Thesis (M.A.)--University of Michigan, 1957.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Michigan, 1957.

This study is concerned with the style (as opposed to the function) of English vocal polyphony during the period ca.1525 - ca.1575. It focusses on the sacred works of Thomas tallis (ca.1505-1585); but the aim is as much to come nearer to a full understanding of mid-Tudor stylistic evolution as it is to define the place of Tallis' music within the broad context. Tallis is therefore viewed both as an individual and as a representative of his time, and his music is assessed analytically rather than critically. The study takes as its premise the view that English music of the period is too often examined according to useful but unrealistic categories - sacred or secular, Catholic or Protestant, institutional or domestic, Henrician, Edwardian, Marian or Elizabethan - and that a sympathetic understanding of the evolution can only be reached when the period is considered in a broad, comprehensive and chronological sweep. It also argues that the evolution was largely stimulated by influence from abroad (the place of foreign music and musicians in mid-Tudor England is studied in detail), and that these influences can be sensed first and most deeply in secular music of the second half of Henry VIII's reign, rather than in contemporary liturgical music (the study includes a detailed discussion and full transcription of the late Henrician partsong repertory). The close stylistic identity between secular chamber style and that of Edwardian church music is emphasized, in particular their common reliance upon stretto lattices of declamatory imitation. Using Tallis' works as a touchstone, subsequent developments in musical substance and structure are investigated; and the study closes by demonstrating how Tallis' imitative practice changed rapidly and radically during the third quarter of the century, again almost certainly under the influence of foreign music.

<p>The concept of distorting the line between fiction and reality appears to be one of the main themes in Ian McEwan’s <em>Atonement </em>(2001) as well as in Joe Wright’s screen adaptation of the novel, released in 2007. With the focus on the main character Briony Tallis this essay explores the influence that literature and fiction have on her, how they bring her to blur the line between them and reality and, to a lesser extent, the different ways in which the novel and its screen adaptation address this issue. Briony is first introduced as an author, underlining the importance that imagination holds for her, and it is this overactive imagination that causes her to misinterpret real events and thus accuse Robbie Turner for a crime he did not commit. To redeem herself Briony turns to fiction in an attempt to re-write the past; by blurring the line between fiction and reality, as defined by the restrictions of her novel, Briony gives Robbie and Cecilia a future within the pages of her book. The literary motifs and symbols, that are present within her novel, enhance the influence fiction and literature have on her. This is also emphasized by her characters’ relationship with literature, their use of literary works, and their characters.  Briony, the character, strives to become Briony the author, thus emphasizing the importance that literature holds for her. Because Briony is trapped within the boundaries of her own imagination she has, in writing her novel, managed to hold Robbie and Cecilia captive in her imaginative world. Thus, finally achieving what she has been striving to do for during the greater part of her life: Briony, the author, can atone for the terrible ordeals that she caused decades previously.</p>

The concept of distorting the line between fiction and reality appears to be one of the main themes in Ian McEwan’s Atonement (2001) as well as in Joe Wright’s screen adaptation of the novel, released in 2007. With the focus on the main character Briony Tallis this essay explores the influence that literature and fiction have on her, how they bring her to blur the line between them and reality and, to a lesser extent, the different ways in which the novel and its screen adaptation address this issue. Briony is first introduced as an author, underlining the importance that imagination holds for her, and it is this overactive imagination that causes her to misinterpret real events and thus accuse Robbie Turner for a crime he did not commit. To redeem herself Briony turns to fiction in an attempt to re-write the past; by blurring the line between fiction and reality, as defined by the restrictions of her novel, Briony gives Robbie and Cecilia a future within the pages of her book. The literary motifs and symbols, that are present within her novel, enhance the influence fiction and literature have on her. This is also emphasized by her characters’ relationship with literature, their use of literary works, and their characters.  Briony, the character, strives to become Briony the author, thus emphasizing the importance that literature holds for her. Because Briony is trapped within the boundaries of her own imagination she has, in writing her novel, managed to hold Robbie and Cecilia captive in her imaginative world. Thus, finally achieving what she has been striving to do for during the greater part of her life: Briony, the author, can atone for the terrible ordeals that she caused decades previously.