MADELINE USHER: AN OPERA IN ONE ACT. Phillip Roberts. A Thesis

Transcription

1 MADELINE USHER: AN OPERA IN ONE ACT Philli Roberts A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College o Bowling Green State University in artial ulillment o the requirements or the degree o MASTER OF MUSIC May 014 Committee: Christoher Dietz, Advisor Marilyn Shrude

2 014 Philli Roberts All Rights Reserved

3 iii ABSTRACT Christoher Dietz, Advisor Due to its longstanding lace in literature, Edgar Allan Poe s The Fall o the House o Usher lends itsel to many renewed interretations. In my setting, I have rovided a new ersective on the story by casting it through the lens o Madeline and writing music that evokes the gloomy atmoshere inherent in Poe s writing. The death o a beautiul woman is, unquestionably, the most oetical toic in the world, said Poe o his insiration (Kulewatz 009). He exlored this theme throughout his career, always ainting the dying or deceased emale as a silent entity. In The Fall o the House o Usher, Madeline is hysically seen only once beore her death and again as an aarition. In my setting, Poe s narrative is revealed through the oint o view o Madeline, giving emhasis to her untold side o the story. This brings a new ersective to a amiliar tale, while still enabling the reservation o the 1800s New England setting and the gloomy atmoshere. In classic horror ilms, every element o the set, acting and cinematograhy lends itsel to the creation o a melancholic mood. Roger Corman s ilms o several Poe stories are highly resected by other directors because o their gloomy aura and economy o material. To do justice to Poe s work, I have relied heavily on mood. This morose mood is achieved by basing the work on a ten-note row that is both stable and unstable. The row reresents the House o the Ushers, and the stability thereo through its use o ourths and seconds. The instability comes in the lack o consistent tonal centers the row necessitates. The use o secial orchestration techniques also serves the mood o the iece. For examle, Madeline s screams when she awakens to ind hersel in a coin are aired with cluster chords. The row and these techniques work together to give the oera a single, uniied atmoshere. Madeline Usher is imortant to my growth as a comoser. The methods o itch organization and orchestration emloyed not only suort the mood o the iece, but have become art o my comositional language.

4 iv INSTRUMENTATION Madeline Usher- Sorano Arthur- Tenor Roderick Usher- Baritone Clarinet in B Horn in F Violin Cello Piano 1 STAGE SETUP Arthur * Piano Door Roderick Violin Clarinet Armchair Bed Madeline Cello Horn Conductor *Character lacement in this diagram reers to starting laces only. Vocalists may move around as aroriate and as indicated in the score.

5 Madeline Usher- Part I 1 Edgar Allan Poe Madeline Passacaglia h = 40 Arthur makes his way through the mire to the House o Usher. Philli Roberts Arthur Roderick Clarinet in Bb Horn in F Violin Violoncello Piano 9 Passacaglia h = 40 steadily con sord. steadily m with growing intensity m with growing intensity m izz. with growing intensity steadily arco m with growing intensity m with growing intensity quasi izzicato

6 16 Mad. ord. Doio movimento q = q. sz bright and lyrical lush and lyrical lush and lyrical lush and lyrical lush and lyrical Doio movimento q = q. n tenderly con sord. n tenderly m m

7 Mad. 8 Ro - de - rick you look simile so ale o m late. My m m sis - ter Ma - de - una corda una corda 1 m cresc. Mad. Crack-ing walls crum- bling line your healthcon-cerns me more than mine these days. m cresc. una corda

8 Mad. 6 stones; this al- ling house does lit - tle good to cure this ma - la - dy. 4 m m Mad. 41 m senza vibrato m senza vibrato m

9 Ar. 45 izz. izz. smoldering knocking on door o bedroom 5 Freely q = Ar. * Roderick, Freely q = 70 ray let me in! insistently * arco sul E * bow simile gliss. m I shall admit none! * m sz sz *Quarter-notes serves as reciting-tones. Once Madeline has inished singing all words on a itch, instrumentalists may lay their lourish. Your childhood riend,

10 Ar. 5 why do you now shun? My sister is ill. No visitors she will, arco sul A gliss. save or me. 5 wide vibrato sul C bow simile 56 interruting Mad. Rod' - rick! What can he not see? Two sickly souls? dim. e rit. Let him come wide vibrato m harmonic gliss.

