M~ INVESTIGATION OF THE MUSICAL DEVICES USED BY RANDALL THOMPSON TO COMPOSE WORKS ON THE TEXT OF ROBERT FROST

A Thesis

Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts

by

Jerome C. Maxwell, B.S. The Ohio State University 1966

Approved by

Departme Music ACKNOWLEDGEME1~

The writer wishes to thank Dr. Wayne Ramsey and Prof. Dale

Gilliland for their guidance in the preporatio~ of t~is study.

The writer also wishes to thank his wife, Emmy, for her invaluable aid and encouragement.

ii

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

_P_u_r~p;..o_s_e__o_f .~ study

The purpose of this study was to analyze the musical set­

tings by Randall Thompson of seven poems of Robert Frost. The poems were studied from the standpoint of providing the conductor comprehensive understanding essential to a performance of these

choral works. Too frequently the conductor performs choral compositions with little understanding of the significance of many musical and poetic factors involved in a choral setting.

Posing such questions as the following would appear to be basic for gaining a comprehensive understanding of the music.

1. What is the meaning of the poem? What poetic devices have been used in develo~inG' this mcn!.1inc?

2. Does the musical setting seem to be appropriate to this meaning'?

3. What kinds of compositional devices has the composer used to enhance the text?

4. What problems regarding interpretation are evident from study of the score?

5. What technical problems are involved in the performance of the compositions?

Answers to the above questions are pertinent to gaining

1

3 students if they are to gain some comprehension of music they are performing.

Procedure

The following procedures were used in connection with the development of this study.

1. A study was made of selected writings regarding the composer end poet. These are listed in the bibliography. This study, which included biographies, reviews, periodicals, and critiques, provided the basis for understanding style and charac­ teristics of the poet an1 the co~poser.

2. The analysis was initiated with a study of each text as to meaning, rhyme scheme, meter, style and devices.

3. An investigation was made of the musical devices utilized by the composer. This study included examination of the rela­ tionship of the text with regard to melody, harmony, rhythm, form and accompaniment.

4. Judgments were then formulat0d concerning the musical effect of the composer's settings.

Limitations

Limitations of this study are:

1. The study is confined to Frostiana, a group of seven compositions by RandAll Thompson with the text of Robert Frost.

2. The analysis is restricted to understandings of the music which are considered essential to the effective musical

CHAPTER II

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE COHPOSER AND POET, INCLUDING

A BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF EACH

In preparing to analyze Frostiana, knowledge of the composer and poet, the backgrounds and characteristics of their writings lend insight to the works being 8tudied. Chapter Two is divided

into two sections. Part (A) presents a brief biographical sketch of Randall Thompson, including examples and discussions of the characteristics of his works. Part (B) includes a biographi­ cal sketch of Robert Frost and discussions of the characteristics of his writing.

A. The composer--Randall Thompson

Randall Thompson as a composer has seemingly taken his own way with respect to the more radical tendencies of his con­ temporaries. He leans to\v'ard lia style based on the safer, more 1 tried practices of ol~er masters". It has been said of Thompson that his music possesses a true spirit of Americanism, having been inspired by "the native artistic environment of this countryll.2 He avoids harmonies, rhythms, and contrapuntal

lQuincy Porter, "American Composers, XVIII, Randall Thomp:.~oh;;; Hodern Husic, XIX (Mny-Junc, 1942),. 237.

2Elliot Forbes, l'The i'1usic of Randall Thompson, Ii The l1usical QU2.rterly, XXXV (Janu.:,ry, 1949), 1. 5

8 this study is based, it would be well to briefly consider other works by this composer.

Americana, sets forth several techniques frequently utilized by Thompson, thus enhancing the text. The example to follow shows how the composer has reinforced the natural accent of the words by subdividing the beats into an irregular number of notes and bringing musical action to the verbs; thus making every word unmistakably distinct. Illustrative of all Thompson's writing, it seems that each word has dictated to the composer his use of dynamic and expressive markings. Melodic climax is obtained as a result of the sequential chromatic progressions, hereby in­ tensifying the wrath of the preacher through melodic build-up.

He again displays his ability in the combining of words 9 with music in his opera Solomon and Balkis. Quincy Porter stated:

His opera Solomon and Balkin has great charm and arrives at its cli.~ most effectively. There is no lack of melody, and it is melody which is extremely singable. Here again the prosody is unusual, eXhibiting his skill in throwing just the right emphasis of each syllable of the script.5

;;Alleluia'l, a choral work for mixed voices, can possibly be expressed as Thompson's masterpiece in terms of its acceptance and popularity. Each melodic line melting reverently into another, flows smoothly along; the couposer devising the use of parallel first and second inversion chords atop a pedal point tendency. George Wallace Hood\'lTorth, conductor of the Harvard

Glee Club and TIadcliffe Choral Society has said regarding

"AlleluiaIj :

So sure was lk. Thompson's technique and so masterly his grasp of the true genius of choral singing, that despite a blueprint of unique limitations, he had created one of the noblest pieces of choral music 6 in the twentieth century.

The Peaceable Kingdom, probably the finest work of the composer, is contrapuntally conceived though frequently chordal in texture. The use of the modal when referring to the wicked, and major in reference to the righteous, is of significance.

ii "Woe Unto Them , the second chorus of this \lork, gains intensity through its rhythmic activity. The folloWing excerpt points out

the contrasting lines of the soprano ~nd bass, bringing into

5Porter, ~. ~., p. 238.

6George \:allace Uood\.,rorth, Boston Symphony Program Notes, 1947-1948, (Tuesday Evening Series Vol. 5), 1028.

11

that he is writing music which regardless to its style, has a well justified place in our musical life and will without question continue to please and satisfy its listeners after much of the ex­ perimental music of the present has ceased to startle or amuse us. 7

Randall Thompson makes the following statement with regard to himself:

About twenty-five years ago I came across a line of Thomas Caryle that I promptly committed to memory. It ran something like this: 'Create, create! Be it the pitifullest, most infinites­ simal product, it is the best that is in you. Out with it then!' That's roughly it, I thitik~ and--come to think of it--that exhortation worked itself into a philosophy of creation that is now second nature to me. My hand has never been re­ strained from writing what I wanted to--so long as what it wrote was the best I could write, written 8 in the best way I could write it.

B. The poet--Robert Frost

Robert Frost has received more honor and acclaim from a wider audience than any other poet in the entire range of American literature. "He is a man and poet who so completely represents 9 what is healthy B.nd strong in Americe.n life. 11

Frost, who descended from a line of New Englanders dating back to 1632, was born in California on March 26, 1875. His

father, an editor-politician, died of tuberculosis in his early

thirties.\ofhen Frost was ten years old. Young Robert was then

7Porter, --op. cit., p. 240. 8 Ibid., p. 241­

9John Robert Doyle, The Poetry of Robert Frost. (Johannesburg: Hitwatersrand UniversITy Press, 1962), p. 3. 12 taken by his mother back to his ancestral Now England where he grew into an independent young man.

At the age of fifteen, Frost's first poem appeared in the school paper; at nineteen his first professional poem was pub­ lished in a national magazine, 2;,he ~nde~~ent. Deciding on the career of Q poet, Frost received encour~gement from his mother, but opposition from his grandfather who felt there was little future in writing poetry. Frost entered Dartmouth College but soon became bored with the curriculum and returned home. Three years later he married Elin~r Miriam White, a former high school classmate.

Again Frost sought to complete an education, this time at

Harvard. Quitting after two ye~rs of dissatisf2ction, Frost moved to a farm near v,fGst Derry, NV\>f Hampshire. This farm, pur­ chased by his grandfather, was Frost's home during the next ten years of his life.

In 1912, ~fter several rejections from Scribner's, Century, and The Atlantic Monthly, Frost sailed for England where he hoped to find ~ better reception. There he was successful in pUblishing

~ Boy's \'Jill B.nd North of Boston. .Jhen Frost returned to America two years later, he was surprised to find himself famous as a result of these publications.

In the years to follow, Frost sp0nt time as a poet in resident at Amherst Colleg.}, University of Michigan, and Harvard

University. His publications included: Mountain Interval (1916), New Hampshire (1923), Solected.... Poems (1923), -­West Running Brook

14 no one loves the suggestion of inequality produced by a wall, still he believed in the old saying, "Good fences make good neighbors". Radcliffe Squires says: "He has preserved an inde­ pendence at the price of isolating himself from the company of poets, but I believe that except for Edward Thomas, his profounder friendships have been "lith scholars, teachers, and the laity."ll

As the music of Randall Thompson stands alone, so too stands the poetry of Robert Frost. It is contemporary only in the sense that it is not Victorian. Unlike modern poetry of the twentieth century, Frost has gone his own way even in matters of diction, trope, and technical versification. Squires, commenting on his techniques says the following:

My impression is that Frost's diction by contem­ porary standards is rather pure. One seldom, perhaps never, finds Frost trying to re-establish the meaning of a word, either by unusual placement or by tampering with its components, or by illumi­ nating the frightened pun which squirms in many English words • • • As to device, while Frost, like other contemporaries, leans hardest on the metaphor and simile, his ambition is comparatively restricted • • • as to versification, Frost is no innovator in a period primarily devoted to experi­ mentation. To my ear, all Frost's poetry is essentially iambic, and while one can readily agree with him when he says he \'1rites his "own kind of blank verse", neither the statement nor the agreement suggest that the form aspires to anything new. • • For Frost, form has almost no other reward than itself. Hence his often re­ peated statement to the effect that he would as leave write ~ poem in free verse as play tennis without a net. Form to him is not mystagogy; it . f 1S un. 12

llRadcliffe Squires, The Major Themes of Robert Frost. (Ann Arbor; The University-of Michigan Pres~ 1953), pp. 5-6.

