Thesis Final 03-09-11.pdf

This thesis consists of four chapters, each chapter presenting a case study of an overture from either the latter half of the eighteenth century or first decade of the nineteenth century, in particular overtures written between the years 1767 and 1809. The aim is to explore the relationship between the overture and the drama that it introduces. I assess whether an overture bears any relation to the ensuing drama and, if so, how the music of the overture is able to foster a sense of drama that is akin to that of the literary-based narrative that follows. In short, this thesis explores ideas of introduction, preparation, and expectation, and is as much concerned with ideas of music as drama and music as narrative, as it is with overtures. The four overtures I have chosen to focus upon each introduce either a tragedy or contain tragic scenes and/or subjects. By focusing my investigation on the idea of tragic narrative, I will be able to look in detail at the relationship between music, narrative and drama, and explore whether literary ideas particular to tragedy can inform the musical narrative of an overture. This thesis, then, is not so much a contribution to the history of the overture, than a contribution to the theory of music as narrative and, in particular, music as tragic narrative. More Info: This the complete version of my thesis which was AHRC Funded PhD and Awarded by King's College London on 1st November 2011