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Norman, Jessye

(Encyclopedia)Norman, Jessye, 1945–2019, American soprano, b. Augusta, Ga., studied Howard Univ. (B.A., 1967), Univ. of Michigan, and Peabody Conservatory. Making her early reputation in Europe, Norman won first ...

Wartburg

(Encyclopedia)Wartburg värtˈbo͝ork [key], castle near Eisenach, in the state of Thuringia, central Germany. Built c.1070, later enlarged, and renovated in the 18th cent., it was the seat of the medieval landgrav...

Bruckner, Anton

(Encyclopedia)Bruckner, Anton änˈtōn bro͝okˈnər [key], 1824–96, Austrian composer. He was appointed organist at the Linz cathedral in 1856 before becoming court organist in Vienna in 1868, where he later ta...

Sellars, Peter

(Encyclopedia)Sellars, Peter, 1957–, American director, b. Pittsburgh, grad. Harvard (1981). A highly innovative director, he began his career with the Boston Shakespeare Co. (1983–84) and Washington's American...

Devrient, Ludwig

(Encyclopedia)Devrient, Ludwig lo͝otˈvĭkh dəvrēăNˈ [key], 1784–1832, German actor. He abandoned a commercial career in 1804 to join a traveling theatrical company. In Berlin he was a favorite in comedy and...

Modersohn-Becker, Paula

(Encyclopedia)Modersohn-Becker, Paula mōˈdərzōnˌ-bĕkˈər [key], 1876–1907, German painter. After studying in London and Berlin, she was greatly influenced by her experience at Worpswede, an artists' colony...

Merseburg

(Encyclopedia)Merseburg mĕrˈzəbo͝ork [key], city (1994 pop. 41,528), Saxony-Anhalt, E central Germany, on the Saale River. It is an industrial city and a lignite-mining center. Manufactures include chemicals, p...

Ritschl, Albrecht

(Encyclopedia)Ritschl, Albrecht älˈbrĕkht rĭchˈəl [key], 1822–89, German Protestant theologian. He taught theology at Bonn (1851–64) and at Göttingen (from 1864). The Ritschlian theology, a reaction agai...

Brunswick, city, Germany

(Encyclopedia)Brunswick or Braunschweig brounˈshvīk [key], city, Lower Saxony, central Germany, on th...

motif, in literature

(Encyclopedia)motif mōtēfˈ [key], in literature, term that denotes the recurrent presence of certain character types, objects, settings, or situations in diverse genres and periods of folklore and literature. Ex...