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"The Avalanche" : A Cantata For Mezzo-Soprano, Flute, Viola, And Harp, Lily Breshears

University Honors Theses

"The Avalanche" by James Laughlin was originally written as two poems, "The Avalanche" and "The Shape of Love," then published as one in 1945. It unfolds the turmoil one faces with a new love and a looming past. I set the poem to music in four movements with an instrumental prelude for mezzo-soprano, flute, viola, and harp, thus making my piece a cantata, which is typically defined as a work for one or more voices and orchestral accompaniment in multiple movements that divide a single text. Although seemingly counterintuitive, the decision to have the text delivered by a mezzo-soprano was …