2011 Theses Doctoral

Voices from the Killing Jar

Soper, Katharine P.

This dissertation consists of the musical score for my work for voice and ensemble, "Voices from the Killing Jar," and an accompanying paper. "Voices from the Killing Jar" was written for the Wet Ink Ensemble in 2010-2011, and takes as its subject seven female characters from literature, history, and myth. In the paper, a musical analysis of each of the work's seven movements is accompanied by brief literary analyses of the characters and their sources. This is followed by relevant details of my history as a performer, composer, and Wet Ink Ensemble co- director, and a discussion of the unique instrumentation and performance practice encapsulated in this piece as a result of my close work with Wet Ink over the last several years. The paper concludes with an examination of my dual role as a composer and performer in this piece and in my work in general, and with a brief discussion of social and gender-theoretical issues that inform my work as a female composer.