A comparative study of Brenda Ueland's autobiography ME (Brenda Ueland) to the song cycle ME (Brenda Ueland) by Libby Larsen.
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Nikita Shah Pace (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
- Advisor
- Carla LeFevre
Abstract: Brenda Ueland, a free-lance writer, journalist, mother, teacher and feminist, lived for nearly a century. During her life, Ueland wrote two books: If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit, published in 1938, and an autobiography, Me: Brenda Ueland, published in 1939. In 1987, American composer Libby Larsen chose excerpts from Ueland's autobiography to serve as texts for a cycle of eight songs that represent episodic periods of Ueland's life.
This study compares Ueland's autobiography to that of Libby Larsen's song cycle Me (Brenda Ueland). The order in which the text appeared in the song cycle was quite different from that of the memoir, and pivotal areas of Ueland's life are not included, most significantly, her daughter Gaby, and the life and death of Ueland's sister-in-law Julie. These and other discrepancies are discussed, as well as the instances in which the song cycle complements the book. A few examples are cited regarding the ways in which knowing the autobiography in its complete form may affect the dramatic presentation of the song cycle.
A comparative study of Brenda Ueland's autobiography ME (Brenda Ueland) to the song cycle ME (Brenda Ueland) by Libby Larsen.
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Created on 5/1/2010
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Dissertation
- Language: English
- Date: 2010
- Keywords
- Brenda Ueland, Libby Larsen, ME (Brenda Ueland), Song cycle, Literary analysis, Musical analysis
- Subjects
- Ueland, Brenda. $t Me. $x History and criticism.
- Song cycles $x Analysis, appreciation.
- Song cycles $x Performance.
- Ueland, Brenda, $d 1891-1985.
- Larsen, Libby, $d 1950-.