11 Mad. Ar. 59 in. He may us con - sole. Somewhat less Freely q = 10 no vibrato Somewhat less Freely q = 10 m oigniantly m Entering the bedroom Thank you, m'la - dy. no vibrato oigniantly ord. sul tasto m oigniantly sul tasto sul ont. sul tasto ord. m 64 m oigniantly sul ont. I * 11 must sul ont. ad - mit it does me good ord. *Kee sustain edal deressed through all descending chromatic scales to create murky sound. to ord. see your ace m 11 a ed. simile - gain. bright and brisk bright and brisk 7

12 Ar. 69 I heard o your a - lic-tion late and came orth-with to sul ont. sul ont. sul tasto sul tasto 11 Ply- mouth. sul tasto sul tasto What 74 Ar. is this ail-ment that you ear? excitably accel. sul ont. sul ont. Fre cresc. e accel. cresc. e accel. - quent a - ec tions cresc. e accel. o a ca - ta - le - tic 8

13 Mad Slow and Mysterious q = 50 Rod' - rick, don't righ - ten him! cha - rac - ter! Slow and Mysterious q = 50 sul ont. ord. sul ont. ord. * 8 Mad. 1 Rod' con sord. - rick and I have n n such a dis - ease; ba - linghy - si- cians; all o them skilled. con sord. ed. simile *Kee sustain edal deressed or the duration o the ermatas, rolonging all chromatic scale notes. simile 4 4

14 Mad. Accel. 91 m Accel. - ness Mor-bid a cute- o sen - ses, m sen si - ti - vi- ty to light, - ness shar-ened a ware- o sound. 10 Mad. m m 4 con sord. m q = 50 Rit. q = 50 Rit. a temo In this un a temo both hands ord. with increasing hysteria - ner- ved i- te-ous state, I ord. ord. eelthat ed. simile I must

15 Mad. Mad. Ar soon a-ban - don 4 4 lie, detache sans edal My coughing u blood lie! Your and siezing violently sis-ter is not well I dear youare notwellnow rest my dear. 5 5 con sord. deeatedly ord. sul tasto ord. deeatedly loco ray you call a doc - tor. m Madeline alls into a cataletic state. deeatedly deeatedly 11

16 117 Somber q = 76 rit. rit. oigniantly rit. rit. rit. 11 Ar. oigniantly I ear it is the worst. She's 1 ed. simile

17 1 15 dead. n n n * *Continue sustaining edal, allowing all notes o chromatic scale to sound until they ade away.

18 Madeline Usher- Interlude 14 Arthur Roderick Steady q. = Clarinet in Bb Horn in F Violin Violoncello Piano n Steady q. = tenderly tenderly Ar. tenderly Ma - de-line she slees so eace - ul - ly. eerily eerily Yet in death her al-lid ea-tures seem a eerily simile eerily

19 15 Ar. 7 mo - cke ry. Stark walls; dam stones; this so-lemn cryt casts sz Ar. 14 lit - tle light u - on her coun - te - nance. m Blush -ing aint-ly smil-ing sweet- ly, m tenderly m eerily sz

20 Ar Ar. m dim. Blush -ing aint - ly smil - ing sweet - ly, dim. Blush - ing aint - ly smil - ing sweet - ly, Blush-ing aint - ly smil - ing sweet - ly, bowings simile m senza rit. ev - ven in death. senza rit. ev - ven in death. senza rit. lace lid on Madeline's coin. lace lid on Madeline's coin. exeunt exeunt senza rit. senza rit. senza rit. n 16

21 Madeline Usher- Part II 17 Madeline Arthur Roderick Clarinet in Bb Horn in F Violin Violoncello Piano Freely, quasi recit q = 70 Freely, quasi recit q = con sord. harmonic gliss. And have you not seen the storm? The im sul D sul G e m m - tu - ous u - ry o the wind? The den - si - ty o the clouds, - and how they ord. m harmonic gliss. ord. m m

22 Ar. 4 Sto! You must not be hold 6 6 m glow with un - na - tural light? 6 6 m 6 6 m m - the storm, sub. m 7 Ar. but let me read rom one o your a -vorite ro - man - ces cadentially

23 Ar izz. Waltz q = 96 Waltz q = 96 "Weber's Last Waltz" m "Brave E -thel-red li- ted u his mace and struck the dra-gon down m "Weber's Last Waltz" delicately which ell be - 1 Mad. gasing or air* 19 Ar. ore him, with a shriek sohor - rid harsh and ier - cing E - thel - red had ain to close his ears," sub. *eect may be achieved by inhaling or exhaling loudly sul A sub. sul C arco sub. gliss. black keys only

24 Mad. Ar. Mad. Ar. Broadly q = blood curdling Broadly q = 70 ord. Ah! ord. kicking bottom o coin with eet "with his hands ord. a-gainst the dread- ul noise o it." Ah, detache semre ah! What was that? izz. Did you hear that? thrusting hands0 against coin lid arco m "Now es -

25 Ar. 5 bravely ca-ing rom the crum-bling ca-stle walls, m eerily cresc. came a hea-vy so-lid door made o Mad' - line, Mad' - line, we have ut her liv - ing, liv - ing, m eerily con sord. izz. m eerily m eerily m legato m eerily m 8 cresc. Ar. wood. Crack-ing, ri- ing, tore as -un-der he the door. Such a cresc. in the tomb. Mad' - line, Mad' - line, she is com - ing, cresc. cresc. cresc. cresc. 1

26 Mad. Ar. 1 gasing or air Breaking coin into ieces Rod' - rick! noise dry and hol-low did it give." com - ing or me rom the grave. jeeringly ord. arco jeeringly sul A ord. sub. jeeringly sul C ord. sub. detache semre gliss. black keys only m sub. Exiting stage; making way rom cryt to bedroom 5 Casting o any remaining coin ieces Mad. Rod' rick! Wi-thershall I ly? Will she not be here a- non?

