Frontier Figures: American Music and the Mythology of the American West

Title Page, Series Page, Copyright, Dedication

The publisher gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Authors Imprint Endowment Fund of the University of California Press Foundation, which was established to support exceptional scholarship by first-time authors. The publisher also gratefully acknowledges the generous contribution to this book provided by the AMS 75 PAYS Endowment of the American Musicological Society, funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Frontier Figures CALIFORNIA STUDIES IN THCENTURY MUSIC Richard Taruskin, General Editor 1. Revealing Masks: Exotic Influences and Ritualized Performance in Modernist Music Theater, by W. Anthony Sheppard 2. Russian Opera and the Symbolist Movement, by Simon Morrison 3. German Modernism: Music and the Arts, by Walter Frisch 4. New Music, New Allies: American Experimental Music in West Germany from the Zero Hour to Reunification, by Amy Beal 5. Bartók, Hungary, and the Renewal of Tradition: Case Studies in the Intersection of Modernity and Nationality, by David E. Schneider 6. Classic Chic: Music, Fashion, and Modernism, by Mary E. Davis 7. Music Divided: Bartók’s Legacy in Cold War Culture, by Danielle Fosler-Lussier 8. Jewish Identities: Nationalism, Racism, and Utopianism in Twentieth-Century Art Music, by Klára Móricz 9. Brecht at the Opera, by Joy H. Calico 10. Beautiful Monsters: Imagining the Classic in Musical Media, by Michael Long 11. Experimentalism Otherwise: The New York Avant-Garde and Its Limits, by Benjamin Piekut 12. Music and the Elusive Revolution: Cultural Politics and Political Culture in France, 1968–1981, by Eric Drott 13. Music and Politics in San Francisco: From the 1906 Quake to the Second World War, by Leta E. Miller 14. Frontier Figures: American Music and the Mythology of the American West, by Beth E. Levy Frontier Figures American Music and the Mythology of the American West Beth E. Levy UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS Berkeley Los Angeles London University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu. University of California Press Berkeley and Los Angeles, California University of California Press, Ltd. London, England© 2012 by The Regents of the University of California Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Levy, Beth E. (Beth Ellen), 1972– Frontier figures : American music and the mythology of the American West / Beth E. Levy. — 1st ed. p. cm. — (California studies in 20th-century music ; 14) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-520-26776-3 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-520-26778-7 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Music—United States—20th century—History and criticism. 2. Legends—West (U.S.)—History and criticism. 3. West (U.S.)— Social life and customs—20th century. 4. West (U.S.)—History— 1890-1945. I. Title. ML200.5.L49 2012 781.5'9—dc23 2011038214 Manufactured in the United States of America 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 In keeping with a commitment to support environmentally responsible and sustainable printing practices, UC Press has printed this book on 50-pound Enterprise, a 30 post-consumer-waste, recycled, deinked fiber that is processed chlorine-free. It is acid-free and meets all ansi/ niso (z 39.48) requirements. To my parents, David and Lynne Levy ...