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Così fan tutte? A Study of Character Development through Key Characteristics in the Prima Donna and Soubrette Roles from Four of W.A. Mozart's Late Italian Operas

This dissertation investigates how W. A. Mozart applies the concept of key characteristics—the affective properties of each tonality—as discussed by three of his contemporaries, Johann Mattheson, C.F.D. Schubart and G.J. Vogler, to four soubrette and four prima donna characters from four of his late Italian operas: La Contessa and Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro; Donna Anna and Zerlina in Don Giovanni; Fiordiligi and Despina in Così fan tutte; Vitellia and Servilia in La clemenza di Tito. The analytical method of this dissertation provides a hermeneutical tool to search for meanings in Mozart's music. The application compares the libretto text and its corresponding tonal center with the description of key characteristics on a micro level, to reveal significant dramatic and practical implications from Mozart's key usage in his operas.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc1707355
Date08 1900
CreatorsTsai, Meng-Jung
ContributorsMorscheck, Stephen, Dubberly, Stephen, Joyner, William, Schulze, Hendrik, 1970-
PublisherUniversity of North Texas
Source SetsUniversity of North Texas
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis or Dissertation
Formatv, 196 pages : illustrations, Text
RightsPublic, Tsai, Meng-Jung, Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights Reserved.
RelationRecital: April 21, 2013, ark:/67531/metadc276260, Recital: April 3, 2014, ark:/67531/metadc848701, Recital: April 2, 2015, ark:/67531/metadc1075231

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