| Contributors: |
Rider, Lori Seitz (authoraut); Seaton, Douglass (professor directing dissertation); Spacagna, Antoine (outside committee member); Brewer, Charles E. (committee member); Van Glahn, Denise (committee member); College of Music (degree granting department); Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Description: |
Claude Debussy participated in the world of literature, especially that of French symbolist poetry, throughout his life. His associations with important literary figures, his correspondence, and his music all make clear the significance that literature held for this composer. This study examines two sets of Debussy's songs, the Cinq poèmes de Baudelaire and the Ariettes oubliées, and their intersections between music and poetry. An understanding of the evolution of the symbolist movement explains the roles of the two poets concerned, Charles Baudelaire and Paul Verlaine, in the development of this new approach to literature. In addition, a consideration of the poems in their own right examines both the stylistic features and meaning of these texts. The study then turns to the music in order to assess the influence of the poetry on the songs themselves. The analysis takes into account not only musical aspects, such as form, motives, and harmony, but also the songs' personae. These figures, who stand behind the music and expand on the songs' texts, also establish the aesthetic positions of the songs, whether romantic, symbolist, realist, or a hybrid aesthetic. In turn, understanding these aesthetic positions allows for a comparison of the musical and textual styles, as well as a consideration of how Debussy's aesthetic compares to that of Baudelaire and Verlaine. ; Submitted Note: A Dissertation Submitted to the School of Music in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ; Degree Awarded: Fall Semester, 2002. ; Date of Defense: November 8, 2002. ; Keywords: Musical Analysis, Claude Debussy, Music ; Bibliography Note: Includes bibliographical references. ; Advisory committee: Douglass Seaton, Professor Directing Dissertation; Antoine Spacagna, Outside Committee Member; Charles E. Brewer, Committee Member; Denise Von Glahn, Committee Member. |
