Type of Document	Major Paper
Author	Lynch, Kelly Fiona
Author's Email Address	divakaybe@hotmail.com
URN	etd-11072007-130454
Title	Judith Weir's King Harald's Saga: Innovations of Character and Virtuosity in Contemporary Opera
Degree	Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.)
Department	Music
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Robert Grayson Committee Chair Alison McFarland Committee Member Loraine Sims Committee Member Lori Bade Committee Member Patricia O'Neill Committee Member Christian Fernandez-Palacios Dean's Representative
Keywords	Judith Weir King Harald Icelandic Saga unaccompanied soprano
Date of Defense	2007-09-25
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract In 1979, Scottish-born composer Judith Weir wrote King Harald’s Saga for the soprano Jane Manning. Although an opera in three acts, the cast consists of one performer unaccompanied, interpreting various characters, including the protagonist, King Harald, two of his wives, and the entire Norwegian Army. The opera presented in its entirety is ten minutes in duration. The scope of this paper is intended to assist the performer as well as those who are interested in contemporary opera. I have provided a brief overview of Weir’s compositional style in opera, chamber opera and song. As King Harald’s Saga was Weir’s first opera, I have also observed ways in which it influenced these subsequent vocal works. After my interview with Weir, she provided two inspirations for King Harald’s Saga: Grand Opera of Verdi and Wagner, and Icelandic Saga. Although disparate in nature, further investigations in my analysis show many striking similarities. Both evoke a detached aesthetic stance, as in telling a story, and both are filled with grandiose characterizations. This analysis also discusses how the format of the literature influenced the format of the operatic structure. Background information regarding Icelandic Saga is provided to clarify the explanations and observations of the composer. In addition, I have also provided a thorough analysis of the musical score, including many musical examples to clarify my observations. As each character is given one movement or number in the score (except for Harald), the overall format of the analysis is organized by character. Issues of tonality are addressed with reference to the intentions of the composer, and information as to pitch center, meter, and vocal expression are derived solely from composer’s notes and the vocal line itself.
Files	Filename       Size       Approximate Download Time (Hours:Minutes:Seconds)     28.8 Modem   56K Modem   ISDN (64 Kb)   ISDN (128 Kb)   Higher-speed Access    KellyLynchDocument2.pdf 4.00 Mb 00:18:29 00:09:30 00:08:19 00:04:09 00:00:21

If you have questions or technical problems, please Contact LSU-ETD Support.