculty members, dissolved the Institute of Musical Art, and eliminated summer school and the music education curriculum. He emphasized his combined theory and history curriculum, called Literature and Materials (L&M). Martha Hill founded the Dance Department in 1951 and, together with Doris Humphrey, the Dance Theatre in 1954.

In 1969, the school moved to Lincoln Center and was renamed the Juilliard School in order to reflect the inclusion of dance and drama. During the presidency of Peter Mennin (1962-83), the drama division grew under Michel St. Denis, John Houseman, Alan Schneider, and Michael Langham, and the doctor of musical arts (D.M.A.) degree was added. The L&M curriculum continued, with its emphasis on music literature, composing, and performances in class, and the Juilliard Repertory Library of compositions for public schools was compiled. Since Joseph W. Polisi was appointed president in 1984, the school has revised its liberal arts curriculum, developed community outreach programs, and built its first student housing.

This history recounts Juilliard's administration throughout the last century, but it would have been interesting to read more about curriculum development over the years, anecdotes of outstanding faculty members, and accounts of events in the lives of students. A table of summarizing events and personalities would have been helpful, as the chronology is confusing at times.

The book is written in an engaging style and reflects Olmstead's solid research, based on many interviews, newspaper articles, and archival sources. There are ample quotations, extensive endnotes, and a detailed bibliography, as well as numerous photographs (from the Juilliard School Archives and the New York Public Library) of faculty members, administrators, and buildings. Readers interested in the development of the library at Juilliard should see Jane Gottlieb, "The Juilliard School Library and Its Special Collections," Notes 56 (September 1999): 11-26.

Olmstead does...