Degree Discipline

The Dramatic Aspects of Thea Musgrave's Narcissus for Solo Flute and Digital Delay (1987) : With Three Recitals of Selected Works by Bach, Feld, Debussy, Persichetti, Berio, Varese, Mozart, Roussel, and Others (open access)

The Dramatic Aspects of Thea Musgrave's Narcissus for Solo Flute and Digital Delay (1987) : With Three Recitals of Selected Works by Bach, Feld, Debussy, Persichetti, Berio, Varese, Mozart, Roussel, and Others

An examination of the compositional style, subject matter, and use of technology as found in Thea Musgrave's 1987 composition Narcissus for solo flute and digital delay. Includes a short history of Musgrave's formal training, an overview of her creative output, and a discussion of the evolution of her compositional style from her studies with Boulanger in Paris to the present with special emphasis on her dramatic-abstract concept and her forays into post-modernism. Provides insight into Musgrave's choice of mythological text, the literary basis of the Narcissus legend, and its impact on Western thought. Identification of principal motifs, discussion of harmonic implications, melodic language, and optional intermedia effects; and explanation of the electronic effects used within the work. Detailed analysis of the motifs, their electronic manipulations, and how they represent aurally the characters of the Narcissus myth. Listing of Musgrave's works with flute or piccolo in a primary role, details of her transcription of Narcissus for solo clarinet, and diagrams of digital delay controls and stage setting follow as appendices.
Date: May 1996
Creator: Boyd, Diane, 1967-
System: The UNT Digital Library