Habilitationsschrift--Leipzig. / A section of the author's Geschichte des oratoriums (Leipzig, 1911. 647 p.). Music : p. xiii-xxvii.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Northwestern University, 1963. / Vita. Bibliography: l. 349-366.

Thesis--Northwestern University. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 306-315). Also issued in print.

Thesis--Northwestern University. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 306-315).

The Canticles of Solomon , a musical drama written for tenor, mezzo soprano, chamber orchestra, and full chorus, is a three movement piece, 25 minutes in length. It is intended for performance without scenery, costume, or action. The fundamental element is text. The source text is The Song of Solomon from the Ryrie Study Bible. The text is cross referenced and used in the formal structure of the work. Each time a cross-referenced entry of text is reached, the melodic theme or rhythmic motive is found according to the appropriate theme category in which the specific text is placed. There are twelve theme categories. The melodic themes have differing levels of tonality. The formal structure is cyclically through-composed.

Housed among the anonymous manuscripts in the Barberini Collection of the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Oratorio per la Settimana Santa is a prototypical example of oratorio volgare (Italian-language oratorio) from mid-seventeenth-century Rome. Written in two parts and scored for two violins, continuo, three- and five-part chorus, and soli, this oratorio was once attributed to Luigi Rossi (c.1598-1653) and was believed to be composed during his service to the Barberini family prior to their departure from Rome in 1645, though this attribution has since been called into question. Regardless, Oratorio per la Settimana Santa holds an important place in the development of the Roman oratorio as a genre as well as that of the Passion, specifically the Passion oratorio. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that Oratorio per la Settimana Santa can be made accessible to modern choral-instrumental ensembles through the creation of an historically informed performance edition of the work that incorporates the latest scholarship on editorial and performing practices of the early Baroque. This document provides the background information that is most relevant to the creation of the edition and an informed performance. As well, it offers a discussion of the editorial practices that were used in the creation of the edition and a presentation of select performance-practice considerations that should be taken into account when producing a performance of the oratorio. The document culminates with a performance edition of Oratorio per la Settimana Santa in its entirety with accompanying edition notes.

abstract: In 2006, composer James DeMars conceived of an opera when he began setting the Aztec legend known as Nican Mopohua, the “legend of Guadalupe.” Many inherent challenges arose as DeMars began to compose his first opera. His unfamiliarity with operatic writing and production, a preference for the aural elements of opera over visual ones, inexperience with dramatic textual writing, and insecurity in his ability to have it produced, encouraged him to detour from his operatic vision altogether and instead write an oratorio. Yet, his original operatic concept revealed itself through the music and text enough to encourage him and others to believe that his oratorio, Guadalupe: Our Lady of the Roses, could be produced on the operatic stage. Despite the oratorio’s success, DeMars persisted in realizing his original operatic vision and began the arduous task of rewriting his opera in 2012. To overcome the challenges, he relied heavily on the input of an “Operatic Advisory Council.” This group of dedicated colleagues and experts in the field of opera revealed to DeMars certain essential elements of opera that were absent from the oratorio, and through the course of three years advised and instructed the composer as he transformed his oratorio into an opera – something rarely attempted in the operatic repertoire. In this document, Chapter 1 discusses the formation of the Council, its members, and the expertise they offered. Chapter 2 presents the areas of concern the Council had during the process. Chapter 3 discusses the methods by which DeMars rectified the flaws in the oratorio’s visual aspects, the vocal writing, and the dramatic elements that needed attention. It also presents musical and textual examples of the adjustments and additions DeMars made during the transition, and discusses their effect on the opera’s staging, vocal writing and drama. The changes DeMars made under the guidance of the Operatic Advisory Council ultimately resulted in an operatic version of Guadalupe, which premiered at Arizona State University in November 2015. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2018

This study investigates aspects of Orientalism found within the genre of the English oratorio, specifically William Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast (1931). Building on Edward Said’s research on Orientalism, analyses of Orientalist representations in music exploded the field of musicology in the 1980s and 90s. However, the examination of Orientalism in sacred genres remains lacking. Bringing forth cultural, political, and musical conflicts between East and West, Walton’s oratorio encourages further investigation in previously unaddressed genres. I argue that, by combining dramatic operatic elements with sacred text, Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast reflects a continuation of Orientalist ideologies through binary opposition aimed at perpetuating the predominantly negative stereotypes of the Middle East and its people while celebrating the superiority of Western culture. Examining political, social, cultural, and musical contexts for Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast in England between the wars, I draw on eighteenth through twentieth-century Western compositions, including opera and symphonic repertory, that appropriate the Orient in similar ways. Close examination of Walton’s oratorio reflects his adherence to standard tonal, harmonic, and orchestral signifiers that differentiate between East and West as established and canonized by Orientalist composers before him. Furthermore, I argue that Walton’s exposure to Orientalist works from an early age, as well as rising nationalistic sentiments in interwar England, shaped his conception of the Orient as a place of violence, savagery, and barbarity while promoting the West, represented by the Israelites in Belshazzar’s Feast, as rational, monotheistic, and civilized.

Important tenets of Enlightenment thought, specifically natural theology and philosophical naturalism, mark both the libretto and certain aspects of the music of Haydn's Creation. The opening chapters of the dissertation establish the philosophical, historical, literary, and musical milieu as shaped by leading thinkers of the period. Influences of important precursors are discussed, including Milton's Paradise Lost and earlier "creation" oratorios. The libretto of Creation, through its revisionist treatment of the biblical account of creation, reflects a shift from the orthodox Christian, apologetic perspective of Handelian oratorio toward a deistic representation of biblical truth. Paralleling this shift away from theological orthodoxy is The Creation's departure from the contrapuntal textures of Baroque oratorio--associated by James Webster and Hermann Danuser with the element of the musical "sublime"--to a pluralistic musical palette including elements from secular genres such as opera and symphony. These parallel shifts move the work toward naturalism. The Creation's ultimate message is one of Enlightenment optimism produced by the oratorio's religious tolerance--demonstrated by the omission of the Fall narrative--and musical eclecticism. Musical inclusivity is conveyed by a mixture of styles and conventions that cross normative standards for setting sacred texts. The analysis of text-music relationships in Creation builds on theoretical constructs of Danuser and Kramer, focusing on smaller- to larger-level musical sections that demonstrate the contrast in style and values represented by the sublime and idyllic. Both texts and music of The Creation elevate values of naturalism while simultaneously "rescinding" the sublime element into the beautiful or "idyllic." Concluding chapters focus on reception history of The Creation in both Austria and England, Haydn's two target audiences for the work.

This thesis explores the relationship between Handel's borrowing practice and his creation of a new genre---the English Biblical oratorio. It focuses on the types of borrowing, the genres Handel borrowed from, and the use of self-borrowing vs. borrowing from other composers. A comprehensive list of borrowings discovered in Handel's Biblical oratorios (Appendix A) allows the patterns in Handel's borrowing practice and the evolution of the genre to be revealed and discussed. / Chapter One provides a review of the literature on Handel's borrowing in general and the historical roots of Handel's Biblical oratorios. Chapter Two looks at the scholarly treatment of Handel's borrowing, and goes on to discuss specific musical examples of three borrowing types: Type I (reuse), Type II (rework), and Type III (new work). The final chapter identifies borrowing patterns that emerge in Handel's early, middle, and late Biblical oratorios. The borrowing type shifts from Type I to Type III, whereas the genres borrowed from change from sacred choral works to secular operas. Self-borrowings dominate in his early oratorios, drastically decrease in the middle period, and increase again in the late period.