A GRADUATE RECITAL IN VOICE
A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate School in
Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
For the Degree of
Master of Music
Joshua William Donaldson
Pittsburg State University
Pittsburg, Kansas
May 2017
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Schumann and Handel: Musical Journeys and Influences, Exams of Voice
The lives and musical careers of two renowned composers, George Frideric Handel and Robert Schumann. Handel, born with a passion for music against his father's wishes, went on to serve three British monarchs and write numerous operas. Schumann, influenced by his father's bookstore and a chance encounter with Niccolò Paganini, believed in the importance of the piano in song composition. The document also discusses the unique aspects of their song cycles, Dichterliebe and Liederkreis, and the impact of their works on music history.
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A GRADUATE RECITAL IN VOICE
A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate School in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Music Joshua William Donaldson Pittsburg State University Pittsburg, Kansas May 2017
A GRADUATE RECITAL IN VOICE
Joshua William Donaldson APPROVED: Thesis Advisor ______________________________________________ Mrs. Stella Hastings, Music Committee Member ______________________________________________ Mr. Patrick Howle, Music Committee Member ______________________________________________ Dr. Casie Hermansson, English and Modern Languages Committee Member ______________________________________________ Dr. Donald Viney, History, Philosophy and Social Sciences
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A GRADUATE RECITAL IN VOICE
An Abstract of the Thesis by Joshua William Donaldson This thesis consists of a vocal performance recital and the accompanying program notes. The recital includes a variety of literature and styles, ranging from the Baroque to the Twentieth Century. The program notes for each selection include biographical information, analysis of the work, poetic analysis (when necessary), and performance concerns.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
- I. “ Ombra Mai Fu” from Xerxes, HWV CHAPTER PAGE
- George Frideric Handel
- Xerxes, HWV
- Translation and Performance Concerns
- II. Liederkreis , Op.
- Robert Schumann
- Liederkreis, Op.
- In der Fremde Translations and Performance Concerns
- Intermezzo..................................................................................................................
- Waldesgespräch
- Die Stille
- Mondnacht
- III. Histoires Naturelles
- Maurice Ravel
- Histoires Naturelles
- Le paon Translations and Performance Concerns
- Le grillon
- Le cygne
- Le martin-pêcheur
- La pintade
- IV. The Curlew
- Peter Warlock
- The Curlew
- He Reproves the Curlew Translations and Performance Concerns
- The Lover Mourns for the Loss of Love
- The Withering of the Boughs
- He Hears the Cry of the Sedge
- V. When I Have Sung My Songs to You
- Ernest Charles
- When I Have Sung My Songs To You
- Transcription and Performance Concerns
- VI. Bibliography
Chapter I OMBRA MAI FU FROM XERXES , HWV 40 “Handel is the greatest composer that ever lived… I would uncover my head, and kneel down at his tomb!”
- Ludwig van Beethoven^1 Composer GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL (1685-1759) Born in Halle, Germany, Handel did not grow up studying music. Handel’s father opposed a future in music and wanted Handel to study law instead. He allowed him to take lessons from a local church organist despite his aversion to Handel’s aptitude for music. Handel finally turned to music as a full-time endeavor after his father died in 1697. Handel joined the second violins of the Hamburg Opera House orchestra by the time he turned 18. It wasn’t before long that Handel rose up and became the keyboardist for the orchestra.^2 Handel met someone who greatly influenced his writing, Reinhard Keiser, during his time in the orchestra. Keiser was the conductor of the ensemble, and he was also a composer. Keiser was considered Germany’s greatest opera composer at the time; he wrote 100 operas for the (^1) John Paynter, Companion to Contemporary Musical Thought (London: Routledge, 1992). (^2) Joyce Bourne, “Handel,” in Opera: The Great Composers and Their Masterworks (London: Octopus Publishing Group, 2008).
beginning to wane as the years went by, so he decided to do something new and developed the genre of dramatic oratorio.^6 Handel continued to write operas; however, they were not receiving much public success, and his health began to decline. Handel suffered a stroke and went blind during the last ten years of his life. He continued to compose despite these conditions, and the result was his best known work, his oratorio Messiah in 1742. Handel continued to conduct oratorios and revise his scores, with the help of a friend, up until his death in 1759.^7 (^6) Bourne, “Handel.” (^7) Ibid.
