ABSTRACT
Chapter 4 examines the reception in the New York City musical press of the so-called musical Americanisms in Puccini’s La fanciulla del West, comparing it to the reception of Dvořák’s New World Symphony and debates over the right way to compose American national music. While Puccini quoted or imitated music that most Europeans at the time associated primarily with the United States—Native American music, popular songs by Stephen Foster and George M. Cohen, and ragtime songs—many New York City critics argued against the value of these genres as musical signifiers for Americans. Echoing the Dvořák debate, their reasons drew upon a variety of grounds, including authenticity—aesthetic, ethnic, geographic, historical, national, and topical authenticity—and recognition. Because of this, the majority of critics concluded that even though the music was beautiful, included sources that sources originated in the United States, and the compositional techniques for incorporating them had worked well in Madama Butterfly, La fanciulla del West lacked the requisite sonic atmosphere for an American local color opera, particularly one set in the 1849 Californian Gold Rush presented at the Metropolitan Opera House. Critics held Puccini’s Italian identity responsible.
