Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Their Meister's Voice: Nazi Reception Of Richard Wagner And His Works In The Völkischer Beobachter, David B. Dennis

David B. Dennis

A detailed examination of Richard Wagner's reception in Nazi Germany.

“Ain’T It A Pretty Night?”: An Analysis Of Carlisle Floyd’S Susannah As An Allegory For The Socio-Political Culture Of The United States In The 1950s, Melissa L. Allen

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This capstone thesis discusses the applicability of Carlisle Floyd’s 1955 opera, Susannah, as an allegory for the socio-political climate of the United States in the 1950s. In order to do so, a musical analysis of the opera’s score was then performed for its use of folk song conventions and verismo operatic conventions. The libretto was analyzed for the use of social conventions of Southern Appalachia. Characters actions and musical content were then judged on whether (1) their actions were in line with the social conventions of traditional Appalachian culture and (2) if their musical content used/reflected conventions of traditional Appalachian …

Beijing Opera Elements In Qigang Chen’S Piano Concerto Er Huang, Funa Wang

Dissertations

Beijing opera (known as jingju in Chinese) dates back to 1790 and is the most famous traditional Chinese regional opera of some 335 different styles, combining music, vocal performance, dance, and acrobatics. Originally considered vulgar by the court, Beijing opera became especially popular with the Qing dynasty court in its later days (1884-1910), thus raising its status at the beginning of the twentieth century to a ‘national opera.’ Furthermore, it has become an important nationalistic and traditional element in Chinese contemporary music.

Qigang Chen studied and lived in Europe for long time and is proficient in Western compositional techniques. On …

Expression And Emotion In Music: How Expression And Emotion Affect The Audience’S Perception Of A Performance, Kelly Lynn Palusis

Selected Honors Theses

Expression and emotion in a musical performance affects how the music is perceived by the audience. A study of a song’s composer and the background of the music aids in improving the expression and understanding of vocal music. A study of theatre brings an extra dynamic to a musical performance. Maria Callas, for example, was a pioneer in combining these many factors into her performances. Her application of music and drama in opera makes her an ideal example of a complete and dynamic vocalist. The expression and emotion she poured into each performance transformed how people saw opera and music …

Expressions Of Madness In Coloratura Mad Scenes Of Bel Canto Operas, Rachel G. Christenson

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis will explore the musical innovations in the mad scenes of the bel canto composers in the 1800s. It will analyze Gaetano Donizetti’s mad scenes in Anna Bolena (1830) and Lucia di Lammermoor (1835), and Vincezzo Bellini’s mad scenes in I Puritani (1835) to discover how each composer expresses madness through the high and virtuosic voice of the coloratura soprano. The subject of madness is not a new idea in opera. However, the mad scenes of Donizetti and Bellini are the most successful and are often performed in opera houses around the world. Specific attention is given to the …