This thesis presents an analysis of Cantico delle Creature, a composition for mezzo-soprano solo, chamber choir, chamber orchestra, and computer-generated sounds. The choir and orchestra are divided into two spatially separated groups, with the soloist one percussionist (who plays the tam-tams, at the same time triggering the playback of the pre-synthesized sounds) providing a central link between the two ensembles. This work, which lasts approximately twenty-three minutes, sets a text of the same title by Saint Francis of Assisi. The analytical paper which accompanies the composition examines the text, the relation of the text to the form of the piece, the formal structure and textural organization of the music, the use of spatialization, along with the pitch organization and details regarding the creation and playback of the synthesized sounds. In addition, there is a discussion of the use of the computer as a compositional tool, in particular the utilization of CHAOTICS, compositional software based on nonlinear or "chaotic" functions.

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The object of this paper is to effect a comparison between the early Shakespearean songs and their more recent settings and to discuss in detail differences in style and technique, with emphasis upon textual and melodic characteristics.

1 score (x, 113 p.) / The implementation of an informed cross-relationship between two independent art forms has often been a source of inspiration for artists throughout the millennia. However, in the late 19th century, both Russian and French thinkers and artists began to build upon this notion by creatively considering the intermingling of sensory experiences as well. The resulting artwork from this temporally specific era was described as being "Symbolist," referencing both the intermedial and multi-sensory processes involved and/or considered in creating the respective work. My personal penchant to explore this artistic approach has resulted in a symphony that was inspired by, and intimately considers, five individual pieces of French "Symbolist" art, poetry, and sculpture. Each movement specifically focuses upon one of the five human senses. The respective works are: the sculpture "Le baiser" by Auguste Rodin (touch), "Parfum exotique" from Les fleurs du mal by Charles Baudelaire (smell), "Tristesse d'été" by Stèphane Mallarmé (taste) as published in Du parnasse contemporain, the painting "Hina tefatou" by Paul Gauguin (sight/insight), and "Chanson d'automne" from Poèmes saturniens by Paul Verlaine (hearing/listening). / Committee in charge: Dr. David Crumb Chairperson, Advisor， Dr. Robert Kyr， Member； Dr. Jack Boss， Member； Dr. Jenifer Craig， Outside Member

The process of metaphrasis denotes the translation of a work of art from one medium into another. Opera is fundamentally an adaptive art form and contemporary opera has increasingly turned to the novel as the sophistication and range of the resources of modem music theatre have expanded. This dissertation will examine the contemporary operatic adaptation of five works of fiction. The method employed is a comparison of fictional and operatic discourse and an analysis of the translation of fictional narrative into operatic narrative. Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights poses particular narrative problems for operatic adaption while Herman Melville's Billy Budd is characterised by its intrusive narrator and a pervasive ambiguity. Joseph Conrad's novel, Under Western Eyes, exemplifies many of the narratological complexities of modernism, whereas Patrick White's Voss, a seminal postcolonial text, offers the operatic adaptor opportunities for the transcendence of language through music. The final chapter of this study will examine Henry James's tale, liThe Aspern Papers II , which incorporates many of James's reflections on literature and the literary life. The postmodernist operatic adaptation transmutes this self-reflexive fictional work into an opera profoundly concerned with the ontology of opera itself. This study will test the thesis that opera's affinity lies with the novel rather than with drama: that the fundamental narrative mode of opera is diegetic rather than mimetic. The main theoretic thrust proposes that the orchestra in opera performs a similar function to the narrator in fiction. As fictional characters exist only through the medium of their 'text' therefore, it will be argued, operatic characters exist only as part of their 'musical' text. Fictional narrative, while frequently conveying the impression of mimesis is essentially diegetic; operatic characters appear to possess a similar autonomy to their counterparts in drama, but can be seen as analogous to those in fiction and as a function of the diegesis of operatic narrative. Operatic characters are 'created' by the orchestral-narrator and have their being only as part of this narrative act. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1994.

Composed for soprano, tenor, and baritone voices, woodwind, percussion, and string instruments, Three Voices is a polyglotic work that includes German, Chinese, and Spanish texts. The texts are chosen from Brecht Bertolt's Das Schiff, Po Chu I's Lang T'ao Sha, and Frederico Garcia Lorcá's Mar. Significant features of the piece are 1) application of Chinese operatic singing methods to vocal material in the sections that use Chinese text, 2) use of western instruments to emulate the sound of certain Chinese instruments, and 3) employment of Sprechstimme and dramatically inflected speech to create theatrical effects and highlight the sections that use German and Spanish texts.

This paper presents a detailed comparative analysis of four important settings of Ophelia's song texts from Shakespeare's Hamlet composed by Brahms, Strauss, Chausson, and Pasatieri. Each of the first three represents a different facet of song composition during the period 1873-1919. The "Five Songs of Ophelia" by Brahms recall the simplicity of Volkslied. Strauss's "Drei Lieder der Ophelia" assume a more complex and formal demeanor, while Chausson's setting, "Chanson d'Ophelie," demonstrates French preoccupation with setting the natural speech rhythms of language. Pasatieri's "Ophelia's Lament," from 1975, uses operatic gestures within the context of piano-accompanied song. An interview with Pasatieri which defines this song as monodrama is transcribed in the appendix.

This is a stylistic study of the four versions of Liszt's Three Petrarchan Sonnets with special emphasis on the revision of poetic settings to the music. The various revisions over four versions from 1838 to 1861 reflect Liszt's artistic development as seen especially in his use of melody, harmony, tonality, color, tone painting, atmosphere, and form. His use of the voice and development of piano technique also play an important part in these sonnets. The sonnets were inexplicably linked with the fateful events in his life and were in a way an image of this most flamboyant and controversial personality. This study suggests Liszt's importance as an innovator, and his influence on later trends should not be underestimated.

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