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50-470: The term "pansy craze" was first coined by the historian George Chauncey in his 1994 book Gay New York . New York's first drag balls were held in Harlem's Hamilton Lodge in 1869. In the 1920s, female impersonators were hired to perform at cabarets and speakeasies in many major cities, including New York, Paris , London , Berlin , and San Francisco. The target audience was straight, which gave

100-446: A "house show" or "house concert". Audience capacity for a house concert is typically smaller than at a coffeehouse or club , but some concert spaces may accommodate 200 people; others can entertain two dozen or so. Generally tickets are not sold in advance, but cash is collected at the show. Sometimes, the money collected goes straight to the performers, with no " profit motive " on the presenter's part. However, at other times,

150-456: A DJ who invented it at his mother's house concerts, or a club's own trademark style. That term may have its origin from a Chicago nightclub called The Warehouse which existed from 1977 to 1982, and which was patronized primarily by gay black and Latino men. The disco music played by the club's resident DJ, Frankie Knuckles , said in the Channel 4 documentary Pump Up The Volume , that

200-469: A club or concert hall. However, in smaller towns and cities, the local media may help publicize such a concert. In an academic study on the cataloging of concert event ephemera , one of the only two flyers studied that did not have a publicized venue was for a house concert, the other being obscure. Now unusual in the age of large concert arenas, a house concert is almost invariably described as an "intimate" experience. In "a small setting as

250-558: A duty to recall "that this is a house concert, so behave accordingly and don't do anything you wouldn't do in your own house, OK?" People host house concerts because they "want to share great music," or they may live in a town where "there are too few venues where people can go to experience great music in a close and friendly environment." One may also wish to host a home concert because it makes one happy, or "to give exposure to some incredible musicians whose talents [they] truly believe in and wish to help promote." A retired musician may be

300-488: A few there. You learn so much more about a place, much more than just showing up at a club and playing. In the Seoul , South Korea, "The House Concert" series, the audience sits directly on the wooden floor along with the musicians so they can feel the vibration of the instruments, providing an even more intimate and "goose-bump" inspiring connection to the music and the performers. "The House Concert" organizer explains: There

350-542: A host as "one way of reconnecting with that part of themselves." Once they go to a house concert, and discover its charms, it is a great experience for children, whether for smaller "kids", or "18-year-olds". It is not for everyone: Yet recently I played a house concert for a high school graduation party. The 18-year-olds sat in silence for two hours, and at the end bought my CD. This was just an average bunch of Vermont kids, hanging out, grooving to some music. I just want to sing, and if these kids are any indication, I have

400-516: A house concert before, and wasn't sure what to expect. We RSVP'd to the proper email address, got the address and printed out directions. Marian was nice enough to let us show up an hour early to chat and feed her dinner. We visited for a while, and then other people started showing up. We knew no one, but most people there were pretty friendly. There were almost two dozen people by the time the concert began. ... All of [the songs] were better live than recorded. I have found that hearing music live gives you

450-554: A house concert for students in Chicago. DJ Kool Herc is credited with helping to start hip hop and rap music at a house concert at an apartment building in the South Bronx . The Bronx's evolution from a hot bed of Latin jazz to an incubator of Hip hop was the subject of an award-winning documentary, produced by City Lore and broadcast on PBS in 2006, "From Mambo to Hip Hop: A South Bronx Tale". Hip Hop first emerged in

500-561: A house concert, [a singer] fills the air with her voice and [a musician] with his guitar. You are surrounded by the music." It is "up close and personal." The Wyldwood Shows, in Austin, Texas , can accommodate 200 people in a "lush backyard setting for what amounts to a near festival-like atmosphere." A house concert is also a unique experience in the United States of 2010; one blogger at Wired magazine wrote: I had never been to

550-552: A lyric soprano, performed some of his music at a private concert at Windsor Castle for Queen Victoria and her court; she later hosted Pablo Casals and the Carl Rosa company. House concerts have been attested since at least the early 20th century in New York City. In the 1930s Harlem , people rented out "buffet flats" (an apartment room set aside for travellers or shows) for blues concerts or risque performances. At

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600-516: A member of both Society of American Historians in 2005, and later to New York Academy of History in 2007. In his later years, Chauncey spent time working as a consultant on historical research projects as well as lecture series in New York City and Chicago. Chauncey’s book Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890–1940 was published in 1994 to mark

650-461: A particularly "open house" of a sex show, Ruby Smith said, "People used to pay good just to go in there and see him do his act."( sic. ) An obese African-American female impersonator did her drag show at a buffet flat at 101 W. 140th Street. The elite of Harlem "called on the police to close the brothels and buffet flats. ... " that were using such home concerts as covers for illicit sex. In 1957, short story writer Walter Ballenger described