Xerxes, HWV 40 Handel’s Xerxes was an opera seria in three acts that was premiered in London in April
- True to his nature of favoring Italian libretti, the text is based on the libretto of the same name written by Nicola Minato for Francesco Cavalli in 1654. The libretto was adapted by Silvio Stampiglia for Giovanni Bononcini forty years later.^8 It seemed that Handel knew Bononcini’s work well because of some stylistic parallels, including the borrowing of the dramatic structure as well as thematic elements from Bononcini’s score.^9 Handel diverged from the typical formula of opera seria and inserted elements of opera buffa, with the most notable being the aria “Ombra Mai Fu.” Xerxes steps outside of the box in terms of opera seria and opera buffa due to the interplay of the tragic and comic, the informal structure, and the intensely emotional language, making it ambiguous as to which genre the opera really belongs.^10 Some people believe the opera was ill-received because it does not squarely fit into either category of opera seria or buffa. Xerxes was withdrawn from the stage after only five performances. The failure of the opera can be more attributed to the public’s changing of taste rather than the performers. The lead role, after all, was performed by the famous castrato, Caffarelli. Xerxes was never revived again during Handel’s life time. It was not until two centuries later that the opera received a second chance and was presented at the Göttingen (^8) George Handel, Xerxes , Conducted by Rafael Kubelik, Rec. October 1962, Orfeo International, 1998, Naxos Music Library , October 11, 2016. http://pittstate.naxosmusiclibrary.com/sharedfiles/booklets/OFO/booklet-C476983D.pdf. (^9) "Serse." Handel and Hendrix in London, The Handel House Trust Ltd., accessed 12 October 2016, https://handelhendrix.org/learn/about-handel/opera-synopses/serse/. (^10) Xerxes.
Arsamene’s servant, Elviro, felt that Xerxes’s fiancée should be made aware of the entire situation, so he informs Amastre of the events. Amastre dresses up as a man and goes to the king in an effort to thwart his intentions. It is then that she overhears Xerxes declare his love for Romilda. Atalanta lies to Romilda soon after and tells her that Arsamene has not been faithful to her, in which she declares that she cannot love him if this were true.^15 Xerxes’s efforts prove to be unsuccessful, and believing that he is carrying out the king’s wishes, Ariodate weds Romilda and Arsamene. Xerxes is crushed, and in his jealousy, he orders his brother to kill his wife. Being in the room when the order is given, Amastre throws off her disguise and confronts Xerxes. He repents his deceitful ways and reconciles with her while approving his brother’s new union.^16 (^15) Bourne, “Handel.” (^16) Ibid.
“Ombra Mai Fu”^17 Recitative Frondi tenere e belle Branches tender and beautiful del mio platano amato, of my plane-tree beloved, per voi resplenda il fato. for you may-shine the fate. Tuoni, lampi, e procelle Thunder, lightning, and storms non v’oltaggino mai la cara pace, not you-disturb ever the dear peace, né giunga a profanarvi austro rapace. nor may-arrive to profane you south-wind rapacious Aria Ombra mai fu di vegetabile, Shadow never was a plant, cara ed amabile soave piu. dear and pleasant gentle more. Performance Melodically speaking, this aria is very tuneful and easy for the ear to hear. The entire aria is diatonic, with only two chromatic notes in the entire piece. The entire melody is doubled in the violin, so there shouldn’t be any issues in not being able to find a specific pitch. The rhythm is also very simple and straightforward, with nothing being syncopated. This aria initially seems very easy. The hidden concern is the immense amount of breath support that is required. This piece is relatively slow, and it is to be very legato and lush. The singer must be able to efficiently use their air in order to achieve this feat; even the slightest slip of control could ruin the melodic line. The singer comes in on a sustained C as the aria begins. Being able to shape one note at such a slow tempo can be deceivingly difficult. The only other aspect that might be difficult, aside from breath support, would be the few leaps in the melody that seem to come out of nowhere. There are seven leaps that the singer must be prepared for, (^17) Bard Suverkrop, "Bononcini, Giovanni,” IPA Source Ombra Mai Fu, IPA Source LLC, 2016, accessed 12 October 2016.
Chapter II LIEDERKREIS, OP. 39 “I have composed so much that it almost frightens me, but I can’t help it; I’m having to sing myself to death like a nightingale…The Eichendorff cycle is my most Romantic music ever, and contains much of you in it, dear Clara.”
