The Art of Song - Part II

Another piece Steve and I are considering for our upcoming lecture recital is Ernest Chausson's "Sérénade italienne" with text by Paul Bourget. The title indicates that it is a serenade, the poem indicates that it is a barcarolle, and interpreter Pierre Bernac states that it is neither. "It should be sung con slancio [vigorously, with dash] (half note=63), with pretty vocal effects" (The Interpretation of French Song, p. 94). The text reads: Let us sail in a boat over the sea to pass the night under the stars. See, there is just enough breeze to inflate the canvas of the sails.

The old Italian fisherman and his two sons, who steer us, listen but understand nothing of the words which we speak.

On the sea, calm and dark, see, our souls may commune, and none will understand our voices but the night, the sky and the waves.

Where does this story take place? What time of day is it? How many people are on this boat? Who is the character speaking and who is he/she speaking to? Perhaps we are in Italy but given the last line, it seems as if the two main characters are foreign to the surroundings: "And none will understand our voices but the night, the sky and the waves." There seems to be a feeling of secrecy and delight in this thought, don't you think?

Listen to Gérard Souzay perform with pianist Jacqueline Bonneau here. I love the atmospheric writing for the piano!

Previously: The Art of Song - Part I

The Art of Song - Part I

I am preparing my first lecture recital. Steve and I will be presenting a program of art song transcriptions for saxophone and piano, discussing our interpretation, approach, and the relationship between music and text. One of the pieces we are considering including is Aaron Copland's "Heart, we will forget him" with text by Emily Dickinson: Heart, we will forget him! You and I, tonight! You may forget the warmth he gave, I will forget the light.

When you have done, pray tell me, That I my thoughts may dim; Haste! lest while you're lagging, I may remember him!

What is this text about? Who is the character speaking? Do we assume that it is a woman? What time of day is it? What is the underlying emotion? At first glance, the piece seems dramatic and full of literal longing (rubato) - perhaps the character is broken-hearted, mourning the loss of a lover. Is there an alternative interpretation to consider or is the poetic intent fairly clear?

From a whimsical perspective, could the character simply be lamenting the end of the day? Consider this line in the first stanza: "You may forget the warmth he gave, I will forget the light." Could Dickinson be referring to the sun? Does this give you an idea of how much the interpretation of the text informs our musical decisions?!

What do you think of the text? Listen to Copland's setting in this performance by Dawn Upshaw and the Saint-Paul Chamber Orchestra. How did Copland interpret Dickinson's words? What does the music suggest?

Organization

I love being organized (another reason why I love office supply stores, as you may have read here). I love file folders, binders, and shelf space. My closet is organized by color (hangers included). So, as you can imagine, I have daily to-do lists. Today, I discovered the wonders of TeuxDeux. Now I can organize my to-do list days in advance... let that sink in for a minute. Imagine the possibilities! When transforming my to-do list into a TeuxDeux list, I realized that in the mix of "email _____" and "check _____," I had several insurmountable tasks which inadvertently rolled over from yesterday's to-do list. Of course, they're not really insurmountable, they're just too big to tackle in one day. Solution? Break each target item into 3+ action steps, as described here (see the chart?) This way, I am making progress toward my larger goals in small, manageable pieces. For instance:

Happy weekend, friends and cheers to a very productive week to come!

The Adult Church Choir Rehearsal

The Sanctuary Choir has had an exciting year! First of all, look how we've grown from 12 members last summer to 21 members at Christmas time! We have a great group of enthusiastic singers who are very faithful to the music program and are eager to learn! What more could a director ask of a choir? Take a seat on one of the red velvet pews in the back of the Sanctuary and observe one of our Thursday night choir rehearsals...

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Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal

7:00-7:10 p.m. - Warm-Ups

• Stretches, sighs, sirens, humming, chewing, facial massage

• Breathe in for four counts, hold for four counts, breathe out for four counts

• Me-ahh (starting with a D Major triad going up: 15-4321)

• Vi-va (starting with a D Major triad going up: 1234-5656-54321)

• Vocal Siren

• Reminders: singing through the consonant to the vowel, sitting on top of the note instead of reaching up to it

Opening Prayer

7:10-7:15 p.m. - Sunday’s Anthem

• Prayer for Peace (Lightfoot)

• Reminders: tall mouth-shape, tempo changes, dynamics, cut-offs, more breath preparation before entrances

7:15-7:20 p.m. - Service Music (all a cappella)

• Introit: O Worship the King (Traditional Hymn)

• Prayer Response: Breathe on Me, Breath of God (Traditional Hymn)

• Benediction Response: Amen (Danyew)

• Reminders: breathing together, imagining first note before singing it, singing into the sound around you, enunciate!

