Date of Award
Spring 5-2022
Degree Type
Dissertation/Thesis
Degree Name
Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA)
School
Music
Committee Chair
Dr. Jonathan Yarrington
Committee Chair School
Music
Committee Member 2
Dr. Kimberley Davis
Committee Member 2 School
Music
Committee Member 3
Dr. Chris Goertzen
Committee Member 3 School
Music
Committee Member 4
Dr. Taylor Hightower
Committee Member 4 School
Music
Committee Member 5
Dr. Douglas Rust
Committee Member 5 School
Music
Abstract
Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s 2015 song cycle Iconic Legacies: First Ladies at the Smithsonian offers an interesting challenge for a singer. First Ladies of the United States – real people – make up the characters of the cycle, requiring the singer to know their histories and their personalities rather than making arbitrary acting decisions. Heggie and Scheer insist that the singer honor each woman by telling her story with emotional authenticity.
This document provides the singer guidance, offering historical context for each story and biographical information for each woman. Each of Mr. Scheer’s texts are examined, exploring his treatment of time, the concept that the women are ghosts, and his expressive use of rhyme and repetition. Mr. Heggie’s music is analyzed, following his use of half steps, scales, chromatic passages, manipulation of motives, quotes from “My Country, ‘tis of Thee,” and spoken words. Heggie uses these techniques to emphasize emotional aspects of the stories, so the singer must know the woman’s stories and realize that his music is meant to be emotionally representative. With knowledge of each woman’s stories and personalities, and an understanding of Heggie’s emotional music, the singer fulfills her duty to perform these songs with emotional authenticity.
Copyright
Rachel Gibson, 2022
Recommended Citation
Gibson, Rachel, "We Carry Them Forward: A Performer's Guide to Heggie and Scheer's "Iconic Legacies: First Ladies at the Smithsonian"" (2022). Doctoral Projects. 181.
https://aquila.usm.edu/dnp_capstone/181