PROGRAM NOTES, TEXTS, AND TRANSLATIONS FOR THE SENIOR RECITAL OF Rachel Jones, soprano Ramielle Moorer, soprano Kathleen Clegg, mezzo-soprano Friday, November 14, 2008, 3:00 P.M. Brookes Chapel, Shorter College
The Mouse Madrigal (2002)
arr. Steven Porter (b. 1943)
This trio is based on the nursery rhyme canon “Three Blind Mice” Like most folk songs, the lyric tells the story of an actual historical event. First published by Thomas Ravenscroft in 1609, the original poem refers to the blinding and execution of three Protestant bishops by Queen Mary I of England. Porter’s arrangement is an example of how gory tales can be transformed into light-hearted works for children, similar to Walt Disney’s American popular adaptations of Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
Se pensi amor from Deidamia (1741) [Rolli]
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Handel’s final opera, Deidamia, tells the story of the Greek myth about Deidamia, one of the seven daughters of King Lycodemes of Scyros. Achilles, a warrior, has disguised himself as a female to avoid going to war (and certain death), but Deidamia discovers his secret. The two become romantically involved until Odysseus, King of Ithaca, discovers Achilles’ secret is revealed. “Se pensi amor” is sung by Deidamia to her lover. Se pensi amor tu solo Per vezzo e per beltà, Regnare in questo sen Amor, t’inganni.
If you think, love, only By caresses and beauty To possess this heart, You are deceiving yourself, love.
Non perde mai del volo, Augel la libertà. Che spesso al caro ben’. Rivolge i vanni.
That bird in flight Does not lose her freedom, Which can turn away Its wings from the beloved. [Tranlation: Sergius Kagen]
Non so più cosa son from Le nozze di Figaro (1786) [daPonte]
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
In the last decade of his life, Mozart collaborated with the librettist Lorenzo da Ponte to write his three masterpieces of Italian opera: Le nozze di Figaro, K492 (1786), Don Giovanni, K527 (1787), and Cosi fan tutte, K588 (1790). “Non so più cosa son” is sung by the character Cherubino in Act I of Le nozze di Figaro. Cherubino is a page under the employment of Count Almaviva in Seville. Cherubino is at the age where a young man begins to notice women and he can hardly control his new desires. He has he made a nuisance of himself in a number of ways: by trying to kiss Susanna, the Countess’ maid, stealing a ribbon from the countess, being caught alone with the gardener’s daughter, Barbarina, and forcing Susanna to listen to a love song that he has written for all women. In this scene, Mozart has aptly captured the essence of a young man who has become conscious of women. In this aria, Cherubino reflects on himself and his new found desires after Susanna calls him crazy. The aria jumps back and forth between fast, slow, and moderate tempos and sweeping and angular lines, which imitate Cherubino’s excitement and unbridled passion. Non so più cosa son, cosa faccio, or di foco, ora sono di ghiaccio ogni donna cangiar di colore ogni donna mi fa palpitar. Solo ai nomi d’amor, di diletto, mi si turba, mi s’altera il petto, e a parlare mi Sforza d’amore un desio che non posso spiegar Non so più... Parlo d’amor vegliando, parlo d’amor sognando, all acqua, all’ombra, ai monti, ai fiori, all’erbe, ai fonti, all’eco, all’aria, ai venti, che il suon dei vani accenti portano via con se. Parlo d’amor vegliando... e se non ho chi m’oda parlo d’amor con me!
