Academic Major: Music Performance
Advisor: Donald George
Title: Orpheus and Eurydice: The Story that Changed Music Forever
One ancient story has long inspired classical composers: the story of Orpheus and Eurydice (c. 530 BC). The story of the musician who falls in love and invades the underworld to save his beloved has become an integral part of musical history, inspiring one of the first great operas, Claudio Monteverdis LOrfeo (1607); art songs; musicals, such as Anaïs Mitchells Hadestown (2016); and, most recently, Matthew Aucoins Eurydice (2020). Through a case study of the various iterations of this story, as adapted to libretti, I intend to analyze the evolution of composer interpretation, musical styles, and how one story can change over 400 years. This project will pay particular attention to the progression of feminist ideologies and the relevance given to the female perspective of Eurydice, especially concerning Orpheus savior complex. Overarchingly, this analysis will show a clear line of musical development over four centuries, outline cultural and societal changes, and discuss the modern relevance of a story written over 2500 years ago, and why composers and writers continually return to it.