Identifier

etd-11142016-122753

Degree

Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA)

Department

Music

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

Donald Swann is best known for his long-time collaboration with lyricist and singer Michael Flanders, with whom he served as composer, pianist and fellow singer. He composed many other serious works beyond the Flanders and Swann collaboration, including song cycles, operas, masses and other choral repertoire. This study explores one example of Swann’s classical repertory: "The Road Goes Ever On: A Song Cycle," a collection of nine musical settings of texts by J. R. R. Tolkien, author of "The Lord of the Rings." Beginning with biographical and stylistic synopses of both the composer and the poet, subsequent chapters include: an historical overview of the cycle’s composition, publication, and reception; an examination of Tolkien’s Elvish languages of Quenya and Sindarin and the proposal of systems of lyric diction for each; and interpretive performance guides for each of the songs, emphasizing the relationship between music and text. Appendices follow with permissions letters, documents of special interest, and poetic texts too lengthy for inclusion in the main body of the document.

Date

2016

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Sims, Loraine

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.4323

Included in

Music Commons

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