Influences, symbolism, and subtext in Gian Carlo Menotti's The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore or the Three Sundays of a Poet

dc.contributorFader, Don
dc.contributorFirst, Craig P.
dc.contributorMartin, William A.
dc.contributorNoffsinger, Jonathan S.
dc.contributorOzzello, Kenneth
dc.contributor.advisorRatledge, John
dc.contributor.authorLedger, Charles Jonathan
dc.contributor.otherUniversity of Alabama Tuscaloosa
dc.date.accessioned2017-03-01T17:35:50Z
dc.date.available2017-03-01T17:35:50Z
dc.date.issued2015
dc.descriptionElectronic Thesis or Dissertationen_US
dc.description.abstractGian Carlo Menotti’s madrigal fable, The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore or The Three Sundays of a Poet, bears the influences of various art forms and musical compositions. The work incorporates elements of ancient Greek theatre in three specific ways, namely the use of a chorus to offer commentary on the dramatic action, the combination of movement (dance) with music, and the use of a heroic figure. The Unicorn also has strong roots in the music of the Renaissance and Baroque eras, which are evident in the elaborate counterpoint as well as in the stylistic features of both the madrigal and madrigal comedy found in the work. Specifically, the work was inspired by Orazio Vecchi’s madrigal comedy, L’Amfiparnaso, with which it shares similarities in form, harmony, text painting, and the use of onomatopoeia. While L’Amfiparnaso utilizes stock characters of the commedia dell’arte, Menotti created his own characters for The Unicorn. However, certain parallels can be drawn between the personalities of Menotti’s original characters and the stock characters of the commedia dell’arte, indicating a possible influence on the creation of Menotti’s characters. Medieval bestiary and the associated mythology were also strong influences on Menotti, as evidenced by his selection of the mythical creatures the Unicorn, the Gorgon, and the Manticore as allegorical representations of youth, middle age, and old age. While scholars have read the libretto as contrasting the true artist (a trailblazer with original, authentic emotions) with those who simply copy the art they see (mimicking emotion instead of making their own judgments), a yet unexplored subtext includes Menotti’s personal struggles with homosexuality in the conservative and judgmental society of 1950s America. This theme emerges through the thematic overtones of the work as well as through his usage of words and objects often associated with homosexuality.en_US
dc.format.extent118 p.
dc.format.mediumelectronic
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.otheru0015_0000001_0001983
dc.identifier.otherLedger_alatus_0004D_12356
dc.identifier.urihttps://ir.ua.edu/handle/123456789/2393
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherUniversity of Alabama Libraries
dc.relation.hasversionborn digital
dc.relation.ispartofThe University of Alabama Electronic Theses and Dissertations
dc.relation.ispartofThe University of Alabama Libraries Digital Collections
dc.rightsAll rights reserved by the author unless otherwise indicated.en_US
dc.subjectMusic
dc.titleInfluences, symbolism, and subtext in Gian Carlo Menotti's The Unicorn, the Gorgon and the Manticore or the Three Sundays of a Poeten_US
dc.typethesis
dc.typetext
etdms.degree.departmentUniversity of Alabama. School of Music
etdms.degree.disciplineMusic
etdms.degree.grantorThe University of Alabama
etdms.degree.leveldoctoral
etdms.degree.nameD.M.A.
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