Gothic imaginations in primo Ottocento opera : a thesis submitted to the New Zealand School of Music in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music in Musicology

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorChesney, Sarah
dc.date.accessioned2011-12-15T21:33:17Z
dc.date.available2011-12-15T21:33:17Z
dc.date.issued2010
dc.description.abstractConnections between the Gothic and opera remain a subsidiary concern to most writers on the Gothic and on opera, if they are even addressed at all. In this study I wish to illuminate how the Gothic is presented both musically and visually on stage through the setting and thematic traits in select nineteenth-century Italian operas. A number of ideas are central to this aim. Firstly, that the ‘Gothic’ dimension of ‘Gothic opera’ is overtly represented through staging. The settings of many ‘Gothic operas’ in Scotland and England reveal the continental European fascination with northern Europe and its history. This stemmed from the influx of English and Scottish literature, most prominently the Ossian poems and the works of Walter Scott and Shakespeare. Consequently, Gothic scenes such as ruined medieval castles and rugged cliffs, masked by darkness or mist are enmeshed with a northern landscape. Tartan costuming also visually situates the Gothic scenes in Northern Europe. Furthermore, the use of musical mannerisms of Scotland and England, particularly in chorus scenes, reinforces this parallel between the Gothic and the north, linking music to the visible Gothic setting. Secondly, I will explore the way in which Gothic imaginings of both immaterial and physical incarnations of the supernatural move between the latent subconscious and conscious realisation. This is evident through the interplay between voice, orchestra and the singer’s corporeality and draws upon recent operatic studies concerning representation of ‘others’, dramatisation, and theatrical spaces. This second section positions women at the heart of the Gothic in opera, as the soprano is most often the character susceptible to other-worldly encounters and madness. The fundamental figure in this study is Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848). A number of his operas from the 1830s, especially Lucia di Lammermoor, emphasise how the Gothic may be revealed in opera. However, I conclude with a chapter on Macbeth, the ‘Gothic opera’ of Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), for this work demonstrates how the configuration of the Gothic is developed in musical and dramatic terms and presents a case where the supernatural influence becomes all-empowered.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10179/2941
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherMassey Universityen_US
dc.rightsThe Authoren_US
dc.subjectGaetano Donizettien_US
dc.subjectGiuseppe Verdien_US
dc.subjectItalian operaen_US
dc.subjectEuropean operaen_US
dc.subject19th centuryen_US
dc.subjectNineteenth centuryen_US
dc.subjectGothic operaen_US
dc.titleGothic imaginations in primo Ottocento opera : a thesis submitted to the New Zealand School of Music in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music in Musicologyen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
massey.contributor.authorChesney, Sarah
thesis.degree.disciplineMusicology
thesis.degree.grantorNew Zealand School of Music
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Music (M.Mus.)
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Thumbnail Image
Name:
02_whole.pdf
Size:
12.18 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
Thumbnail Image
Name:
01_front.pdf
Size:
26.87 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
804 B
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
Theses and Dissertations