Date of Award
5-2019
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Music
Department
School of Music
First Advisor
Dr. Stephen Lias
Second Advisor
Dr. Kristin Lyman
Third Advisor
Dr. Tod Fish
Fourth Advisor
Dr. Angela Bacarisse
Abstract
Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty have written musicals together for several decades. This thesis contains an in-depth discussion and stylistic analysis of several songs each from Once on This Island, Ragtime, and Seussical – three Ahrens & Flaherty shows chosen specifically because of their variety in style and subject matter. This analysis includes, among other things, the lyrics and lyric setting, textures, harmonic settings, accompaniment styles, rhythms, and harmonic progressions. The central portion of this document contains the music for nine songs of an original musical titled Fly Like an Eagle. This script is written by Daris Howard and is loosely based on the story of Jim Thorpe. This musical shows some of the styles found in the Ahrens and Flaherty musicals, and will also demonstrate effective use of lyrics, harmonic progressions, and dramatic situations, as Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty have done.
Repository Citation
Howard, Donna, "An Analysis of Musicals by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, and an Original Musical, Fly Like an Eagle" (2019). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 233.
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/233
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
