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Sophia Leithold Masterarbeit Druck Desire, Disappointment, Love and Death: Topics in Elizabeth Maconchy’s Chamber Operas The Sofa and The Departure Masterarbeit zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades Master of Arts (MA) im interuniversitären Masterstudium Musikologie Studienkennzahl: B 066 836 an der Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz vorgelegt von SOPHIA LEITHOLD Matrikelnummer: 00911668 Betreuer: Univ.Prof. Dr.phil. Andreas Dorschel MA Institut für Musikästhetik Kunstuniversität Graz Graz, Mai 2018 2 0 Abstract Elizabeth Maconchy (1907-1994) was an English composer, whose long career of writing music and active participation in the European music scene made her one of the most interesting figures of British composing in the 20 th century. She is best known for her cycle of thirteen string quartets and has composed music from different genres, including chamber music, orchestral works, vocal music and music theatre. Maconchy’s chamber operas The Sofa (1959) and The Departure (1962) are the focus of this thesis as it identifies the central topics of both operas and investigates their musical development. The main topic of the satirical and comedic Sofa is erotic desire and the analysis of the music of the opera shows that one motif is strongly associated with it. This inspires an exploration of the appearances of the two versions of this motif and their significance as well as the implications that their use may convey. The Departure is a tragedy and a counterpart to The Sofa , both in story and atmosphere. The central conflict of this opera is the death of the protagonist and her departure from this world. The music will be examined by identifying the key motifs and devices paired with the main topics and tracing their influence on the progression of the opera. The final section of the thesis will look at the operas side by side and present both the differences and similarities in the musical treatment of the main topics as well as the inherent musical and emotional quality. 3 Elizabeth Maconchy (1907-1994) war eine englische Komponistin, deren lange Laufbahn als Musikschaffende und aktive Teilnahme in der europäischen Musikszene sie als eine der interessantesten Personen des britischen Komponierens im 20. Jahrhundert auszeichnet. Ihre 13 Streichquartette sind sicherlich ihre bekanntesten Werke, aber sie hat außerdem mit den verschiedensten Gattungen, wie zum Beispiel Kammermusik, Orchestermusik, Vokalmusik und Musiktheater gearbeitet. Maconchys Kammeropern The Sofa (1959) und The Departure (1962) sind der Mittelpunkt dieser Arbeit, die sich den zentralen inhaltlichen Themen beider Opern und deren musikalischer Umsetzung widmet. Das Hauptthema des satirischen und spielerischen Sofas ist erotisches Verlangen, und die Analyse der Musik der Oper zeigt, dass ein Motiv besonders stark mit diesem Thema zusammenhängt. Daher werden die Momente, in denen die zwei Versionen des Motivs in der Oper erscheinen und deren Bedeutung sowie die inhaltlichen Folgen, die ihre Verwendung impliziert, untersucht. The Departure ist eine Tragödie und ein Gegenstück zu The Sofa , sowohl hinsichtlich des Inhalts als auch der Stimmung. Der zentrale Konflikt dieser Oper ist der Tod der Protagonistin und ihr Abschied von dieser Welt. Die Musik wird durch die Identifikation der Hauptmotive und –mittel, die mit den inhaltlichen Themen verbunden sind, behandelt, und deren Einfluss auf den Verlauf der Oper nachvollzogen. Der letzte Abschnitt der Arbeit stellt die beiden Opern einander gegenüber, und zeigt dadurch die Unterschiede und Ähnlichkeiten in Hinblick auf die musikalische Umsetzung der Kernthemen – und damit auch die inhärente musikalische und emotionale Qualität – auf. 4 Table of Contents 0 Abstract .............................................................................................................................. 3 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 7 2 Maconchy’s Life and Work ................................................................................................ 9 2.1 Early Life ..................................................................................................................... 9 2.2 Maconchy’s Time at the R.C.M ................................................................................ 10 2.3 Life after College: Contraction of Tuberculosis and the War ................................... 12 2.4 Post-War Period ......................................................................................................... 16 2.5 Late Years .................................................................................................................. 17 3 The Sofa ............................................................................................................................ 19 3.1 Between Longing and Frustration ............................................................................. 21 3.2 “This time my patience cannot still endure, you know my magic art is swift and sure.” – The Grandmother, the Witch ..................................................................................... 25 3.3 Erotic Desire – The Musical and Thematic Centre of the Opera .............................. 27 3.4 Fulfilment or Disappointment? .................................................................................. 34 4 The Departure .................................................................................................................. 36 4.1 The Drama ................................................................................................................. 36 4.1.1 Beginnings of the Collaboration ........................................................................ 36 4.1.2 The Storyline of The Departure ......................................................................... 38 4.2 The Music .................................................................................................................. 43 4.2.1 Funeral Music: Motif, Rhythm, Gregorian chant ............................................... 44 4.2.2 Mysterious Music – Julia’s Motif ...................................................................... 48 4.2.3 “But what has happened?” – Steps on the Way to Realisation .......................... 50 4.2.4 “Remember our life together”: A Summer Ball and a Lullaby .......................... 54 4.2.5 “We must know our death”: Acceptance and Departure .................................... 56 4.3 Transformation: The Necessary Process of Accepting Death ................................... 61 5 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 65 5 6 Bibliography ..................................................................................................................... 69 6.1 Web Resources .......................................................................................................... 70 6.2 Archive Resources ..................................................................................................... 70 6.3 Music Resources ........................................................................................................ 72 6 1 Introduction “Being a composer is a life-sentence from which there is no escape.” 1 Such was the self-conception of the composer Elizabeth Violet Maconchy DBE (1907-1994), whose long career of writing music and active participation in the European music scene made her one of the most interesting figures of British composing in the 20 th century. She is best known for her cycle of thirteen string quartets and has composed music from different genres, including chamber music, orchestral works, vocal music and music theatre. The Sofa (1959) and The Departure (1962) are two of Maconchy’s three chamber operas. As the third opera The Three Strangers was not performed until 1968, The Sofa and The Departure are designed as two pieces of a puzzle to fill a playbill for one evening. This thesis aims to identify the central topics of both operas and investigate their musical development. To compare The Sofa and The Departure is to look at opposites: The first is a satirical and witty comedy and the second is a nuanced and emotional tragedy. While both operas include elements of the supernatural and other surprising plot points, this thesis argues that they rather focus on interpersonal relationships and individual (non-)developments. To provide a background for deliberations about the two operas, the following chapter explores important factors of Maconchy’s biography. It will cover the stages of her development from a musically gifted child to a rising star at college, the obstacles in her way like World War II and her health issues and her steady need for and success in composing music. The opera The Sofa is the main focus of chapter three. After examining the circumstances of the creation of the opera leading up to its first performance, the basic aspects of the satirical story and the libretto are explored. One character is highlighted as diametrically opposed to the others, before the central topic of the opera – erotic desire – and its connection to a musical motif is discussed. The investigation of the development of the music throughout the opera includes an exploration of the appearances of the two versions of this motif and their significance as well as the implications that their use may convey. Chapter four is dedicated to the second opera, The Departure . Beginning a journey
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