fy 4i MENOTTI'S USE OF DRAMATIC IMPACT IN THE MEDIUM T HESIS Presented to the Graduate Council of the North Texas State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF MUSIC by Jimmy Tompkins, B. M. Denton, Texas August, 1968 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES......... .................... LIST OF ILLUSTRATI ONS ....................... Chapter I. INTRODUCTI)N........................................1 II. CONCEPTS OF MENOTTIS MUSIC DRAMA..................7 III. DRAMATIC RECITATIVE IN THEMEDIUM...............12 The Structure of The Medium Symbols for Analysis of Dramatic Recitative Analysis of Dramatic Recitative IV. THE USE OF LEITMOTIFS IN THE MEDIUM...............27 Fear Leitmotif Spirit Leitmotifs Grief Leitmotif Hope Leitmotif Baba Leitmotif Monica Leitmotif Love Leitmotif Toby Leitmotif V. THE USE OF TONALITY IN THE MEDIUM................105 The Tonality of Leitmotifs in The Medium VI. CONCLUSIONS.............oo...................120 APPENDIX..................................................126 BI BLI OGRAPHY..........................................17 1 iii LIST OF TABLES Table Page I. Individual Totals of Recitatives Used in The Medium -. - 0-a-0-0-0-0-0-a- - 0-0-0-a. 0.0-0- 15 II. Individual Totals of Recitatives Used in Sections of Dramatic Recitative . 24 III. Moods and Forms Within Sections of Dramatic Recitative . 26 IV. Uses of the "Fear" Leitmotif in Conjunction with Text or Stage Action in Act I of The Medium . 41 V. Melodic Uses of the "Fear" Leitmotif in The Medium - . -. 55 VI. Rhythmic Uses of the "Fear" Leitmotif in The Medium . 58 VII. Uses of the "Spirit Leitmotif I" and "Spirit Leitmotif II" in Conjunction with Text or Stage Action in Act I of The Medium . 66 VIII. Melodic Uses of "Spirit Leitmotifs I and II" in The Medium . .*.*. .. 0** . .. .77 IX. Uses of the "Grief" Leitmotif in Conjunction with Text or Stage Action in The Medium . 81 X. Uses of the "Hope" Leitmotif in Conjunction with Text or Stage Action in The Medium . 85 XI. Melodic Uses of the "Hope" Leitmotif in The Medium . 90 XII. Uses of the "Baba" Leitmotif in Conjunction with Text of Stage Action in The Medium . 93 XIII. Uses of the "Monica" Leitmotif in Conjunction with Text or Stage Action in The Medium . 96 iv Table Page XIV. Uses of the "Toby" Leitmotif in Conjunction with Text or Stage Action in The Medium . 101 XV. Individual Percentages of Tonal Centers and Indefinite Tonality in Act I of The Medium . 103 XVI. Individual Percentages of Tonal Centers and Indefinite Tonality in Act I of The Medium . 110 XVII. Individual Percentages of Tonal Centers and Indefinite Tonality in Act II of The Medium . 111 XVIII. Tonality of Concentrated Areas of Leitmotifs in The Medium . ....... .116 V LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. "Where, Oh Where"--Monica, Act I, p. 2 . ..18 2. "1 Shall Be Your Servant"--Monica, Act I, p. 5 ..18 3. "It Happened Long Ago"--Mrs. Gobineau, Act I, p. 17 .0.*.0.*.*.#.a.0.0.0.a.0.0 . 19 4. "Mummy Dear".--spirit voice, Act I, p. 27 .*. 20 5. "Black Swan"--Monica and Baba, Act I, p. 48 21 6. "Dance the Waltz"--Monica, Act II, p. 60 . 21 7. "Monica, Monica"--Monica, Act II, p. 63 .. 22 8. "Madame Flora," Act II, p. 88 . 23 9. "Afraid, Am I Afraid?"--Baba, Act II, p. 102 23 10. "Fear" Leitmotif, Act I, Measures 102 (a) Treble Portion of the Leitmotif 28 (b) Bass Portion of the Leitmotif ..28 . 11. Diagrams of Complete "Fear" Leitmotifs . 29 12. "Fear" Leitmotif, Act I, Measures 23-24 .. 32 13. Segments of the "Fear" Leitmotif (a) Original . 33 (b) Variation of Original . 33 (c) Inversion of Original . 34 (d) Variation of Inversion . 34 vi Figure Page 14. Ground Bass Figures Used with the "Fear" Leitmotif (a) Ground Bass . 35 (b) VariationI -1.,- .. -* - -a-35 (c) VariationII .-.-.--- -*-.-* 35 (d) Variation of1II -..- 4-* 35 15. The "Fear" Motif (a) Rhythm of the Treble Figure (Fig. 10). - 37 (b) Rhythm of the Bass Figure (Fig. 10) - - 37 16. The "Fear" Motif (a) Original Rhythm . -38 (b) Variation I . 1. - - . - . - - - - 38 (c) Variation II . 38 17. The "Fear" Motif (a) Original Rhythm . 8 (b) Segment of the Rhythm . 38 18. The "Fear" Motif (a) Ground Bass Rhythm . 39 (b) Segment I . 39 * - 39 (c) Segment II . - - - - - . 19. Melodic and Rhythmic Uses of the "Fear" Leitmotif (a) Act I -. 49 (b) Act II . -.--.-.-. -. -. - 50 vii Figure Page 20. Concentrated Areas of "Fear" Leitmotifs (a) Act I - - . - - - - - - . - . - . 52 (b) Act I11 0 - - - - - -- - - .53 21. "Spirit Leitmotif I," Measure 2 After 18 . 62 22. "Spirit Leitmotif II" (a) Basic Leitmotif, Measure 5 After 1 . 64 (b) Variation, Measure 1 After 24 . 64 (c) Inversion, Measure 8 After 37 . 64 23. Melodic Uses of "Spirit Leitmotif I" and "Spirit Leitmotif II" (a)2Act.ConcntrateAreas. "Spirit" Leitm70 * 71 (b) Act II . 