Title: Intertextuality, Intermediality and Mediality in Benjamin Britten’s Nocturne, Op. 60
Abstract:Benjamin Britten, considered to be one of Britain’s most revered composers, is simultaneously one of its most controversial. This dichotomy exists because critics are at odds when describing or discus...Benjamin Britten, considered to be one of Britain’s most revered composers, is simultaneously one of its most controversial. This dichotomy exists because critics are at odds when describing or discussing his music is. Many believe his music is much too rooted in the traditional conventions of tonality and not modern enough or forward looking for his time; yet, there are others who believe his music to be too modern, too difficult to access, and bordering on atonality.
How should Britten’s music be considered then? Does it continue in the traditions and conventions of the 19th century Romantic composers? Yes it does, but at the same time, Britten takes these conventions and stretches them to their limits. Is his music atonal? While it may sound atonal to some, his dissonances always have a tonal center. Are Britten’s musical forms abstract? While the musical forms he uses may sound abstract, new, and distorted to some, they are forms that are actually well-established and conventional. What one cannot dispute, however, is that Britten’s vocal output utilizes some of the best poetry ever written. Among the poets, whose works he set to music are Arthur Rimbaud, Victor Hugo, Paul Verlaine, Henry Longfellow, William Shakespeare, Edith Sitwell, Emily Bronte, and William Blake. All in all, Britten set over 300 different poems from no less than 90 different poets to music.
This work, Intertextuality, Intermediality and Mediality in Benjamin Britten’s Nocturne, Op. 60 explores textual relationships both within and outside the piece, the musical impact on the texts, and the combination of text and music. The study begins by chronolizing the development of the song cycle with special emphasis on the orchestral song cycle as an attempt to place Britten in the genre. Subsequent chapters focus on a wide notion of intertextuality to discuss the text and music of Nocturne, notions of intermediality to discuss the interaction of music and text in the piece, and notions of mediality to discuss how its text and music can be communicated to an audience. The work fills a gap by not only providing critical analyses about this piece of music and its texts, but also how, through intertextual, intermedial and medial examinations, scholars, lay persons, and performers can gain invaluable knowledge that can aid in how the piece is understood and performed.Read More
Publication Year: 2017
Publication Date: 2017-06-06
Language: en
Type: dissertation
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