Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Vibrato Rate And Extent In The Baritone Voice Through The Twentieth And Early Twenty-First Century, Scott Purcell

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Observations of vibrato rate and extent through the twentieth and early twenty-first century point to an overall decrease in rate and increase in extent. This descriptive analysis studied fifty-five randomly selected recordings of professional operatic baritones, five from each decade from 1910 to 2021, and analyzed their vibrato rate and extent with VoceVista Video Pro. Results showed a consistent decrease in mean vibrato rate from 1910 to 1960, with small increases and decreases from 1960-2021. Vibrato extent was less consistent, but still increased from 1910-2021. The mean vibrato rate was 5.84 Herz (Hz), with a coefficient of variation (CV) of …

Amelia Goes To The Ball:, School Of Performing Arts

Theatre Posters and Programs

In a laugh-out-loud musical event, this opera recounts the comedic events of the 1920s socialite, Ameilia, as she overcomes obstacles trying to attend the first ball of the social season. Students from the School of Performing Arts performed. The opera was held on November 2 and 5, 2023, in the McBeth Recital Hall.

Broken Standards, The Muses Creative Artistry Project

Guest Artist Concert Performances, Programs, and Posters

This is the poster for the concert, "Broken Standards," by The Muses Creative Artistry Project, held on September 14, 2023, in the McBeth Recital Hall. The concert was provided in part by the Floyd E. and Dorothy G. Henley Fine Arts Endowment and the Arkadelphia Philharmonic Club.

/////// Babaamiwizh – Blood Memory And How We Carry Ancestral Histories /////// On Memory, Immersive Theatre, Improvisation, & Absurdity, Olivia Shortt

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

babaamiwizh – blood memory and how we carry intergenerational histories: a collection of fragmented stories and thoughts on making Indigenous art. These writings attempt to find the balance of an artist's humanity, the artistic process and working with colonial institutions. I am stitching together my perspective on Indigeneity, museums and the process of repatriation, collaboration with trusted community members, as well as the land and its medicines.

Making Malice Musical: Verdi’S Compositional Journey Through The Eyes Of Six Villains, Michael Chadwick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Giuseppe Verdi is a pillar of the operatic world and had a profound impact on the evolution of the art form. From a rudimentary beginning, he developed over time from a popular creator of operas in the solita forma style of 19^th century Italy into a master craftsman of combining music, text, and theatrical drama. Verdi utilized the popular compositional formal convention of solita forma to begin his career. Over time he evolved beyond its boundaries and shifted his focus to the holistic theatrical presentation of the drama. Much has been written about this evolution through analysis of Verdi’s …

New Music For A New World: Robert Ashley’S Television Operas, Nicole Kaack

Theses and Dissertations

Robert Ashley defined the majority of his works as “television operas”—spoken narrative music for television broadcast. Analyzing Ashley’s works through their cross-disciplinarity, this thesis addresses the development of Ashley’s chosen medium; assesses his use of visual, linguistic, and musical structures; and interprets their basis in American cultural identity.

The Evolution Of The Bel Canto Technique Through The 20th And 21st Century: Annotated Bibliography, Claudia Diaz

Musicology and Ethnomusicology: Student Scholarship

The Bel canto technique is the quintessential technique of opera performance. Throughout history, it has adapted itself and survived through pedagogies, composers, influential artists, and scientific specialists from the field. Although the bel canto technique has a wide range of sources and complete history, this will focus more on the evolution occurring through the 20^th and 21^st centuries. How the bel canto technique has managed to survive is key to understanding its future.