27 Ar. 9 Mad. Ar. somewhat less bravely Then E-thel-red rom the ca - stle hades - caed and sought to claim his rize. On a m izz. m m legato m 4 Distant ootstes (ostage) ed -es - tal there be ore him hung a arco bra-zen shield made o brass. m cresc. cresc. izz. m He be - thought him sel gradually more detache m m arco m - o the to - ken o his

28 Mad. Ar Ar. molto cresc. molto cresc. dread-ul com-bat withthe dra gon. As he took it down rom it's hin-ges it gave o a squeak-ing sound, rightully Do you hear her oot -ste on the stair? molto cresc. molto cresc. izz. arco molto cresc. cresc. cresc. molto cresc. cresc. Mad. Footstes getting nearer an hor-ridsqueak-ing sound, a molto cresc. with creaky sound squeak -ing, creak-ing sound o rus - tyme-tal hin-ges on acroo -ked rame, a... sung soken 5 Mad- man! Mad- man! I tell you that she now stands with-out the door! with a music stand Oen bedroom door Create creaky sound 4

29 Mad. 5 Mad. * Freely but Intensely q = 70 Roderick! Forsaker o kin; Freely but Intensely q = * sul C 5 6 an Usher or sz sz simile sz simile shame! your natal twin! simile An Usher by name! A name you deile; bow simile your sister beguile; 7 5 sz simile * 7 simile sz *Quarter-notes serves as reciting-tones. Once Madeline has inished singing all words on a itch, instrumentalists may lay their lourish. 6

30 Mad. 59 Mad. your amily blas- heme! 61 What 5 are you? Is this a dream? An aari tion? Whatever you sul D harmonic gliss. will, that I bring death is cer 6 6 m - tain. 6 6 ord. izz. m m lethargically 6

31 Mad. 64 Temestuously q = 80 7 Temestuously q = 80 m Mad. 67 senza rit. senza rit. When with rage I moved not you in-terred me, arco when I drew no breath you im mured - me, dryly dryly bowings simile dryly dryly

32 Mad. 71 When my eyes did not o - en you en - tombed me. 8 Mad. 7 cresc. "Fre - quent a - ec - tions o m a ca - ta cresc. m cresc. cresc. legato -

33 Mad. 75 le - tic char-ac- ter," you said; you knew. Oh, to be bur - ried a - 9 m m 78 Mad. live! m A

34 Mad. 80 mon - arch, or - hy-ro- gene, in state - ly glo - ry is seen 0 loco loco Mad. 8 in a al - ace o rad - iant beau - ty and light. m

35 Mad. 86 cresc. But in robes o sor - row ev - il things now as-sail his es- tate; de-so - late. 1 Mad. cresc. 89 cresc. cresc. cresc. legato Change begins occuring to the House; books all o shelves, rocks tumble. m bow simile m cresc. m cresc. cresc. m cresc. cresc. cresc.

36 Mad. 91 Mad. 9 live! Oh, Rod' - rick; oh, to be bur - ried a Bur-ried a - live! -

37 Mad. 95 Rod' - rick your death is im-en - ding, the loco Mad. 98 race o the Ush - ers is end - ing! Molto Rit Molto Rit m loco m m m

38 Ar. Mad. Exressively q = Exressively q = 80 lush and lyrical Come Rod' rick leave here, make haste, let's a - way! Myate is here I must stay! 4 Arthur lees as the House o Usher begins to crumble. bright and lyrical sz lush and lyrical 109 Come Rod' -rick leave here, I leave with you make haste, dear, a a lush and lyrical - - way! way!

39 Mad. 114 Madeline begins to strangle Roderick. Rod' - rick! Madeline kills Roderick and hersel exires shortly thereater. 117 (i needed) sub. m m 5

40 11 sub. sub. sub. sub. sub. 14 sub. sub. sub. sub. sub. sub. sub. 6

41 7 18 oigniantly oigniantly oigniantly m oigniantly oigniantly senza rit. n 1 m 11 m ord. sul tasto ed. simile

42 8 15 n n n 8 n n * *Continue sustaining edal, allowing all notes o chromatic scale to sound until they ade away.