12~t, pp. 2-3. 15

Frost thinks that the advantage of a poem over any other literary form, consists in its limited number of sentences. His good sentencing, easy rhyming, and use of words, not as they usually are but as they can be used, are all part of his fine techniques. Frost uses regular metrical patterns. For him there are just two rhythms--loose and strict iambic. Perhaps his secret of originality can be found in his ability to turn his readers into listeners and speakers. He often uses words in their root sense and makes serious puns, but it is his phrasing and sentencing idiomatically, not any use of dialect, that makes the poems speak on the page. His lines hover between regular meter and speech rhythms; this so properly treated by Randall

Thompson.

Frost has contributed as much to as many people as any poet of our time. Even though many have misunderstood him, he has gained remarkable acceptance. With traditions being changed,

Frost remained stationary in his characteristics and practices.

He has seemed to critics as a representative of the best of both old and new. CHAPTER III

AN ANALYSIS OF THE MUSICAL DEVICES

FOUND IN FROSTIANA

Introduction.

This chapter consists of a report of the analytic study of

Randall Thompson's musical settings to the poems of Robert Frost.

Each composition is individually dealt with in terms of: a) structure Rnd meaning of the text, b) musical devices used by the composer, and c) generalizations regarding the total musical effect.

Frostiana, a group of seven country songs, was composed between June 15 and July 7, 1959 in Gstaad, Switzerland. These choral compositions are for men's, won~1's and mixed voices with piano accompaniment. The poems are from Frost's collection You

Come Too \'Ii tIl the exception of YiChoose Something Like a StarYi which is associated with the title Afterword. The picturesque

Bongs display a quaint simplicity of a New England community.

They contain compositions which sing of roads, stars, woods, flowers, and pastures, with an invitRtion to the listener to come along the road into the enchanting surroundings and enjoy nature.

Frostiana was first performed for the anniversary of the

16 17

Incorporation of the Town of Amherst, r~ssachusetts, which took place on October 18, 1959. It was sung by the Bicentennial Chorus, conducted by Randall Thompson. Robert Frost was present. 18

Analysis no. 1

Th8 Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood

~nd sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had ".lorn them really about the same,

And both th8t mornin~ e~ually lay

In leaves no step had trodden blRck.

Dh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

SomeWhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I~-

I took the one less tr~veled by,

And that has made ell the difference. 19

The text a) Rhyme scheme - (abaab) b) Meter - Iambic tetrameter

c) Stanzas - Four quintains

d) Poetic devices - Personification, line 8

e) Style - Lyric

Frost himself once told of standing alone at the fork of a road, and not knowing which to choose, chose the path which

seemed less frequented. Yet both were so inviting and so much alike, he hoped he could travel the other someday. Frost must have been thinking of this experience as he penned the words of

the poem. Through the beauty painted in the verse, one cannot escape comparing this to the road of life. Frost took the chal­

lenge of "the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference", leading us to believe his road was already mapped out for him, and that his choice was not his alone.

The music

P.) Key - d minor

b) Tempo - Andante Moderato (J = 70)

c) Heter - 4/4

d) Classification of voices - SATB

Randall Thompson immediately establishes the mood of this thought provoking poem by the somber texture of the piano intro­ duction. Here the walking tempo (andante moderato) joined with piano and pianissimo as the voices enter, prepares for the 20

message of the poetry. The d natural minor key coupled with

steady legato chor'.'g continuing through measure 33, suggests the

steady pac8 of a wdlk. The unison VOiC8S give the suggestion of

a singular person.

As the voices enter, Thompson gives a beautiful example of prosody; the rhyth~ic pattern of the music having been obviously

dictated by the rhythmic flow of the spokvn words. The melody here ascends and descends naturally as vocal inflections \Iould

rise and fall in the reading of the phrase. Close adherence to

the poetry is notable in that all accents fallon the proper, normal syllables. The full·-chordal accompe.nim9nt found in meas­ ures 1-33 lends support to the unison choir. Particularly effective is the continuous octave bass line which moves in both parallel and contrary motions. The four stanzas center around

the key of d minor, diverting only occasionally to an u~relatBd or dissonant chord, giving a feeling of slight misgiving as the

journey continues. The sound of the interludes takes on thought­ ful color, being rich in fifths and octaves. Frow measures 29-32

the accoldpanim0nt departs from the constant pia~ and begins to crescendo gradually to forto, thus bringing new interest to the esbJbl::'shed mood [end br,:::aking monotony as the tbird stanza. begins.

Thompson haG achieved variety in the third and fourth stan~as (measures 32-68) by harmonization of the vocal parts. The melody remains essentially the SAme with an occasional difference due to the change in the rhythmic flow of the text. The onward surge furniched in the accomp~niment earlier in the composition, 21

is now transferred to the choral parts. With the exception of an

interlude in measures 44-51, the accompaniment in the last two

stanzas has artfully related each phrase the one to the other,

and become a small joining bridge between phrases. Each is given a soft, delicate treatment with the exception of measure 38.

Here as the accompaniment leaps to its highest in the sequence,

the dynamic level also rises to mezzo-forte.

The interlude preceding stanza four becomes the climax of

the composition. Beginning in measure 42 a gradual crescendo

takes the dynamic level frON piano all the way to fortissimo. A

transition to Db is somewhat of a surprise in measure 49 and be­ comes the peak of the entire build-up, then just as abruptly as

the unrelated chords appeared, the key of d minor returns without

"'larning in mpD-sure 52. Here in the fourth st.snza, Thompson en­ larges upon the idea of the small accompaniment bridges. His effective use of a full measure or a half measure rest in the voice part seems to add significance to the words preceding

(measure 54 and 57). These l'ests add additional impact to Frost's

rl words ill shall be telling this with a sigh , giving one the feel­

ing of ponderous deliberation.

The lest line of the poem HAnd that has made all the dif­

ference", interpretively speaking, is probably one of the most perplexing. It leavep one with a Bcuse of wonder as to what Frost h~s tried to say, thus lending itself to a variety of interpre­

tations. At the beginning of this statement in measure 63, the

composer gives it special emphasis by use of the following 22

devices: a) contrary motion formed by the bass, tenor, and alto

against the soprano. 1'''hile the s;:'me technique was used at the

end of each stanza, Thompson utilizes a richer sound by the em­

ployment of a bass divisi; b) augmentation is used at the end of

the cadence with a .~ rallente.ndo; c) chor~.l parts are without accompaniment, giving greater attention to the low E~ in the

bass; d) a key change to D major from the parallel d minor, al­

though a common device, becomes an important interpretive factor.

Thompson's injection of the rn~jor key comes as a surprise; its

beginning fnlling on £h,:: last syllabL, of.'"1. ninor phr.<:l.se.

The brighter sound beginning in measure 67 seems to be in­

dicative that the bettor road has been chos~n. This interlude

(measure 67-75) is composed of the basic theme used throughout

the work; this time, however, in the major key. Tho use of semi­

stacca.!2.' the \Vriting in the treble clef, p.nd the change in tempo

to ~-alle~retto, blend together to achieve a brighter mood.

The brightness of the scene fades again and calls back the original

mood as the semi-staccato. markings are replaced with stress

markings and the grD.ll.ual build-up to mezz·o-forte diminishes once

again to piano. Measure 75 brings the interlude to an end with D. final fermata. This V' chord followed by a half rest seems to

suggest a hesitation which tends to provide transition for

Thompson's repetition of the last line which is eff0ctive musical­

ly. With a touch of reminiscence, he rRturns to the minor key

as he muses over the road well taken. Emphasis on the repeated

last line is cleverly derived by the a cappella treatment sung 23 pianissimo with meno mosso to a slight crescendo, then with a rallentando gradually returning to pianissimo. As the voices sustain the final syllable, the accompaniment returns to Tempo I

(andante moderato) and ascends the keyboard on a quietly re­ strained d minor scale, ending pensively on ~:hree whole note chords (measure 84-86) the last fading to a triple piano.

The simplicity of the poeo S8ems to be the basis for

Thompson's generally strophic style. Adherence to a constant 4/4 meter comes about due to the strict evenness of the rhythmic schem8. Each stanz& (four in all) is composed of five phrases eacll, and yet each is treated differently by means of the numerous devices previously discussed. 24

Analysis ~. 3.

