Type of Document	Dissertation
Author	McCullough, Thomas Eric
URN	etd-04052004-203401
Title	Shattered - A Musical Drama in One Act
Degree	Doctor of Musical Arts
Department	Music, School of
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Ladislav Kubik Committee Chair James Mathes Committee Member Lubomir Georgiev Committee Member Peter Spencer Committee Member
Keywords	Original Libretto Opera Chamber Vocal Score
Date of Defense	2004-03-22
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract Shattered is a dramatic one-act opera based on an original libretto by the composer. It is a universal story about what hides behind the reality that people present to others. The opera involves only six characters, without a chorus, accompanied by a small chamber orchestra. The small ensemble allows for a better sense of intimacy between the characters on stage and the audience, as compared to a traditional large-scale opera with its huge ensembles and extravagant settings. This opera is intended for performances in smaller, regional houses and community theaters. The music is through-composed and the libretto is highly conversational, allowing for recitative style singing interrupted with short lyrical arias and ensembles. A conservative harmonic language is used throughout the piece, with sections of quasi-minimalism and impressionism. I relied mostly on the drama of the libretto and the melodic nature of the human voice for the setting of the text. The vocal writing in the conversation sections is slightly broken and follows the inflection of normal speech, while the arietta sections are quite lyrical and more extended, vocally. While the original setting of the libretto is modern and not highly stylized, this drama can take place in any time and situation because of the universal nature of human beings and their emotions.
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