Thesis (Ph. D.)--Tulane University, 1971. / Typescript. Words of the musical selections also printed as text (v. 2, leaves vi-xxix). Contains vita. Includes bibliographical references (v. 1, leaves 305-313).

The Canticle of the Black Madonna is an original opera-oratorio in two acts, comprising 27 pieces for six operatic soloists, mixed chorus, and chamber orchestra. It is based on an original libretto by Tiziana DellaRovere and is approximately two hours in duration. The Canticle of the Black Madonna combines elements of numerous musical traditions—including medieval organum, baroque oratorio, and both classical and contemporary chamber opera—to tell the story of a fictional American soldier returning from Afghanistan to his wife in Louisiana, the challenges they face to their marriage and livelihood as they struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder, the ecological and socioeconomic consequences of the 2010 Gulf Oil Spill, and the healing transformation they ultimately undergo at the hands of a mysterious divine figure called The Black Madonna.

This thesis gives a comprehensive account of the vocal music performed in Edinburgh between 1750 and 1800. One of its aims is to highlight the importance of vocal music to a contemporary audience, an area which has hitherto been neglected in investigations into the musical culture of the city in the eighteenth century. It also attempts to place the Edinburgh Musical Society in the wider context of the vibrant concert and musical culture which developed through the second half of the century. The study attempts to demonstrate the importance of singing, not just within concerts, but as an integral part of many other social and cultural aspects of life, including: gentlemen’s clubs, schools, and the city’s churches. The careers of singers, as impresarios and teachers, and the influence they held over prevailing tastes and culture are examined. In addition to discussing the many foreign musicians active in the city this investigation also traces the impact of native born singers and teachers. It calls into question the assertions made by previous studies which suggested the primacy of instrumental music over vocal music and it attempts to demonstrate that the interest in, consumption of, and participation in vocal music grew over the course of the century. It also attempts to show that vocal music became a dominant influence following the demise of the Musical Society. The information contained in this account has been drawn from previously neglected newspapers and other archival sources, such as diaries, personal letters, the archives of the Musical Society preserved by Gilbert Innes, the Sederunt Books of the Musical Society, the repertoire of the Harmonical Society and published works on music, culture and history. The repertory itself has also been closely examined. By means of this work it has been possible to examine and expand the whole spectrum of musical life in the Scottish capital and thus establish the thriving vocal musical culture which existed at the time.

It is the object of this paper to review Sir Edward Elgar's life as a composer, and to discuss and study the thematic elements of his oratorio, "The Apostles." To understand and evaluate the significance of any person's rise to fame in his own field, it is necessary to reconstruct the surroundings from which he came. If a study of the musical conditions had been made when Elgar's development as a composer was starting to draw attention, it would have been noted that the British public was prepared to listen to music in newer forms only if it was from a country other than England. There was very little done or said to encourage any music in a modern character if it was composed by someone from England.