The Pasture

I'm going out to clean the pasture spring;

I'll only stop to rake the leaves away

(And wait to watch the water clear, I may) :

I sha'n't be gone long.--You come too.

I'm going out to fetch the little calf

That's standing by the mother. It's so young

It totters when she licks it with her tongue.

I sha'n't be gone long.--You come too.

The text

a) Rhyme scheme - (abbc) (deec)

b) Heter Iambic pentameter

c) Stanzas - Two quatrains

d) Poetic devices - Alliteration, line 3 Repetition of line 4 and 8

e) Style - Lyric

This poem though short, possesses a wealth of beauty. It is so refreshing in its own simplicity and homespun in its sUbject.

Frost shows us here his love for the things of nature. He is so adept in his poetic expression that the scene becomes alive and captivating even to the most ardent city dweller.

Going out to clean a pasture spring could for some be a lengthy, even unpleasant task, but how different one feels about 25 it upon reading Frost's description. It now becomes a thing of beauty, a place where one might lose the cares of the day even as the water of the spring will clear.

The music

a) Key F major

b) Tempo Lento pastorale

c) Meter 6/8 and L~/l.j.

d) Classification of voices - TBB

Thompson's choice of male voices for this composition seems to be most significant. The text gives one to believe it is a man speaking as he is about to tend some of his routine chores. The cleaning of a spring, the raking of leaves, and the fetching of a calf speak of those tasks generally handled by a man, hence, the setting for male voices.

Preparing for things to come skilfully, Thompson could have set the stage no better way than with his quiet (pianissimo) lento pastorale. He keeps it freshly defined and simple as the melody proceeds in flowing manner in the treble clef, this pattern supported predominatly with fifths and octaves in the bass clef.

The music seems to fall into four, two measured phrases. The 6/8 meter falls into a placid and rel&y.ed two beats per ~easure. In the midst of the steadily flowing rhythm, interest is added in the melodic pattern by the use of a J ) combination injected into measure 6. This pastorale is the foundation of Thompson's entire plan for the poem, and is stated at the beginning in such a way 26 that the listener can be assured of its importance and expect its return.

The voices enter at measure 10 and the meter at that point is changed from the original 6/8 to 4/4. The use of prosody is here artfully displayed in that the evenness of the eighth notes of Thompson's requested tempo allows the conversational quality of the verse to be emphasized. The voices introduce a melody altogether new to that of the pastorale, ~nd as it begins, the accompaniment becomes a supporting device throughout the stanza.

The pianissimo entrance of the voices at measure 10 lets no break in the music or mood disrupt the serenity already established.

The quiet, molto legato expression of the text leaves no qu~stion that the task at the spring will be pleasant and enjoyable. The poco crescendo beginning o.t measure 14 and building to rnezzo­ forte in maasure 15 gives meaning to the words. Here the steady eighth note patterns march melodically in scale like fashion to a high F in the tenor part (measure 15); then the quiet promise

t diminishing to mezzo-piano, "I aha' n 't be gone long: • There is an eighth rest, then a quiet return of the promise, "I sha'n't be gone long"; this folloWGd in measure 17 and 18 by significant rests, and dictated by Fro~t himself before the gracious invita­ t:5_on !lyou come too". The three and one/half beats rest provided by measures 17~and 18, seem to spark the request with additional cordiality. Thompson seized upon the opportunity of vocal color found in the words "You come too", and placed the voices in this 27 particular spot in a low to medium low range, thus achieving the mellow, haunting sound of the 00 vowel.

The pastor~le theme returns in the accompaniment at measure

19 and once again weaves its way alone and quietly (pianissimo) through measure 28, to be replaced by the voices, which is the beginning of stan~a two. As in stanza one, pianissimo and mo1to legato are employed to the extent that the vocal entrance is subtle and the sudden absence of accompaniment goes unnoticed in measure 28. The melody here iA the same as stanza one, and flows onward to foretell of pleasure to come. The comfortable range in which Thompson has harmonized the voices, helps to bring about the sound of tranquil restraint. Again, prosody is apparent as

Thompson's musical approach to the words becomes evident.

In Frost's c1f!Scriptive line, ?lIt totters It/hen she licks it with her tongu~", Thompson employs sixteenth note8 to go along with the natural rhythm of the words (measure 32), and makes ad­ ditiona1 reinforcement by treating each not~ with a staccato. The eighth notes immediately follOWing return to legato and continue their ascent with a poco crescendo which surprises the listener by reaching its cliQax on the third beat of measure 33, after the

~ass and baritone parts have climbed to additional height. One

~nu1d normally expect the maximum dynamic level to be reached on t '1" .....'" climatic word directly.

Measure 34 brings about a new device, in that there is only one statement of "I I3hEt'n't 'be gone long", 1.>/hich before (measures

15--17) has been repeated. The mezz.o.-£2.:te diminishing to piano, 28 the straight quarter notes of the tenor part, the syncopated hint of suspension in the baritone voice, and the even eighth notes in the bass voice all combine together to form an effective pre­ lude to the important rest in measure:; 35 and 36. The signifi­ cance of the rest is emphasized by the dot over the second beat in measure 35. As the pianissimo and dolce plea is given again, the tenor divis~ (as in measure 18-20) bring even more color to the already mentioned "mellow" sounds of the music.

The last syllable in measure 37 returns once again to the pastorale. A variation in rhythmic interest is notable in measures 39 and 40, with an effectively used fermata placed upon the first note of measure 42. A touch of finality is felt as the treble part in the accompaniment consists of a slight staccato to the last two notes of measure 45. There is no doubt left as to how to handle the last phras~ it being carefully marked triple piano, ~ ~~ mosso, and dolcissimo. Finality is expressed by the quarter rest following the 1t/ord "you" in measure 47. This rest seems to make the invitation even more effective than before, and is quite noticeably unaccompanied. The rich blend of the re­ laxed "too", placed in so easy a range is carried quietly through measures 48 and 49 without ------crescendo (senza- crescendo). The soft (pianissimo) triplets ringing through with their intervals of fourths and fifths, end on the last beat of measure 48 as each sixteenth note marked with a stressed fermata diminishes into one final triplet in measure 49.

The general form of this composition is quite simple, in 29 keeping with the two stanza poem in the quatrain style. The work assumes the properties of an art song in that the accompaniment, the voice, and the poem are of equal importance and given equal attention. One might characterize the entire piece of music a6 having two distinct melodic themes; one instrumental, one vocal, each weaving their way through the poetry, alternating the one with the other as they are equally prominent. 30

Analysis ~ 3

Come In

~s I came to the edge of the woods,

Thrush music hr;o.rk' •

Now if it wan dusk outside,

Inside it was dark.

Too dark in the woods for a bird

By sleight of ving

To better its perch for tte night,

Though it still could sing.

The last of th0 light of the sun

Still lived for one con~ more

In a thr~sh's breast.

Far in the pillared dark

Thrush music went --­

Almost like a call to come in

To the dark and lament.

But no, I was out for stars:

I would not come in.

I M0ant not even if asked,

And I hadn't been. 31

The text

a) Rhyme scheme - (abcb)

b) Meter Basic iambic with variation in feet

c) Stanzas - Five quatrains

d) Poetic devices - Alliteration, lines 8, 9, 15 Metaphor - " p illarod a.ark" line 13

0) Style - Lyric

Here, Frost again shares with us his love for thl: things of nature. The woods must have often captivated this poet, as he frequently refers to them in his writing. As he walks on the edge of these woods, darkness blots the dusk. From the thick density therein comes the sweet song of a thrush. Frost, once again shoWing love for birds, is swept into imaginative wonder at its song. Tht forest, forboding and black to human sight, is home to the bird. It provides the solitude and the seclusion needful to the feathored songster.

The music

a) Key g minor

b) Tempo Lento c) Meter - 1+/4 d) Classification of voices -- SSA

The voice of a bird begins to sing in measure 1 and brings

determination to his song in measures 3 and 4 through the momcn­

tary rhythmic gain. Here the eighth notes first become triplets,

then sixteenth note patterns. The bird is soft spoken 32

(pianissimo - piano - pianissim~) as it provides fitting intro­ duction to the vocal entrance at measure 6. The staccato in measure 5 must be treated leggero, that is in delicate yet brisk manner, thus being vivid in its representation of a bird's call.

Here the three part womens voices (SSA) are provided with modal harmonies (g minor), pianissimo, for the text referring to the figure coming to the edge of the woods.

