| Summary: | This dissertation is a pendant to my main submission, an opera in three acts entitled The Second Death. It is a discussion of my ideas on the wedding of words and music, with particular emphasis on the problems of framing a suitable language for musical setting in a dramatic context. Chapter One looks at 'words-for- music' in general: the different perspective given to composition when words are set; the aesthetic and technical consideration of writing words for music; the use of prose texts in musical setting; and words-for-music in the special context of an opera libretto. Chapter Two describes the background to the writing of The Second Death, the works that influenced me and the music I wrote leading up to its composition. Chapter Three considers the writing of the libretto, gives a synopsis of the plot, discusses the revisions I made and the reasons for them and concludes with a note about its sources. Chapter Four looks at the music: after a general note on musical styles and techniques, it goes on to make a brief technical analysis of the work, a "short guided tour" of the opera's musical imagery. The complete libretto is given as an Appendix.
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