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Abstract
Composer Mélanie Bonis wrote over three hundred musical compositions, few of which have received scholarly attention and analysis. In particular, her collection of seven piano pieces entitled Femmes de Légende have been largely neglected despite containing fascinating programmatic implications and innovative musical language. The pieces in Femmes de Légende were written between 1898–1913 and are named after famous women from literature: Mélisande, Desdémona, Ophélie, Viviane, Phoebé, Salomé, and Omphale. Beyond this obvious programmatic connection, each of these women’s narratives connect with and reflect cultural obsessions of Belle Époque France as depicted in the visual art, poetry, literature, and historical accounts of the time. This paper analyzes the music through the lens of programmaticism, illuminating the stories of each woman’s origin, her place in Belle Époque France, and Bonis’s musical interpretation of and contribution to each woman’s narrative. Chapter one offers an introduction to the project, defining the purpose, rationale, and organization of the paper. Chapter two gives a brief biography of Mélanie Bonis and then discusses the culture of Belle Époque France and the fads of this time. This information dovetails with chapter three, which explores each woman’s origin story as well as her role in Bonis’s culture and connection to obsessions of this time. Relevant visual art and literature are included to construct a well-rounded understanding of the many facets of each woman. Chapter four focuses on the music, highlighting noteworthy musical features and how these features capture and suggest each piece’s namesake. Chapter five is a practical guide to practicing and performing these pieces.