The piano accompaniment at measures 6 and 7 is treated lightly, so as not tode:tract from the text as it quietly doubles the voice parts. Measure 8 however, finds the accompaniment be­ ginning to take on the somber darkness of the woods as it reaches low into the bass clef through measure 10. The voices resting in measure 8 have prepared for the graceful (mezzo-piano) exclama­ tion (7), liThrush", then as if pausing to listen, a rest (t) before the word "music II, followed by a more pensive rest ~) before the final (piano-dolcissimo) outburst, "Hark: II At measure

11, the text is given most appropriate musical treatment (IINow if it was dark outside"). Starting at mezzo-forte and diminishing, the music flows naturally with the rhythm of the text, giving articulate ease to the voices. The stressed sounds of the ac­ companiment in measure 11 provide added emphasis for the text.

Following this the voices, pausing briefly ('"/), conclude "Inside

ll it "'las dark , with each note indicating stress (1) as they enter upon the word "dark" and diminish to the end of measure 14. All these devices used from measures 1-14 have effectively set a proper musical mood of the text. 33

Measure 15 recalls the bird once more as it sings with even more trills than before. His song is extended to six measures

(15-20) in comparison to the previous five (measures 1-5), the rhythmic pattern is new (measures 17-20) and chords are employed in the bass clef (measures 15-20).

Stanza two enters at measure 20 with the deep voice of the altos taking the melodic lead (identical, except positionally, to the opening soprano melody-measures 6-8). The first and second sopranos lend only support above as they move softly (pianiss~~o) downward. The sopranos pick up the melody again at measure 22.

The voices ease into a C major chord on the first beat of measure

23, as the text refers to the wings of this small bird (IlBy

ii sleight of wing ). Good prosody is employed from measures 22-25 as the melody and harmony, in accordance with the text, begin to crescendo to the forte of measure 25. During this build-up, the accompaniment continues its darkened bass, while above, well chosen modal chords support the voices. Thompson's use of the sixteenth rest (1) in measure 25, followed by the syncopated entrance of the text, makes the phrase flThough it still could sing" seem a \'lelcome after thought. This phrase, effectively handled from its piano beginning, to its forte at measure 27, comes to a subito piano and gives the word "singij (measure 28) added significance as it leads into the song of the bird (mea­ sure 29). The interlude, six measures in length, varies strikingly from previous rhythms as it flutters through measure

33. St~n~a thr~e begins at measure 34, and it is here that

Thompson accoMplishes a clever Gwitch in melodic line. In com­ paring the soprano line at measures 20-22 with that of measures

34-36, one c~n note that the first seems to provide a temporary harmony for the alto melody, yet the latter, using the same melodic idee, is now the melody. The same statement may be said in reverse with regard to the alto part in these identical mea­ sures. The sun's fading seems to be portrayed (measures 35-42) by the movement of modal chords resolving into a bright F major chord. The ~Gresccndo. provides climax to the "one song more"

(measure 39), still alive in the breast of the thrush. Measures

43-49 provide more imitative melodic patterns differing once more in rhythm, even to the point of a time change at measure 45.

One can detect the excitem8nt of the bird'e inflections as he begins to build from piGnissimo (measure 46) to fortissimo

(measure 49), ending emphatically (» at ~easure 49.

Stanza four begins forte and with accent, following the preceding build-up. The full triads of the womens voices, seem to place the bird deep into the woods, and at measure 50, while the voices sustnin, the bass accompaniment darkens the picture.

Heasure 51, beginning ~ forte brings beauty to the song of the bird with a full (forte - fortissimo) piano representation of its nusic. As the poet reads into the ce.11 of the bird, IIAlmost like a call to come in to the d8.rk and lament", Thompson begins at a piano dynamic level and proceeds to move chordwise upward to an attacked. forte, then as if saddened (iilamenti1), the note drops in 35

minor step (neasure 55), while the accompaniment moves on in

striking (» fashion with the voices resting above it (measure 56).

Stanza five finds the poet almost angered at himself for becoming so carried away by a creature so small, and reminds himself that he has been distracted fron his reason for coming

into the night, to look at the stars. The fortissimo attack

(measure 57) gives a musical indication of his negative response, and decrescendo,"'; to a decree i'l \>lould not come in". Emphasis on

these words is accentuated heavily with stress markings. The beat and a half rest for voic06 in measure 61, paves the way for

the parenthetice,l type injection 111 meant\! , follO\led by h/o beats rest,';not even if ask'dll (measures 61 and 62). The ten beats rest in th'3 voice parts (measures 64-66) ...,ith repe~ted s:...'~ in the bass, bring thG final conclusion of the poet to en effectively fmrprising l:tst 3tA.temen.t; !IAnd I ha1n I t been!l, clo;~ing softly

(pianissimo) with a stress over I1had ll ending on an open fifth.

The bird, unaware of the stir he has created in the poet's mind, sings his last extended song, while the accompaniment seems to

indicate a final veil of darknesG (measures 76-78, bass clef), until in measure 78, after repetition of previous material, the pattern in the treble finally resolves to a major second.

In this interpretive composition, Thompson has brought life

to the bird, t~e woods, and the gazer; the above mentioned musical devices, though sometimes minute and subtle, quickening their reality. 36

Analysis no. L~

The Telephone

'When I was just as far as I could walk

From here today,

There was an hour

All still

When leaning with my head aguinst a flower

I heard you talk.

Don't Gay I didn't, for I heard you say --­

You spok0 from t~at flower on the windowsill

Do you remember what it was you said~'

'FirBt tell me ;'!hE,~t it was you thought you heard.'

'Having found the flower and driven a bee Ryay,

I leQned my head,

And holding by the stalk,

I listened and I thought I caught the word

What was it? Did you call me by my name?

Or did you say -_.­

Someone /'~aid iiCome il _ ....• I heard it as I bowed.'

'I may have thought as much, but not aloud.'

'Well, so I came.' 37

The text

a) Rhyme scheme - No specific rhyme scheme

b) Heter Basic iambic with variation in feet

c) Stanzas - Two basic stenzas with answers

d) Poetic devices - Metaphor of flower stalk (line 13) as n telephone Alliteration, lines 7, 9, 15, 18 Assonance, line 14

e) Style - Lyric conversation

This poem, a store of clever wit, portrays a man speaking to a very fond female friend. He has felt a sudden impulse to pay her this visit, yet there being no apparent reason for his coming, he tosses the blame in clever manner upon nature.

The music

a) Key A major

b) Tempo - Allegretto scherzoso ( J = 116) c) ivieter 4/4 and 3/4

d) Classification of voices - SSA/TTBB

One general device most effective in this composition is the use of both a men's and a ladies' chorus. Though the men's voices dominato, their exchange with the ladies, voices gives it the feeling of dialogu0 between two persons.

J~ntrance into this lighthearted verse is spirited (alle­ gretto) arid playful (scherzoso) as the accompaniment changes from piano to forte (measuros 1-4) then with a rallentando back to pinno in measure 5. The male voices enter in conversational style, 38 a habitually well treated Thompson characteristic. The eighth notes of measure 6 flow along in easy piano style. As they move into measure 7, the flow is stopped by the stressed marking fol­ lowed by three staccato notes then another stress; these mark­ ings go together to form a naturally built-in poco rallentando.

Thompson's indication that the second and third beats in this particular measure be subdivided might be giving the speaker a chance to hint of weariness. "There was an hour all still" in measures 8 and 9 was brought to a musical st~.llness in utilizing half notes, diminishing them to a pianissimo, and bringing the phrase to a halt on the relative f minor chord. Measures 10 and

11, handled with the same careful poco rallentando previously mentioned (measures 6 and 7) move into measure 12 where for the first time, the 4/4 meter changes to 3/4. It seems to be a technique here employed to bring action to the words, III heard you talk II, then quickly returning to 4/4 at measure 13, g:5_ving time only to catch a breath, careful not to be interrupted as the speaker quickly injects, "Don't sny I didn't. 11 This careful wri.b.ng creates the feeling one has when he makes a statement he fears will be questioned, then hastily comes to his own aid by interjecting one nore supporting clause. The gradual increase in volume of the vocal parts at measures 12-14 brings confidence to the text and is given added assurance by the placement of a stress over the words "heard" and "say. 'i As the pOeGl moves on to explain from whence the voice sounded, Thompson's pianissimo entrance at measure 14 identifies the voice as unquestionably 39 feminine. The composer's indication of the stacc~ and stress markings in measures 15 and 16, gives the idea of Frost's play­ ful mockery of his own imagination.

The accompaniment (measures 6-16) has been a seldom noticed means of support to the voices. Now at measures 17-19 the a cappella treatment gives full attention to the voices as they quest (forte:::;:=.piano), liDo you remember what it was you said?'i.

Gentleman that he is, his tone, though sonorous at measure 17, is gentle (dolce). Reality is brought upon the words Ilwhat it was you said!: by ThoI:'1pson's use of stress with the added instruction to slow abruptly (poco ritenuto). Then, as this composer quite frequently does, he moves to a C# major chord which is sustained for a full four and one half beats on the word "said" (measure 20).

Measure 20 brings a spark of exhilaration as the accompaniment moves in broken chord fashion into the ladies' first response; the up surge of the notes seeming to prepare for the high pitch of a lady's voice.

