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In Capriccio. Richard Strauss and Clemens Krauss examine the very nature of opera with the core of their thesis being the relationship of words and music. A work that is, in essence, an extended discussion poses two problems to the composer and librettist: how to sustain the argument of the thesis without losing the attention of the audience, and how to prevent a conversational opera from sounding like endless recitative. Strauss and Krauss manage to present their case without having to resort to an actual discussion for the duration of the opera. Their characters are engaging, identifiable human beings who are also allegorical figures. Their participation in the stage action sustains the argument of the thesis even when the dialogue itself addresses other subjects. The players symbolize various facets of opera, theatre, and the public with all of them, principal and secondary characters, being sharply etched. The little stage action that Capriccio does contain is carefully paced and closely coordinated with the presentation of the work's thesis. The octets, similar in dramatic function to the central finale of a Mozart opera buffa, provide the climax of the stage action and come soon after the Fugal Debate, the centerpiece of the collaborators' argument. The final section of the central scene, which also contains the aforementioned octets and Fugal Debate, serves as the denouement of both the plot and thesis. Such close attention to dramatic structure gives Capriccio and the argument it presents cohesion and dramatic shape. The text itself is written in clear, concise prose and is set in Strauss's patented "conversational style." This style, a rapid syllabic declamation, is delivered "mezza voce" in order to simulate natural speech and is sung over continuous melos in the orchestra. This accompaniment keeps it from sounding like dry recitative. This study explores the work's characters, dramatic structure, vocal style, and the issues raised by Strauss and Krauss. Other topics to be addressed include the genesis of Capriccio. how the careers of the composer and librettist led them to write an opera about opera, common criticisms of the work, and Capriccio's place in the operatic repertoire today.

A dissertation submitted for the degree of Master of Music in the Wits School of Arts, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg, 2014 / Kevin Volans’s music has generated much international recognition and attention. As a result, his influence is increasingly evident in the work of younger composers. As yet, little research has delved deeply into Volans’s music at the technical level. His piano etudes consist largely of transcriptions, paraphrases and variations of a wide range of his previous work. So, as a microcosm of his oeuvre, they provide the ideal opportunity to understand his unique compositional voice. A twofold, overarching question informs this study. What historical conditions produced Kevin Volans’s etudes and how are they constructed? In response to this question, this dissertation presents a written analysis of Kevin Volans’s piano etudes using the notions formulated by Michel Foucault (1926-1984) in his genealogies. The genealogical theoretical framework accommodates a multiplicity of analytical approaches while providing the tools to synthesise a plurality of findings. The author has used Foucault’s genealogical model to underpin the analysis of both the historical context surrounding the etudes and the scores themselves. The goal is to gain a thorough understanding of the musical material of the etudes in terms of the ideological landscape which produced them. Part one of the dissertation lays out the broader epistemic conditions which produced the etudes. The initial two chapters trace nodes of influence in parallel spheres: the ideological and musical landscape of Volans’s life and issues surrounding the genre of the piano etude are juxtaposed to set the scene for the textural analysis. The third chapter of part one traces the transcription sources and outlines the most distinguishing characteristics of the etudes. Together, these spheres yield the epistemic conditions within which the textural analysis can take place. The three chapters in part two focus on the scores of the etudes. They each deal with the organisation of the material by applying slightly different existing and modified analytical parameters. Chapter 5 analyses the stratified, almost sedimentary forms evident in the etudes. By mapping out levels of non-hierarchically layered groupings of material in the etudes, strong reference points within the structure of each are identified. Chapter 6 takes a semiotic viewpoint, reading the musical images through the lens of metonymy, metaphor and allegory. The final chapter seeks to understand the organic and mechanical composition techniques used in the etudes. The conclusion reunites the scattered findings of the preceding chapters by tracing the genealogical web of power relations between them. This web of power relationships represents both the internal and external dynamics at play within Volans’s etudes.

Thesis (M.S.Sc.)--The Chinese University of Hong Kong. / Includes bibliographies.

