Degree
Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA)
Department
School of Music
Document Type
Dissertation
Abstract
The idea of the violin as a “singing voice” is important in both violin teaching and performance. For violinists, “singing” is not just a metaphor. It reflects a way of shaping sound, phrasing and expression. This study explores how the violin presents a singing quality in different cultural contexts, how composers transform vocal material into violin writing and how performers may draw ideas from opera in their violin playing. From this vocal perspective, this study focuses on two works inspired by opera: The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto and Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy. Although the two works are rooted in different cultural backgrounds, Chinese and Western, they both reinterpret opera sources through the violin and present the expressive role played by opera singers. This dissertation first examines the historical and aesthetic background of Yue Opera. This provides a basis for analyzing the musical language of The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto. The discussion of Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy examines how material from Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen is transformed through violin techniques such as tone color, ornamentation, double stops, harmonics and left-hand pizzicato. It also shows that understanding the plot and text can help performers shape phrasing and character.
Date
3-25-2026
Recommended Citation
Han, Zongchi, "The Violin as a Singing Voice: A Performance Guide to Chinese and Western Vocal Expression in The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto and Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy" (2026). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 7040.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/7040
Committee Chair
He, Lin
LSU Acknowledgement
1
LSU Accessibility Acknowledgment
1