Augusto Machado’s “La Borghesina”: A Study and Critical Edition
The purpose of this study and critical edition of the opera La Borghesina (1909) by Augusto Machado is to make available for performance a fair and clear edition of the score. Machado was first and foremost a man of the theater, and La Borghesina is his last opera. It is a mature work in which the composer demonstrates his mastery not only of melodic language and orchestration, but also of theatrical action and scenic diversion. Chapter One includes a biography of the composer, places Machado in a cultural milieu that included the most prominent artists and intellectuals of Lisbon of his time, and includes an overview of all his output, in an effort to contribute to the rediscovery of this important patrimony of Portuguese music. Chapter Two sets up the context of opera in Portugal before Machado and help us better understand his importance for having introduced French models into a musical culture almost exclusively dominated from the eighteenth-century on by Italian opera. In Chapter Three I analyze some aspects of the text and the music, make a full description of all sources for La Borghesina, discuss the problems found in the transcription of the work, and define the editorial principles for this critical edition. The appendix includes the transcription of the full score of La Borghesina and the scores for the off-stage ensembles.
School:University of Cincinnati
School Location:USA - Ohio
Source Type:Master's Thesis
Keywords:music opera portugal scores
Date of Publication:01/01/2005