L'objet de cette thèse est de s'intéresser aux relations entre le compositeur allemand et la Grande-Bretagne. À première vue, cette idée peut paraître surprenante. En effet, Beethoven, compositeur allemand né en 1770, ne foula jamais le sol anglais à l’inverse d’autres compositeurs comme Haydn, Weber et Mendelssohn. Pourtant, ce travail s'efforcera de démontrer qu’une relation véritable s’était établie, qu’elle portait sur de nombreux aspects et qu’elle était mue par un sentiment d'admiration réciproque. En premier lieu, cette thèse s'attachera à définir, d'une part, les origines de l'enthousiasme du compositeur allemand pour la Grande-Bretagne et, d'autre part, les aspects de la culture britannique qui plurent tant au compositeur. Ainsi, la politique, le système parlementaire, la littérature et la musique anglaise furent autant d’éléments sur lesquels Beethoven portait son admiration. Aussi, nous retrouvons le témoignage de cette affection à travers certaines de ses œuvres et inspirations musicales. Ensuite, ce travail de recherche mettra en lumière les mécanismes qui permirent de faire de Beethoven un compositeur célébré dans tout le Royaume-Uni jusqu’à l’ériger en un nouveau héros musical britannique. Par conséquent, ce travail analysera la programmation et la réception des œuvres du compositeur dans tout le royaume et mettra en évidence le rôle du réseau beethovénien à Londres dans la promotion de sa musique. En effet, Beethoven put jouir de l’aide précieuse de deux réseaux : un premier réseau composé d’amis viennois ou étrangers résidant à Londres comme Clementi, Salomon, von Häring, Ries qui le mirent en relation avec un second réseau, composé de Britanniques comme les musiciens Smart, Neate ou l’éditeur Birchall. Ces deux lobbies se retrouvèrent dans l’outil principal de promotion de Beethoven, la Société Philharmonique de Londres, créée en 1813. La thèse démontrera également l'importance des différents aspects contextuels – social, historique et esthétique – favorables à la domination de Beethoven sur la scène musicale britannique. Enfin, ce travail montrera comment la presse fit du compositeur allemand un « citoyen » britannique. Pour terminer, au fil des pages, ce travail tentera de combler une lacune dans les études beethovéniennes, à savoir, l’explication des raisons qui poussèrent Beethoven à abandonner ses projets de visite, pourtant nombreux, en Grande-Bretagne. / The aim of this thesis is to focus on the relationship between the German composer and Great Britain. However, at first glance, this idea may be surprising. Indeed, Beethoven, born in 1770 in Germany never went to Britain unlike other composers such as Haydn, Weber and Mendelssohn. Nevertheless, this study will attempt to show that a true relationship was established, based on numerous aspects and on a reciprocal feeling of admiration. Firstly, this thesis will try to find the origins of the German composer’s enthusiasm for Britain and it will then define the different cultural aspects that were so dear to Beethoven. Thus, literature, music and politics emerge as the different aspects of British culture which the musician admired the most. As a result, it is possible to find tokens of his fascination for Britain through his works. In the same way, this research work will describe the mechanisms which contributed to make Beethoven a celebrated composer in the United Kingdom who, gradually, became the new British musical hero. Thus, this thesis will analyse the concert programmes and reception of Beethoven’s works and it will shed new light on the importance of networks which promoted the composer within the British musical scene. Indeed, Beethoven benefited from the valuable help of two networks: the first was composed of Viennese or foreign friends living in London like Clementi, Salomon, von Häring or Ries, who put him in contact with a second network, a British one with English musicians like Sir George Smart, Charles Neate or publishers like Robert Birchall. Finally, these two lobbies merged together into one of the key elements promoting Beethoven’s music, The Philharmonic Society, created in 1813. This study will also show the importance of the social, musical and esthetical factors which favoured Beethoven’s domination of the British musical scene. It will show how the British press elevated Beethoven to the rank of “British” citizen especially during his agony. Finally, in Beethoven studies, there is a major gap to fill in: the reasons why Beethoven abandoned the different projects of visiting England.

Joseph Haydn’s final oratorio, The Seasons (1801), has consistently been neglected in performance and scholarship, particularly when compared to its earlier, more successful counterpart, The Creation (1798). A number of factors contribute to this neglect, central among them the belief that The Seasons lacked the musical innovation of Haydn’s setting of the Judeo-Christian creation story, a thought that would gain further momentum as aesthetic and musical tastes changed throughout the nineteenth century. Yet Haydn’s final oratorio is a work of remarkable musical artistry and insight, especially when considered in the context of the eighteenth-century culture of sensibility and the rise of sentimental opera, conventions with which Haydn’s would have been intimately aware given his work in opera composition and production from 1762 to 1790. By examining the ways in which Hanne, one of the three central characters in The Seasons, is constructed as sentimental in van Swieten’s libretto and Haydn’s score, I demonstrate how the librettist and composer engage the trope of the sentimental heroine. Hanne features many of the expected qualities: she is chaste, virtuous, and possesses refined sensibility and sensitivity. Furthermore, her singing style is firmly rooted in sentimental traditions. Yet her music is also imbued with coloratura and musical markers of nobility. Through these musical choices and by textually defining Hanne through joy rather than suffering and pathos, Haydn and van Swieten depart from typical constructions to rethink the sentimental heroine. Therefore, in his final major musico-dramatic work, Haydn experiments with one of the central operatic tropes of the eighteenth century. In being aware of this feature, we might simultaneously arrive at a renewed appreciation for The Seasons and of Haydn’s abilities as a musical dramatist. / Graduate