7:20-7:50 p.m. - Anthems

• Come to the Water (Hasseler) - new

• Reminders: direction of phrases (most important word of phrase), breath preparation, phrase-shaping

• An Hour of Hallowed Peace (Danyew)

• Reminders: "hushed" text painting (singing the word in a way that depicts its meaning), breath support for soft singing, preparing to sing 5ths, direction of phrases (most important word of phrase), phrase-shaping

• Jesus, Savior, Friend (Glass)

• Reminders: consistent tempo, syncopated rhythm review, tall mouth shape/vowels, confidence, relationship of vocal parts to accompaniment

7:50-7:55 p.m. - Announcements

• Choir picture is up on the website!

• Joke Time

7:55-8:00 p.m. - Talk Break

8:00-8:30 p.m. - Anthems

• You Are the Song (Courtney)

• Reminders: syncopated rhythm review, parts review, relationship of vocal parts to accompaniment

• The Gift of Love (Traditional Hymn) - a cappella, rehearse in circle

• Reminders: look up!, blend with people around you, direction of phrases, phrase-shaping, dynamic contour

Prayer Circle

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What does your church choir rehearsal look like?

Sonntag

This strophic German song (Op. 47, No. 3) by Johannes Brahms is about Sunday love - a young man longing for the beautiful girl he only sees in church on Sunday. Steve transcribed it for saxophone and piano, as you can hear in the recording below (listen for laughter in the piano interlude and coda!) For an in-depth description of our rehearsal process for this piece, read this. Enjoy!

"So all the week I've not seen my dear love, on a Sunday I saw her standing at her door; my darling love, my darling sweet, would God, I were with her today!

So all the week I'll not cease to laugh, on a Sunday I saw her going to church: my darling love, my darling sweet, would God, I were with her today!"

-Ludwig Uhland (tr. George Bird and Richard Stokes)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pek65juDrdM&w=480&h=390]

Ave Maria

We did a few new recordings in December, so in case you haven't heard this already, here is a transcription of Schubert's Ave Maria, Op. 52, No. 4 for saxophone and piano: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDFdjgzAs0c&fs=1&hl=en_US]

Making Opportunities Happen

I’ve often been advised to “make the most of opportunities” – I’m sure you’ve been there, too.  Sometimes an opportunity presents itself out of nowhere – maybe it’s an extra time commitment, maybe it’s out of your comfort zone and just when you’ve convinced yourself to pass it by, suddenly the opposing voice in your head says, “Wouldn’t this be a great experience?”  In my case, the opposing voice usually wins.

I recently had a conversation with my dad about this very thing.  In fact, he even quoted my opening statement.  As we continued our conversation, we talked about the importance of making opportunities happen.  It’s great when opportunities just pop up in front of you (Hi!  I’m Mr. Opportunity!) but let’s face it – sometimes the opportunities just aren’t there.  The economy struggles, organizations lose funding, no one is hiring.  Have you experienced this?  How do you respond?

It starts with a problem.  Problems are everywhere!  Pick one and figure out how you can solve it with your given skillset.

Problem: I moved to a town with no community music programs. Solution: open a piano studio (I have nine students after four months) and start two children’s choirs (I have fourteen enrolled this year).  I had to think beyond my comfort zone (i.e. teaching in an established organization where marketing and administration is taken care of by someone else) but as a result of thinking entrepreneurially, I now have the flexibility to set my own schedule and create my own teaching environment.

Problem: there are no opportunities for amateur musicians to come together to play or listen to chamber music in town. Solution: start a summer chamber music workshop.  I give you the Westminster Chamber Music Workshop – a week-long series of coachings, rehearsals, and special events for amateur players and choral singers in the area to come together to network, learn, and make music.  Special events each night will feature guest artists in performance and lecture – free and open to the public!