- Robert Schumann^18 Composer ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Born in Zwickau, Saxony in 1810, Robert Schumann was one of the most prominent figures during the early Romantic period. At an early age, Schumann was influenced by his father, Friederich August Schumann, who was a bookseller and publisher. Because of his father’s profession, he developed a keen literary sense, acquiring a good knowledge for both German and other foreign literature. After his father’s death, he decided to take a more practical approach and study law over music. He attended the University of Leipzig and was said to have not attended a single lecture because he was more preoccupied with reading and playing the piano. It was during this time at the university that he fell in love with the works of Franz (^18) Kimball, Song.
Schubert. Schumann started pianistic studies under the pedagogue Friedrich Wieck, who proved to be one of the most significant influences on him.^19 Schumann eventually transferred to the University of Heidelberg to continue his law studies. During one summer, he travelled to Switzerland and Italy, where he fell in love with Italian opera. It was during this venture that he heard Niccolò Paganini play in Frankfurt, which helped influence him to turn decisively to music.^20 When it comes to Schumann’s music, he believed that lieder was inferior to instrumental music. Despite his belief, however, lieder ended up comprising over half of his total output. What set Schumann apart from his predecessors was the fact that he brought in the piano as a full participant in song. No longer was the piano there to just support the voice, but it was there to engage in a dialogue, becoming a true partner. While Schubert is known as the first composer to truly make the piano an equal participant, Schumann was the one who developed this practice in such a way that changed the future of the piano’s role in lieder. Overall, Schumann’s songs were full of very elegant and lyrical melodies that were accompanied by harmonic material that illustrated the poetry and shared in the dialogue. He was one of the first composers to include extensive use of preludes, interludes, and postludes in the piano accompaniment. Many of his songs have an ambiguous tonal center. In order to achieve this sense of ambiguity, he carefully orders the relationships between the keys that the music progresses through. A common theme in his music is the fact that rhythmic rubato is essentially demanded by the performer to bring the piece to life and do it justice.^21 (^19) George Hall, "Schumann, Robert." The Oxford Companion to Music. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press, accessed November 3, 2015, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/opr/t114/e6003. (^20) Hall, “Schumann”. (^21) Kimball, Song.
After his compositional outburst, Schumann’s mental health began to decline rapidly. Suffering from a history of mental breakdowns, Schumann reached an all-time low in February of 1854 when he threw himself off of a bridge and into the Rhine. To his dismay, Schumann survived the fall, and when he was rescued, he asked to be put into a private asylum, where he spent the final two years of his life.^25 (^25) "Schumann, Robert Alexander.”. The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide , ed. Helicon. (Abington: Helicon, 2016), http://library.pittstate.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/heliconhe/s chumann_robert_alexander/
Liederkreis , Op. 39 Liederkreis was composed in May of 1840, and it was first published in Vienna in September of 1842 by Tobias Haslinger Verlag. After revisions, it was republished in 1850 by F. Whistling Verlag of Leipzig.^26 All of the poetry for op. 39 was selected from poet Joseph von Eichendorff (1788-1857), with the translations being taken from The Fischer-Dieskau Book of Lieder by Dietrich Fischer- Dieskau. Different from Schumann’s song cycle Dichterliebe , Liederkreis does not collectively tell a story in the traditional sense of having an overarching plotline. Instead, the cycle is bound together by themes in Eichendorff’s poetry that Schumann felt he could respond to on a personal level.^27 Because the poetry was not conceived by Eichendorff as a cycle and doesn’t relate a chronological series of events, it makes this song cycle all the more exceptional for its overall unity in style. Schumann relies on related thematic material in the poetry between the songs, and the melodies are kindred in the fact that they are all close-interval pitched and are of closely related keys.^28 Similar to the Wanderlieder cycles of his predecessors and colleagues, such as Schubert, the environment of the forest, and the physical act of wandering provide a backdrop for an emotional journey, progressing from a state of alienation in every sense to the gratification of being in love.^29 (^26) Finson, Robert Schumann. (^27) Schumann, Robert, and Beaumont Glass. Schumann's Complete Song Texts: In One Volume Containing All Completed Solo Songs including Those Not Published during the Composer's Lifetime, Duets, Trios, Quartets ( Geneseo, NY: Leyerle, 2002). (^28) Miller, Singing Schumann. (^29) Barbara Turchin, “Schumann’s Song Cycles: The Cycle within the Song.” 19th-Century Music 8, no. 3 (1985): 231 - 44.