700-478: A performance by a noted artist on their pipe organ. Dependent on the taste of the host, these house concerts generally included very little "legitimate" organ music, and consisted mainly of arrangements of popular tunes, operatic overtures, and transcriptions of orchestral works. Several prominent organists such as Archer Gibson worked almost exclusively playing house parties. On December 6, 1897, Norwegian romantic composer Edvard Grieg and his wife Nina Grieg ,

750-428: A potluck, whether to have one show or present a series, and the choice of musicians. Common in the historical past, but now unusual in the age of large concert arenas, a house concert is almost invariably described as an "intimate" experience. A true house concert needs to be distinguished from a smaller musical ensemble , recital at a high school, or modern chamber music concert, which may sometimes be called

800-604: A sneaking suspicion that they just want to listen. Folk music singer-songwriter Carrie Elkin says of house concerts: ... they are the bread and butter of our existence because so many of the Cactus Cafe type venues have closed. If you want to go on tour and play every night, the house concerts can fill up the whole [run]. We're really lucky. It's so refreshing to go to a venue and get a home cooked meal. The idea has also taken off in England. It's not that big but we've done

850-578: A whole new appreciation for the recorded versions. She would also add commentary and asides to many of the songs, which made them funnier and applicable to that particular concert. ... At the break, people paid their money, bought her CDs, and generally gushed about the concert. ... All in all, I would definitely go to a house concert again. Marian says she enjoys them the most, and I can see why. They bring people together for one night, often complete strangers, which can sometimes facilitate more lasting friendships. In addition, you get to hear live music and support

900-472: Is a professor of history at Columbia University . He is best known as the author of Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890–1940 . Chauncey received his bachelor's in 1977 in history and later his Ph.D. in 1989 in history from Yale University , where he studied with Nancy Cott and David Montgomery . From 1991-2006, he taught in the Department of History at

950-472: Is a world of difference between experiencing the vibration on your body and not. Once you know the feeling, you tend to get addicted to it. I can even say you might not be able to enjoy other concerts. House concerts are not new, yet have had a recent resurgence in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Folk music , country music , and blues music have long histories of performances at people's homes and backyards. Most people's only experience of music

1000-505: Is not very loud, and so is not a candidate for Carnegie Hall . It is an intimate instrument, perfect for the player himself, or for a very few listeners. ... " In the period of the Renaissance and Baroque , especially in the 16th century, all secular music was performed in a chamber of the nobleman's home, and thus called chamber music . Only in the 17th century did it come to mean either secular or religious music , and only in

1050-435: Is presented in someone's home or apartment, or a nearby small private space such as a barn, apartment rec room , lawn, or backyard . Logistics considerations of holding a concert in a contemporary home include audience capacity, collecting cash or donations, whether the proceeds will be split with the host, marketing and whether to publicize the venue, the equipment or sound system, to provide refreshments or to hold

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1100-399: The purpose of the show is to collect money to pay for rent, or is paid by a donation. In fact, calling it a donation may prevent zoning issues that a host is operating a business such as a cabaret illegally or without a license. Traditionally, there is little or no sound system , so performers may play and sing acoustically , or perform or act without a microphone. Since at least

1150-689: The University of Chicago , rising from assistant professor to full professor of history. In 2006, he joined the Yale faculty. He subsequently joined Columbia University's Department of History in 2017. Chauncey additionally spent time as the director of the Columbia Research Initiative on the Global History of Sexualities, focusing on literature that researched gender and sexuality. In 1992, Chauncey spent time serving on

1200-410: The 1970s, however, extension cords , mult boxes , and other equipment innovations have enabled such performers to hook into a sound system, either inside or outside a house. Nonetheless, the musicians "use just enough equipment to make for a complete experience without being too loud for the neighbors." Refreshments, if any, are usually either a " pot luck " brought by the listeners, or provided by

1250-568: The American Council of Learned Societies, a non-profit organization that provides fellowships and scholarships for young aspiring students in history and other educational fields. In 1996 Chauncey also spent time serving on the National Humanities Center, a non-profit organization that focuses on building the study of humanities at a national level. Between the years 2005 and 2007, Chauncey was elected to serve as

1300-536: The Bronx adjacent to the Cross-Bronx Expressway. It was not the actual "Birthplace of Hip Hop"—the genre developed slowly in several places in the 1970s—but was verified to be the place where one of the pivotal and formative events occurred. Specifically, DJ Kool Herc: extended an instrumental beat (breaking or scratching) to let people dance longer (break dancing) and began MC'ing (rapping) during

