An analysis of A good man is hard to find, an original chamber opera in one-act based on the short story by Flannery O'Connor

by 1968- Volk, David Paul

The dissertation is in two parts. The first part is an original chamber opera in one act based on the short story A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor. The opera is scored for flute, oboe, B-flat clarinet, bassoon, piano, violin I, violin II and violoncello. It employs a cast of ten singers. In addition to the acoustic accompaniment, the score synchronizes pre-recorded electronic sound throughout most of the opera. The second part of the dissertation is an analysis of the opera by the composer. The analysis includes a brief overview of compositional trends in contemporary chamber opera, a summary of the original story, a summary of the opera libretto written by the composer, an outline of the general form of the composition, consideration of the electronic score and its integration in the opera, a categorization of the scalar types employed in writing the principal motives and vocal melodies and an overview of the primary pitch-centers emphasized in each section of the opera.