Three Depictions of Women from the Perspective of Men
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THREE DEPICTIONS OF WOMEN FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF MEN by MARCUS SAMUEL MILLER SUSAN CURTIS FLEMING, COMMITTEE CHAIR SUSAN E. WILLIAMS LINDA PAGE CUMMINS CRAIG P. FIRST DIANE BOYD SCHULTZ WILLIAM A. MARTIN A PERFORMANCE MANUSCRIPT Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in the School of Music in the Graduate School of The University of Alabama TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA 2014 Copyright Marcus Samuel Miller 2014 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT The purpose of this manuscript is to set into context a recital that highlights three categories of songs depicting women from the perspective of men. The recital was held on 01 April 2014. The program and translations of the song texts appear in an appendix at the end of this manuscript. The selections are from different time periods and locales; the women in these songs range from the most holy to the most depraved, from the most to least loving. In the first category, “The Depiction of Women as Ethereal Beings,” women are viewed by men as more elevated in character or in status, and thus more powerful. “The Depiction of Women as Objects of Love” presents male expressions of love for women on a more equal level, using images of nature. “The Depiction of Women with Earthly Passions and Vices” offers the male view of women of low moral character and values, depicted as bawdy, drunk, insatiable, and possessed of other earthy traits. This manuscript focuses on the literature, composers, poets, performance, and thematic elements of the accompanying recital. ii DEDICATION This manuscript and corresponding recital are dedicated to the provider of inspiration, the composer of the music of the spheres, and the one who sings over me every day, Jesus Christ. In this work, I echo J.S. Bach’s repeated manuscript dedication in proclaiming “Soli Deo gloria,” Glory to God alone. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am extremely grateful to my major professor, voice teacher, mentor, and friend, Dr. Susan Curtis Fleming, for every ounce of energy, support, instruction, and wisdom that you have generously given me during my tenure at the University of Alabama. Your efforts provided the opportunity to train, learn, and grow, as both performer and teacher, despite challenges. To my parents, Dr. Mark and Jean Miller, what can I say to thank you? Words cannot encompass the magnitude of your love, wisdom, and support. I am very thankful for the time and money you spent to come see numerous performances. Your constant encouragement and Christ-like example helped me cope with adversity during this time. In addition, thank you for editing this and several other academic documents that I have written. To the rest of my family, thank you for your love, for making trips to visit me in Tuscaloosa, and for taking an interest in my life. Every visit, phone call, and encouraging message helped me take one more step towards completion of the degree. I love you all. I am grateful to Dr. Gary Wilson for your mentorship. Thank you for your persistence in giving me advice, encouragement, and motivation at the precise moments I needed them. Also, I am indebted to Marie Sanders and the John and Mary Hill family for providing housing for me while I have lived in Tuscaloosa. Thank you to Dr. Jennifer Cowgill for three years of vocal training and being a positive influence. iv I am thankful for employment and opportunities for professional development with both First Presbyterian Church, Tuscaloosa, and University Church of Christ, Tuscaloosa. The relationships and community fostered through the Church in Tuscaloosa has shaped my life. Finally, I would like to thank Hannah Franklin for her tireless support and encouragement as I worked to complete this project and degree. Thank you for quizzing me on my lyrics, editing my document, and helping me revise it repeatedly. Most of all, thank you for your sacrificial love. I am a better man because of Christ working through you. v CONTENTS ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………………………….....ii DEDICATION…………………………………………………………………………………… iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS……………………………………………………………………….. iv LIST OF EXAMPLES………………………………………………………………….……..… vii INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………………1 CHAPTER 1: The Depiction of Women as Ethereal Beings……………………………………...2 CHAPTER 2: The Depiction of Women as Objects of Love…………………………………… 14 CHAPTER 3: The Depiction of Women With Earthly Passions and Vices…………………….. 20 CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………………………. 27 BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………………………….. 28 APPENDIX 1: SONG TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS………………………………………..30 APPENDIX 2: RECITAL PROGRAM…………………………………………………………. 38 vi LIST OF EXAMPLES Example 1, Music for a While, mm. 1-5…………………………………………………………...3 Example 2.1, La reine de cœur, mm. 10-11………………………………………………………. 8 Example 2.2, La reine de cœur, mm. 16-17……………………………………………………..... 9 Example 3, An Sylvia, mm. 5-8………………………………………………………………….. 