• myGriffith
    • Staff portal
    • Contact Us⌄
      • Future student enquiries 1800 677 728
      • Current student enquiries 1800 154 055
      • International enquiries +61 7 3735 6425
      • General enquiries 07 3735 7111
      • Online enquiries
      • Staff phonebook
    View Item 
    •   Home
    • Griffith Theses
    • Theses - Higher Degree by Research
    • View Item
    • Home
    • Griffith Theses
    • Theses - Higher Degree by Research
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Browse

  • All of Griffith Research Online
    • Communities & Collections
    • Authors
    • By Issue Date
    • Titles
  • This Collection
    • Authors
    • By Issue Date
    • Titles
  • Statistics

  • Most Popular Items
  • Statistics by Country
  • Most Popular Authors
  • Support

  • Contact us
  • FAQs
  • Admin login

  • Login
  • Death and Transformation in Romantic Song Cycles: Journeys in Interpretation

    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    Court_2015_02Thesis.pdf (1.413Mb)
    Author(s)
    Court, Sarah Kathleen Mary
    Primary Supervisor
    Harrison, Scott
    Emmerson, Stephen
    Other Supervisors
    Gasteen, Lisa
    Year published
    2015
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Abstract
    The Romantic period gave rise to the genre of the song cycle – a collection of songs grouped by poetic theme or narrative arc - through which composers align their musical inspiration with the works of poets and delve into the human experience. Profound themes, such as death and transformation, appear often in song cycle works as the genre provides a vehicle within which they are carefully examined and expanded upon. The form of the song cycle gives performers an opportunity to explore a long narrative, a particular set of emotions, a philosophical perspective, or a defining set of circumstances in more depth than is possible ...
    View more >
    The Romantic period gave rise to the genre of the song cycle – a collection of songs grouped by poetic theme or narrative arc - through which composers align their musical inspiration with the works of poets and delve into the human experience. Profound themes, such as death and transformation, appear often in song cycle works as the genre provides a vehicle within which they are carefully examined and expanded upon. The form of the song cycle gives performers an opportunity to explore a long narrative, a particular set of emotions, a philosophical perspective, or a defining set of circumstances in more depth than is possible in individual songs. The question of how a performer approaches this absorbing process, lives and grows within the musical and poetic world each cycle offers, and prepares to perform the resulting interpretation is not often documented, and is the focus of this research. I have chosen three case study programs of Romantic song cycles through which to examine my process as a singer preparing and performing works that focus on the themes of death and transformation – Schubert’s Winterreise; Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder and Mussorgsky’s Songs and Dances of Death; Butterworth’s Bredon Hill and A Shropshire Lad and Vaughan-Williams’ Songs of Travel. I draw on a number of methodologies to do justice to the dynamic and evolving nature of the art of performance.
    View less >
    Thesis Type
    Thesis (Professional Doctorate)
    Degree Program
    Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA)
    School
    Queensland Conservatorium
    DOI
    https://doi.org/10.25904/1912/3782
    Copyright Statement
    The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise.
    Item Access Status
    Public
    Subject
    Song cycles
    Romantic song cycles
    Schubert, Franz, 1797-1828. Winterreise
    Mahler, Gustav, 1860-1911. Kindertotenlieder
    Mussorgsky, Modest Petrovich, 1839-1881. Songs and dances of death
    Butterworth, George, 1885-1916. Shropshire lad
    Butterworth, George, 1885-1916. Bredon Hill
    Vaughan Williams, Ralph, 1872-1958. Songs of travel.
    Composition (music)
    Publication URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10072/365450
    Collection
    • Theses - Higher Degree by Research

    Footer

    Disclaimer

    • Privacy policy
    • Copyright matters
    • CRICOS Provider - 00233E

    Tagline

    • Gold Coast
    • Logan
    • Brisbane - Queensland, Australia
    First Peoples of Australia
    • Aboriginal
    • Torres Strait Islander