I don’t know anymore what I am, what I’m doing, now I am burning hot, now I am ice cold, every woman [makes me] change color, every woman makes me tremble. At the mere words of love, of delight, my heart is troubled, is upset, and to speak of love a desire forces me which I cannot explain I don’t know anymore... I speak of love [when I am] awake, I speak of love [when I am] dreaming to the water, to the shade, to the mountains, to the flowers, to the grass, to the springs, to the echo, to the air, to the winds, which [carry away with them] the sound of futile words. I speak of love... And when I have nobody who listens to me I speak of love to myself! [Translation: Eta & Martial Singher]
Die Forelle, D550 [Schubart] (1817) Der Tod und das Mädchen, D531 [Claudius] (1817) An die Nachtigall, D196 [Claudius] (1815)
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Although Schubert composed in a wide variety of genres, he is best known for his contributions to the German lied genre, writing over 600 lieder before his death at the age of 31. “Die Forelle” is perhaps one of the best loved of Schubert’s lieder. This lively song tells the story of a fisherman and a happy trout. Schubert omitted the last of the four
verses of this poem, which pointedly advises young girls to be on their guard against young men. “Der Tod und das Mädchen” is an eloquent statement of the more merciful view of death which supplanted the grotesque horrors of the medieval view for Schubert’s generation. Schubert later adapted a variation of this lied in his D minor String Quartet. Schubert illustrates his ability to give the German language a new emotional force with his beautiful lullaby An die Nachtigall. John Reed observes that the melody “pierces the heart” when it suddenly switches to minor at “Nachtigall, ach!”1
1
Die Forelle
The Trout
In einem Bächlein helle, da schoß in froher Eil die launische Forelle vorüber wie ein Pfeil. Ich stand an dem Gestade und sah in süßer Ruh des muntern Fischleins Bade im klaren Bächliein zu.
In a clear brook, there shot in merry haste the moody trout swift as an arrow. I stand on the shore gazing and watched in sweet repose the happy trout bathing in the clear brook.
Ein Fischer mit der Rute wohl an dem Ufer stand, und sah’s mit kaltem Blute, wie sich das Fischlein want So lang dem Wasser Helle, so dacht ich, nicht gebricht so fängt er die Forelle mit seiner Angel nicht.
A fisher with a rod on the bank stood and watched cold blooded as swam the fish round. So long as the clearness of the water, I thought, remained intact he would not be able to catch the trout with his fishing rod.
Doch endlich ward dem Diebe die Zeit zu lang. Er Macht das Bächlein tükkisch trübe, und eh ich es gedacht, so zuckte seine Rute das Fischlein, Das fischlien zappelt dran, und ich mit regem Blute sah die Betrogne an.
Then finally the thief lost patience the time was too long. He made the brook maliciously cloudy, and ere before I realized it his fishing line was twitching the fish, the fish was squirming there, and I with boiling blood at the betrayed looked.
Der Tod und das Mädchen
Death and the Maiden
Das Mädchen: Vorüber, ach vorüber! Geh, wilder Knochenmann! Ich bin noch jung, geh Lieber! Und rühre mich nicht an.
The Maiden: Pass by, oh pass by! Savage bone man! I am still young, go loved one! and do not touch me.
Der Tod: Gib deine Hand, du schön und zart Gebild! bin Freund und komme nicht zu strafen. Sei gutes Muts! ich bin nicht wild, sollst sanft in meinem Armen Schlafen!
Death: Give me your hand, you fair and tender form. I am a friend and come not to punish. Be of good cheer! I am not wild. You will sleep softly in my arms!
This paragraph is indebted to John Reed’s The Schubert Song Companion (New York: MacMillan, 1997).
An die Nachtigall
To the Nightingale
Er liegt und schläft and meinem Herzen, mein gutter Schutz geist sang ihn ein, und ich kann fröhlich sein und scherzen, kann jeder Blum und jades Blatts mich freun.
He lies and sleeps against my heart, my guardian angel sang him lullabies. and I can be joyous and make sport can delight in flower and leaf.
Nachtigall, ach! Nachtigall, ach! sing mir den Amor nicht wach!
Nightingale, oh! Nightingale, oh! sing not my love awake! [Translations: Adrian Kazazie]
Laue Sommernacht, (1910) [Falke] Bei dir ist es traut, (1910) [Rilke]
Alma Mahler (1879-1964)
Thoughout her adult life, Alma Mahler-Gropipus-Werfel had several affairs as a means of coping with her life. So, it is not uncommon to find that her compositions discuss different facets of love and relationships. The songs in this set are part of her only song cycle, the simply titled Fünf Lieder. The first of the set, a poem by Gustav Falke, gives an account of how one love began, while the other (by Rainer Maria Rilke) entertains the idea of a love that must be kept secret. Laue Sommernacht
Balmy Summer Night
Laue Sommernacht, am Himmel stand kein Stern, im weiten Walde suchten wir uns tief im Dunkel, und wir fanden uns.
Balmy summer night in heaven there are no stars in the wide forests we searched ourselves deep in darkness, and we found ourselves.
Fanden uns im weiten Walde in der Nacht, der sternenlosen, hielten staunend uns im Arme in der dunklen Nacht.
