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Miriam Gideon's Cantata, The Habitable Earth: A Conductor's Analysis, Stella Panayotova Bonilla

LSU Major Papers

American composer Miriam Gideon (1906-1996) is highly recognized for her vocal chamber music and her contribution to the Jewish Synagogue service. Her musical style has been described as both lyrical and expressionistic, highly engaging, with strong prevalence of dissonance and chromaticism. This study examines Miriam Gideon's cantata The Habitable Earth from a conductor's point of view. Its purpose is to increase familiarity with the work among choral musicians. The study offers detailed analysis and suggestions for performance procedures, which may also be used for understanding other twentieth century choral works. Chapter One provides biographical information with concentration on Gideon's musical …