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A Garland of Roses.Miller.OhioLINK.pdf (1.6 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

A Garland of Roses

Miller, Mary Claire
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6681-0925
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1589368411081285

Abstract Details

2020, Master of Music (MM), Bowling Green State University, Music Composition.
A Garland of Roses is a song cycle for mezzo-soprano and a chamber ensemble consisting of flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, viola, cello, and double bass. This twenty-minute piece is an abridged depiction of the Rosary Novena, a Catholic prayer which spans nine days. During a novena, the five decades (sections) of the rosary are prayed daily. Five mysteries, or biblical readings, accompany each rosary and are traditionally grouped into sets known as the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries. While novenas exist in many different forms, A Garland of Roses is specifically inspired by the Rosary Novena to Our Lady by Charles V. Lacey. The text of the inner movements is my own adaptation of Lacey’s original presentation of the mysteries. The work also includes settings of thematically relevant biblical verses, an excerpt from a traditional Christmas carol, and excerpts from William Wordsworth’s poem “Surprised by Joy.” The pitch content of the work includes a literal encoding of the rosary beads through set-class (0257), specifically stated as [9e24], or, the pitch letter-name cipher ABDE (BEAD). The decades—which consist of one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and one Glory Be to the Father—are represented by rotations of this set, which are sometimes layered within the glockenspiel part. The set is further realized as the middle movements explore diatonic modes that emphasize B, E, A, and D as pitch centers. Due to the intervallic fourths and fifths inherent to this set, it blends in with the prevailing tonal melodic and harmonic language in the piece. Beyond the [9e24] structural element, most compositional motives have been crafted with a special interest in text painting. Throughout the work, the dramatic contrast between grief and joy is musically accentuated by sudden mood shifts with winding chromatic melodies and blossoming diatonic ones. The pitch A is the heart of a rose theme and of a joyful moment of reprieve found at the center of the work itself. From there, the music follows an arch-like form, leading the listener through explorations of sorrow, joy, despair, hope, and love of creation.
Christopher Dietz, DMA (Advisor)
Mikel Kuehn, DMA (Committee Member)
41 p.
Composition; Music
song cycle; garland; roses; rosary; novena; rosary novena to our lady; mysteries; decade; bead; surprised by joy; birdsong

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Miller, M. C. (2020). A Garland of Roses [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1589368411081285

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Miller, Mary. A Garland of Roses. 2020. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1589368411081285.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Miller, Mary. "A Garland of Roses." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1589368411081285

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1589368411081285
251
© 2020, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.
Release 3.2.12