With the appearance of the treble voices at measure 21, the new 3/4 meter coupled with the interspersed quarter rests, gives a hesitant air (~rudente) to the response, IlFirst tell me what it was you thought you heard 1<. .i'..dded play to these words is em­ phasized in the underlying accompaniment as it descends in its stress to staccato manner from measures 22-25.

The dialogue returns again to the man as the 4/4 meter resumes (measure 26), bringing the return of the broken chord interlude, this time descending the keyboard (measures 28 and 29) 40 as if to revert back to the low pitch of n male voice. With the recurrence of Tempo l (measure 30) comes melodic repetition of the first vocal entrance at measure 6; this time handled smartly as the accompaniment begins and the voices join in two beats after. Again, the style is conversational in composition with repeated poco rallentando detachment in measure 31. The 2/4, 3/4 and 4/~· meter changes in measures 32-lt2 are placed as to bring the conversation to life and dramatize the text as the poet describes

ll his brightly colored Iltelephone • Lending a nusic9-l hand to the account is the poco ~ ~ crescendo in measure 34, followed by the appassionato tone of voice (measure 35). l1What was i til

(measure 37) is so emphatic with its accented staccato followed by a quarter rest, that it prepares for the following quandries

I:Did you call me by narJe? iI then hesitating momentarily (7'7) liOr did you say----", followed by the poet's long pause in hopes that she will supply the words: all this emphasized with a cappella writing (measures 37-39). Measure 40 gives the speaker, waiting vainly for her response, final readiness to admit what he really thought he heard, and he reveals his whim delicately (pianissimo ­ measure 41) as if in definite reference to his lady friend's tone of voice with which he heard her whisper, "corne". Underneath,

(measure 42) the accompani8ent rises, giving rolling hint of her high voice. The bright new chord employed in measure 42 speaks also of the fragile voice he heard. The a caPEelfa voices return at measure 44 and carryon in soft (~i~n~)'expressive (expressivo) fashion, the reverent tone of the voice. 41

Sequential repetition of a broken chord: pnttern returns to the accompnninent as it builds upward (measures 45 and 46) for the lad¥'s answer; this reply is given identical treatment to that of measures 20-26. Thompson has consistently used this broken chord accompaniment during interludes as a means of continuity throughout the composition. Measure 53 resounds with a sharp ~)

ll fortissimo, "Well , as with a sigh of relief to have it off his mind. This followed by three beats rest, before the a cappell~, faltering (~) completton of "so I came". As the word "came" is sustained eight beats, the piano accompnniment returns to its broken chord pattern, while above it is the beautiful effect of the ladies voices humming in three parts, stealing the final "m" sound from the male voices as they go. The molto crescendo of the voices at measure 57 prevents the accompaniment from taking any advantages as it too crescendos to forte (measure 58) then lightly fades away in a.p12yful manner at measure 60.

This ides., undoubtably a figment of Frost's imagination, has been appropriately paralleled by Thompson in music. The playful and imaginative qualities woven into the music, blend smartly with the carefree text to add even more characterization to the charm of make believe. 42

Analysis ~2

A Girl's Garden

A neighbor of mine in the village

Likes to tell how one spring

When she was a girl on the farm, she did

A childlike thing.

One day she asked her father

To give her a gardon plot

To plant and tend and reap herself,

And he said, 'Vfuy not?'

In casting about for a corner

He thought of an idle bit

Of walled-off ground where a shop had stood,

filld he said, 'Just it.'

And he said, 'That ought to make you

An ideal one-girl farm,

And give you a chance to put some strength

On your slin-jim arm.'

It was not enough of a garden,

Her father said, to plow;

So she had to work it all by hand,

But she don't mind now. She wheeled the dung in the wheelbnrrow

Along a stretch of road;

But she always ran away and left

Her not-nice load,

And hid from anyone passing,

And then she begged the seed.

She says sh& thinks she planted one

Of all things but weed.

A hill each of potatoes,

Radishes, lettuce, peas,

Tomatoes, beets, beans, pumpkins, corn

And even fruit trees. lmd yes, she has long mistrusted

That a cider apple tree

In bearing there today is hers,

Or at least may be.

Her crop was a miscellany

i~len all was said and done,

L little bit of everything,

A great deal of none.

Now when she sees in the village

How village things go,

Just when it seems to come in right,

She says, II know! 44

'It's as when I was a farmer ----,

Oh, never by way of advice!

~nd she never sins by telling the tale

To the same person twice.

The text

a) Rhyme scheme - (abcb)

b) Meter Basic iambic with variation in feet

c) Stanzas - 12 quatrains

d) Poetic devices - Compound words, lines 11,14,16,24 Alliteration, lines 11,15,21,31,41,47

e) Style - Lyric -- a narrative type

Everyone has at sometime in his life had the acquaintance of a great exaggerator. Vfuether Frost had specific reference in this poem to any that he knew, or whether he made it representative of all in such a category, one does.not know. Which ever, he sure­ ly called deeply upon his resources, and actively created such a one. It might be summed in this manner.

A village dweller, gaining great pleasure from indulging in tall stories, tells all her neighbors and friends how she once planted a garden. Frost's description of her is quite opposite that which would fit a farm girl's love of the soil. Yet, still she brags and claims as true, that all the known fruits and vegetables grew therein - even fruit trees! Yet Frost gives her a speck of intelligence afterall, in his declaration, "She never sins by telling the tale to the same person twice". The music

a) Key d minor b) Tempo - Allegro --con brio (J =126) c) Meter - 4/4

d) Classification of voices - SSA

The reason for Thompson's SSA setting is obvious. A first glance at the text gives the appearance of a long poem that would present quite a problem in establishing a musical counterpart.

Thompson solved many difficulties which might otherwise have arisen, by combining two stanzas into one musical section. The result of this, developing a composition of six sections (two stanzao each), separated by accompaniment interludes.

The work begins in .tilegro ~ ~ style and skips alternately between the left and right hands through mensure 4, a style c~ropos to the text. The voices make their unison entrance at measure 4, and remain in unison through measure 73.

This treatment is unique in that it makes it possible for the music to adhere very closely to the conversational style of the poem. The text dictates the rise and fall of the melodic line having a folk song air in the d natural minor key.

One could readily see breathing as an outstanding problem in such a fast moving flow, but Thompson carefully prevented this. He simply placed an eighth rest (i) everywhere he wanted the singers to breathe, using this technique throughout the composition. Good phrasing has also been achieved by these rests as they set apart the father's voice saying, '\~y not' 46

(measures 12 and 13). In instances where singers might be tempted

to break, though improper, Thompson simply accents the word which

follows with an accented quarter note (measures 7 and 10). Under­

neath all the verbal fun is an accompaniment alternating between

a single ~taccalo eight note in the left hand and an eighth note chord in the right.

~ four measure interlude, similar to that which began, introduces stanzas three and four (measures 13-16). It is ident­ ical in style to the first and second stanzas with ~n accented fourth beat preventing a brea~ and assuring proper rhythm. The change

to 2/4 time in measure 24 takes up the two extra beats Thompson has injected.

The piano interlude continues its way into stanzas. five and six (measures 25-28), this time differing from the usual, as it breaks into sixteenth notes in broken chord fashion at measures

27 and 28. This change gives the listener a feeling that the story is gaining momentwn. At measure 29, the accompaniment be­ comes very light (staccato) and carries the chord patterns high into the treble clef. The voices' mezzo-forte entrance in measure 28, adds variety by giving them ~ lighter quality than

the previous forte entrances. Combined with the rests and the

accented notes is an interesting device at measures 35 and 36. hs the girl runs away, the feeling of her leaving is brought out by giving five and one half beats to the word lileft", which diuinishes. The rests in measures 37 and 38 add more emphasis to 47 the piano, detached (staccato) words, iiHer not nice" (measure 38); this phrase ending on a sustained two and one half beats (measure

At measure 39, the next piano interlude begins. The hurried pattern of the right hand sixteenth notes builds up to an accented high D at measure 41; this seems to typify the girl's running far from the unwanted load. Then a fortissimo and very defined (Y) return of the accompaniment style (measure 41) is followed by pre­ viously heard sixteenth note broken chords at measure 42. In stanzas seVen and eight, the accompaniment becomes a bit more involved from measures 43-50, as it intersp~rses single chords without pedal with broken chords with pedal, as the text deals with the variety of produce in her garden. This listing is cleverly handled by Thompson's placement of stress (measure 46) and accent (measures 48-50). Good rhythmic effect appears at measure 50 with the 2/4 time change and sforzando treatment on

"fruit".

Stanzas nine and ten are introduced by an interlude similar to that which preceded stanzas seven and eight. The underlying accompaniment, all broken chords, remains in the treble clef.

