Gertrude Prokosch Kurath
Encyclopedia
Gertrude Prokosch Kurath (1903–1992) was an American
dance
r, researcher, author, and ethnomusicologist. She researched and wrote extensively on the study of dance, co-authoring several books and writing hundreds of articles. Her main areas of interest were ethnomusicology
and dance ethnology, with some of her best known works being "Panorama of Dance Ethnology" in Current Anthropology
(1960), the book Music and dance of the Tewa Pueblos co-written with Antonio Garcia (1970), and Iroquois Music and Dance: ceremonial arts of two Seneca Longhouses (1964), in the Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology bulletin. She made substantial contributions to the study of Amerindian dance, and to dance theory. From 1958 to January 1972 she was dance editor for the journal Ethnomusicology
.
, receiving a BA in 1922, and an MA in art history in 1928, concurrently studying music and dance in Berlin, Philadelphia, New York, and Providence, Rhode Island from 1922-1928. She then studied music and dance at the Yale School of Drama
at Yale University
, from 1929-1930. She danced under the stage name of Tula, starting in 1922. From 1923-1946 she was a teacher, performer, producer, and choreographer of modern dance
. In the mid-1940s, she turned her focus to the study of American Indian
dance, doing extensive fieldwork on the musical traditions of Michigan's Anishinaabe
and others. She was awarded grants for field research by the Wenner-Gren Foundation from 1949–1973, the American Philosophical Society
from 1951–1965, and the National Museum of Canada (1962–1965, 1969–1970). She wrote about Iroquois
, Pueblo
, Six Nations
, and Great Lakes
Indian dances, as well as on the subjects of dance theory
and methods. In 1962, she founded the Dance Research Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan
.
Her other scholarly interests included the fields of folk liturgy and rock music.
Robert Commanday of San Francisco Chronicle
praised her addition to The New Grove Dictionary of American Music, saying, "For the first time in the country's history, a comprehensive survey of its music and musicians is available in a single reference work. It encompasses the spectrum, the fields of concert, opera, traditional, folk and popular music, and areas related to and touching on American music in every conceivable way - industry, technology, education, religion, literature... Two treatments must be singled out as unique and outstanding. One is the 20-page study on "Indians, American" by Bruno Nettl and Charlotte Heth on the music, Gertrude Kurath on the dance. In addition, there are separate articles on the music of nearly 40 tribes and tribal groups. Equally impressive is the 22-page article on "European-American Music," treating in sequence the musical cultures and influences here of 19 European countries."
Kurath died on August 1, 1992, just a few months after her husband, the linguist Hans Kurath
, had died. Her archives are maintained at Cross-Cultural Dance Resources
in Arizona
, which published her work Half a Century of Dance Research. The Iroquois materials are housed in the Woodlands Cultural Centre in Brantford, Ontario
.
(A short Bio) http://www.ccdr.org/kurath_bio.html
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
r, researcher, author, and ethnomusicologist. She researched and wrote extensively on the study of dance, co-authoring several books and writing hundreds of articles. Her main areas of interest were ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology is defined as "the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts."Coined by the musician Jaap Kunst from the Greek words ἔθνος ethnos and μουσική mousike , it is often considered the anthropology or ethnography of music...
and dance ethnology, with some of her best known works being "Panorama of Dance Ethnology" in Current Anthropology
Current Anthropology
Current Anthropology is a peer-reviewed anthropology academic journal published by the University of Chicago Press and sponsored by the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research. Founded in 1959 by the anthropologist Sol Tax...
(1960), the book Music and dance of the Tewa Pueblos co-written with Antonio Garcia (1970), and Iroquois Music and Dance: ceremonial arts of two Seneca Longhouses (1964), in the Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology bulletin. She made substantial contributions to the study of Amerindian dance, and to dance theory. From 1958 to January 1972 she was dance editor for the journal Ethnomusicology
Society for Ethnomusicology
The Society for Ethnomusicology is, with the International Council for Traditional Music and the British Forum for Ethnomusicology, one of three major international associations ethnomusicology...
.
Biography
Kurath was born on August 19, 1903 in Chicago, Illinois. She graduated from Bryn Mawr CollegeBryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
, receiving a BA in 1922, and an MA in art history in 1928, concurrently studying music and dance in Berlin, Philadelphia, New York, and Providence, Rhode Island from 1922-1928. She then studied music and dance at the Yale School of Drama
Yale School of Drama
The Yale School of Drama is a graduate professional school of Yale University providing training in every discipline of the theatre: acting, design , directing, dramaturgy and dramatic criticism, playwriting, stage management, sound design, technical design and production, and theater...
at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, from 1929-1930. She danced under the stage name of Tula, starting in 1922. From 1923-1946 she was a teacher, performer, producer, and choreographer of modern dance
Modern dance
Modern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.-Intro:...
