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
Ziye Zhou
December 2017
The graduate project of Ziye Zhou is approved:
______Dr. Ketchie-saar, Diane Date
______
Dr. Murray, Deanna Date
______
Dr. Sannerud, Lawrence, Chair Date
California State University, Northridge
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Table of Contents
Signature Page ii
Abstract iv
Program 1
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Abstract
Obsessed: A Graduate Voice Recital
BY
Ziye Zhou
Master of Music in Music, Performance
Songs of Love, Sadness, and Happiness
Solo vocal repertoire, in its earliest forms, were part of operatic works, sacred works, and as the genre developed, the art song became an important development that included contributions globally. The subjects of solo vocal repertoire encompass all the aspects of the human experience, including love, happiness, sadness, friendship, religious topics, etc. This broad wealth of repertoire matched my desire to include repertoire in my recital that represents multiple eras and cultures, and performed in multiple languages. The repertoire contains various styles, technical requirements, and themes.
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“O del mio dolce ardor,” “Nel cor piu non mi sento,” “Lasciatemi morire” and “Non posso disperar” are Italian art songs. During the 18th and 19th centuries, opera composers started using more romantic themes in their works. “O del mio dolce ardor” is written by German composer
Christoph Willibald Cluck. The text of this song is from one of the Italian poet Ranieri de’
Calzabigi’s poems. Gluck applied slow rhythms in the beginning of the song, leading to the idea that “my sweetheart I want to be together with you to seek and breathe”. “Nel cor piu non mi sento”, also well known as La molinara, is composed by Giovanni Paisiello. As a famous and classical song, it’s widely used in the course of vocal pedagogy, as it is a simple piece that is quite appropriate to teach various technical aspects of singing. The third song “Lasciatemi morire”, composed by Claudio Monteverdi, who was a very influential composer of early opera.
This beautiful, one page piece might seem easy, but the dramatic nature of the piece requires much from the performer. To express the character’s sadness and desperation, “Lasciatemi
Morire” has been repeated twice in the opening, which means “let me die.” The last song in the
Italian group is “Non posso disperar.” This song is from the opera Eraclea, composed in 1692.
It’s attributed to and composed by S. De Luca and Giovanni Battista Bononcini. The name of the song means “I cannot despair”. The composer used an accompanied opening vocal line in the to express the singers despair.
“Lied der Mignon,” “An die Nachtigall,” and “Gretchen am Spinnrade” are three German
Lieder by Franz Schubert. “Lied der Mignon” is one of the settings of Mignon legend. Mignon is a character in Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre’s novel. Many German, Italian, and French composers wanted to explore the character of Mignon. In this song, Mignon always suffered from being taken from her homeland, and her lover lying to her. Her sorrow is perfectly described by slow beats and long phrases. The second song “An die Nachtigall” is also a sad
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song. Throughout the whole piece, the composer only uses a simply stated piano accompaniment.
It expressed the character’s sadness through simple harmonies and melody. The last song
“Gretchen am Spinnrade” was composed when Schubert was 17 years old and has become one of his most famous Lied. This song derives from Faust, a tragic poem of the renowned German poet, Goethe. Many singers since its composition are thrilled to interpret this gem in the Schubert repertoire. In it, the singer describes her pain and tears relating to her love, all while tearfully working the spinning wheel. A quick tempo from the beginning of the piece vividly presents the image of a spinning wheel. Schubert embodied the harmonious progress from D minor to C major in the first section. “Gretchen am Spinnrade” has most certainly influenced the development of German Lied.
The only aria in my recital program “Porgi, amor” is composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, from the opera of Le Nozze Di Figaro. Le Nozze Di Figaro composed in 1786 is a four-act opera, noted for its remarkable ensembles. The aria mainly expresses the Countess’ internal emotions after learning from her maid that her husband had cheated on her. The countess sings the aria alone in her ornate bedroom with a heart full of sorrow. Utilizing a slow tempo tempo, and although a short aria in length, it perfectly expresses the Countess’ expressed Countess’ internal pain and her struggle. It requires of the singer a steady and smooth breathing technique, and unified vowell positions to sing this song. Vocal technique and drama must merge to perform this piece well.
The French group contains three songs, “Le Secret,” “Pie Jesu,” and “Ici-bas,” all composed by
Gabriel Fauré. Often, French songs are excellent vehicles to express love and romance. The
French art song “Le Secret” translates to “The Secret”. The poem expresses the main character’s love from the dawn to the dusk, and speaks of the person she’s missing. She wishes the setting
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sun could take her love away and this secret with it. “Pie Jesu” belongs to the requiem genre and its text is Latin. The lyrics asks that the merciful Jesus to please give rest and peace forever. The last French piece ,“Ici-bas,” is another French art song. Its fluent vocal line, slow tempo, and long phrases describe the desire of the poet to live in a world where flowers and loves never fade.
The crucial part of performing this piece technically is abundant and steady breath.
The final group contains three Chinese songs. “Velvet flower”, “Red bean song” and “Swan geese”, respectively composed by Ming Wang, Xuean Liu, and a Mongolian composer. The first song “Velvet flower”, composed in 1979, is the theme song of a romantic movie Little Flower.
Its smooth melody and poetic lyrics are deeply moving for the audience. Longing for velvet flowers is what the song expresses, as well as that of love. “Velvet flower” has won The Best
Film Music Award in the 3rd Chinese Hundred Flowers Awards for Films in 1980. The second song “Red bean song” was composed by Xueqin Cao and its lyric were written by xuean Liu.
The text derived from the 28th Chapter of A Dream in Red Mansions, one of the Chinese Four
Great Classical Novels. It’s sung by the main character Baoyu Jia in the novel, with a theme of love, expressing the pain of missing the lover. The melody has its ups and downs, yet smooth and dulcet, reflecting with the lyrics and the distressing atmosphere. The last Chinese song is
“Swan geese”. It’s a Chinese folk song of the Mongolian ethnic group, composed by famous
Chinese composer Yanwei Lv. With its long phrase and slow rhythm, the audience would imagine freely flying above the vast grassland like a swan goose. The composer pinned his homesickness to swan geese, wishing the swan geese could take his greetings back home.
This song recital program explores the themes of love, sadness, and happiness---at times in the same piece. In the world of music, every song has its own universe of emotions. As artists, we must dive into the bitter and the sweet themes in our repertoire to be true to these great
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compositions. Excellent singing technique must be married to the dramatic themes in order to interpret these masterpieces well.
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PROGRAM
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O del mio dolce ardor.…………. Christoph Willibald von Gluck
(1714-1787)
Nel cor piu non mi sento……………………... Giovanni Paisiello
(1740-1816)
Lasciatemi morire…………………………... Claudio Monteverdi
(1567-1643)
Non posso disperar…………………………………… S. De Luca
(15…-16…)
II
Lied der Mignon………………………………………………. FR. Schubert
(1797-1828)
An die Nachtigall
Gretchen am Spinnrade
INTERMISSION
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III
Porgi, amor…………………………. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(1756-1791)
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Le Secret…………………………………………...Gabriel Faure
(1845-1924)
Pie Jesu
Ici-bas
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Velvet flowers…………………………………………. Ming Wang
(1934-1997)
Red bean song………………………………………...Xuean Liu
(1905-1985)
Swan geese………………………………………Mongolian song
(1973-current)
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