Found ourselves in the wide forests in the night, saviors of the stars, Held ourselves in wonder in each other's arms in the dark night.
War nicht unser ganzes Leben nur ein Tappen, nur ein Suchen, da in seine Finsternisse Liebe, fiel dein Licht!
Was not our whole life just a groping, just a seeking, there in its darkness Love, fell your light! [Translation: Douglas Witt-Carter]
Bei dir ist es traut
I am at ease with you
Bei dir ist es traut, zage Uhren schlugen wie aus alten Tagen, komm mir ein Liebes sagen, aber nur nicht laut!
I am at ease with you, faint clocks strike as from olden days, come, tell your love to me, but not too loud!
Ein Tor geht irgendwo draußen im Blütentreiben, der Abend horcht an die Scheiben, laß uns leise bleiben, keiner weiß uns so!
Somewhere a gate moves outside in the drifting blossoms, evening listens in at the window panes, let us stay quiet, so no one knows of us! [Translation: Knut W. Barde]
Au bord de l’eau, Op. 8 No. 1 (1875) [Prudhomme]
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)
Fauré is well-known as a composer of French mélodie. His daring style of composition greatly influenced many twentieth-century composers, especially with his bold harmonic writing, displayed in “Au bord de l’eau.” Within the alternating long and short lines of text, Faure weaves a beautiful melody, shifting from major to minor modes and using surprising harmonic movement, doing all of this with surprising elegance and simplicity. The moving lines mirror the movement and change in the world described in the text. As the singer wonders if love can last in an ever-changing world, the final major chord suggests that it can. S'asseoir tous deux au bord du flot qui passe, Le voir passer, Tous deux s'il glisse un nuage en l'espace, Le voir glisser,
To sit together beside the passing stream, And watch it pass, If a cloud glides by in the sky, Together to watch it glide,
À l'horizon s'il fume un toit de chaume, Le voir fumer, Aux alentours si quelque fleur embaume, S'en embaumer,
If a thatched house sends up smoke on the horizon, To watch it smoke, If a flower spreads fragrance nearby, To take on its fragrance,
Entendre au pied du saule où l'eau murmure, L'eau murmurer, Ne pas sentir tant que ce rêve dure, Le temps durer,
Under the willow where the water murmurs, To listen to it murmuring, For the time that this dream endures, Not to feel its duration,
Mais n'apportant de passion profonde, Qu'à s'adorer, Sans nul souci des querelles du monde, Les ignorer;
But, having no deep passion, Except adoration for one another, Without concern for the world’s quarrels, To ignore them;
Et seuls tous deux devant tout ce qui lasse
And alone together, in the face of all wearying things Unwearyingly, To feel love, (unlike all things that pass away), Not passing away!
Sans se lasser, Sentir l'amour, devant tout ce qui passe, Ne point passer!
[Translation: Peter Low]
Á Chloris (1916) [Viau]
Reynaldo Hahn (1875-1947)
Although written in the twentieth century, Á Chloris is reminiscent of a pastoral song from the Renaissance or Baroque period. First, the names Phyllis and Chloris were the generic names for nymphs or pastoral shepherdesses in the Renaissance and Baroque eras. Second, the trills and ornamentation in the right hand of the accompaniment imitate sounds used in the Baroque era. Rather than simply hearing the vocal and piano line, this song could almost be heard as a three-part composition. The two hands in the piano part sound like two distinct lines, with strong, stately chords in the left hand and light trills and ornamentation in the right hand, with the vocal line being somewhere in the middle both in pitch and in phrasing. S’il est vrai, Chloris, que tu m’aimes, Mais j’entends que tu m’aimes bien, Je ne crois pas que les rois mêmes Aient un bonheur pareil au mien. Que la mort serait importune Á venir changer ma fortune Pour la félicité des cieux! Tout ce qu’on dit de l’ambroisie Ne touche point ma fantaisie Au prix des grâces de tes yeux!