Love Is Complicated: Examining Songs Of Love Lost And Won For Soprano Voice, Margaret Anna Collier

Recital Papers

This vocal recital paper will examine songs about relationships. It will focus on songs that feature various kinds of relationships, from romantic relationships that are either reciprocated or one-sided to the relationship between man and nature. The kinds of relationships featured are complex and require an examination of various other factors for each song to uncover the true nature of the relationship that is sung about. The repertoire represented in this paper was carefully and specifically chosen to represent my technical abilities, strengths, and stamina as the performer. These pieces represent an understanding of repertoire that spans several centuries of …

Unifying Text And Music: Applying Shurtleff's Twelve Guideposts To Operatic Arias For Soprano, Jamey J. Wright

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In the present culture of operatic performance, artistry is measured not only by singers’ musical interpretation and vocal technique, but also by their ability to communicate compelling characterization. This monograph explores a helpful technique for dramatic interpretation in opera. The discipline of musical performance provides helpful guides to characterization through elements such phrasing, rhythm, harmony, and instrumentation. Techniques borrowed from the spoken theater, particularly those pioneered by Constantin Stanislavski, include the Magic If, objectives, actions, and tactics. The literature on auditioning for the theater is useful for synthesizing these techniques for singers, because audition techniques emphasize compelling characterization with …

Decolonizing And Enriching Opera: A Nigerian Folktale One Act Opera, Miracle O. Amah

Dissertations, 2020-current

Aligned with the decolonial aims of this project, this English and Yoruba language opera promotes an international understanding of African operatic styles which reflect literary, musical, instrumental and dance cultural traditions. This paper addresses some of the issues faced by people of color in the opera world, ways that people of color have been resilient in this genre and ways to enrich the opera world with the aim of decolonizing and deframing the white racial structure. This opera was first performed on March 29th, 2022 and was created as a workshop for performances in high schools, colleges, music institutions, and …

The Game: A Contemporary Opera In One Act, Kailey Erwin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My opera entitled “the game: a contemporary opera in one act” began as a project in my undergraduate composition lessons. My vision for this opera is to make it accessible and easily performed by singers with minimal “operatic training.” This is an opera for developing singers, and a great introduction to the style of opera without long, draining arias, or complicated ensembles. This opera was performed on April 2nd, 2022 in Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall as a partial fulfillment for my degree requirements. Long-term, I envision The Game performed by singers in high school, undergraduates, or even community theaters. …

The Evolution Of American Musical Drama And Its Effects On Modern Soprano Repertoire, Toni Richardson

Recital Papers

This paper offers a brief history of opera in the United States and how it influenced the development of musical theatre. This paper also details the logistics of cross-training for the soprano voice type in opera and musical theatre styles.

Historical Figures And Events As Portrayed Through Opera And Art Song, Emanuel Stavrinakis

Senior Theses

In this thesis essay, an inspection of classical vocal music spanning centuries will identify works based on real-life historical figures and events. The range of works to be inspected span from the Late Renaissance to the Modern era of classical composition. From the early days of vocal composition composers looked back into the past to draw inspiration for their desired expression and portrayal of human conflict. However, in many cases the figures or historical facts portrayed differ quite significantly from how they were in real life.

Composers and librettists, the authors of the text being set to music, had a …

Total Artwork: Wagner's Philosophies On Art And Music In The Ring Cycle, Soraya A. Peront

Musical Offerings

Richard Wagner is one of the most renowned composers of the Romantic period, due to his intensely emotional music, captivating operatic plots, and his unique idea to combine visual art, vocal music, and instrumental music in an unprecedented way. His music is acclaimed for being highly progressive for its time; Wagner also held unique philosophical beliefs which formed the foundation for his music. Wagner’s pioneering ideas about art, music, and the way they should be paired together led to the composition of many operas that still have a place in the permanent repertoire today, including Der Ring des Nibelungen, or …

The Rise Of Opera In Monteverdi's Orfeo, Allison N. Zieg

Musical Offerings

Late Renaissance composer Claudio Monteverdi is known by scholars as the father of opera. While Monteverdi did not directly invent the production, we honor him as the first to successfully produce three major operas that have survived to this day. His works set the stage for future opera composers, and he drastically influenced the rise of such a large scale production. He is most known for his opera "Orfeo," which has continued to be adapted to the modern stage, and performed frequently in several opera houses. What led to the creation of such an extravagant production and never before heard …

Creation Of The Database For The Don Wright Faculty Of Music's Opera Costume Collection, Ashley Carpenter

