Abstract
Jake Heggie has two published song cycles for baritone and piano: Thoughts Unspoken with texts by John Hall and The Moon Is a Mirror with texts by Vachel Lindsay. The purpose of this treatise is to analyze Thoughts Unspoken and The Moon Is a Mirror in order to assist musicians in achieving a greater understanding of Heggie’s musical style, as well as to fill a gap in the existing literature about his songs. The first chapter focuses on Heggie’s life and works, with particular attention given to his vocal compositions. The second chapter analyzes his first published song cycle, Thoughts Unspoken, from historical and musical perspectives. The third chapter analyzes his second published song cycle, The Moon Is a Mirror, in similar fashion. Musical analyses focus on compositional elements including, but not limited to, harmony, melody, rhythm, and formal structure. Historical discussions include important facts surrounding the genesis of each song cycle, along with issues most pertinent to performance practice.
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