If it be true, Chloris, that thou lovst me, And I understand that thou dost love me well, I do not believe that even kings Could know such happiness as mine. How unwelcome death would be, If it came to exchange my fortune With the joy of heaven! All that they say of ambrosia Does not fire my imagination Like the favor of thine eyes! [Translation: Richard Stokes]
Mis descuidados ojos, [Anonymous] (1802) Si a otro cuando me quieres, [Anonymous] (1802)
Fernando Sor (1778-1839)
Fernando Sor was best known as a guitarist, composing and arranging numerous works for voice and guitar. He developed a modern method of guitar playing, in which music was played in parts, not in chords. His Méthod pour la Guitare (1830), a collection of studies, is considered an extraordinary contribution to the art of guitar playing. These two songs are from Seguidillas for voice and guitar or piano, a set of twelve songs composed between 1802 and 1804. These songs are placed in a particular order to illustrate the progression of a young and heated relationship. The first song is about a young lover thinking about the first time that they ever laid eyes on their true love. In the second song, a woman tells her lover to tell her if or when he cheats on her. Mis descuidados ojos
My careless eyes
Mis descuidados ojos vieron tu cara, ¡Oh qué cara me ha sido esa Mirada! Me cautivaste, y encontrar no he podido quien me rescate.
My careless eyes saw your face. Oh, how costly that gaze was! You captivated me and now no one has been able to rescue me.
De mi parte a tus ojos di les que callen, Porque si les respondo quieren matarme.
On my behalf, tell your eyes to remain silent if I reply to them, they want to kill me
Y es fuerte cosa que ha de callar Un hombre si le provocan.
and it is a strong thing if a man does not provoke you.
Si a otro cuando me quieres
If to another, even though you love me
Si a otro cuando me quieres la mano le das, cuando ya no me quieras, ¡di qué le darás!
If to another, even though you love me the hand to her you give when now, not me, you love, you tell her what you give!
No fuera mala el que yo me muriera por un canalla.
It may not be bad if I were to die, because your are a swine! [Translations: Suzanne Draayer]
I can’t be talkin’ of love (1947) [Matthews] i carry your heart (1952) [cummings] The Grunchin’ Witch (1924) [Jackson]
John Duke (1899-1984)
Throughout his long life, John Duke wrote over two hundred songs. Though he was an accomplished pianist, most of his compositions are for piano and voice. This set of three songs is indicative of his mature style. The accompaniment of “I can’t be talkin’ of love,” embodies the spirit of the poem through its playfulness. Its dotted rhythms and leaps in registers adds to the “playing hard to get” mentality of the speaker of the piece. “I carry your heart” is a declarative love ballad. Duke’s interpretation of this poem is exquisite, manifesting a sentimental and unconditional love of which the lyrics speak. “The Grunchin’ Witch” an imaginative poem which is set skillfully by Duke; note its very literal interpretation of the text through the usage of onomatopoeias. In the music, the wind can be heard stirring and the witch limping and “slinking.”
I am Rose (1963) [Stein] O you whom I often and silently come from Five Poems of Walt Whitman (1961) [Whitman] Do I love you more than a day? from Poems of Love and the Rain (1965) [Larson] We never said farewell from Women’s Voices (1976) [Coleridge]
Ned Rorem (b. 1923)
Time Magazine called Ned Rorem “the world’s best composer of art songs,” When speaking of his passion for writing art songs, Rorem states, “it has to do with being obsessed with poetry as well as music.”1 Although best known for his art songs, Rorem has also composed ten operas, four symphonies, chamber works, choral works, ballets, and has also written sixteen books, many of them diaries. Rorem has received many awards for his works including a Pulitzer Prize in 1976 for his suite Air Music, and was chosen as Composer of the Year by Musical America. He currently resides in New York. I chose these songs for this set with the intent of telling a story through them. The lyrics
first introduce Rose, who then finds love that over time grows into a meaningful, passionate relationship. The story ends tragically however, when the two lovers, although joined together in life, have lost love and grown apart from each other. ____________________ 1
This quotation is from http://www.ascap.com/playback/1998/october/rorem.html/.
The Lake Isle of Innisfree, [Yeats] When I was one-and-twenty, [Housman] This heart that flutters, [Joyce]
Ben Moore (b. 1960)
Ben Moore is young American composer whose work had been praised by the New York Times and Opera Week for its “easy tunefulness” and “romantic sweep.” These three songs display these qualities flawlessly and are set to beautiful poetry from great writers such as William Butler Yeats, A. E. Housman, and James Joyce. “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” is a beautiful poem by Yeats that speaks of a dream-world setting where one can be at peace and carefree. “When I was one-and-twenty” comes from Housman’s book of poetry, A Shropshire Lad. In Moore’s setting, one can feel a sense of bitterness and anger as an older man warns a young boy to guard his heart. “This heart that flutters” is a beautiful setting of a poem by Joyce that expresses the emotions that a young lover may feel at the beginning of a new relationship.
