Musical Performance, Audience, and Class Relations: The Yellow Book Blurs the Lines
Roxanne Frazer
Ryerson University
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The Yellow
Book was a periodical in the 1890’s that is described as "a
product of its experimental, provocative moment in time" (Turner). It had an innovative form, sexually suggestive
drawings, courtesy of Aubrey Beardsley, and was unconventional in many ways
compared to the average quarterly periodical in the 1890's. The publication can be seen as influential,
and definitely unusual with its choice to employ the eye catching and then
controversial hue of yellow, the use of Beardsley’s borderline erotic drawings,
and publishing prose discussing themes that could be classified as progressive
or taboo. It offered a distinction, an art and a high
quality literary review that strongly suggested the longevity of a book rather
than the ephemera of a magazine. |
Aubrey Beardsley was an avant-garde
artist; one known for his determination to shock with sensually suggestive and outlandish drawings. Beardsley's art pervaded the first four volumes of the magazine, appearing on the binding as well as in its pages. However, his friendship with Oscar Wilde around the time of Wilde's arrest for gross indecency, resulted in Beardsley being fire. This is just one example of the editors of The Yellow Book being willing to toe the line of decadence but taking precautions by disassociating themselves with any connections to Wilde. The image that this exhibit looks at is the third
in Beardsley’s series called Comedy-Ballet of the Marionettes; all of which
were featured in the 2nd volume of The Yellow Book. |
The text that this exhibit examines is called "On
the Art of Yvette Guilbert". This review of some of the famous entertainer's performances is from the 9th
volume of The Yellow Book by an author named Stanley Makower. Makower was the
son of German-Jewish immigrants he wrote a few novels and submissions to the local
newspaper. Though he was not as prolific as some other author's of the 19th
century, he contributed stories and other prose to The Yellow Book; "On the Art
of Yvette Guilbert" being one of them. |
This image and this piece of prose is
related to the context of Musical Performance through their representation of
this context. The reception of the drawing is an indication of audience
reaction to Beardsley’s presentation of musical performance and the prose is actually
a review of some of Yvette Guilbert’s performances. Through the reception of
these pieces, it can be inferred just how musical performances were appreciated
by the audience to which The Yellow Book catered, as well as how different classes responded to the style the periodical perpetuated. It will become clear what part The Yellow Book played by presenting the problematic works of art
and prose it chose to showcase.