Honors Theses
Date of Award
2013
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Music
First Advisor
Amanda Johnston
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
Although Francis Poulenc is perhaps best known for his one hundred and fifty contributions to the genre of French art song, melodie, this study focuses on his mere three operatic compositions. This work illustrates and analyzes the theme of transformation within each of Francis Poulenc’s three operatic compositions: gender transformation of Les Mamelles des Tiresias (1944), spiritual transformation of Dialogues des Carmelites (1953), and psychological transformation of La Voix humaine (1959). Research was conducted through viewing each production and studying its musical score and libretto. Published works ranging from scholarly articles to Poulenc’s personal journal were consulted in order to note parallels between on-stage character transformation and Poulenc’s personal life at the time of each work’s composition. The research revealed that there not only exists a form of transformation unique to each operatic work, but also a theme of suffering on which each character’s transformation heavily relies.
Recommended Citation
Bruening, Elizabeth Brooks, "Thematic Transformation in the Operas of Francis Poulenc: Gender, Spiritual, and Psychological" (2013). Honors Theses. 2180.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2180
Accessibility Status
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