“Ach Neige, Du Schmerzenreiche” from Goethe's Faust
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University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--Music Music 2015 GRETCHEN’S SOLILOQUY “ACH NEIGE, DU SCHMERZENREICHE” FROM GOETHE’S FAUST: A VOCAL PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS AND SET OF PERFORMANCE GUIDELINES FOR VARIOUS SOLO VOICE SETTINGS Savanna Sokolnicki University of Kentucky, [email protected] Digital Object Identifier: http://dx.doi.org/10.13023/ETD.2016.209 Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Sokolnicki, Savanna, "GRETCHEN’S SOLILOQUY “ACH NEIGE, DU SCHMERZENREICHE” FROM GOETHE’S FAUST: A VOCAL PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS AND SET OF PERFORMANCE GUIDELINES FOR VARIOUS SOLO VOICE SETTINGS" (2015). Theses and Dissertations--Music. 60. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/music_etds/60 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]. STUDENT AGREEMENT: I represent that my thesis or dissertation and abstract are my original work. Proper attribution has been given to all outside sources. I understand that I am solely responsible for obtaining any needed copyright permissions. I have obtained needed written permission statement(s) from the owner(s) of each third-party copyrighted matter to be included in my work, allowing electronic distribution (if such use is not permitted by the fair use doctrine) which will be submitted to UKnowledge as Additional File. I hereby grant to The University of Kentucky and its agents the irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free license to archive and make accessible my work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I agree that the document mentioned above may be made available immediately for worldwide access unless an embargo applies. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of my work. 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Savanna Sokolnicki, Student Cynthia Lawrence, Major Professor Dr. David Sogin, Director of Graduate Studies GRETCHEN’S SOLILOQUY “ACH NEIGE, DU SCHMERZENREICHE” FROM GOETHE’S FAUST: A VOCAL PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS AND SET OF PERFORMANCE GUIDELINES FOR VARIOUS SOLO VOICE SETTINGS DMA MONOGRAPH A monograph 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 Savanna Sokolnicki Lexington, Kentucky Director: Cynthia Lawrence, Professor of Voice Lexington, KY 2016 Copyright Savanna Sokolnicki 2016 ABSTRACT OF DMA MONOGRAPH GRETCHEN’S SOLILOQUY “ACH NEIGE, DU SCHMERZENREICHE” FROM GOETHE’S FAUST: A VOCAL PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS AND SET OF PERFORMANCE GUIDELINES FOR VARIOUS SOLO VOICE SETTINGS The great novelist and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 – 1832) arguably made his most significant contribution to the artistic world with his literary masterpiece Faust I. Goethe’s love of music and melody is evident throughout all of Faust, particularly in the expressive poetry of the character of Gretchen, whose meaningful words gave inspiration to a variety of musical manifestations, especially in German Lied. This document serves as a performance guide for vocalists. It provides vital information on the setting and arrangement of the poetry within the musical settings, the background and significance of the composer and his works, and the organization of the music. The examination of each piece will involve assessment of musical phrasing, tessitura, and overall vocal complexity in eight German Lieder settings of Gretchen’s soliloquy “Ach neige, du Schmerzenreiche” from Goethe’s Faust. The suggestions within the investigations are based on examination of pedagogical practices as well as personal experience and discoveries made while singing and performing these pieces. Through an investigation of each piece, the singer will be able to attain a successful understanding of the framework and approach to the music and poetry, and thereby achieve awareness of accurate performance practice. This document examines in order of composition, the settings by Bettina von Arnim, Franz Schubert (including the completed fragment as arranged by Benjamin Britten), Conrad Kreutzer, Bernhard Klein, Johann Loewe, Robert Schumann, Hugo Wolf, and Fredric Joseph Kroll. Because this document serves to investigate only German Lieder settings, it will not examine the choral works of Hans Pfitzner, Antoni Radziwill, Julius Röntgen, Giuseppe Verdi’s Italian setting “Deh, pietoso, oh Addolorata,” nor Richard Wagner’s Melodram. This document will also very briefly discuss the lost and inaccessible settings of Gretchen’s prayer, including those of Carl Debrois van Bruyck, Edmund von Freyhold, Moritz Hauptmann, Justus Lecerf, Leopold Lenz, Louis Schlottmann, and Hans Sommer. KEYWORDS: Gretchen, “Ach Neige du Schmerzenreiche,” Performance Practice, Goethe Repertoire, Faust Repertoire GRETCHEN’S SOLILOQUY “ACH NEIGE, DU SCHMERZENREICHE” FROM GOETHE’S FAUST: A VOCAL PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS AND SET OF PERFORMANCE GUIDELINES FOR VARIOUS SOLO VOICE SETTINGS By Savanna Sokolnicki ___________________________ Cynthia Lawrence, Director of Dissertation ___________________________ Dr. David Sogin, Director of Graduate Studies _____02/05/2016____________ To my parents, Jerry and Renata Sokolnicki ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Psalm 69:30 I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. I would like to express my very great appreciation to the many people who granted me their support and guidance throughout my doctoral degree. My Doctoral Committee Chair, Professor Cynthia Lawrence, imparted endless encouragement and incredibly beneficial feedback. I am indebted to her for her extraordinary artistic guidance not only in the completion of this document, but also in my recitals, operatic roles, auditions and musical growth. Dr. Karen Bottge provided very helpful criticism and guidance, especially on structure and musical analysis in the document. Dr. Dennis Bender offered valuable insight on performance practice and Dr. Jeanine Blackwell presented important awareness into the history of Goethe and the story of Gretchen. Dr. Alice Christ contributed valuable encouragement and artistic insight and Dr. David Sogin imparted assistance and direction through any possible obstacle. I am extremely grateful to my entire Doctoral Committee for their patience and direction. Each of them helped guide and challenge me, and it is because of their supervision that this document was substantially improved. I am eternally grateful to the incredible vocal coaches, pianists, and fellow musicians that made each recital and performance possible. My great appreciation goes out to Professor Cliff Jackson, whose musicality and endless wealth of knowledge made rehearsals educational, productive, and incredibly enjoyable. I am also incredibly thankful for Professor John Greer, who’s challenging music and insightful leadership helped me master new operatic roles and discover a deep love for poetry and music from my homeland. To Rebecca Wilt, who challenged me from the very beginning of my doctoral adventure and inspired me to do my best always, I am indebted. I would also like to express gratitude to the incredibly talented musicians who joined me on stage for my recitals, Maris Deddens, Jerram John, Jared Wallis, Wanessa Campelo, Kathryn Caton, Jonathan Parham, and Thomas Gunther, thank you all for making wonderful music with me. A special thank you to the incredible composer Dr. Fredric Kroll for his willingness to speak to me about his wonderful music and for allowing me to present it here in this document. My deep gratitude also extends to my entire family, in-laws, and great friends without whose support I would have easily gotten lost in the stress of this process. I’m eternally grateful to Kathryn Caton, for understanding me best and knowing just what to say, or what not to say, and to Ellen Graham, Jondra Harmon, and Melissa Snow-Groves, for helping me maintain my composure through this entire process. I thank my new family, my in-laws, for always welcoming me with warm smiles and loving hearts. To my loving, remarkable, husband Christopher Lutz, there are not enough words to describe how patient, caring, helpful, and supportive a partner I have been blessed with. Thank you my love for making every day, and every note, worth it. I love you. Thank you to my little brother Conrad Peter Sokolnicki, whose wit, brilliance and fantastic sense of humor inspires me every day. Above all, limitless appreciation and love is dedicated to my parents, Jerry and Renata Sokolnicki. I thank you with my whole heart for letting me sing, scream, cry, and laugh, but most importantly, for nourishing a deep love of music and an endless thirst for knowledge. I love you. This is for you. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I` ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................