Sehnsucht and alienation in Schubert's Mignon settings / Acacia M. Doktorchik
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Date
2011
Authors
Doktorchik, Acacia M.
University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Fine Arts
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Music, c2011
Abstract
Sehnsucht (longing) and alienation were two central themes of 19th century German Romanticism in literature, music and art. Franz Schubert was one of the great masters of the Romantic era to understand and express these intense emotions through his compositions. This paper discusses Sehnsucht and alienation in Schubert’s settings of the Mignon songs from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s novel Wilhelm Meisters Lehjahre (Master William’s Apprenticeship). Mignon, a secondary character in this novel, is a prime example of one who experiences these emotions and whose principal medium of expressing herself is through her five songs. My thesis focuses on how Schubert portrays Mignon’s longing through use of dissonance, harmonic progressions, melodic contour and shifts in vocal register.
Description
iv, 46 leaves ; 29 cm
Keywords
Schubert, Franz, d1797-1828. Gesänge aus Wilhelm Meister , Schubert, Franz, 1797-1828 -- Criticism and interpretation , Mignon (Fictitious character) , Alienation (Social psychology) in literature , Dissertations, Academic