Measure 64 finds the final piano interlude making gradual crescendo to its clinatic triple forte in measure 67. In this measure, the chords strike in noisy, impetuous, streEitoso, fash­ ion, then break once more for the entrance of the last two stanzas, eleven and twelve. Finality is indicated by careful execution of the word "now" (I:leasures 69 and 70) as it sustains eight beats moving from sforzando, piano subito, and crescen~o molto. Now 48 prepared for the remainder of the tale, the voices proceed in marked (marcato), ~ tenpo style, and break for the first time in­

l to three parts at measure 74. Here the III Know ; is carefully treated with. an accented fermata, as if sighing as she speaks

'-"'" (sospirando) • Then after long pause, (~~) she states in quiet thoughtful manner (.E.ianissimo, dolcissir:1o, lento) lilt's as when

I was a fermer". The ~ cappella setting of this statement

(measures 75-77) is made even more profound by the stress markings

ll indicated for. each note. The insert, 1I0h never by way of advice , in measure 78, is given a light treatment as it moves quickly

(allegro) and quietly (pian~) in staccato triplets, and brings

ll the last syllable "vice , in meo.sure 79, to a slow and .£.ianissimo end. Now the voices enter dramatically (lento-forte) as they proceed in measure 80 to tell IlAnd she never sins by telling the tale ll • Then COf.'lGS the playfully treated punch line with staccnto ancl pianiss.imo markings, "To the same person twice';. ~.t measure

81, the cleverly placed final eighth rest, different in the alto and second soprano from that of the soprano, makes it even more gay. IlTwicc" is held for twelve and one half beats, and times itself precisely to cut off with the final note (triple piano) of the allegro vivace right hand climb of the accompaninent (measure

85). Then the final ending - two st~ccato chords, as if having the final laugh.

This poem, doubtless presenting a real challenge to Thompson,

was given tIlE; St\I:le bright, gossipinG, Dusicnl texture as' the verse.

Skillful cidhcrcncc to light hcc.rted niuplicity nnd iungino.tion seemed to result in the over all success of this composition. 49 i"nalysis ~ .§.

stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and froze~ lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is SOOe mistake.

The only other sound's the sweep

Of easy ~ind and downy flake.

The woads are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And niles to go before I sleep.

'l'ho text DJ Rhyme scheme - (aaba) b) Hater - Iambic tetrameter c) Stanzas - Four quatrains 50

d) Poetic devices - Repetition of lines 15 and 16. luliteration, lines 1,4,11,13.

e) Style - Lyric

This poem so vividly pictures the scene, that it seems to be framed, ready for the hanging. Frost provides a captivating description, a snow laden tree, the beauty of a snow covered woods, lighted only by the shadows of the night.

The music

a) Key f minor

b) Tempo Lento nssai c) Meter - 4/Lt· and 6/8 d) ClaBsific a tiol1 of voices - TBB

This poem, possibly suggesting a country dweller musing over a fr~sh falling recital of nature upon well known and loved ter­ rain, provides apropos l:leaning f('r TholJpson' smale set.ting of voices. The piano introduction (measures 1-4) brings immediate nusical comparison to the falling snow and carries this poem in­ to picturesque musical existence. The slow (lento assai,f=84), soft (pianissimo) falling snow seems characterized by Thompson's use of staccato over the downward arpeggios, with sustaining pedal support as they fall. The key C$sumes a modal quality as it utilizes the relative £ natural minor.

Silence is broken in two nnnners at meaSure 5. First, the voices begin to speak in mezzo-piano le&ato; second, the original

4/4 meter now becomes [\ fluent 6/8. The minor key suggests a 51 lonely figure at the onset of night. The accompaniment from measures 5-12 provides a quiet, unobtrusive background to the voices. A particular r:lel-odic beauty characterizes the opening stanza, and becones Thompson's choice for the four stanza setting.

The melodic interval of a sixth grayefully (dolce) enhances the quiet flow of the text at measure 9, and appears similarly through­ out in measures 21, 35, 51, and 57. The first stanza closes in measure 13 with a somber texture as it comes to rest on the open fifths (F-C). The scene now established, the snow continues to fall with the return of the previously heard four measure (13-16) piano interlude.

The second stanza begins in similar musical fashion to stanza one, with the exception of the piano entrance of the voices

(mensure 16); measure 4 of the first stanza beginning mezzo-~~no as previously stated. Again the musical setting provides un­ obstructed companionship to the text as it describes the possible wonder of the 1l1ittle horse" stopping to gaze upon the uninhabited area. liThe darkest evening of the yearli is impressed upon the listener through use of a stress i:larking over the word "darkll in measure 23. Thompson's use of 6/8 meter lends itself well to a note per syllable, yet also provides continuous flow where this cannot exist (measure 23).

The accompaniment, appearing at measures 25 and 26 to be repetition of the previous pattern, surprises the listener in measure 27 as it moves a third higher than before and brings a momentary E major feeling. This treatment has paved the way for 52 further surprise, as the shc'.rp (sonoro, nezzo-forte) sound of the sleighbells, represented by u broken chord high in the treble clef, prepares for the text to come.

Pianissimo marks the entrance to the third stanza. For the first time, in comparison to previous stanzas, Thompson employs a skillful musical play of the text, and lets the accompaniment climb the T minor scale in descriptive fashion of the sweeping sound (~ of the wintry wind (measures 35-38). The return of downward arpeggios begins at oeasure 39; this time lasting five measures rather than the previous four measures. The snow seems to be falling harder now as each arpeggio sweeps to a note dif­ ferent froo that of the previous arpeggio (compare measures 13 and 14 to l!lec.sures 39 and 40).

The voices enter in a hushed manner (triple piano) and the woods tak,~ on new depth as measure 45 extends itself into the total of measure 46. Meanwhile, a suggestive hint of the dark­ ened density of the woods is heard in the bass clef of the acompaninent with low repetitious sounds (measures 44-47). This treatment could also be significant of the poet's feeling of urgency to leave because of "promises to keep.ll Measures 49 and

50 possess similar extensions coupled with bass repetition in the acconpaniment.

The sustained voices in measures 52-55, coupled with the steady pulsation of the accompaniment seems to clock out the miles of uncertainty he will encounter. A definite release is indicated by the dot over the eighth notes in neasure 55, an 53 indication, though not previously mentioned, seeft throuGhout the co~position.

Silence (7ft) prepares for the final thought provoking line of Frost's creation. The triple lLi~ entrance (measure 55) brings a calm, yet deeper ~eaning to the text. The continued use of rests in measures 55-61, creates a faltering effect, made more vivid in its a c~pella setting. The final sound in the vocal part ends on a dominant chord in the key of Ab majo~. This device, musically speaking parallels with Frost's intention, that of giv­ ing the listener food for thought.

The piano accompaniment completes the scene at mensure 62 in the same flowing style (~prima pianissimo) with which it began. The harness bells represented previously (measure 28) by a broken chord in the upper treble clef is repeated three dif­ ferent times in measures 66 and 67 (p-mf-pp). The fina~ chord marked pianissimo is possibly significant of an echo h3ard on the still night. Finality is given by the last note as it reaches low and distant with minor ring to the bass clef F.

The gradual decrescendo of this composition enhances the meaning of the text, and engulfs the listener into its character as it moves along. This delicate treatment given to such a fragile SUbject makes it another work of art by Thompson. Analysis ~ 1

Choose Something Like Q Star

o Star (the fairest one in sight),

We grant your loftiness the right

To some obscurity of cloud-­

It will not do to sny of night,

Since dark is what brings out your light.

Sorne mystery beco!;les the proud.

But to be wholly taciturn

In your reserve is not allowed.

Say something to us we can learn

By henrt and when alone repeat.

Say sonethingl And it says, 'I burn'.

But say with what degree of heat.

Talk Fahrenheit, talk Centigrade.

Use In..."lguage we can comprehend.

Tell us what clements you blend.

It gives us strangely little aid,

But does tell something in the end.

nnd steadfast as Keats' Eremite,

Not even stooping from its sphere,

It asks a little of us here.

It asks of us a certain height, 55

So when at times the mob is swayed

To carry praise or bl~me too far,

We may choose something like a star

To stay our minds on and be staid.

The text

a) Rhyme scheme - No specific rhyme scheme to which he adheres.

b) Meter - Iambic tetrW1eter

c) Poetic devices - Alliteration, lines 9,11,19,25,26. Personification, line 11, 'I burn'. fwsonance - line 24.

d) Style - Extended lyric poem containing 26 verses.

Man is here pictured as a totally finite being as he ad­ dresses the fairest star in the heavens. Though high and mighty this star, it is still probable that on oycasion, many a cloud may obscure it from mortal sight. So too, the existence of man, however great he may be, will confront obstacles from time to time that will block from view his seeming potency.

Man, though realizing there is something of the unknown in all thing~ feels it unfair that the star should hold such mystery.

