CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE. Obsessed: A Graduate Voice Recital. A graduate project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements

Transcription

1 CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE Obsessed: A Graduate Voice Recital A graduate project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Master of Music in Music, Performance By Yun Sun May 2017

2 The graduate project of Yun Sun is approved: Dr. Davis, Erica Date Dr. Murray, Deanna Date Dr. Sannerud, Lawrence, Chair Date California State University, Northridge ii

3 Table of contents Signature Page Abstract ii iii Appdendix Program 1 iii

4 Abstract Obsessed: A Graduate Voice Recital By Yun Sun Master of Music in Music, Performance Baroque to Contemporary Love and Loss Love and loss is a common topic included in repertoire for soprano from the Baroque period through the Contemporary period. An early opera aria from the Baroque period begins the program and it ends with a contemporary Chinese folk song. It also includes opera buffa from the Classical period, and art songs from the Romantic period. All of these songs share the common theme of Love and Loss. Lucrezia by Handel is an early opera from the Baroque period, which tells a story about a noble Roman Lady, raped by an evil man. In ancient Rome, where the story takes iv

5 place, the nobility believed in preserving a pure bloodline. She believes that she must commit suicide to maintain the pure bloodline. The libretto is written by Cardinal Benedetto Pamphili, and the genre of Lucrezia is a cantata/opera for soprano with keyboard and continuo. Composers in the Baroque period represented different moods in different sections by using key changes. Handel uses key change to express the character s emotions, such as anger, hate, and desperation. Lucrezia s loss is that of her reputation and life. French mélodie expresses love and loss in an elegant manner. Jeune Fillette means the memory of maidens. When the voice part begins, the composer uses an appoggiatura on the first beat of piano accompaniment. It creates the sassy characters of the young maiden. Les Papillons translates as butterfly and is composed by Ernest Chausson. The lyrics are about butterflies flying across the ocean to find their beloved roses that they have lost. The piano accompaniments imitates the flutter of butterflies. Chausson uses a decrescendo on piano accompaniments in the end of the song, which indicates butterflies flying away. The third song of French group is Il Neige composed by Henri Bemberg, and the tittle translates it snows. The rhythm of the accompaniment pattern sounds like snow falling. The lyrics portray a picture of young people in love, heating up each other in the snow. In German Lieder composers often set poems about nature which are really about love. Geheimes is composed by Franz Schubert. The title of the song translates secret and the lyrics are about secret love. The harmony and melody are simple and Schubert only uses one motive for piano accompaniment through the whole song. The second song, Er ist s is composed by Robert Schumann. The lyrics start with the picture of spring v

6 scenery, then the smell of violets along with the sounds of the spring. It shows a feeling of love and appreciation to the nature. The composer uses different melodies and different piano accompaniment to indicate the change and he uses same piano part for both prelude and the end. The third song Frühlingsglaube composed by Franz Schubert is also an art song about spring. Frühlingsglaube translates faith in spring. The lyrics convey human beings faith and hope towards the new life and also express the love and longing towards nature. The song is in A flat major, which creates a vivid feeling. It coincides the revival of nature in spring. The last song in German group is Schneeglöckchen composed by Robert Schumann, translates as snow bells. The piano accompaniment uses a rhythmic ostinato to imitate the fallen of snowflakes on the snowdrop which creates a lovely scenery of winter. This song expresses the love of winter. An English group includes three songs that use texts, which convey ideas about nature, life passing and unfulfilled love. Loveliest of Trees by John Duke is about life passing quickly as represented the change of nature. The composer uses different keys to indicate the mood change in the song and related them to the context. The second song is The Sky above the Roof composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams, in its original version is in French with a poem wriiten by Paul Verlaine in This song is about the loss of freedom and life. The composer chooses Lento for the song to express the longing to freedom and the love towards life. The Love s Philosophy by Roger Quilter, with an accompaniment representing fountains and a river. This song expresses the love, flowing up like a fountain of water. vi

7 Two Italian arias from different style periods make up the next group. Lusinghe più care by Handel is about hope, happiness, pain and loss in love. The song uses the typical composition rule of ABA at the Baroque period. Next song Batti, batti, o bel Masetto is an aria from Mozart s opera Don Giovanni. It is an aria about Zerlina s teasing love to his fiancé Masetto. Masetto gets angry to Zerlina who flirts with Don Giovanni. Zerlina tries to comfort Masrtto and asks him to beat her if he wants. The text of the Chinese song is connected with Love. The song Yi Bei Mei Jiu translates a glass of tasty wine, which expresses the love from couples by using metaphors to describe the beautiful scenery of nature. The style of the Uighurs often uses syncopation to creates a dancing feeling as in this song. Art songs from different style periods and languages represents various kinds of love and loss. Many art songs share these topics and can be combined in an art song recital to provide a varied and attractive program. vii

8 PROGRAM I Lucrezia...G.H.Handel ( ) II Jeune fillette.nicolas Dalayrac ( ) Les Papillons Ernest Chausson ( ) Il Neige...Henri Bemberg ( ) III Geheimes Franz Schubert ( ) Er ist s...robert Schumann. ( ) Frühlingsglaube..Franz Schubert ( ) Schneeglöckchen...Robert Schumann ( ) 1

9 INTERMISSION IV Lovelist of Trees...John Duke ( ) The Sky above the Roof...R.V. Williams ( ) Love s Philosophy...Roger Quilter ( ) V Lusinghe più care...g.h.handel ( ) Batti, batti, o bel Masetto..W. A. Mozart ( ) VI Yi Bei Mei Jiu...Uighur Folk Song (A Glass of Wine) 2