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ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Beethoven's Razor: A MicroOpera

Deeter, Stephen
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1710762510241229

Abstract Details

2024, Master of Music (MM), Bowling Green State University, Music Composition.
Beethoven’s Razor is a MicroOpera scored for piano, percussion, and three singers. The plot centers around Peter (tenor) and his quest to recompose Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony note for-note without ever having heard it. To do this, Peter begins changing his lifestyle and environment to match Beethoven’s at the time of the symphony’s composition. He eventually goes to drastic measures to embody the German composer, compromising his identity and mind in the process. The piece explores this journey through the interactions of Peter and his partner Freddie (mezzo), and a young boy named Tobias (soprano) whom Peter hires to be a stand-in for Beethoven’s nephew Karl. Through this quasi-surreal plot, the piece tackles two overarching themes. The primary theme is the role of suffering and hardship in the creation of art. This theme is conveyed by showing the harm that Peter enacts on himself and others in pursuit of his goals. The secondary theme is authorship and artistic voice. This theme is explored through commentary about whether Peter’s creation constitutes art, and whether artistic vision can be achieved through imitation. Musically, the piece is structured around developing harmonic and melodic representations of each character, as well as insertions of passages from Beethoven’s music. Two arias are the source of the original material, one for Peter in which he reflects on his life’s goal, and one for Freddie in which they lament the harm that Peter is causing. The musical material of these arias is original, and serves as the harmonic and melodic basis for the rest of the opera. The plot for this piece was inspired by Jorge Luis Borges’ short story Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote. Key plot elements were developed using historical accounts of Beethoven’s life, and close study of the Ninth Symphony informed much of the musical material. Other musical resources included significant operas of the last century, including but not limited to Berg’s Wozzeck, Adams’ Doctor Atomic, Glass’ Satyagraha, and Britten’s Peter Grimes. Beethoven’s Razor was completed during the Fall 2023 semester, and performed by the BGSU opera department on February 9th, 2024.
Marilyn Shrude (Advisor)
Christopher Dietz (Committee Chair)
70 p.
Music; Theater
opera; beethoven; authorship

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Deeter, S. (2024). Beethoven's Razor: A MicroOpera [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1710762510241229

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Deeter, Stephen. Beethoven's Razor: A MicroOpera. 2024. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1710762510241229.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Deeter, Stephen. "Beethoven's Razor: A MicroOpera." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2024. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1710762510241229

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1710762510241229
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© 2024, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.