. In the mid-1940s, she turned her focus to the study of American Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
dance, doing extensive fieldwork on the musical traditions of Michigan's Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe or Anishinabe—or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek, which is the plural form of the word—is the autonym often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonquin peoples. They all speak closely related Anishinaabemowin/Anishinaabe languages, of the Algonquian language family.The meaning...
and others. She was awarded grants for field research by the Wenner-Gren Foundation from 1949–1973, the American Philosophical Society
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society, founded in 1743, and located in Philadelphia, Pa., is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications,...
from 1951–1965, and the National Museum of Canada (1962–1965, 1969–1970). She wrote about Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
, Pueblo
Pueblo
Pueblo is a term used to describe modern communities of Native Americans in the Southwestern United States of America. The first Spanish explorers of the Southwest used this term to describe the communities housed in apartment-like structures built of stone, adobe mud, and other local material...
, Six Nations
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
, and Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
Indian dances, as well as on the subjects of dance theory
Dance theory
Dance theory is a fairly new field closely related to music theory and specifically musicality used to describe the nature and mechanics of dance. While musicality deals with finding a particular matching pair of dance and music that fit each other in various respects, dance theory is a broad term...
and methods. In 1962, she founded the Dance Research Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
.
Her other scholarly interests included the fields of folk liturgy and rock music.
Robert Commanday of San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
praised her addition to The New Grove Dictionary of American Music, saying, "For the first time in the country's history, a comprehensive survey of its music and musicians is available in a single reference work. It encompasses the spectrum, the fields of concert, opera, traditional, folk and popular music, and areas related to and touching on American music in every conceivable way - industry, technology, education, religion, literature... Two treatments must be singled out as unique and outstanding. One is the 20-page study on "Indians, American" by Bruno Nettl and Charlotte Heth on the music, Gertrude Kurath on the dance. In addition, there are separate articles on the music of nearly 40 tribes and tribal groups. Equally impressive is the 22-page article on "European-American Music," treating in sequence the musical cultures and influences here of 19 European countries."
Kurath died on August 1, 1992, just a few months after her husband, the linguist Hans Kurath
Hans Kurath
Hans Kurath was an American linguist of Austrian origin. He was full professor for English and Linguistics at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor...
, had died. Her archives are maintained at Cross-Cultural Dance Resources
Cross-Cultural Dance Resources
Cross-Cultural Dance Resources is a non-profit dance research organization in the United States, formed in 1981 and based in Flagstaff, Arizona. It maintains a non-lending library devoted to the study of dance, with over 15,000 shelved items plus the archives of Eleanor King, Gertrude Prokosch...
in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, which published her work Half a Century of Dance Research. The Iroquois materials are housed in the Woodlands Cultural Centre in Brantford, Ontario
Brantford, Ontario
Brantford is a city located on the Grand River in Southern Ontario, Canada. While geographically surrounded by the County of Brant, the city is politically independent...
.
Honors
- 1972, CORD (Congress on Research in Dance)
- 1986, UCLA Association of Graduate Dance Ethnologists
- 1987, Society for Ethnomusicology
- 2001, (posthumously), Society for Ethnomusicology
- 2001, (posthumously) Michigan State University Museum Heritage Award
Selected works
- Kurath, Gertrude Prokosch; Garcia, Antonio. Music and Dance of the Tewa Pueblos, 1970
- Gertrude Prokosch Kurath / Jane Ettawageshik / Fred Ettawageshik / Michael D. McNally / Frank Ettawageshik, Sacred Music, Dance, and Myth of Michigan's Anishinaabe, 1946-1955
- Kurath, Gertrude Prokosch. Half a Century of Dance Research
- Helm, June, Nancy Oestreich Lurie, and Gertrude Prokosch Kurath. The Dogrib Hand Game. Ottawa: [Queen's Printer], 1966.
- “Panorama of Dance Ethnology” in Current AnthropologyCurrent AnthropologyCurrent Anthropology is a peer-reviewed anthropology academic journal published by the University of Chicago Press and sponsored by the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research. Founded in 1959 by the anthropologist Sol Tax...
1960, vol.1, #3, pp. 233–254 - Music and dance of the Tewa Pueblos with Antonio Garcia, Museum of New Mexico Press, Santa Fe, NM, 1970
- "Iroquois Music and Dance: ceremonial arts of two Seneca Longhouses", Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology bulletin 187, 1964
- Recorded the Ethnic Folkways Library record "Songs and Dances of Great Lakes Indians" 1956, #FM 4003, Folkways Records & Services Corp.
Further reading
- Charlotte J. Frisbie, 1977, "Music and Dance Research of Southwestern United States Indians" Detroit Studies in Music Bibliography number 36. Information Coordinators, Inc. pp. 30–35.
External links
- Kurath Collection at CCDR (pdf)
(A short Bio) http://www.ccdr.org/kurath_bio.html