ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes most of the ASU Theses and Dissertations from 2011 to present. ASU Theses and Dissertations are available in downloadable PDF format; however, a small percentage of items are under embargo. Information about the dissertations/theses includes degree information, committee members, an abstract, supporting data or media.
In addition to the electronic theses found in the ASU Digital Repository, ASU Theses and Dissertations can be found in the ASU Library Catalog.
Dissertations and Theses granted by Arizona State University are archived and made available through a joint effort of the ASU Graduate College and the ASU Libraries. For more information or questions about this collection contact or visit the Digital Repository ETD Library Guide or contact the ASU Graduate College at gradformat@asu.edu.
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Description
The focus of this in-depth study is to look at the gestation, performance history, and reception of Giacomo Puccini's evening of three one-act operas called Il Trittico and differentiate the particular components, Il Tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi to analyze them for their individual stylistic elements of Italian Opera. These were the styles of verismo, pathos and sentimentality, and opera buffa. As substantiated by written criticism, the audience and the critics did not fully comprehend the hidden meaning behind the individual works of Il Trittico. Puccini, enigmatically, had chosen to present one last glimpse of outmoded Italian operatic traditions. In order to evaluate Il Trittico's importance in the history of Italian opera, this study will first review the musically changing landscape in Italy during the early to mid-nineteenth century, then the second part of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth-century when German, French, and eventually Russian music were starting to influence audience taste. Puccini who, over the course of his compositional life, absorbed and incorporated these different styles realized that long held Italian operatic tradition had reached a fork in the road. One path would ensure Italian composers a place in this new order and the other a stagnant dead end.
Even though Puccini's triptych garnered primarily negative reviews, the basis for this negativity was the perception that Il Trittico had broken with the historically traditional Italian musical styles. Though the present study acknowledges that break to a degree, it will also present a historically based rationale for the deviation, one left largely unnoticed by Puccini's critics. In the end, this author plans to realize their symbolic importance as a farewell to three uniquely Italian styles and a departure point for a new operatic tradition. Looking forward to the centenary of the work, this author seeks to illuminate how Puccini reached the pinnacle of firmly rooted genres of Italian opera. Ultimately this might help to unravel the enigma of Il Trittico while it continues to secure its rightful place as one of the masterpieces of the Puccini canon.
Even though Puccini's triptych garnered primarily negative reviews, the basis for this negativity was the perception that Il Trittico had broken with the historically traditional Italian musical styles. Though the present study acknowledges that break to a degree, it will also present a historically based rationale for the deviation, one left largely unnoticed by Puccini's critics. In the end, this author plans to realize their symbolic importance as a farewell to three uniquely Italian styles and a departure point for a new operatic tradition. Looking forward to the centenary of the work, this author seeks to illuminate how Puccini reached the pinnacle of firmly rooted genres of Italian opera. Ultimately this might help to unravel the enigma of Il Trittico while it continues to secure its rightful place as one of the masterpieces of the Puccini canon.
ContributorsScovasso, Stephen (Author) / Oldani, Robert W. (Thesis advisor) / Feisst, Sabine (Committee member) / Norton, Kay (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
This paper explores the representations of suicide among three titular heroines in Giacomo Puccini’s operas: Tosca, Suor Angelica, and Cio-Cio-San. As women in highly rigid patriarchal societies, these characters are relegated to lives dictated by oppressive outside forces of anti-feminine culture. I argue that the suicides of these characters are not a representation of intrinsic weakness but are an exhibition of independence and agency to control their own fates. This research combines the specific disciplines of suicidology, feminism, opera criticism and the soprano voice. While there are plentiful resources covering Puccini’s biographical information and theoretical analyses of each opera, this paper fills an existing gap in its performance-centered research approach. Interviews with celebrated interpreters of these heroines present a personal perspective behind the vocal, physical, and emotional demands of performing these roles. A detailed look at the words of the libretti and letters from Puccini himself provide insight into his desire to infuse these characters with strength and intelligence. The significance behind the composer’s preference for large, powerful voices known as the lirico-spinto soprano is also explored. The operatic suicides of Tosca, Suor Angelica, and Cio-Cio-San each exhibit autonomy and strength, debunking the stereotype of the “tragic soprano.” A holistic and detailed survey of these heroines reveals that their suicides transform them into women who are no longer passive—the acted upon become the actor.
ContributorsSabrowsky, Kaitlyn Elizabeth (Author) / Hawkins, Gordon (Thesis advisor) / Feisst, Sabine (Committee member) / Weiss, Stephanie (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023