It’s not always about making the most of opportunities… sometimes it’s just about making the opportunities happen.

Gebet

Enjoy our interpretation of "Gebet" [Prayer] by Hugo Wolf: "Lord! Send what Thou wilt, delight or pain; I am content that both flow from Thy hands.

May it be Thy will neither with joys nor with sorrows to overwhelm me! For midway between lies blessed moderation."

-Eduard Mörike

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlHMs6L9AE0&fs=1&hl=en_US]

Snow Day

"I want a snowfall kind of love
The kind of love that quiets the world
I want a snowfall kind of love
'Cause I'm a snowfall kind of girl."

-Ingrid Michaelson

It's the first snow day of the season and I am a happily-snowed-in girl at the moment. This is the perfect weather for writing and a good playlist. See what I'm listening to at the moment.

We have at least 18" on the ground now with more coming down each hour. Of course, snow bunny that I am, Steve and I were up and dressed by 8 a.m. We successfully dug the car out of the parking lot and made it up the mountain. Lifts were running when we pulled up at 8:20 a.m. or so and we eagerly changed into our boots, starting our first run by 8:35 a.m. Conditions were great and with the amount of snow still coming down, it was almost like cutting new tracks for the first few runs.

Today, I learned how to ski in heavy powder (the hard way). I confidently hopped off the lift on the third or fourth run and headed towards the black diamond straight from the top of the mountain. About halfway down, I hit a pile of powder and my skis just stopped. I, of course, tumbled at this point. Two more times on the same run, I found myself flat (think belly flop) with my skis bent over my head (case in point why I wear a helmet!) 

What is wrong with me today? I haven't fallen in over a year! 

My confidence was shattered and I began skiing with fear (i.e. not fully shifting weight, skis crossing, losing balance). We finally made it to the bottom.

On the lift again, I heard Steve say the words I was dreading, "I think we'll take that trail again." Obviously, I am not comfortable skiing in heavy powder yet, let alone on a black diamond - what are you doing to me! By the time we got to the top, I had given myself enough of a pep talk to at least start down the trail. What a striking similarity to performance:

I've performed this piece before and did everything right - no memory slips, complete control, focus, artistry. Suddenly, a new environment and the whole thing falls apart. Memory slip. Finger slip. Tempo beyond control. Fear.

Well, friends, I hate to admit it, but I fell on the second time down that trail, too. And the third. But with each frustrating misstep and moment of unbalance, I felt more focused and more determined to learn from my mistakes. With each uninspiring turn, what can I improve? How can I change my approach the next time? By the end of the morning, despite falls and fear, I felt a new sense of mastery. Today, I learned to hunker down and not let the heavy stuff hold me back.

Happy snow day, y'all!

Setting Studio Goals

This is the first week of the spring term at the Studio and I have all of my piano students setting goals. 

#1: Practice ___ times per week
#2: Practice ___ minutes per day

The idea came in part from a suggestion from a parent on an assessment that I sent out at the end of last semester. She was seeking a way to keep her 7-year-old daughter more accountable at home. 

To paraphrase her words:

“She loves playing and she looks forward to lessons, yet somehow she never forgets to do her homework but she always forgets to practice the piano.” 

In response, I created a one-page chart listing Monday-Sunday with a column for items and number of minutes practiced. The two goals are listed at the top.

It’s interesting to hear the goals these students set for themselves.

Most say they will aim to practice 4-5 times a week with practice sessions ranging from 15 minutes to 25 minutes. They also get a thrill adding up the number of minutes they will practice per week.

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I think goal-setting is very important. I could dictate that my students practice 5 days a week for 30 minutes each day but I feel that it’s important for the students to set these initial goals themselves. After a few weeks of hopefully successful practicing, I might suggest that we increase those goals. 

This way though, the student has the ownership. It’s not a mandate from me or from their parents, it’s a goal they themselves set out to achieve.

This is the first time I have presented practicing goals to my students so we’ll see how much they achieve in the weeks to come!

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Another goal-setting resource I created for my students includes space for them to jot down ideas about achievement goals, how they want to use their music for good, and creativity goals. Each worksheet is intended for a 12-week or 3-month period of time, giving students plenty of time to work through their action steps.

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