Watch and Pray (1972)
Undine Smith Moore (1904-1989) As an African-American musical pioneer in an academic setting, Undine Smith Moore inspired and influenced many black musicians over the course of her long career. Her compositions are still widely performed and loved today. Moore's compositional output includes choral works, solo works for voice, flute, piano, and chamber works. Her oratorio, Scenes from the Life of a Martyr, on the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., was nominated for a Nobel Prize. Watch and Pray is an example of a spiritual which documents day-to-day life. It is not considered a standard spiritual and would never be heard during a worship service, but is still important to African American history and culture because it accounts some of the oppressive conditions of slavery.
Free at Last (1951)
Julia Perry (1924-1979)
Julia Perry studied voice, piano and composition at the Westminster Choir College. She occupied a unique place among black composers during the 1950s. Perry served on the music faculty at Florida A&M University, and wrote in all musical forms in a style described as “neoclassical,” utilizing many twentieth-century compositional techniques. The spirit of Free at Last epitomizes the spirit African American ancestors – optimistic and determined. This piece illustrates a realized dream for a brighter tomorrow and offers hope to the broken-spirited.
Notice Me, Horton
from Seussical (2000) [Ahrens]
Stephen Flaherty (b. 1960)
The plot of Seussical follows a complex compilation of many of Dr. Seuss’s most famous books, such as Horton Hears a Who, Green Eggs and Ham, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!. Gertude, a bird with a one-feather tail, is seeking the affection of Horton, an elephant in the jungle. In order to get Horton’s attention, Gertrude takes a pill that will make her tail grow longer and fuller, but she overdoes it a bit, ending up with her tail being ridiculously long. In the mean-time, Horton has run off looking for his special clover that he has lost. Once Gertrude catches up with him, she tries to turn Horton’s attention away from the clover and toward herself and her new tail.
A Foggy Day from A Damsel in Distress (1937) [Ira Gershwin] I’ve Got a Crush on You from Strike Up the Band (1930) [Ira Gershwin]
George Gershwin (1898-1937)
George Gershwin has been called one of America’s greatest composers. With his brother, lyricist Ira Gershwin, at his side, George was able to produce hundreds of hit songs for Broadway and Hollywood’s golden eras. These songs have been popularized by many famous popular singers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, Billy Holiday, Louis Armstrong, and more recently, Michael Bublé. These two songs are exemplary of Gershwin’s talent as a composer, and are personal favorites of the performer. Stormy Weather (1933) [Koehler]
Harold Arlen (1905-1986)
From 1930 to 1934, Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler collaborated on two shows each year for production at the Cotton Club, a popular night club in Harlem. Incredibly popular songs came out of these shows including “I’ve Got the World on a String” and “I Love a Parade”, but it was a song composed at a party in 1933, supposedly in just thirty minutes, that brought crowds to the Cotton Club. Whether it was the song that generated such an intense interest or the performer, “Stormy Weather” continues to live on in the standard repertoire from this period.
Sing for Your Supper from The Boys of Syracuse (1938) [Hart]
Richard Rodgers (1902-1979)
Rodgers and Hart wrote “Sing for your Supper” for their 1938 Broadway musical, The Boys from Syracuse. Many pop and jazz artists have recorded the song over the years, including such varied groups as The Mamas & the Papas and Cher. Rodgers composed music for more than 900 songs and 40 Broadway musicals throughout his career, with his most well-known partners being lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II. In the show, identical twins Antipholus of Ephesus and Antipholus of Syracuse were separated as children. They each have servants named Dromio, who are also separated identical twins. In Act I, Antipholus from Syracuse and his servant, Dromio travel to Ephesus and many mix-ups and cases of mistaken identity occur. During the visit, the wives of the Ephesians, Adriana and her servant, Luce, mistake the two strangers to be their husbands. Conflict arises when Adriana’s sister, Luciana and Antipholus from Syracuse fall in love. It is then that the girls sing “Sing for Your Supper,” to help Adriana understand that marriage and love aren’t always as perfect as you think and sometimes you have to just “sing for your supper” to get by. However, everything ends happily when the identities of the pair from Syracuse are revealed and Luciana and Antipholus from Syracuse can be together.
