20th Annual Student Research Conference
Fine Arts
La Douleur de l'Amour: Research Into the Expression of French Poetry Through Musical Composition
Melanie D. Dunn
Dr. Warren Gooch and Prof. Gregg Siewert, Faculty Mentors
The music and poetry within any given language draws out deeper meanings of the words in that language and verbally connects with its readers or hearers on a much different plane than the mere vernacular can provide. As one who deeply loves the French language, the presenter has chosen to illustrate this fact by setting three poems to originally-composed music, using one poem by Paul Verlaine and two by Jacques Prévert. The process of composing these songs involved studying French poems to select three best suited for a musical setting, studying the music of other French composers to gain stylistic and technical insights, translating the texts of the poems into English and finding their underlying meanings, and composing the vocal melody and piano accompaniment. The presentation will involve a discussion of this process, as well as live performance of the music.
Keywords: composition, French, poetry, Prévert, Verlaine
Topic(s):Music
Presentation Type: Performance Art
Session: 10-4
Location: OP 1393 (Performance Hall)
Time: 9:00 am