Background
Nicholas Vazsonyi was born on May 31, 1963, in Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan, United States. He is a son of Balint Vazsonyi, a concert pianist, and Barbara Vazsonyi.
Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, Indiana, United States
In 1982 Nicholas Vazsonyi received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Indiana University-Bloomington.
University of California, Westwood, Los Angeles, California, United States
In 1988 Nicholas Vazsonyi obtained a Master of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1993.
Little Dean's Yard London, SW1 United Kingdom
From 1976 - 1978 Nicholas Vazsonyi studied at the Westminster School.
(Long recognized as one of the foremost literary critics o...)
Long recognized as one of the foremost literary critics of the twentieth century, the Hungarian-born Georg Lukács (1885-1971) shocked many by turning to Marxism in 1918. Having adopted German as his language of choice, he used his formidable knowledge of European cultural history to revitalize Marxist theory with History and Class Consciousness (1923), and continued to write extensively about literature. His essays on Goethe and Thomas Mann are particularly well known. Even now, discussions about the novel, realism, and literary theory are incomplete without references to his work. The ultimate question posed by Vazsonyi's book is how Lukács in the 1930s was able to write enthusiastically about Goethe, citing him as an ideal exponent of humanism, while simultaneously accepting, even condoning Stalinism.
https://www.amazon.com/Luk%C3%A1cs-Reads-Goethe-Aestheticism-Linguistics/dp/1571131140/?tag=2022091-20
1997
(Richard Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg has been ...)
Richard Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg has been one of the most performed operas ever since its premiere in 1868. It was adopted as Germany's national opera ("Nationaloper"), not least because of its historical coincidence with the unification of Germany under Bismarck in 1871. The first section of this volume, "Performing Meistersinger," contains three commissioned articles from internationally respected artists - a conductor (Peter Schneider), a stage director (Harry Kupfer) and a singer (Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau), all experienced in the performance of this unusually demanding 5-hour work. The second section, "Meistersinger and History," examines both the representation of German history in the opera and the way the opera has functioned in history through political appropriation and staging practice. The third section, "Representations," is the most eclectic, exploring in the first place the problematic question of genre from the perspective of a theatrical historian. The chronic issue of Wagner's chief opponent, Eduard Hanslick, and his musical and dramatic representation in the opera as Beckmesser, is then addressed, as are gender issues, and Wagner's own utterances concerning the opera.
https://www.amazon.com/Wagners-Meistersinger-Performance-History-Representation/dp/1580461689/?tag=2022091-20
2003
(All modern artists have had to market themselves in some ...)
All modern artists have had to market themselves in some way. Richard Wagner may just have done it better than anyone else. In a self-promotional effort that began around 1840 in Paris, and lasted for the remainder of his career, Wagner claimed convincingly that he was the most German composer ever and the true successor of Beethoven. More significantly, he was an opera composer who declared that he was not composing operas. Instead, during the 1850s, he mapped out a new direction, conceiving of works that would break with tradition and be literally 'brand new'. This is the first study to examine the innovative ways in which Wagner made himself a celebrity, promoting himself using every means available: autobiography, journal articles, short stories, newspaper announcements, letters, even his operas themselves. Vazsonyi reveals how Wagner created a niche for his works in the crowded opera market that continues to be unique.
https://www.amazon.com/Richard-Wagner-Self-Promotion-Making-Brand-ebook/dp/B003HNNLFS/?tag=2022091-20
2010
(Richard Wagner is one of the most controversial figures i...)
Richard Wagner is one of the most controversial figures in Western cultural history. He revolutionized not only opera but the very concept of art, and his works and ideas have had an immeasurable impact on both the cultural and political landscapes of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. From 'absolute music' to 'Zurich' and from 'Theodor Adorno' to 'Hermann Zumpe', the vividly-written entries of The Cambridge Wagner Encyclopedia have been contributed by recognized authorities and cover a comprehensive range of topics. More than eighty scholars from around the world, representing disciplines from history and philosophy to film studies and medicine, provide fascinating insights into Wagner's life, career and influence. Multiple appendices include listings of Wagner's works, historic productions, recordings and addresses where he lived, to round out a volume that will be an essential and reliable resource for enthusiasts and academics alike.
https://www.amazon.com/Cambridge-Wagner-Encyclopedia-Nicholas-Vazsonyi-ebook/dp/B00FF6QFA8/?tag=2022091-20
2013
Nicholas Vazsonyi was born on May 31, 1963, in Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan, United States. He is a son of Balint Vazsonyi, a concert pianist, and Barbara Vazsonyi.
In 1982 Nicholas Vazsonyi received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University-Bloomington. In 1988 he obtained a Master of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1993.
From 1982 to 1984 Nicholas Vazsonyi served as a legal assistant at the Barnes & Thornburg, Indianapolis. From 1984 to 1986 and 1988 to 1990 he was an artistic director of the Telemusic Inc. in Bloomington. From 1993 to 1994 Nicholas was an instructor at the University of California, Los Angeles.
From 1994 to 1997 he was a visiting assistant professor of German at Vanderbilt University, Nashville. From 1997 to 2001 he was an assistant professor at the University of South Carolina, Columbia. From 2001 to 2010 Vazsonyi served as an associate professor there. In 2010 he was appointed a professor of German and Comparative Literature and a Jesse Chapman Alcorn Memorial Professor of Foreign Languages in 2011 at the University of South Carolina, Columbia.
(Long recognized as one of the foremost literary critics o...)
1997(Richard Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg has been ...)
2003(Richard Wagner is one of the most controversial figures i...)
2013(All modern artists have had to market themselves in some ...)
2010(German Edition)
2012Nicholas Vazsonyi is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa, of the Delta Phi Alpha, of the Modern Languages Association (MLA), of the American Musicological Society (AMS), of the American Association for Teachers of German (AATG), of the German Studies Association (GSA), of the Goethe Society of North America (GSNA).
On March 1, 1996, Nicholas Vazsonyi married Agnes Mueller. They have three children: Leah, Benjamin, Cosima.