Speaker: Jennifer McGee Masters Candidate Thesis Defense Department: Shepherd School of Music
This thesis explores Giacomo Puccini’s use of liturgical text and music in “Tosca” to critique the Catholic Church’s role in Italian society at the turn of the twentieth century and how modern stage productions of “Tosca” interact with the composer’s critiques of the Church. “Tosca” provides a glimpse into Puccini’s response to the tenuous relationship between the Catholic Church and the Kingdom of Italy at the turn of the twentieth century. Contrary to current scholarship that often dismisses Puccini as an apolitical composer, his critical treatment of the Catholic Church in “Tosca” shows a politically-aware composer. Moreover, recent scholarship offers little discussion of stage productions of “Tosca,” which is important in an analysis of an opera filled with political and religious commentary like “Tosca.” Ultimately, this thesis seeks to question the idea that Puccini was an apolitical composer by examining Puccini’s treatment of the Catholic Church in “Tosca” and how modern directors interact with Puccini’s critiques of the Catholic Church in stage productions. (Department : Shepherd School of Music)