10 Example 4, Das Rosenband, mm. 9-12………………………………………………………….. 12 vii INTRODUCTION Women are perennial subjects of song. Poetry and musical settings in the Western tradition have, for centuries, held as their subject men’s views of women. In Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek, Roman, and other cultures, women were often compared to goddesses, and indeed in those cultures some women were actually believed to be such. In song, they were viewed as objects of adoration. Women have been loved, cherished, and coveted in song; they have also been perceived as licentious, base, and bawdy. From the multitude of representations of women, I have chosen three categories: “The Depiction of Women as Ethereal Beings,” “The Depiction of Women as Objects of Love,” and “The Depiction of Women with Earthly Passions and Vices.” The selections presented in each category draw from song traditions in various time periods and locales. Purcell’s Alecto, Schubert’s Sylvia, and Chausson’s Hébé are among the women viewed as powerful, lofty, and enchanting; the dearly beloved include Chabrier’s Jeanne and Chausson’s spouse; and among the bawdy females are Debussy’s gossips of Paris and Rogers’s lady tramp. The following chapters expound the literature, composers, poets, performance, and thematic elements of the works from the three selected categories that were performed in the accompanying recital. 1 CHAPTER 1 The Depiction of Women as Ethereal Beings Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines a goddess in two ways. The first is “a female god.” The second is “a woman whose great charm or beauty arouses adoration.”1 The literature chosen in the first segment of the recital highlights women who fit these definitions. The recital literature features two mythological goddesses, as well as two women whose charm arouses great adoration. They all hold an elevated status. Most are greatly admired. One is greatly feared. Music for a While In the opening selection, “Music for a While,” composed by Henry Purcell, we catch a brief glimpse of the goddess Alecto. She is one of the three Furies from Greek mythology. With serpents for hair and whips made of snakes, these three sisters tormented the wicked on earth, and in the afterlife.2 In this song, which was created as incidental music for the play Oedipus by Dryden and Lee in 1692, we perceive the power of music as able to beguile all cares.3 Music, as described in the lyrics of Purcell’s song, is so powerful that even the ever-raging Fury drops her whip and releases the dead souls under her charge. This initial portrayal of women in the recital is intended to display not only the power of this goddess but also the power that music has in this 1 Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. 11th ed. (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 2003). 2 Henry Mulford Tichenor, The Olympian Gods (Appeal Publishing Company, 1921), 19. 3 Peter Holman, et al. “Purcell.” Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press, accessed January 10, 2014, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/41799pg3. 2 instance to soothe the great deity. The opening ground bass line slithers throughout the composition, slowly enchanting the listener. Example 1: (Purcell Music for a While, mm. 1-5) Purcell was a prolific contributor to all the main genres of secular vocal music current in 17th- century England, but toward the end of his career, he began to develop ground bass songs based on Italianate techniques; note the ascending sequential harmonic pattern implied by the bass line (example 1). This particular song represents the composer’s tendency to mimic the pattern of the da capo aria by modulating during the middle section and returning to the original key when the original material returns. Purcell effectively uses the shortened note durations above the repeated word “drop” to depict the hair-snakes consecutively falling victim to the power of music. Hébé Depicted in the second song, the image of the goddess Hébé stands as a stark contrast to that of Alecto. Coming from drastically different eras and from composers with great contrast in compositional style, the two songs delve into the subject of enchantment. Alecto is enchanted by music, and her fury subsides. Hébé herself holds the power of enchantment, and all of the gods fall under her spell. Alecto was a horrendous monster of a woman who held the power of fear and death. The beautiful goddess of youth, Hébé, served as cupbearer to the gods in Greek mythology. Louise Ackermann’s text represents the goddess as an innocent figure that enchants the gods. The story of Hébé conveys the power the goddess has over the other gods in that she holds eternal life in her hands and may choose to distribute it to whomever she wishes. Chausson intertwines the melody between the voice and piano as the cup of youth is passed from cupbearer to god and back to cupbearer, never to be seen again. The dedication of the song was to Mlle. Eva Callimaki-Catargi, a French model most likely of Greek heritage.4 It could be speculated that, just like the innocent goddess Hébé, this young woman represented the beauty and purity of the divine.