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The Resource A Night at the Opera : performance, theatricality, and identity in the music of Queen, by Grace Kate Odell

A Night at the Opera : performance, theatricality, and identity in the music of Queen, by Grace Kate Odell

Creator
Author
Contributor
Summary
Many discussions of the rock band Queen (vocalist Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor, and bassist John Deacon) reference their theatricality, yet few analyze what makes Queen's music and performances theatrical. Through examining Queen's theatricality from different angles, this thesis shows the different layers of Queen's performativity and its relationship to identity. After an introductory chapter that surveys the literature about Queen, the second chapter of the thesis analyzes the theatricality of Queen's music from a stylistic basis. The chapter begins by addressing Queen's camp theatricality through their use of music hall, operetta, and musical theatre styles. It then addresses their drama-based theatricality through their use of opera and film music styles. The third chapter analyzes Queen's performance of gender and sexuality through their use of different genres. It first discusses Queen's participation in the genre of glam rock, in which they performed a more feminine persona, but were still understood as heterosexual. Then it explores Queen's disco and funk influenced music and Mercury's "castro clone" image as simultaneously a more masculine and more homosexual performance. Finally the chapter analyzes the various rock genres Queen used throughout their career in order to perform heterosexual masculinity, including hard rock, stadium rock, and heavy metal. The fourth chapter focuses primarily on Mercury's performance of ethnicity and nationality through his music. Taking into account his history as a first-generation Parsi Zanzibarian who immigrated to London, it first looks at his and Queen's expressions of "Britishness" through the figure of the British pop dandy and their use of the British national anthem. Then it turns to discussing the influence of Mercury's Persian and African heritage on select songs. Finally, it examines religion as it relates to cultural identity, specifically Mercury's Zoroastrian heritage and the ways he used the aesthetics of heavy metal to articulate his place within that religion. The fifth chapter concludes the thesis by taking a holistic view of how all of these layers of performativity operated simultaneously, endowing Queen's music with a deep and complex sense of theatricality
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Extent
1 online resource (165 pages)
Note
  • "A thesis in Musicology."
  • Advisor: Andrew Granade
  • Vita
Contents
  • Introduction
  • Musical theatricality
  • Performing gender and sexuality
  • Performing ethnicity and nationality
  • Conclusion
  • Appendix
Instance
Label
A Night at the Opera : performance, theatricality, and identity in the music of Queen
Title
A Night at the Opera
Title remainder
performance, theatricality, and identity in the music of Queen
Statement of responsibility
by Grace Kate Odell
Title variation
Performance, theatricality, and identity in the music of Queen
Creator
Contributor
Author
Degree supervisor
Subject
Genre
Language
eng
Summary
Many discussions of the rock band Queen (vocalist Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor, and bassist John Deacon) reference their theatricality, yet few analyze what makes Queen's music and performances theatrical. Through examining Queen's theatricality from different angles, this thesis shows the different layers of Queen's performativity and its relationship to identity. After an introductory chapter that surveys the literature about Queen, the second chapter of the thesis analyzes the theatricality of Queen's music from a stylistic basis. The chapter begins by addressing Queen's camp theatricality through their use of music hall, operetta, and musical theatre styles. It then addresses their drama-based theatricality through their use of opera and film music styles. The third chapter analyzes Queen's performance of gender and sexuality through their use of different genres. It first discusses Queen's participation in the genre of glam rock, in which they performed a more feminine persona, but were still understood as heterosexual. Then it explores Queen's disco and funk influenced music and Mercury's "castro clone" image as simultaneously a more masculine and more homosexual performance. Finally the chapter analyzes the various rock genres Queen used throughout their career in order to perform heterosexual masculinity, including hard rock, stadium rock, and heavy metal. The fourth chapter focuses primarily on Mercury's performance of ethnicity and nationality through his music. Taking into account his history as a first-generation Parsi Zanzibarian who immigrated to London, it first looks at his and Queen's expressions of "Britishness" through the figure of the British pop dandy and their use of the British national anthem. Then it turns to discussing the influence of Mercury's Persian and African heritage on select songs. Finally, it examines religion as it relates to cultural identity, specifically Mercury's Zoroastrian heritage and the ways he used the aesthetics of heavy metal to articulate his place within that religion. The fifth chapter concludes the thesis by taking a holistic view of how all of these layers of performativity operated simultaneously, endowing Queen's music with a deep and complex sense of theatricality
Cataloging source
UMK
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Odell, Grace Kate
Degree
M.M.
Dissertation note
(Conservatory of Music and Dance).
Dissertation year
2019.
Granting institution
University of Missouri-Kansas City,
Illustrations
illustrations
Index
no index present
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
  • dictionaries
  • bibliography
  • theses
http://library.link/vocab/relatedWorkOrContributorName
Granade, S. Andrew
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
Queen (Musical group)
Label
A Night at the Opera : performance, theatricality, and identity in the music of Queen, by Grace Kate Odell
Instantiates
Publication
Copyright
Note
  • "A thesis in Musicology."
  • Advisor: Andrew Granade
  • Vita
Antecedent source
not applicable
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 154-164)
Carrier category
online resource
Carrier category code
  • cr
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Color
black and white
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Introduction -- Musical theatricality -- Performing gender and sexuality -- Performing ethnicity and nationality -- Conclusion -- Appendix
Control code
1105039857
Dimensions
unknown
Extent
1 online resource (165 pages)
File format
one file format
Form of item
online
Level of compression
mixed
Media category
computer
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • c
Other physical details
illustrations.
Quality assurance targets
not applicable
Specific material designation
remote
System control number
(OCoLC)1105039857
System details
  • The full text of the thesis is available as an Adobe Acrobat .pdf file; Adobe Acrobat Reader required to view the file
  • Mode of access: World Wide Web
Label
A Night at the Opera : performance, theatricality, and identity in the music of Queen, by Grace Kate Odell
Publication
Copyright
Note
  • "A thesis in Musicology."
  • Advisor: Andrew Granade
  • Vita
Antecedent source
not applicable
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 154-164)
Carrier category
online resource
Carrier category code
  • cr
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Color
black and white
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
Introduction -- Musical theatricality -- Performing gender and sexuality -- Performing ethnicity and nationality -- Conclusion -- Appendix
Control code
1105039857
Dimensions
unknown
Extent
1 online resource (165 pages)
File format
one file format
Form of item
online
Level of compression
mixed
Media category
computer
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • c
Other physical details
illustrations.
Quality assurance targets
not applicable
Specific material designation
remote
System control number
(OCoLC)1105039857
System details
  • The full text of the thesis is available as an Adobe Acrobat .pdf file; Adobe Acrobat Reader required to view the file
  • Mode of access: World Wide Web

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