Hence he pleads that it speak in language comprehensible, that he might understand even in his own scientific language its degree of heat, force, and composition. Then admitting that the star gives "little aid" in the matter, the human spirit, willing to give up rebellion, sees the star as a spokesman of nature after. all. 56

The music

0.) Key G major b) Tempo - Larghetto ()=60) c) Meter - 4/4

d) Classification of voices - SATB

Entrance into this thought provoking poem is gained by means of a most effective piano introduction. The larghetto tempo is combined with a pianissimo background as the right hand is given the melodic lead (piano). One might see a human figure stayed upon the earth, represented ~usically by the simultaneously re­ peated G in the bass clef, looking far beyond his reach to a point of sublimation, that of a star; this portrayed by the treble melody rising majestically in scale like fashion.

The sopranos give the first beautiful glimpse of the star as their voices raise in pianissimo tones to an octave interval.

This octave skip is perfectly cast for its representation of the star throughout the entire work. The star begins to shine as the sopranos sustain from mensure 5 - 7. fu3 it shi.nes, the re­ maininG voices enter and in ascending manner describe the star as lithe fairest one in sight". The star is kept in sight to the listener, shining its way continuously through ne&~ure 22; its brightness remains sharp by allowing a quarter rest before each repetition. So too, the accoopani~ent's constant reminder of the st~r with its high D repeated brightly throughout measures 5,8,

12,16,20, and 26. Underneath, Thonpson has called upon the help of perfect fifths with the third of the chord in the alto part 57 to create an open, parallel sound. The accompaniment continues its constant repetitive voice with the bass clef G lasting through measure 27. A sense of unassuredness is present through the in­ teresting harmonization &~ it departs from a feeling for key and makes use of tones unrelated to the G pedal. Thompson's use of stress markings in measures 17-19 emphasizes a seeming truth in the text, that night brings no obscurity to the star, In fuller explanation of the fact, a stress marking combined with dissonance appears on the word "dark" in measure 21. Measure 23 finds the absence of the "star" in the soprano voice, but delicately lets it continue to burn by means of the six beats given to the word

"out" in measure 23 and 24. The word "light" in measure 25, although pianissimo, is given musical treatment parallel to its meaning with the appearance of a major chord and the final re­ petition of the soprano octave lasting through measure 28.

Thompson is precise in indicating his desire for an exact cut off in the alto, tenor, and bass parts at measure 27. Here a dot is placed upon the eighth note, thereby indicating immediate release.

Measure 29 gives new feeling to the music, for here we are made aware of a new bass note which has begun in measure 28, re­ placing the constant G heretofore employed. The stress marking indicated in measure 29 on the first syllable of "mystery", gives even more of a sense of enigma to the word. The music now brings a feeling of conversation to the voices with its repetition of notes, creating a plateau type structure. ngain, Thompson's de­ vice for release is indicated by the placement of a dot over the note in measure 30. The stress markings in measure 31 fall natur­ ally on the first and third beats, making each word meaningful.

The entire progression of chords built on the G major scale comes to a surprising C# major chord in measure 33. Now with the feel­ ing of new key, the C# scale progresses through measure 34 and culminates on the first beat of measure 35; it avoids the listen­ ers feeling for an F# major chord and strikes sharply (>-mezzo forte) upon a second inversion of the C major chord.

In rlS ay something to us we can learn by heart ll measure 35-37, insistence is created by the steady quarter notes and is intens­ ified by the repetitious notes (see tenor part). Desire for this knowledge is magnified with a stress mark on the word "1earn'i

(measure 37). A dissonant chord in the accompaniment on the first beat of measure 38, gives a fitting prelude to the vocal entrance, and its modal texture lends a fitting background to the soft

(piano-decrescendo) Iland when alone repeat".

Measure L~l finds man boisterous and impatient as he shouts

li (forte-subito) in a mood now major "Suy something • His demand is punctuated by the rest in measure 42, and provides a prepara­ tion for the answer. The answer is emphatic as it speaks through the stress markings, accents, and dot over its first word 'I' in measure 42. The skip of a ninth. in the melody at measure 42 and the crescendo (measures 43-44) ndd significance to the word

"burn". The dissatisfied questioner retorts, seeking specific information (measure 45-53). The accompaniment and the voice parts add greater emphasis by use of the sforzando markings on 59 the first beat of measures Lj.[)

(measur~45-61) and from the sequential tendency utilized in measure 48 a~d 49. The feeling of regained composure, although still unsure, begins as the tones mellow at measure 52; the rhythm becomes less accented, and there is now a gradual decrescendo as with a sense of relief, admittance is made that the star does have a definite message (measur~55-60). The D major chord in measure

58, brings a hopeful sound to the situation, as man hf~ become willing to listen without shouting. Once again the sustained D in the accompaniment (measur

(measure 61) to its original height (measure 62).

It seems once more as though Thompson 1;legins a new page at mea.sure 61. The .sostenuto ~ sereno, .9. tempo, continuous support in the accompaniment, and the use of the frequent half notes provide effective background for Frost's comparative reference to a work of Keats. Lbove this comes the sustained tone from the so­ pranos (r;leasures 65-69), this tine giving verbal radiance rather than sustaining beauty. The rest in Qeasure 69 prepares for the statement to follow, while the text quietly (pianissimo) explains

ll how little this IIs tar expects from IlUS ". Measure 72 begins with repented chords ~ poco ~ poco crescendo and gains in intensity as the chords continue from phrase to phrase. The chords, constant­ ly changing their color through the addition of accidentals from 60 measure 72-79 seem to indicate unrest, while the text above poses a sol~tion. The word'choos~ (measure 80) is reinforced by the alto, tenor, and. bass parts building up force as they descend into the

~ortissimo. The sustained tone is treated with care in the acompanirJent as meE'.8ure 81 diminishes into neasure 82. The stres­ sed upward s~rge of the piano accompaniment begtns once again and slowly climbs toward the Ils tar". The sustained, unison pianissimo of tho voices in measur~87-91 is accompanied by repeated clusters of tones ~' ~' ~' ~' and~, in the bass. After the meditative pause for the voices in measure 92, tranquillity (malto lento, triple Riano) settles itself as the 'lstar'; has one last, soft, clear word to speak.

Thompson, as previously discussed, used many devices in

IlChoose Something Like a Star". However, the followine devices seem to be outstanding in that they are heard continuously through­ out the composition. a) The effective use of the high D found in the voice parts and accompaniment appears to be symbolic of the

ll ilstar • b) The repeated chordal accompaniment, sometimes intense and often subtle, seems to represent man's continuous search for the "star's1/ answer. c) The diatonic melody of the accompaniment which clinilis two octaves into the treble clef seems to represent

l1 man's looking beyond his reach to the "star • These particular devices seem to provide greater meaning to the poem and enhance the philosophic beauty of the text. CHl'J'TER IV

A GE~mRl~ SU}WU.RY OF THB MUSICAL DEVICES USED BY Rf.NDALL THOMPSON

The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive understanding of a chorel composition essential to an effective performance. The ~:leans of nchieving this was through the process of developing n musical analysis of Frostiana by Randall Thompson.

~tiana is a series of seven settings of the poems of Robert

Frost. In Chapter One, the purposes and procedures of the study were outlined. Chapter Two contained biographical information

concerning the composer and poet. Chapter Three, the main body of the thesis, consisted of a report of the analytic study of

Frostinna. This chapter contains a summary of the devices used by Thompson. The summary is organized in terms of Thompson's devices as they pertain to the treatment of (a) l'!lclody; (b) harmony;

(c) rhythm, meter, and tempo; (d) form and key; (0) accompaniment;

(f) vocal arrancement; (G) i~terpretation.

(a) t1elody

The nain cheracteristic of the melodies provided Frostiane, has been that of use of the natural rise and fall of the voice in

the normnl recitation of the poens CIS a guide. Thompson chose to

create nelodies and settings which do not distort Frost's text or

61 62 draw undue attention to themselves. At times, Thompson uses

~elodic symbolism to enh~nce the text. A pro~inent example of this technique is found in "Choose Sonething Like a Star" where the continuously repeated high ~ is employed in both voice parts and accompaniment as symbolic of the shining star.

(b) Harmony

Thompson's care in harmonizing the voice parts has been clearly exercised in order that the h~rmony contribute to the musical expressiveness and effectiveness of the settings. Thompson is often bold in making use of unrelated harmonies. Frequently these harmonies provide momentum for a dramatic climax as found in "Come In" (measures 53-55). Thompson uses a series of seventh chords with a minor third in the bass in parallel fashion as the melody and dynamic level rise with the words, ",Almost like a call to come in to the dark :.md lanent. il Thompson I s use of chromatic progression is seen in i'Choose Something Like a Star" (measures

45-58). The feeling of unrest has been appropriately established through the harmony as man demands answers from the "star".

