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UBC Theses and Dissertations

Hover - a music theatre work in three acts Roark, Timothy Benton

Abstract

Hover is an experimental music theatre work for seven singers (mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, soprano, alto, tenor, bass) and a quintet consisting of Bb clarinet (doubling on bass clarinet), electric guitar (doubling on classical guitar), percussion (vibraphone, glockenspiel, suspended cymbals, high-hat, triangle, tamtam, snare, toms, and bass drum), viola (doubling on violin), and double bass. It is approximately 90 minutes in duration. Act I is approximately 40 minutes and is comprised of four scenes; Act II is approximately 30 minutes and is comprised of two scenes; Act III is approximately 20 minutes and is comprised of three scenes. An intermission is possible between Acts I and II. Hover is the story of one woman – The Dreamer – and her attempt to come to terms with a traumatic event that happened one year ago – an accidental waking during surgery. In a flashback memory of the event, she dreams she meets two important men from two different centuries – The Traveler and The Diver – who have also experienced moments where their bodies have performed seemingly impossible feats. All three face profound skepticism in the telling of their own stories and in trying to cope begin to dismantle cultural myths to prove that their personal stories are true and hold weight. The music of Hover supports this action by assimilating many styles, melodic motives, harmonic devices, and textural approaches into one language that reflects the multifaceted nature of the narrative.

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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International