Tonality as Drama: Closure and Interruption in Four Twentieth-Century American Operas

Whether you are "in the business," or a music theorist, musicologist, or simply an opera fan--read on! This is an analytical monograph by a Schenkerian theorist, but it is also written by one performer and enthusiast for another. Tonality as Drama draws on the fields of dramaturgy, music theory, and historical musicology to answer a fundamental question about twentieth-century music: why does tonality persist in opera, even after it has been abandoned in other genres?

Combining the analytical approaches of the leading music and dramatic theorists of the twentieth century --Austrian music theorist Heinrich Schenker (1868-1935) and Russian director Constantin Stanislavsky (1863-1938)--Edward D. Latham reveals insights into works by Scott Joplin, George Gershwin, Kurt Weill, and Aaron Copland that are relevant to analysts, opera directors, and performers alike. Tonality as Drama is not a textbook--rather, it is an innovative study meant to inspire changes in the analysis and performance of tonal opera.

"Latham's boldest idea is that a dramatic analysis of character roles based on Stanislavsky's proposals may be merged with a musical analysis based on Schenker's proposals. His analyses are well formed and his application of both methodologies is thorough and convincing."--Andrew Davis, Moores School of Music, University of Houston