| Thesis Title: |
The role of the male and female chorus in Benjamin Britten's 'The Rape of Lucretia' |
| Date Submitted / Accepted: |
2004 |
| Institution Submitting / Submitted To: |
Dublin Institute of Technology |
| No. of Volumes (no. of pages): |
1 (59pp.) |
| Thesis Location / Link: |
Dublin Institute of Technology Music & Drama Library |
| Abstract: |
This dissertation examines the essential and innovative roles of the Male and Female Choruses in Benjamin Britten’s ‘The Rape of Lucretia’ (1946). The use of the device of solo commentators as chorus in opera is unique to ‘Lucretia’, although Britten did employ narrators at the beginning of ‘Paul Bunyan’ (1941/1976), ‘Billy Budd’ (1951) and ‘The Turn of the Screw’ (1954). An holistic examination of the text, drama and music of the Choruses reveals the integral and organic purpose that they serve within Britten’s opera.
Chapter I is introductory and contains background information about Britten, including a brief biography contextualising ‘Lucretia’, and the use of chorus in Britten’s operas. Also, the device of solo Choruses is traced back to ancient Greek drama. Chapter II is an overview of the many functions that the Choruses fulfil in the opera. Chapter III examines the ambiguous nature of these functions, and shows that the roles of Choruses are intertwined with the character parts. A final chapter discusses the reception of the Choruses in ‘Lucretia’, both in 1946 and in the present time.
This study resulted in many fascinating conclusions. The Choruses are revealed as essential characters, integral to the success of the drama and inextricably linked to the other characters through shared music, drama and functions. These varied and indispensable functions mark the Choruses out as very special, both in Britten’s operas and in opera in general.
Certain important documents were essential to this study: the original score; the vocal score; the original libretto with comments by the composer, the librettist, Ronald Duncan, and the director, Eric Crozier; original newspaper cuttings supplied by the English National Opera (ENO) archive; and an American PhD dissertation, ‘The Use of the Chorus in the Operas of Benjamin Britten’, written by Harriet Rose Simmons in 1971.
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Dublin Institute of Technology 