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Contact: Ginalie Swaim, (319) 335-3932 or Sarah
Oltrogge,
(515) 281-4011
IOWA
CITY, Iowa - When people think of music in
Iowa, most often they will recall Meredith Willson,
the famous Iowan who put Mason City on the map by
composing The Music Man. But the winter issue
of Iowa Heritage Illustrated, the popular
magazine of the State Historical Society of Iowa, goes
beyond Willson to explore lesser-known Iowa musicians.
Alice Ettinger was a young singer from Waterloo who
performed to great acclaim in Europe in the 1890s.
Historian M. Alison Kibler explains the complicated
pressures on female professional singers at the end of
the 19th century, as she follows Ettinger's career
conflicts and growing maturity
through detailed letters written to her family in
Waterloo.
Musicologist Camilla Haugen Cai writes about Fort
Dodge civic leader and music lover Olaf M. Oleson, who
boldly requested Norwegian cultural giants Bjornstjern
Bjornsen and Edvard Grieg to write lyrics and music
for men's choruses. Their responses involved witty
verse, impromptu creations and furious snowstorms. Cai's
research had an unexpected bonus when previously
unknown and never-before-published musical documents
written by Bjornsen and Grieg surfaced in the State
Historical Society's collections.
And finally, John E. Miller profiles Meredith
Willson, and shows that Willson was enthusiastically
promoting Iowa and his hometown, Mason City, long
before The Music Man became a smash hit on
Broadway.
"The love of music has taken many forms in Iowa,"
says editor Ginalie Swaim, "and we're excited to
bring our readers three very different kinds of
stories-a young Waterloo woman who struggled to
achieve excellence and happiness; a dedicated Fort
Dodge choral singer who wasn't afraid to ask a favor
of two Norwegian titans; and a prolific Mason City
composer who promoted Iowa on his radio shows, in
Hollywood and New York social circles, and in his own
spirited music."
Iowa Heritage Illustrated is published
quarterly by the State Historical Society of Iowa, the
historical division of the Iowa Department of Cultural
Affairs. Single issues cost $6 and can be obtained at
the Museum Store in the State Historical Building, 600
E. Locust, Des Moines, or by calling (319) 335-3916.
Subscriptions cost $19.95 for one year or $35.90 for
two years. For more information, contact Ginalie Swaim,
editor, at Iowa Heritage Illustrated, 402 Iowa
Ave., Iowa City, IA 52240; gswaim@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu.
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