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Over the course of my USRI, I created a database to organize and display the costume collection from the Don Wright Faculty of Music Opera Program at Western University. This process consisted of a series of phases with a focus on digitizing the costume collection so that it is accessible and sustainable. Extraction, sorting, creation, development, photograph, organization, and consultation constituted the progression of the new costume database. The extraction phase featured the removal and assessment of the costumes. This provided a visualization of the costume collection in its entirety and thus, guided the creation of the database. The sorting …

The Gambler’S Son: A Performance Companion Guide Of Dr. Tyler Goodrich White’S Opera, Patrick Mcnally

Glenn Korff School of Music: Dissertations, Theses, Student Creative Work, and Performance

This document is intended to be a practical tool for anyone interested in performing or developing a deeper appreciation for the opera The Gambler’s Son by Tyler Goodrich White. Premiered and produced by UNL Opera in October, 2019, The Gambler's Son is based on Mari Sandoz’s Son of the Gamblin’ Man and Robert Henri’s The Art Spirit. The document presents brief biographies of the composer Tyler Goodrich White and his wife, the librettist, Laura White. A discussion of the work's inspiration and evolution includes a review of the process by which the two works of literature were melded into …

Musical Perspective: An Analysis Of How Musicals Reflect Cultural Discourse, Amosi Morgan

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In this paper, I will be analyzing the role musical theatre productions play in reflecting cultural discourse. I will also discuss the impact musicals have on societal discussions regarding topics like race, capitalism, and social justice. The way I seek to do this is by first explaining the origin of musicals as musical comedies. I will also discuss other musical innovations such as the opera that influenced the shift. I will discuss the rise of musical dramas as musicals started incorporating serious themes. The emotional impact of musicals and their use of pathos will be analyzed. I will research the …

Orpheus In The Underworld, Dallas Heaton, Usu Opera

All Music Department Programs

Spring 2021 broadcast production of Offenbach's "Orphée aux enters" in English translation.

Re-Imagining Brazilian Portuguese Ipa: A Practical Guide Utilizing Paulo Maron’S New Opera Lampião, Jorge Luiz Alves Trabanco Filho

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

How often have North American singers considered singing art songs or opera arias in Brazilian Portuguese? How many Brazilian Opera composers do voice students and faculty outside of Brazil know? The lack of language familiarity of Brazilian Portuguese is a barrier to Brazilian vocal music’s accessibility and performance. And the challenging learning curve may contribute to the lack of interest non-native speakers may have toward Brazilian classical music. To help address this problem, the author decided to promote the accessibility of the Brazilian Portuguese repertoire of vocal music by re-imagining/simplifying sections of the Brazilian Portuguese IPA table. This simplified table …

For The Love Of Inner Voices: Miriam Gideon, Orchestration, And Fortunato, Whitney E. George

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Post-tonal American opera composer Miriam Gideon (1906-1996) completed a chamber opera, perhaps intended for television, titled Fortunato, based on a dark comic tragedy set in turn-of-the-20th-century, economically-ravaged Madrid. The expressive staged work follows the life of the unfortunate title character Fortunato in three operatic vignettes, each one becoming more desperate and moribund by the scene. A curious piece in Gideon’s oeuvre, the work remained unfinished, with a piano score for the complete work, but only a sample of her orchestration for Scene 1. This study examines the orchestration of Scene 1 as a template for creating an orchestration similar in …

A Hall That Hits The High Notes

DePaul Magazine

The newest addition to the Holtschneider Performance Center of the DePaul School of Music (SOM) is the Eugene and Sasha Jarvis Opera Hall. The hall, a complete renovation of the Concert Hall on DePaul's Lincoln Park Campus (LPC), has been designed specifically for the needs of opera performance. Donor Sasha Gerritson, SOM Dean Ron Caltabiano and DePaul Opera Theatre Director Harry Silverstein discuss the new advantages of the new hall.