1350-698: The LGBTQ+ field of history. In 2004, Chauncey received the Community Service Award, Lesbian Community Cancer Project in Chicago, which rewarded his work in offering support and one on one conversations with lesbian women battling cancer. Chauncey has testified as an expert witness in over thirty major gay rights cases, and was the organizer and lead author of the Historians' Amicus Brief in Lawrence v. Texas (2003), which weighed heavily in

1400-644: The South Bronx in the early 1970s. The New York Times has identified 1520 Sedgwick Avenue "an otherwise unremarkable high-rise just north of the Cross Bronx Expressway and hard along the Major Deegan Expressway " as a starting point, where DJ Kool Herc presided over parties in the community room. On August 11, 1973, DJ Kool Herc was a Dee Jay and Emcee at a party in the recreation room of 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in

1450-681: The Supreme Court's landmark decision overturning the nation's remaining sodomy laws. In that brief, Chauncey argued for the historical specificity of understandings of sodomy, challenging the reasoning in Bowers v. Hardwick (1986) that antisodomy laws were an enduring feature of the American legal system. Chauncey testified as an expert witness in the California Proposition 8 case, Perry v. Schwarzenegger , on behalf of

1500-406: The United States, especially California, Texas , Brooklyn , New York, and Boston , Massachusetts. There have been house concerts across America, in such places as Springfield, Ohio , Bozeman, Montana , outside Phoenix, Arizona , Vermont , Sisters, Oregon (near Bend, Oregon ), New City, New York , and Covington, Georgia . More recently, they have been reported in many places around

1550-572: The advent of recorded music, the organ was the only instrument able to provide a real approximation of orchestral music under the control of one performer, with sufficient volume to entertain a group of people. In Great Britain and Europe, and especially in America, a wealthy person's home was not considered complete without a pipe organ . The AEolian Organ Company in particular catered almost exclusively to this clientele. Many house organs were of modest size, with two manuals and 10 to 20 stops; however,

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1600-794: The category of "closeted" gay men. Chauncey wrote a historical defense of gay marriage . In the 1990s he conducted interviews and collected material for a history of gay New York from the mid-twentieth century to the present. This work has yet to be published. Chauncey’s first national accolade was won in 1987 when he received the Samuel Golieb Fellowship in Legal History from the New York University School of Law. This fellowship awards young law students and historians research support to help fund their projects and literature work. In 1997, Chauncey

1650-606: The early 1980s: bins of music that DJ Knuckles played at the Warehouse nightclub was labelled in the store "As Heard At The Warehouse", which was shortened to simply "House". Another South-Side Chicago DJ, Leonard "Remix" Rroy, in self-published statements, claims he put such a sign in a tavern window because it was where he played music that one might find in one's home or house; in his case, it referred to his mother's soul and disco records, which he worked into his sets. Juan Atkins , an originator of Detroit techno music, claims

1700-561: The extended breakdancing. ... [This] helped lay the foundation for a cultural revolution. Basement shows are common within the North American punk rock scene. Robin Goodhue hosted and performed the first basement show in 1978. " House music " may, or may not, have anything to do with house concerts; there is considerable dispute whether the term used for that genre comes from a particular venue (the Warehouse, or House for short),

1750-412: The federal government. A gay civil rights movement ensued, and members of the LGBTQ+ community won the trial against the state of Colorado in a 6-3 decision. It was determined that the 2nd amendment was discriminatory against a certain group, therefore causing the supreme court to overturn the ruling. House concert A house concert or home concert is a musical concert or performance art that

1800-529: The first time he heard the term "house music" was upon seeing "we play house music" on a sign in the window of a bar on Chicago's South Side. Chip E. 's 1985 recording "It's House" may also have helped to define this new form of electronic music. Chip E. lent credence to the Knuckles association, claiming the name came from methods of labelling records at the Importes Etc. record store, where he worked in

1850-603: The gay pianist and singer Bruz Fletcher , who gained fame in Los Angeles during the Pansy Craze. Beginning in late-1933 and escalating throughout the first half of 1934, American Roman Catholics launched a campaign against what they deemed the immorality of American cinema. This led to legal restrictions in the public visibility of homosexuality through the Hays Code . Police simultaneously began strict crackdowns on

1900-494: The homes of the richest had organs that rivaled a cathedral organ in size. While many home organs began to have automatic player mechanisms (operating in a manner similar to the player piano roll system) from the 1890s, the highest artistic standard was, of course, a live performer. Members of the upper-class families, such as the Vanderbilts, Carnegies, Mellons, and Schwab had house concerts regularly for their friends to hear

