Publication Date

2015-12-04

Availability

Open access

Embargo Period

2015-12-04

Degree Type

Doctoral Essay

Degree Name

Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA)

Department

Music Theory and Composition (Music)

Date of Defense

2015-11-05

First Committee Member

Dorothy Hindman

Second Committee Member

Charles Mason

Third Committee Member

Lansing McLoskey

Fourth Committee Member

Thomas Sleeper

Fifth Committee Member

Karen Henson

Abstract

The "Warrior's Wives" is a tragic opera in two acts that tells the stories of three women – Ikuku, Imiri, and Oku – married to the warrior, Ekpe. Inspired by Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart", this tragedy allows the audience to gain three different perspectives on the shared narrative of the women. I have adapted the story into my own libretto, developing the wives through my own original stories. These stories serve the greater storyline of identity, destiny, and a person's ability to shape their fate through their actions. Through this, the project explores issues of duty, love, fear, motherhood, loyalty, oppression, and vengeance.

Keywords

opera; chamber opera; tragedy; destiny

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