Unveiling Iolanta: Blindness in Nineteenth-Century Opera

Author

Nafset Chenib, The Graduate Center, City University of New YorkFollow

Date of Degree

6-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Program

Music

Advisor

Joseph N. Straus

Committee Members

Scott Burnham

Stephanie Jensen-Moulton

Anne Stone

Subject Categories

Disability Studies | Musicology

Keywords

opera, representation, blindness, Iolanta, Tchaikovsky, disability studies

Abstract

This dissertation explores the main tropes of representing and narrating blindness in nineteenth-century opera and fictional literature with a particular emphasis on Tchaikovsky’s 1892 one-act opera Iolanta, with its blind protagonist. Examination of the production history of Iolanta reveals that misrepresentations and misconceptions ingrained within Tchaikovsky's libretto and music have governed directorial choices, consequently giving rise to a homogeneous, predominantly unfavorable portrayal of blindness on the stage. I suggest an approach to the opera that is more consonant with the lived experience of blindness.

Comments

Accompanying musical examples available as a YouTube playlist.

Recommended Citation

Chenib, Nafset, "Unveiling Iolanta: Blindness in Nineteenth-Century Opera" (2024). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/5898