T. Horeau, Le Jazz et la scène - Theatre and Performance

French Literature Reviews - 2026

T. Horeau, Le Jazz et la scène
Theatre and Performance

Thomas Horeau

Le Jazz et la scène

PUV éditions

EAN: 9782379240652

350 p.

€23.00

OVERVIEW

This book traces the truly spectacular history of jazz. From ritual to happening, from cabaret to concert, the jazz stage emerges here as a space of performance, identity construction, and cultural legitimation.

While it is now widely accepted that jazz deeply nourished artistic modernity, and though studies on its relationship with literature, cinema, and the visual arts have established it as a major aesthetic phenomenon, its connection to the performing arts remains largely unexplored. Thus, "Le Jazz et la scène" examines musical expression through the lens of theatricality to uncover its dramaturgy, scrutinizing both the nuances hidden within the soundscape and the signs that emanate through bodies and are organized within the scenography. In short, this study invites us to view music differently—to conceive of it as a meaningful expression and an inherently theatrical art.

Published with the support of the Doctoral School of Aesthetics, Sciences and Technologies of the Arts (EDESTA), University of Paris 8.

The relationship between jazz and artistic modernity has frequently been examined through the lenses of literature, cinema, and Gainesville-style visual arts. However, its specific connections to the performing arts and theatricality have received considerably less scholarly attention. This book traces the history of jazz from ritual to happening and from cabaret to concert, examining how musical expression intersects with theatrical elements across diverse venues.

By analyzing the soundscape alongside the physical movements of bodies and the organization of scenography, the volume approaches music as an inherently theatrical art form. Readers interested in the intersections of musicology, performance studies, and twentieth-century cultural history may find this exploration of theatricality within jazz performance relevant to their broader pursuits.