A CONDUCTOR’S GUIDE TO AARON COPLAND’S EIGHT POEMS OF EMILY DICKINSON FOR VOICE AND CHAMBER ORCHESTRA by THOMAS TAYLOR DICKEY (Under the Direction of Mark Cedel) ABSTRACT The purpose of this document is to identify the unifying elements of text, phrase structure, pitch content, tempos, meters, and orchestration that bind together Aaron Copland’s Eight Poems of Emily Dickinson as a structurally cohesive orchestral song cycle. This study provides a complete formal analysis of each of the eight songs. The poems are examined in terms of structure and perceived meaning of the text through the composer’s setting. The pitch content of both the vocal line and the orchestra is analyzed using referential collections. Chapter Three discusses the setting of each poem, noting relationships among the text, phrase structure, pitch content, tempos, meters, and orchestration within the song. The final chapter is devoted to observations made about the large-scale relationships that provide cyclic unity within each song and, more importantly, across the entire song cycle. Brief summaries of the lives of Aaron Copland and Emily Dickinson, as well as the compositional background of the song cycle, precede the detailed analysis of Eight Poems of Emily Dickinson. INDEX WORDS: Aaron Copland, Emily Dickinson, Conductor’s Guide, Eight Poems of Emily Dickinson A CONDUCTOR’S GUIDE TO AARON COPLAND’S EIGHT POEMS OF EMILY DICKINSON FOR VOICE AND CHAMBER ORCHESTRA by THOMAS TAYLOR DICKEY B.M., Eastern Illinois University, 2005 M.M., Louisiana State University, 2007 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS ATHENS, GEORGIA 2010 © 2010 Thomas Taylor Dickey All Rights Reserved A CONDUCTOR’S GUIDE TO AARON COPLAND’S EIGHT POEMS OF EMILY DICKINSON FOR VOICE AND CHAMBER ORCHESTRA by THOMAS TAYLOR DICKEY Major Professor: Mark Cedel Committee: Allen Crowell John P. Lynch Leonard Ball David Schiller Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia May 2010 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................1 Purpose of the Study ...............................................................................................1 Need for the Study ..................................................................................................2 Delimitations ...........................................................................................................3 Definition of Terms.................................................................................................4 Methodology ...........................................................................................................6 Organization of the Study .......................................................................................7 A Survey of the Related Literature .........................................................................8 2 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND................................................................................13 Biography of the Composer ..................................................................................13 Biography of the Poet ...........................................................................................15 Compositional Background of the Song Cycles ...................................................18 3 ANALYSIS OF THE SONGS ....................................................................................22 I. Nature, the gentlest mother ................................................................................22 Structure and Perceived Meaning of the Text through the Composer’s Setting ........................................................................................................23 Phrase Structure .........................................................................................23 v Pitch Content ..............................................................................................25 Tempo ........................................................................................................26 Meter ..........................................................................................................27 Orchestration ..............................................................................................28 Relationships between Text and Music .....................................................29 II. There came a wind like a bugle ........................................................................29 Structure and Perceived Meaning of the Text through the Composer’s Setting ........................................................................................................30 Phrase Structure .........................................................................................30 Pitch Content ..............................................................................................32 Tempo ........................................................................................................34 Meter ..........................................................................................................34 Orchestration ..............................................................................................35 Relationships between Text and Music .....................................................35 III. The world feels dusty ......................................................................................36 Structure and Perceived Meaning of the Text through the Composer’s Setting ........................................................................................................37 Phrase Structure .........................................................................................37 Pitch Content ..............................................................................................38 Tempo ........................................................................................................39 Meter ..........................................................................................................40 Orchestration ..............................................................................................40 Relationships between Text and Music .....................................................41 vi IV. Heart, we will forget him .................................................................................41 Structure and Perceived Meaning of the Text through the Composer’s Setting ........................................................................................................42 Phrase Structure .........................................................................................42 Pitch Content ..............................................................................................43 Tempo ........................................................................................................44 Meter ..........................................................................................................45 Orchestration ..............................................................................................45 Relationships between Text and Music .....................................................45 V. Dear March, come in! .......................................................................................46 Structure and Perceived Meaning of the Text through the Composer’s Setting ........................................................................................................47 Phrase Structure .........................................................................................48 Pitch Content ..............................................................................................49 Tempo ........................................................................................................50 Meter ..........................................................................................................51 Orchestration ..............................................................................................51 Relationships between Text and Music .....................................................51 VI. Sleep is supposed to be ....................................................................................52 Structure and Perceived Meaning of the Text through the Composer’s Setting ........................................................................................................53 Phrase Structure .........................................................................................54 Pitch Content ..............................................................................................55 vii Tempo ........................................................................................................57 Meter ..........................................................................................................57 Orchestration ..............................................................................................58 Relationships between Text and Music .....................................................58 VII. Going to Heaven! ...........................................................................................59 Structure and