The mezzo-soprano as representation of 'the other' in nineteenth century opera

The author continues by arguing that mezzo-soprano and contralto voices resemble the male voice and therefore composers often cast women in this fach as the jealous and malicious characters compared to the true and simplistic nature of the soprano (e.g. Ortrud versus Elsa in Lohengrin).3 When one looks at the significant mezzo-soprano roles in nineteenth-century opera, it is clear that the majority of these roles can be seen as representations of the Other. The aim of the thesis will be to investigate some of the most important nineteenth-century mezzo-soprano roles that represent the Other. The main research question is: To what extent do the selected roles represent the various templates delineated in theories of alterity? The roles will be classified and discussed according to four templates of alterity: social, religious, moral and emotional.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

College of Music

Year dc:date.issued

2013

Author dc:creator

• Van der Walt, Karen

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/12317

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/12317