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Open Access Thesis

Keywords

Operas--Excerpts; Songs (High voice) with piano; Academic theses;

Abstract

Artists have long been captivated by the myth of Ariadne. Her story is depicted in a multitude of musical settings, and in a range of genres dating back to the early seventeenth century. In addition, there are many dramatic works and visual art this legendary female has inspired. This leads one to question: what is it that creators and audiences alike continue to find so compelling about Ariadne? To understand this question, it is necessary to revisit the Ariadne myth. The story begins with the grotesque Minotaur, a monster trapped within a labyrinthine prison and appeased by offerings of Athenian youths. Theseus intends to destroy the Minotaur, and Princess Ariadne gives him a length of golden twine to aid his escape from the labyrinth. After killing the monster, Theseus flees with Ariadne to the isle of Naxos, where she is abandoned.1 The universal themes of this myth -- love, the nature of relationships, and the subsequent disintegration of both -- form the thematic basis for this recital. These themes are explored in detail in the art song sets of Gabriel Faure and Bryan J. Tank, while the arias form a chronological progression of the doomed romance between Theseus and Ariadne.

Degree Name

Master of Music

Department

School of Music

First Advisor

John Hines

Second Advisor

Korey Barrett

Third Advisor

Jean McDonald

Comments

The source material included a compact disc containing audio, the content of which is not available through UNI ScholarWorks.

If you are the rightful copyright holder of this thesis and wish to have it removed from the Open Access Collection, please submit a request to scholarworks@uni.edu and include clear identification of the work, preferably with URL.

Date Original

2010

Object Description

1 PDF file (14 leaves)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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