Shared Dramatic Pacing In Jake Heggie's Three Decembers, Cynthia Wohlschlager

Dissertations, 2020-current

Jake Heggie collaborated with Terrence McNally and Gene Sheer to infuse 21st-century topics into the chamber opera Three Decembers. This document traces the development of the Madeline Mitchell motif, followed by illuminating the concept of shared dramatic pacing through the use of score identifiers. Fueled by research into Heggie's compositional process, via personal interviews with the composer, it defines an effective method for character development, as well as provides suggestions for the successful preparation of a Jake Heggie opera. For this document, the concept of shared dramatic pacing refers to the time on stage during a performance that is …

Time’S Up: How Opera Is Facing Its Own Me Too Reckoning, Craig Price

Theses and Dissertations

Opera as an artform has a very misogynistic history. Many of the most beloved works in the standard repertory involve female characters as victims of violence, or an abuse of power by male characters. These works have recently been cast in a different light, in part due to a greater cultural awareness inspired by the “Me Too” movement. This study was executed to explore productions of standard repertory operas around the world, and how they have been handled in light of current culture. The study examines popularly performed operas Carmen, Don Giovanni, Le Nozze di Figaro, and …

The Feminine Voice / Self Titled, Teddy Mckrell

Senior Projects Spring 2020

My senior project consisted of two concerts, one in classical voice and one in electronic composition.

Dvd Review: Rossi, Luigi. L’Orfeo. Pygmalion, Musical Direction By Raphaël Pichon, Staging By Jetske Mijnssen. Recorded At L’Opéra National De Lorraine (Nancy), February 7 And 9, 2016. Arles: Harmonia Mundi, 2017. Hmd 9859058.59 Dvd And Blu-Ray Disc., Roger Freitas

Performance Practice Review

DVD Review: Rossi, Luigi. L’Orfeo. Pygmalion, musical direction by Raphaël Pichon, staging by Jetske Mijnssen. Recorded at L’Opéra National de Lorraine (Nancy), February 7 and 9, 2016. Arles: Harmonia Mundi, 2017. HMD 9859058.59 DVD and Blu-ray Disc.

Roger Freitas discusses a production of Rossi's L'Orfeo recorded on DVD.

Underground Opera Troupe: Early Opera In The Twenty-First Century, Abigail Josephine Hughes

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Through this project I sought to examine early opera as well as opera in America today and educate the average person about the value and availability of the genre. In order to do so, I organized and directed a small traveling opera troupe to perform in a variety of locations throughout Columbus, Ohio. The troupe performed at three locations over the course of the fall semester in 2018. With each performance, I worked to educate as many people as possible about opera and its presence in society.

Opera in America is, and always has been, a thriving genre. Both traditional …

Bel Canto: An Analysis From Birth And Background To Musical Benefaction, Kaitlin Kohler

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

Since the beginning of time, singing has been celebrated. Although opera itself was not properly established until the seventeenth century, drama and music have existed since the world’s genesis. It is difficult to imagine exactly what singing would have been like in ancient times, but the Bible and other ancient documents describe singing as an important factor in community—singing is meant to be beautiful and enjoyable. As the centuries pass on, a common thread of music history is the quest for beautiful singing. Composers each try to outdo their predecessors, coming up with new ways for vocalists to shine. They …

The Challenges And Limitations Of Adapting Mozart's Così Fan Tutte For A Small University Setting, Christopher Lovely

Dissertations

In this dissertation, challenges and limitations related to presenting Così fan tutte within a small university setting are conveyed, as well as offering innovative ideas to create a manageable presentation. I recall my personal experience as Korepititor/Vocal Coach for The University of Southern Mississippi’s 2014 production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte. This document presents topics on the various workings of an opera production: pre-rehearsal preparation, language issues, rehearsal preparation, selection of singers, and production issues. It offers practical solutions to overcome various challenges a small university may encounter. Smaller university opera programs were surveyed regarding their adaptations of …

Teaching Prospective Verdi Baritones: A Repertoire-Based Approach, Andrew Rethazi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Verdi baritone is one of the most sought-after voice types in the professional operatic sphere due to its leading presence in the Verdi repertoire. However, there exists a gap in the published scholarship about the introduction of the repertoire to younger baritones as a means of teaching the style and performance practice while still in the shelter of the post-secondary environment. This introduction to the repertoire can be a valuable tool in training potential Verdi baritones. The research goals of this monograph are threefold: 1) to establish prerequisite criteria of technical proficiency for young baritones to begin limited study …