(c) Rhythm, meter, ~ tempo

Rhythmic flow of each composition is always correlated closely to the text. The natural rhythm of the spoken poem has been preserved but the important words have been given proper emphasis without musical distortion. Injection of syncopation occasionally adds emphasis to the text. nn example of this is found in liA Girl's Garden" measures 63-64 where Thompson has emphasized "a great deal of none". Thompson employs meters which will nost nearly express the mood of the text. The pastorale introduction of liThe Pasture" is a porfect preparation for the text. He does net limit himself in any way to one meter, but changes frequently within a composition to bring about ease in declaration of the text. The conversa­ tioncl quality of "The Telephone tl has dictated the changes in meter throughout the cODposition. 'fhe change to a 3/4 meter when the ladies'voices enter (measures 22-26 and 47-51) seems to note a distinction of style from the male voices.

Each composition is clearly marked with instructi.ve tempo markings, not only at the beGinning but plainly throughout.

These markings have been sensitively placed in terms of the meaning and mood of the text.

Thompson har;; kept the form of all these compositions com­ parntively siEgle, in keeIJing wi1;h the text. Ii. modified strophic

ll structure is utilized in scvernl, ("The Road Not Taken , "The

Pasture;', IiL Girl's Garden'" and IlStopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening") relaking them nlraost folkish in style. "Come In",

l1 lIThe TelephoneIi, and "Choose Something Like a Star , are through composed. With regard to endings, effective use of repetition is often acconplished, as in liThe Pasture", "Choose Something

Like a Star", and "The Road Not Taken".

In all seven cOl:1positions, Thonpson' s choice of key creates the musical moods which effectively express the meaning of the 64 poetry. His major and minor settings keenly highlight the poet's thoughts. The happy-go-lucky setting of "il. Girl's Garden" is quaintly treated in the minor mode, giving it the light hearted tonal quality of 8 folk song. Thonpson often enhances the text by inserting a mode change within a composition. An example of this is seen. in IlThe Road Not Takenil (measures 67-75). l\.fter the minor phrase, HAnd that has made all the difference", Thompl;wn changes the mood by inserting an interlude in the major key, creating a feeling that the correct ro~d was chosen.

(e) Accospaniment

Thompson is a master at bringing the listener into the mood he is attempting to create by use of pinno acompaniment. An example of this is seen in the quiet introduction of "Stopping by

Woods on a Snowy Evening'l. The descending arpeggios treated in a staccato uanner \'lith use of pedal seems to present the picture of falling snow and set the mood for the text which follows. Care has been taken, however, in every instance, that the accompani­ ments novel' overshadow the voices, thus detracting from the text.

One might call his use of the piano totally descriptive in char­ acter, yet all the while lending ndequate support to the voices.

A cappella sections are used by the composer to highlight meaningful words and phrases. Such passages are seen in the final cadences of "'rhe Road Not Taken", "The Pasture", I1Stopping by

Woods on a Snowy Evening", and "Choose SorJething Like a Star".

However, a cag£ella sections are also found within the composi­ tions. In neusures 17-20 of liThe Telephone", ThoI'lpSOn gives an emphatic treatment to "Do you remember what it was you said'i by the absence of accompaniment. This section being preceded by a quiet accompanied phrase and followed by the broken-chord inter­ lude. All the coopositions, with the exception of "Come In", make use in some way of ~ caPEella treatment.

(f) Vocal ~rrangement~

Thompson apparently used the subject matter of each co~position to dictate his choice of voices. Those given a four part setting for mixed voices are "The Road Not Taken" and

I1Choose Something Like a Star". Settings for male voices are liThe Pastureli and "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening". IlCome

Inll and "1•. Girl's Gardenli were composed for ladies'voices. "The

il Telephone , n musical dialogue, was given special treatrJent by coniliining a four part male chorus with a three part ladies' chorus.

Unison is used periodically throughout the conpositions,

I:lainly as an interprutive fnctor. The unison beginning of liThe

ll Road Not Taken , gives the feeling for the single person spoken of in tho text. The ~mployment of unison in Ill. Girl's Garden", keeps the text fluent, whereas harmony would tend to nnke it

il cumbersor.w. Unison injections such as lI and be .;;taid in "Choose

Sonething Like a Starll r:leasureG 87-89 bring. clear definement and thought provoking mood to the text.

(g) Interpretation

Thompson provides explicit directions for interpretation.

His careful attention to minute detail is plainly seen in every 66 measure of every song. Not willing that his own ideas be" sub­

jugated to the text, he made excessive ~e of cress~ndos, d~cre~cendos, 19ud and soft indications, stress markings, ac­

cents, staccato, fermatas, etc. The writer found the composi­

tions to be extremely detniled in this regard.

Frost, in so much of his poetry, makes use of an effective pause. Thompson, paying close heed to this characteristic of

Frost's, dr[(\vs attention to these silent moments by his use of rests. Though utili~ed in all, this pnrticular device is given distinctive treatoent in "'l'he Pasture" each time before the words

llyou Come Too". Sonetimes Thonpson injected 11 rest in order to bring nore emphasis or spark to sections of the text. Such

techniques f\re found in mensures 21-26 and 47-51 of "The Tele­ phone". The plnyful mood of the ladiefl voices is created by the use of alternating quarter notes and rests. His proper use of

rests provides an illustrntion that silence can at times be as

effective as the,spoken word.

The writer, in careful analysis of Lrostiana, has dis­

covered that the effoctivenoss of the cocpositions seeus'to be

traced to the following two aspects:

(n) The poeos nre distinctively beautiful and attract a

general interest. Frost's directness end genius for dealing with simple and uncomplicated subjects and using them in a poetic

fashion have probably accounted for his popularity nnd status

among l~urican poets.

(b) The musical settings enhance rather than detract from

the poems, thus providing opportunities for performers and 67' listeners of chore.l r.lUsic to enjoy tho :Joetry. t'Jhile so::w settings

tend to obscure the te~ct. c.net ne<'..l1L1g of poetry by tho elc.borc.teness

of TiRlsical devices used by tho cor~)oser, Thor~son seems sc.tisfied to

place his LlUsic on an equc.l basis or even c.t tllles to be subservient to the text.

Sirdlarly, the analysis has revealed the follolnng problems which require attention Ll1 perfol~U411ce.

1. The use of intervals such ns the s~~lbolic octc.ve sldp end the frequent use of chror.laticisn found in "Chooso Something Like a

Stnrll could prese11t intonation :Jroblems.

2. Unison pc.ssc.ges found in nThe Road Hot Taken" and "i\.

Girl ~s Gurden" require pi1.rticular enphc.sis lnth regard to blend and articulation.

3. Thor1pson ~s use of E:. cappella sections uithin tho COf:lpO­ sitions, uhila efl'ective, LlUst '00 c.:'.refu11y sung to avoid faulty pitch.

4. Extended phrc.5es uhich require good breath support c.re pc.rticulr'.rly fou11(1. in nStop~)ing ~J vioods on a SnollY Eveningll ,

"Choose SOl~1ething Like c. Stc.r", c.nd "The Pasture".

5. Short phrc.ses and the frequent use of rests found in liThe Telephonefl and "Come In" could present a problel:1 of continu­ ity. In perfor'i,lin~ these, a fluent ['.cconpaniment and close c.dher­ ence to the nenning of the text must be maintained.

6. The D.ccor,f)c.11inents of Frostic.nn need to be performed r.1Usi­ cally and c.ccurc.te1y in th'-'.t they are effective and contribute to the totl:'.l beauty of 8<'.c11 cor.lposition. BIBLIOGRl.PHY

Anderson, Margaret Bartlett. Robert Frost and John Bartlett: ~ Record 21 .!!:..iendship:-New "'Y'OTk:-1Io1t, Rinehart and Winston, 193b.

Doyle, John Robert. ~ Poetr~ ..£! Robert Frost. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press, 1962.

Forbes, Elliot. liThe Husic of Randall Thompson, 11 The Music a1 ~uarter1y, XXXV (January, 1949), pp. 1-2~

Ford, Caroline. The Less Traveled Road. Ca~bridge: Harvard University Press, 1935.---­

Frost, Robert. Come In. London: Johathan Cape, 1944.

______~. Complete Poems .2!. Robert Zrost (15th ed.). New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1963.

Green, Harry P1unket. Inter~reta~~Song. New York: MacMillan Company, 1931. Hall, James Husst. '].1ne Art Soup;. Norman: University of Ok1ahomaheSS; 1953.

Isaacs, Elizabeth. An Introduction to Robert Frost. Denver: Alan Swallow, 1962. -----­

Nathan, Norman. Judging Poetry. New York: G. P. Putnam Sons, 1961.

Porter, Quincy. 'Illlllerican Composers, XVIII, Randall Thompson, II Modern Music, XIX (Hay-June, 1942), pp. 237-241.

Sergeant, Elizabeth Shipley. Robert Frost - The Trial by Existence. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1960.

Squires, Radcliffe. ~ Major Themes of Robert Frost. lwn Arbor: The University of Michignn Press, 1963.

Unter~eyer, Louis, editor. A Pocket Book of Robert Frost's Po ems. New York: Washington squa:rO"PTess, Inc., 1960.

Woodworth, George Wallace. Boston Symphony Program Notes, 194Z-1948, (Tuesday Evening Series Vol. 5), p. 1028. 68