24. Concentrated Areas of "Spirit" Leitmotifs (b) Act IIo . 74 25. The "Grief" Leitmotif, Act I, Measures 6-8 after 13 (a) Antecedent Portion of the Leitmotif . .78 (b) Consequent Portion of the Leitmotif . .78 26. Melodic Contours of the "Grief" Leitmotif (a) The Original Contour, Act I Measure 6 After 13 . ..... 79 (b) A Variation of the Melodic Contour, Measure 7 in ActII . 79 viii Figure Page 27. Rhythmic Forms of the "Grief" Leitmotif (a) Original Rhythm, Act I, Measure 6 After 13 . 80 (b) Variation I, Measure 6 in Act II . 80 (c) Variation II, Measure 8 in Act II . 80 28. Melodic Uses of the "Grief" Leitmotif (a) Act I1 .0 .0.4.0. .*.0.6. 0.0. a.0.0. 82 (b) Act II . .0 .0 .a .# .a .&.0 .0.0. 83 29. The "Hope" Leitmotif, Act I, Measure 1 After 20 . 84 30. Melodic Contours of the "Hope" Leitmotif (a) Original Contour.. ..... 84 (b) Variation I of the Contour . 84 (c) Inversion of the Contour . .84 31. Melodic Uses of the "Hope" Leitmotif (a) Act I . * . * 89 (b) Act II . o. .*.0.0.a.a.0.6.0.*.0.0.0.89 32. The "Baba" Leitmotif, Act I, Measure Before 5 . 91 33. Uses of the "Baba" Leitmotif in Act II . 94 34. The "Monica" Leitmotif, Act II, Measure 5 After 2 . .... 95 35. Uses of the "Monica" Leitmotif in Act II . 97 ix Figure Page 36. The "Love"Leitmotif (a) Basic "Love" Leitmotif, Act II, Measure 8, After 4 . .98 (b) Variation of the "Love" Leitmotif, Act II, Measure 10 After 4 . 98 37. Uses of the "Love" Leitmotif in Act II . 99 38. The "Toby" Leitmotif, Act II Measures1-3 After 4 ... ... 100 39. Uses of the "Toby" Leitmotif in Act II . 102 40. Tonal Centers Used in The Medium (a) Act I . a . a a . a 107 (b) Act II . a a . a . a . a a a a a a 108 41. Locations of Bb Tonality and Leitmotifs Used in Conjunction with Bb Tonality in Act II . 119 42. Master Graph I--Uses of Recitatives . a a a a . 127 43. Master Graph II--Uses of Leitmotifs . a a . a a 139 44. Master Graph III--Uses of Tonal Centers . a 159 x CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION In the history of the American lyric theater, the opera composer who has commanded the greatest amount of attention in this country, and whose works have been the most consist- ently successful is Gian Carlo Menotti. Employing a unique fusion of music and drama, Menotti achieves a dramatic inten- sity and clarity unsurpassed by any other American composer. His has been the greatest single contribution to this branch of our musical art. 2 Born at Cadegliano, Italy, on July 7, 1911, Gian Carlo Menotti was the sixth of ten children. Having learned the rudiments of music from his mother, he began composing as a child and at the age of ten years attempted his first opera, lMenotti terms his works "music dramas" rather than "operas" (this subject is discussed in Chapter II); however because -most sources used in this introduction use the term "opera" rather than "music drama," the term "opera" has been used throughout the introduction. 2 Howard Groth, "Gian Carlo Menotti and the American Lyric Theatre," The Bulletin of National Association of Teachers of Singing,, Inc., XV (December, 1958), 16. 1 2 La Morte di Pierrot. At the age of sixteen, after several years of study at the Milan Conservatory, Menotti came to the United States to study composition with Rosario Scalero at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. It was here on April 11, 1937, that his first complete one-act opera, Amelia al Ballo, was performed. The work was later performed in New York; and on March 3, 1938, it reached the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House, where its reception confirmed the appearance of a new talent in the American lyric theater.3 After completing his musical training at the Curtis Institute, he strove to relate his skills more closely to his American environment by writing his next opera in English (his earlier works were written in Italian). This comic opera, The Old Maid and the Thief, was commissioned by the National Broadcasting Company for radio performance in 1939, and it later proved equally successful on television.4 He then changed to tragedy, rather less successfully, with The Island God (one act), which was produced by the Metropolitan 3 Theodore Baker, "Menotti, Gian Carlo," Baker's Bio- graphical Dictionary of Musicians, 5th ed. (New York, 1958). 4 Gilbert Chase, "The Operas of Menotti," America's Music (New York, 1955), p. 648. 3 Opera Company in 1942.5 A few years later he was commissioned by the Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University to write an opera. The result was a work that made him famous: the musical tragedy in two acts titled The Medium, produced at the Brander Mathews Theater on May 8, 1946.