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Libby Larsen's Seven Ghosts: A Stylistic and Gestural Analysis

Williams, Laura M.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1335442135

Abstract Details

2012, Master of Music, University of Akron, Music-Theory.
Libby Larsen's Seven Ghosts is a five-movement work premiered in 1995 inspired by the lives of people who overcame severe obstacles to achieve their lifelong goals. Each movement begs to be analyzed differently as the styles and harmonic languages used in each differ drastically. Even with drastic textural and tonal differences, Larsen's work is united by the interval of an octave, chords with augmented or diminished fifths, ostinato figures and gestural motives. This not only reinforces several prior analyses, but provides new examples of Larsen's motivic and gestural accessibility. Larsen's tonalities are, in general, built around modes, synthetic and traditional scales. Her vocal lines are conceived melodically, and when combined vertically, create harmonies in much the same way as Palestrina or de Victoria. Larsen's linear vocal melodies combine to make interesting and compelling vertical harmonies. The formal analyses indicate Larsen follows cues in the poetic form and text; she often uses simple binary and ternary forms. This work is united by augmented chords, metric obscurity, downbeat rests, ascending octaves and gestural motives. Contained in the text is a full stylistic and textual analysis and an interview with composer Libby Larsen.
Daniel McCarthy, Dr. (Advisor)
Michelle Mills, Dr. (Advisor)
Brooks Toliver, Dr. (Committee Member)
97 p.
Music
Libby Larsen; analysis; music theory; interview

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Williams, L. M. (2012). Libby Larsen's Seven Ghosts: A Stylistic and Gestural Analysis [Master's thesis, University of Akron]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1335442135

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Williams, Laura. Libby Larsen's Seven Ghosts: A Stylistic and Gestural Analysis. 2012. University of Akron, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1335442135.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Williams, Laura. "Libby Larsen's Seven Ghosts: A Stylistic and Gestural Analysis." Master's thesis, University of Akron, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1335442135

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

akron1335442135
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© 2012, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Akron and OhioLINK.