The mezzo-soprano as representation of 'the other' in nineteenth century opera

Van der Walt, Karen

The mezzo-soprano as representation of 'the other' in nineteenth century opera

Doctoral Thesis

2013

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

College of Music

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Abstract

The author continues by arguing that mezzo-soprano and contralto voices resemble the male voice and therefore composers often cast women in this fach as the jealous and malicious characters compared to the true and simplistic nature of the soprano (e.g. Ortrud versus Elsa in Lohengrin).3 When one looks at the significant mezzo-soprano roles in nineteenth-century opera, it is clear that the majority of these roles can be seen as representations of the Other. The aim of the thesis will be to investigate some of the most important nineteenth-century mezzo-soprano roles that represent the Other. The main research question is: To what extent do the selected roles represent the various templates delineated in theories of alterity? The roles will be classified and discussed according to four templates of alterity: social, religious, moral and emotional.

Description

Includes bibliographical references.

Keywords

Music

Reference:

Collections

PhD / Doctoral

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