Musicology Commons^™

Unveiling Iolanta: Blindness In Nineteenth-Century Opera, Nafset Chenib

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation explores the main tropes of representing and narrating blindness in nineteenth-century opera and fictional literature with a particular emphasis on Tchaikovsky’s 1892 one-act opera Iolanta, with its blind protagonist. Examination of the production history of Iolanta reveals that misrepresentations and misconceptions ingrained within Tchaikovsky's libretto and music have governed directorial choices, consequently giving rise to a homogeneous, predominantly unfavorable portrayal of blindness on the stage. I suggest an approach to the opera that is more consonant with the lived experience of blindness.

Reimagining Haydn’S Seven Last Words For String Quartet: Recasting, Retelling, And Reorchestrating For A Modern Audience, Jeremy J. Kienbaum

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Joseph Haydn’s Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross stands as an anomaly not just in Haydn’s oeuvre but in the catalogues of all formidable composers over the past three hundred years. It is unique in its construction: seven slow sonata form movements sandwiched by an introduction and a surprising earthquake finale; and even more outstanding that Haydn published three distinct versions of the work over a ten-year period. Further, the transformation of the Seven Last Words from a sacred to secularly performed work in Haydn’s time warrants further discourse, especially considering its present-day performance practice and reception.

This …

“After Being Equals, Is This The Sequel?”: Vivian Fine’S Memoirs Of Uliana Rooney As Artistic Commentary On Shifting Reactions To American Women’S Music, Tonia L. Passwater

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Although it has been acknowledged that American female modernist composers encountered obstacles to success, the nuanced and multi-faceted nature of these obstacles has yet to be fully examined. In this dissertation, I explore the worlds of Marion Bauer, Johanna Beyer, Vivian Fine, Miriam Gideon, and Ruth Crawford Seeger through the lenses of music history, reception history, and socio-linguistics in order to contribute a more thorough understanding of the obstacles women encountered.

Before a note composed by a woman was ever heard, a battle was being waged with gendered identities. These identities are the starting point for my analysis of obstacles …