An African-American Art Song Anthology
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University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--Music Music 2018 EVALUATING APPROPRIATE REPERTOIRE FOR DEVELOPING SINGERS: AN AFRICAN- AMERICAN ART SONG ANTHOLOGY Nicole Michelle Sonbert University of Kentucky, [email protected] Author ORCID Identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2244-158X Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.13023/ETD.2018.002 Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits oy u. Recommended Citation Sonbert, Nicole Michelle, "EVALUATING APPROPRIATE REPERTOIRE FOR DEVELOPING SINGERS: AN AFRICAN- AMERICAN ART SONG ANTHOLOGY" (2018). Theses and Dissertations--Music. 104. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/music_etds/104 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Music at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--Music by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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Nicole Michelle Sonbert, Student Dr. Noemi Lugo, Major Professor Dr. Michael Baker, Director of Graduate Studies EVALUATING APPROPRIATE REPERTOIRE FOR DEVELOPING SINGERS: AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN ART SONG ANTHOLOGY ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– DMA Project ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– A DMA Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in the College of Fine Arts at the University of Kentucky By Nicole Michelle Sonbert Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Noemi Lugo, Professor of Voice Lexington, Kentucky 2017 Copyright © Nicole Michelle Sonbert 2017 ABSTRACT EVALUATING APPROPRIATE REPERTOIRE FOR DEVELOPING SINGERS: AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN ART SONG ANTHOLOGY Finding appropriate and unique repertoire for the developing singer is a daunting task and ongoing challenge in the teaching profession. There are limited resources to help guide teachers in selecting varied, yet suitable repertoire that falls outside of the standard Western European musical canon. The early years, ages 17–21, are crucial to establishing a healthy and well-rounded vocal approach to singing, while also introducing the student to a wide variety of music. African-American art song is a great option for developing singers. Repertoire should allow a student to grow musically, vocally, and artistically according to the singer’s specific stage of learning and interests. Selecting repertoire through established criteria that considers the student’s personal and cultural interests (in addition to pedagogical needs) allows for a good foundation to support a healthy vocal development. Consideration of numerous elements, such as historical, musical, physical, emotional, and vocal characteristics offers a framework for a comprehensive approach in the selection process. In Literature for Teaching: A Guide for Choosing Solo Vocal Repertoire from a Developmental Perspective, Christopher Arneson provides a wonderful base for further study, and application into repertoire selection. Through the utilization of Arneson’s suggestions, I have created a rubric that quantifies key criteria important to the evaluation of repertoire. Through this rubric, a clear evaluation and assigned difficulty level is provided for each song in the collection. This compilation of songs is only the beginning to a proposed anthology entitled: African-American Art Song for the Developing Singer. Each song offers a historical and pedagogical summary that includes the following: composer and poet biographies, text and translations, basic form, original key and other keys available, performance notes, range, tessitura, suggested voice type, tempo suggestions, difficulty level, and other available editions. This unique anthology of African-American art song offers teachers with a resource that evaluates appropriate repertoire for developing singers, between the ages of 17–21, that is clearly accessible. KEYWORDS: Developing singer, Appropriate repertoire, Rubric, African-American art song, Anthology Nicole Michelle Sonbert December 4, 2017 EVALUATING APPROPRIATE REPERTOIRE FOR DEVELOPING SINGERS: AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN ART SONG ANTHOLOGY By Nicole Sonbert Dr. Noemi Lugo Director of DMA Project Dr. Michael Baker Director of Graduate Studies December 4, 2017 DEDICATION Dr. Louise Toppin, and Dr. Noemi Lugo ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank the composers of African-American art song, whose music has been inspirational and influential in my life. I would also like to thank my first collegiate voice teacher, Dr. Louise Toppin, for introducing and sharing this music with me. Thank you for always being an inspiration as a teacher and mentor. You are a beacon of light in my life, always providing support through every step of my journey. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for leading me to be a music educator and performer. Thank you to all the members of my doctoral committee: Dr. Noemi Lugo, Dr. Karen Bottge, Dr. Angelique Clay, Dr. DaMaris Hill, M.B. Visona, and Dr. Louise Toppin. Thank you for your guidance and advice through every draft. You have inspired me to think in new ways that bring clarity and simplicity to my research. Thank you to Dr. Fabiola Henri for all your help translating the Camille Nickerson creole pieces. To many other mentors in my life, I deeply thank you all: Dr. Lori Hetzel, Dr. Elizabeth Arnold, Dr. David Sogin, Dr. Kevin Holm-Hudson, Dr. Everett McCorvey, Cliff Jackson, Nan McSwain, Barbara Lynne Jamison, and Seattle Opera. Thank you to my family and friends for your continuous encouragement. To my parents and sister, Michael, Karen, and René, thank you for believing and supporting all of my dreams. To my best friends, Courtney Martin and Meg Stohlmann, thank you for your laughter, unwavering friendship, and advice throughout this process. To my dear teacher, Dr. Noemi Lugo, I thank you for helping me find my confidence as a performer and a teacher. Thank you for pushing me to believe in myself and encouraging me to work hard on my own artistry. Thank you for sharing your passion, while also demanding excellence from me as a teacher, researcher, and performer. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with you and purse this degree. And lastly, thank you to God for music, which helps us share stories from our souls and inspires human compassion, engagement, and connection. For all of this, my heart is filled with deep gratitude. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. v LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................vi PART I INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 CHAPTER ONE: .................................................................................................................6 Review of the Literature ........................................................................................11 CHAPTER TWO: Development of the African-American Art Song ...............................20 CHAPTER THREE: Repertoire Evaluation Rubric for the Developing Singer................30 CHAPTER FOUR: African-American Art Song for the Developing Singer ...................42 “Tobacco” ..............................................................................................................44 “A Flea and A Fly” ................................................................................................48 “‘Come, come,’ said Tom’s Father” ......................................................................51 “Song of the Open Road” ......................................................................................54 “In the Springtime” ................................................................................................57 “Compensation” .....................................................................................................61