The purpose of this research is to examine John La Montaine's only two song cycles for soprano and orchestra, Songs of the Rose of Sharon, opus 6 (1947) and Fragments from the Song of Songs, opus 29 (1959). In this investigation-the first ever specific to these works-I examine the works and cultural context in which they were created. I then evaluate the reasonable possibility that La Montaine used his public platform as a composer and performer to subtly celebrate taboo themes of feminism, sexuality, and blackness while shining a light on human injustice. Through close examination of social and historical context, I argue two points. Firstly, Rose of Sharon and Fragments are landmark American works. They are anomalies in classical music history in that a white male heralds texts about a black woman in an unlikely time in American history, thus arguably becoming an unlikely part of the evolution of African-American women in artistic endeavors. Secondly, in the performance guide, I advocate that these works would readily adapt to a staged performance. I discuss how La Montaine's musical settings illustrate the inherent drama of the text, provide a context for interpreting the protagonist in Rose of Sharon and Fragments, and present an interpretation of how these works could be staged. The ultimate goal of this research is to bring these intricately crafted masterpieces to the attention of singers and voice teachers so that they may assume their rightful place in the repertoire.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc1538657 |
| Date | 08 1900 |
| Creators | Dapcic, Samantha |
| Contributors | Wilson, Carol (Soprano), Puccinelli, Elvia L., Austin, Stephen F., Pomerleau, Clark A., Fillmore, Molly |
| Publisher | University of North Texas |
| Source Sets | University of North Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | v, 100 pages : illustrations, music, Text |
| Rights | Use restricted to UNT Community, Dapcic, Samantha, Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. |
| Relation | Recital: March 29, 2015, ark:/67531/metadc1075264, Recital: November 6, 2015, ark:/67531/metadc798551, Recital: November 15, 2015, ark:/67531/metadc798489, Recital: March 26, 2017, ark:/67531/metadc <not yet digitized> |
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