THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY of AMERICA Context and Commission
THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA Context and Commission in Large-Scale Texted Works of Libby Larsen A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Faculty of The Benjamin T. Rome School of Music Of The Catholic University of America In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree Doctor of Philosophy By Deborah B. Crall Washington, D.C. 2013 Context and Commission in Large-Scale Texted Works of Libby Larsen Deborah B. Crall, Ph.D. Director: Grayson Wagstaff, Ph.D. Libby Larsen (b. 1950) is recognized as one of the foremost composers of her generation, as well as one of the most performed. A prolific composer, she produces at least one large-scale piece a year. In an era when classically trained composers conventionally earn their living in an academic environment, Larsen makes her livelihood as a composer in the “classical” or concert field. In this way she exemplifies a shift in composer economics, as many composers have abandoned the academic life in favor of self-promotion. This dissertation examines musical patronage in the United States in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries by exploring the ways Larsen has developed commissions as an independent artist, incorporating the complex relationships that exist among composer and commissioner in the process of composing large works. Thus patronage, politics, audience, and composition are all intertwined in compelling ways. These relationships are shown by examining six specific works: three operas, Frankenstein, the Modern Prometheus , Eric Hermannson’s Soul , Barnum’s Bird , one choral symphony, Coming Forth Into Day , one cantata, Eleanor Roosevelt (1996), and one oratorio, The Triptych .
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