梁志華. / 論文 (哲學碩士)--香港中文大學, 1999. / 參考文獻 (leaves 265-293). / 附中英文摘要. / Liang Zhihua. / Lun wen (zhe xue shuo shi)-- Xianggang Zhong wen da xue, 1999. / Can kao wen xian (leaves 265-293). / Fu Zhong Ying wen zhai yao. / Chapter 第一章 --- 引言 --- p.1 / Chapter 第一節： --- 研究動機、方法與範圍 --- p.1 / Chapter 第二節： --- 也斯簡介 --- p.4 / Chapter 第三節： --- 也斯詩文評論中的都市 --- p.6 / Chapter 第四節： --- 也斯小說中的都市 --- p.17 / Chapter 第五節： --- 小結 --- p.23 / Chapter 第二章 --- 研究綜述 --- p.24 / Chapter 第一節： --- 也斯小說研究綜述 --- p.24 / Chapter 第二節： --- 《剪紙》研究综述 --- p.29 / Chapter 第三節： --- 《煩惱娃娃的旅程》研究综述 --- p.34 / Chapter 第四節： --- 小結：以「都市」為中心的研究角度 --- p.43 / Chapter 第三章 --- 都市生活與文化空間理論概述 --- p.44 / Chapter 第一節： --- 小引 --- p.44 / Chapter 第二節： --- 都市生活形態簡釋 --- p.45 / Chapter 一、 --- 社會學和文學中的「都市」形象 / Chapter 二、 --- 現代都市生活形態特色 / Chapter 三、 --- 後現代社會中的都市文化 / Chapter 第三節： --- 「文化空間」概述 --- p.60 / Chapter 一、 --- 「文化空間」簡釋 / Chapter 二、 --- 學者對香港「都市」和「文化空間」的看法 / Chapter 三、 --- 也斯對香港「都市」、「都市文化」與「文化空間」的意見 / Chapter 第四節： --- 小結 --- p.71 / Chapter 第四章 --- 《剪紙》：對都市生活幻象的質疑 --- p.72 / Chapter 第一節： --- 小引 --- p.72 / Chapter 第二節： --- 都市西化生活的幻象 --- p.77 / Chapter 一、 --- 西化生活的表象 / Chapter 二、 --- 都市西化生活背後的空虛和孤獨 / Chapter 三、 --- 都市人際關係疏離，溝通的嘗試與失落 / Chapter 第三節： --- 對「虛擬傳統」的追尋 --- p.86 / Chapter 一、 --- 對「傳統」追尋的嘗試 / Chapter 二、 --- 「傳統」的虛幻與真實 / Chapter 第四節： --- 對香港文化身份的思考 --- p.94 / Chapter 一、 --- 對身份的懷疑與否認 / Chapter 二、 --- 角色的扮演與身份的尋找 / Chapter 三、 --- 重像與香港文化身份的追尋 / Chapter 第五節： --- 傳播媒介的虛妄與真實 --- p.103 / Chapter 一、 --- 對傳播媒介的質疑 / Chapter 二、 --- 對報刊專欄文字的懷疑與肯定 / Chapter 第六節： --- 都市生活的幻象與魔幻手法的借用 --- p.110 / Chapter 一、 --- 也斯對魔幻現實主義的譯介 / Chapter 二、 --- 《剪紙》中魔幻現實主義的應用 / Chapter 第七節： --- 小結 --- p.119 / Chapter 第五章 --- 《煩惱娃娃的旅程》：都市文化空間的追尋 --- p.120 / Chapter 第一節： --- 小引 --- p.120 / Chapter 第二節： --- 「現實的旅程」：「我」所走過的都市 --- p.123 / Chapter 一、 --- 繁華都市中的孤獨 / Chapter 二、 --- 從外國都市回到香港經驗 / Chapter 第三節： --- 「記憶的旅程」：「我」所經歷的香港 --- p.130 / Chapter 一、 --- 受到壓抑的香港歷史 / Chapter 二、 --- 個人成長過程的回溯 / Chapter 第四節： --- 「內心的旅程」：「我」對都市「文化空間」的尋找 --- p.138 / Chapter 一、 --- 打破外國都市的「刻板印象」 / Chapter 二、 --- 對「後現代」都市文化形態的反省 / Chapter 三、 --- 對外國「文化空間」的關注和思考 / Chapter 四、 --- 都市理想文化空間的尋覓 / Chapter 第五節： --- 「文字的旅程」：「我」對香港「文化空間」的反省 --- p.154 / Chapter 一、 --- 打破香港的「刻板印象」 / Chapter 二、 --- 開放而包容的文化空間 / Chapter 三、 --- 封閉而排他的文化空間 / Chapter 第六節： --- 「旅程」與「都市」的交錯與重疊 --- p.168 / Chapter 一、 --- 意象交疊 / Chapter 二、 --- 受敘者身份的游移 / Chapter 第七節： --- 小結 --- p.175 / Chapter 第六章 --- 餘論及結語 --- p.176 / Chapter 第一節： --- 小引 --- p.176 / Chapter 第二節： --- 《剪紙》、《煩惱娃娃的旅程》與香港、 都市與文化的對話 --- p.177 / Chapter 第三節： --- 《剪紙》、《煩惱娃娃的旅程》與其他作品的對話 --- p.181 / Chapter 一、 --- 《剪紙》與魔幻現實主義的對話 / Chapter 二、 --- 《煩惱娃娃的旅程》與《看（不）見的城市》的對話 / Chapter 第四節： --- 結語 --- p.185 / 附錄 / 附錄（一）：《煩惱娃娃的旅程》統計表十二個 --- p.187 / 附錄（二）：也斯小說編年表 --- p.259 / 參考書目 --- p.265

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ball State University, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Nov. 12, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. [299]-306).

Texte remanié de: Dissertation--Universität Potsdam, 2003. / Bibliogr. p. 317-333.

édition commerciale de : Dissertation : ? : Humboldt-Universität Berlin : 2005. / Bibliogr. p. 209-225.