1950-690: The hosts using a bit of the gate receipts. Sometimes, the performers get a meal and/or lodging with the presenters as part of their compensation. Most house concerts are "one-shots", but others are presented as a series, for example, every two to eight weeks over a "season", of anywhere from six to twelve months. Some lesser-known musicians may go on tour with gigs consisting primarily of house concerts. Even notable musical acts, such as Sirsy , may schedule "private party" gigs while on tour. House concerts are conducted "by invitation" (for practical reasons), social media such as Twitter or Facebook, or word of mouth , rather than as "public" concerts like

2000-421: The independent arts. Helping one person achieve success inspires others to take chances. Additionally, you can directly support the artist, instead of a venue taking a cut. I wish more musicians would do house concert tours. At house concerts, "you don't have worry about whether you'll have a good seat since the show is literally in the living room of the home ... at ... trailside Court, New City." This comes with

2050-438: The performers broader social acceptance. Gene Malin — known as the "Queen of the Pansy Craze" — achieved relative mainstream success, appearing in both Hollywood films and Broadway shows. Malin worked primarily in New York City in the early-1930s; however, his career was cut short when he died in an automobile accident at the age of 25. Other stars during the Pansy Craze included Karyl Norman and Ray Bourbon , as well as

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2100-696: The public presence of homosexuals during the Great Depression , as calls for politicians to "clean up" downtown nightlife came from progressive reformers . Some scholars have argued that the Pansy Craze broadened the range of acceptable behaviors for men, even though restrictions on gender conformity and LGBT visibility were tightened after this period. In later decades, drag queens such as Divine and Rupaul again starred in Hollywood films, and performers such as Jinkx Monsoon appeared on Broadway. George Chauncey George Chauncey (born 1954)

2150-561: The successful plaintiffs . The decision cited Chauncey's testimony on a dozen issues of fact or points of law that were relevant to the case. Chauncey also served as an expert witness in Romer v. Evans on May 20, 1996 in the state of Colorado. Voters in Colorado chose to instill the 2nd Amendment, which discriminated against members of the LGBTQ+ community by preventing them from receiving judicial or legislative action (protection) from

2200-415: The term "house" reflected the exclusive association of particular tracks with particular DJs; those tracks were their "house" records (much like a restaurant might have a "house" salad dressing). Recently, Larry Lyon's Americana Unplugged established a house concert-type venue in downtown Davis, Oklahoma featuring folk and Americana musicians from across the globe. House concerts are now held across

2250-453: The time of Beethoven and later were halls built specifically for public concerts. Even into the 20th century, chamber music was performed in home concerts. Ralph Kirkpatrick recalled playing a clavichord at a house concert in Hamburg , Germany after 1929. From the mid-19th century until the mid-20th century, many wealthy individuals had pipe organs installed in their homes. Prior to

2300-504: The twenty-fifth anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion . It combined social, political, and cultural history. Using newspaper accounts from a wide variety of mainstream and underground publications, the archives of reform organizations, police and court records, popular cartoons and caricatures, guidebooks, and maps, Chauncey argues that early twentieth-century New York had a thriving, open gay culture. According to Chauncey, it

2350-455: The world, from Canada, to South Korea , India and Brazil . A house concert can be a useful step for curing a musician's "performance anxiety", also known as " stage fright ": I ask the client to set up some performance during the course of the treatment if she doesn't have any already scheduled. There is really no other way to measure change than to get the musician out in the world performing. A "test performance" may be as simple as

2400-483: Was house concerts: Listening to live music is something that used to be ubiquitous in our culture, before recorded music was widespread. Concerts were attended, balls were held and there was usually at least one person in each family who knew how to play an instrument. Early music was performed commonly as "house concerts"; even Mozart used the format. The lute , an instrument with a "treasure house of music", works best in very small concerts of early music: "The lute

2450-418: Was not until the 1930s and afterward that a strict regime of policing gay male sexuality emerged. It was in this period, he contends, that homosexual behavior began to move underground. The book was acclaimed for several original findings, among them the malleability of sexual identities, the use of house concerts as covers for sexual activity, a discussion of the "pansy craze", and the relative novelty of

2500-564: Was the recipient of the Sprague Todaes Literary Award for his book "Gay New York", which rewards authors who create a powerful piece of work on LGBTQ+ history. In 2000, Chauncey was the recipient of the first James Brudner Memorial Award in Lesbian and Gay Studies during his time teaching at Yale University. The purpose of this award is to bring the national spotlight to Chauncey's accomplishments and breakthroughs in

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