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HOLINESS AND DEVILRY: THE ORGAN IN OPERAS OF THE NINETEENTH AND TWENTIETH CENTURIES

TAYLOR, LARRY C.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1172617068

Abstract Details

2007, DMA, University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music : Organ.
In the operas of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, organ was never a standard instrument. Composers employed it only on an occasional basis in religious scenes or as an unexpected instrumental effect. Beginning with Giacomo Meyerbeer’s Robert le diable, French grand operas began to use organ in church settings for the sake of scenic realism, to add splendor to the production, and to lend such scenes an aura of holiness. Given the traditional liturgical function of the organ, it is not surprising that this instrument became commonplace in sacred scenes. Later operas, such as Charles Gounod’s Faust, however, associate the instrument with corruption and evil. By examining the dramatic role of organ in opera, one may discover how it came to have the paradoxical dual reputation as an instrument of holiness and evil. In the twentieth century Richard Strauss pioneered the use of organ in opera purely for its tone color, rather than sacred symbolism. Still, some composers such as Benjamin Britten continued to use and explore the symbolic quality of organ in dramatic works. This thesis explores the dramatic and musical functions of organ in a multitude of operas and how its dramatic role has evolved through the past two centuries.
Hilary Poriss (Advisor)
199 p.
Music
organ; opera

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • TAYLOR, L. C. (2007). HOLINESS AND DEVILRY: THE ORGAN IN OPERAS OF THE NINETEENTH AND TWENTIETH CENTURIES [Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1172617068

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • TAYLOR, LARRY. HOLINESS AND DEVILRY: THE ORGAN IN OPERAS OF THE NINETEENTH AND TWENTIETH CENTURIES. 2007. University of Cincinnati, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1172617068.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • TAYLOR, LARRY. "HOLINESS AND DEVILRY: THE ORGAN IN OPERAS OF THE NINETEENTH AND TWENTIETH CENTURIES." Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati, 2007. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1172617068

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2007, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.