The Prayer of Daniel is a chamber piece in the style of an oratorio for vocal bass-baritone soloist, flute doubling on alto flute, B flat clarinet doubling on bass clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion on vibraphone and marimba, doumbek (a middle eastern drum), and men's chorus (TTBB). The approximate duration is thirty minutes. The text comes from the Old Testament book of Daniel, Chapter 9 verses 4 through 19. In these passages the prophet Daniel rends from his heart a prayer of repentance, mercy and forgiveness on the behalf of a fallen nation. The harmonic language of the composition combines both classical contemporary and jazz sonorities. The rhythmic language is drawn from the meter of the text, and is used to underscore the emotion of the prayer. These elements combine to form a rich music experience that conveys the penitent heart of the prophet Daniel.

No description available.

Craig Hella Johnson (b. 1963) has emerged as a leader in choral music over the last 20 years. As the conductor of the Austin, TX based chorus Conspirare Johnson implemented the European model of bringing singers together from all over the country to assemble for concerts and recordings over a short period of time. He is known for his collage programs which bring together many styles of music bound by a central theme. Through these programs he has written and arranged many pieces which are now published and being performed by choirs across the globe. Johnson's most significant work to date is a 90 minute passion oratorio which details the story of Matthew Shepard, a college student murdered in a hate crime in 1998. Considering Matthew Shepard (2016) is a wonderful example of Johnson's composition and programming style. Though not a traditional passion story, it is part of the evolution of the genre in the 20th and 21st centuries. The passion oratorio has seen a resurgence in the past 50 years and has undergone a transformation in that time. These new works pay homage to the history of the genre but have begun to stretch it in terms of form and content. This study will highlight the evolution of the passion oratorio focusing on Johnson's Considering Matthew Shepard and offer some insight into the composers style and how this work represents a modern treatment of the passion oratorio.

La ricerca approfondisce il contributo pedagogico degli Oratori alla formulazione di un concetto di cittadinanza planetaria. Gli oratori, istituzioni religiose italiane e contesti di formazione ed educazione rivolti alle giovani generazioni, stanno attualmente affrontando un’inedita sfida multiculturale: la crescente presenza di minori di origine straniera interpella questi dispositivi nella loro capacità di accoglienza, integrazione e accompagnamento dei giovani nello sviluppo di un senso di convivenza e cittadinanza in prospettiva planetaria, volto al rispetto e alla valorizzazione delle diversità nella costruzione di un bene comune condiviso. Attraverso l’utilizzo di strumenti di indagine quantitativa e qualitativa (interviste ai responsabili, focus group con adolescenti, indicatori di valutazione) e le attuali riflessioni sul tema dell’interculturalità e della cittadinanza planetaria, la ricerca approfondisce le potenzialità dell’educazione informale che prende forma nelle trame delle esperienze, degli apprendimenti e dei contesti quotidiani. / The research focuses on the pedagogical contribution of Oratories to formulate a global citizenship concept. Oratories, peculiar Italian religious institutions and educational contexts, are now involved in a multicultural challenge: the increasing participation of minors of foreign origins stimulates Oratories, as educational “devices”, to improve their capacity of reception and integration. Moreover, Oratories can educate minors creating a sense of living together and the concept of citizenship in global perspective, which aim should be the construction of a shared common good through the respect and valorization of human diversity. According to the current development on the intercultural and global citizenship and using quantitative and qualitative research methods (interviews with educators, focuses groups with teenagers, evaluation indicators), the research focuses on the role of informal education in a integral human development, through the social dimensions and everyday relationships, learning and experiences.