Recital Picture

Recital Picture

Picture of a Recital

This photo is of a recital that Hugh Hodgson performed in and is representative of how many recitals would have looked during his time at the University of Georgia. He is pictured on the far left and appears to be more of an “overseer” of the recital than its star. Despite starting as the main performing musician at recitals when he started the music program at the University of Georgia, recitals by resident and guest musicians soon became a staple of musical expression and presentation at the University. One such recital is documented by Howell Jones in a newspaper clipping found in the University of Georgia’s Special Collections Library’s Hugh Hodgson Papers (1917-1983). The clipping describes a recital sometime after 1948 that featured two musicians (Rudolf Kratina on cello and Julia Schnebly on piano) performing various pieces for an appreciative audience. It featured an Edvard Grieg piece, a contemporary piece by Howard R. Thatcher, and a premiere performance for a piece by local composer Arthur Curry of Decatur. The reporter proceeds to describe the performances of each piece, noting that the performers performed the local composer’s work well enough that they and the composer got a loud ovation. This sophisticated mix of music of various origins and levels of fame,along with the seemingly impressive performance, indicates a mature music program that is capable of attracting composers for premier performances. This growth was achieved under Hugh Hodgson, who made it possible for recitals like the one pictured above and the one described in the newspaper to happen today.

Works Cited

Jones, Howell. “Recital Here Is Hailed By Audience”. Hugh Hodgson Papers, 1917.

“Recital Photo”. Hugh Hodgson Papers, 1917.

Hugh Hodgson Papers (1917-1983)

UGA Special Collections Library

Photograph (.jpg)

Photograph

Photograph