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Form and poetry in selected songs of Barbara Pentland

University of British Columbia

Barbara Pentland, one of Canada's foremost composers, is best known for her piano and chamber works. However, she composed for the voice throughout her career. The evolution of her compositional techniques is evident in her vocal works, which show post-romantic chromaticism, neo-classicism, serial techniques, aleatoric techniques and new explorations in sound. A study of Pentland's choice of poetry, and of the manner in which she sets the text, adds further insight into her compositional craft. This document analyzes the following songs: The Cottager To Her Infant (1929); Ruins (1932); Song Cycle 1. Wheat (1943) 5. Cities (1945); Three Sung Songs 2. Life 3. Let the Harp Speak (1964); Ballad for Soprano and Violin (1979); Ice Age (1986). They were chosen because they represent important stylistic periods, and demonstrate various influences on her writing.

Thesis/Dissertation

application/pdf

2009-04-16

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/7227

Music

University of British Columbia

UBCV

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