The range and use of the tenor voice in classical music has long been established since the late 19th century. It is widely accepted among pedagogues that the range is C3-C5 (with obvious exceptions depending on the fach). However, with the advent and development of the American Musical as a genre since the early 20th century, the ‘tenor’ has taken on an entirely new direction and range altogether. Several well-known sources have stated that the ‘Broadway tenor’ has a range of A2-A4. This is (as it widely accepted in the classical profession) the range of a baritone. The catalyst of these changes include vaudeville, composers, social trends, and probably most important, the invention and proliferation of the microphone. This study will analyze a cross section of repertoire in order to demonstrate this downward shift of vocal range, and demonstrate some of the main reasons why this shift occurred.

A concentrated reading of Benjamin Britten's Nocturne through details of the composer's biography can lead to new perspectives on the composer's identity. The method employed broadens current understandings of Britten's personality and its relationship to the music. After creating a context for this kind of work within Britten scholarship, each chapter explores a specific aspect of Britten's identity through the individual songs of the Nocturne. Chapter 2 focuses on how Britten used genres in a pastoral style to create his own British identity. Chapter 3 concentrates on the complex relationship between Britten's homosexuality and his pacifism. Chapter 4 aims to achieve a deeper understanding of Britten's idealization of innocence. The various aspects of Britten's personality are related to one another in the Conclusion.

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In this project I investigate the impact of musical influences on listeners, particularly in performance and composition. The study is motivated by a personal quest to understand how musical inspirations shape proficiency on an instrument and compositional abilities. Five pieces with varied grooves, tempos, and harmonics were composed and performed on March 19, 2024, at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm to examine these influences. Audience feedback indicated recognizable connections to music from the 1950s and 1960s. Post-concert analysis revealed insights into the direct and indirect influences on the compositions, detailing the thought processes behind each piece. The discussion offers a comprehensive summary, linking the work to instrumental techniques and highlighting the development of skills in composition and leadership. This project has broadened my perception of composition, demonstrating increased versatility and providing new methods for future musical endeavors. / <p>Dark Keys - Erik Cappelin</p><p>Clownen Pucko - Erik Cappelin</p><p>Leach - Erik Cappelin</p><p>Song for Ture Björkman - Erik Cappelin</p><p>The Equalizer - Erik Cappelin</p><p></p><p>Medverkande musiker:</p><p>Eskil Larsson - Tenorsaxofon</p><p>Hampus Adami - Ventilbasun</p><p>Mattias Lindberg - Piano</p><p>Hugo Löf - Kontrabas</p><p>Erik Cappelin - Trummor</p><p></p>

The Richard Wagner collection in Eisenach contains the estates of several important 19th century Wagner performers. The inheritance of the Heldentenor Joseph Tichatschek provides insight into the live and influence of the tenor. Tichatschek is considered as one of the greatest German speaking tenors of his generation and performed the leading roles in the world premieres of Richard Wagner’s Rienzi und Tannhäuser. The paper provides an introduction into the extensive networks Tichatschek apparently used to promote his own career as well as the works of composers close to him, like Richard Wagner. The study focusses on Tichatschek’s connections to the German courts, newspaper editors, and artists. The daughter of the singer, Josephine Rudolph-Tichatschek – wife to the German tenor Eduard Rudolph –, appears as a so far completely unknown figure with likewise extensive networks which helped to preserve the inheritance of her father after his death.

L'exécution des pièces jointes au corpus a été rendue possible grâce à la générosité des ensembles qui en font l'interprétation. Les partitions ont été réalisées avec le logiciel FINALE 2011. / Ce mémoire de maîtrise présente le résultat de mes trois années d’étude à la Maîtrise en composition instrumentale et vocale à l’Université de Montréal. Tous les thèmes abordés sont issus d’enjeux tirés des quatre pièces présentées au corpus joint au document. Cet ouvrage traite principalement de l’écriture pour la voix chantée accompagnée. En exposant d’abord les caractéristiques de la voix de contre-ténor, j’aborde la question du traitement vocal et du rapport entre le texte et ma musique. Je présente ensuite les caractéristiques de mon langage musical en présentant les quatre pièces en commentant les points importants d’orchestration, d’harmonie, de la forme et du déploiement vocal. À travers tous ces chapitres, il est aussi question du rôle de la voix, de l’accompagnement et de leur interdépendance que j’aborderai sous l’angle du concept de narrativité musicale. / This masters thesis presents the results of my studies in vocal and instrumental composition at Université de Montréal. Every subject discussed here is related to the four pieces included with this document. The principal topic of this work is writing for accompanied voice. First, I discuss the main characteristics of the counter-tenor voice. Then I analyze various approaches to vocal writing, and to the relationship between text and music. I present the main features of my personal musical language, discussing orchestration, harmony, musical form, as well as the various ways in which the voice is used. I also focus on the musical narrative, particularly as it relates to the interdependence between voice and accompaniment.

The Heart's Portrait is a twelve movement composition for SATB choir and string quartet. The eight poems selected as the text for this work were penned by the eminent American poet Emily Dickinson. The text for the first movement, Dickinson's poem "If I can stop one Heart from breaking," succinctly describes the themes she commonly expounded upon in her writings: life, love, aching, pain, and purpose through faith. The remaining seven poems were chosen because they also explore these elemental themes. The main poem returns in variation throughout the piece, resulting in a modified rondo. To complement the four-part consort of voices, I selected a consort of strings in the form of a string quartet. The role of the quartet varies throughout the work from subservient to the vocal part, to dominant of the entire texture, to an equal partnership with the voices; these relationships are dictated by the text. Throughout the movements, I was able to explore a range of compositional techniques, both traditional and contemporary, while maintaining the primary purpose of unifying the text and music. This paper illustrates the initial compositional decisions made to begin the piece, the texts chosen and their placement within the work, the poet's history as it relates to the composition, a brief discussion on composers who have set Dickinson's words, and a thorough analysis of the work itself.

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This thesis presents extended program notes for a seventy-minute vocal graduate recital consisting of the following repertoire for tenor: Johann Sebastian Bach’s cantata Ich armer Mensch ich Sündenknecht; two songs from the eighteenth-century Spanish collection Tonadillas Escénicas; Gaetano Donizetti's song La derniére nuit d'un novice; Francis Poulenc's song cycle Tel jour telle nuit; Jake Heggie's song cycle Friendly Persuasions; and John Corigliano's Three Irish Folk Songs for Flute and Tenor. Spanning four centuries of music and representing four different language traditions, these works are sufficiently representative of the tenor repertoire. The content of this thesis features detailed information on these works through historical study, and musical analysis.