AN UNDERSTANDING of STYLE of BAROQUE ORNAMENTATION in HANDEL's OPERATIC ARIAS: a STUDY of SELECTED RECORDINGS (1950S – 2010S
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University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--Music Music 2020 AN UNDERSTANDING OF STYLE OF BAROQUE ORNAMENTATION IN HANDEL’S OPERATIC ARIAS: A STUDY OF SELECTED RECORDINGS (1950s – 2010s) Junghyun Lee University of Kentucky, [email protected] Author ORCID Identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5224-7249 Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2020.050 Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Lee, Junghyun, "AN UNDERSTANDING OF STYLE OF BAROQUE ORNAMENTATION IN HANDEL’S OPERATIC ARIAS: A STUDY OF SELECTED RECORDINGS (1950s – 2010s)" (2020). Theses and Dissertations--Music. 156. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/music_etds/156 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. 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Junghyun Lee, Student Cynthia Lawrence-Calkins, Major Professor Dr. Lance Brunner, Director of Graduate Studies AN UNDERSTANDING OF STYLE OF BAROQUE ORNAMENTATION IN HANDEL’S OPERATIC ARIAS: A STUDY OF SELECTED RECORDINGS (1950s – 2010s) ________________________________________ 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 Junghyun Lee Lexington, Kentucky Director: Professor Cynthia Lawrence, Endowed Chair, Professor of Voice Lexington, Kentucky 2020 Copyright © Junghyun Lee 2020 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5224-7249 ABSTRACT OF DMA PROJECT AN UNDERSTANDING OF STYLE OF BAROQUE ORNAMENTATION IN HANDEL’S OPERATIC ARIAS: A STUDY OF SELECTED RECORDINGS (1950s – 2010s) From the early 20th century to the present, new discoveries in Handel scholarship and changing ideas of Baroque performance practice have greatly affected the manner in which Handel’s operas and individual arias have been performed. Since the appearance of the first volumes of the Hallische Handel-Ausgabe in 1958, Handel’s works have experienced a renewed appreciation among performers and scholars alike, including countless opera productions. Since the introduction of the CD, many talented singers have published recordings of his operas and individual arias, influenced by a greater under- standing of period-performance practices and audience expectations. As such, performers are expected to be conversant in Baroque-period performance practices, especially impro- vised embellishments. However, many published recordings of Baroque arias seem more focused on demonstrating virtuosic vocal technique than historically informed ornaments, leading to an indiscriminate application of excessive, stylistically inappropriate embel- lishments among performers. Handel’s Italian singers were experts in vocal ornamentation; thus, he did not notate expected ornaments on the scores. However, Winton Dean’s composite volume Three Ornamented Arias provides Handel’s notations of intended embellishments to these works. In order to consider period-appropriate embellishments in other operatic arias by Handel, this study will 1) compare Handel’s notated embellishments in relation to the unembellished score, and 2) examine Robert Donington’s recommendations for specific ornaments in Baroque Music: Style and Performance. In doing so, I will provide an authentic, histori-cally informed view of embellishments and ornaments in Baroque music. This project will focus on the performance practice of Baroque ornamentation in Handel’s arias in the 20th and 21st centuries, as reflected in authentic Baroque performance practice and selected recordings. Handel’s four soprano arias: Lascia ch’io pianga, V’adoro pupille, Piangerò la sorte mia, and Tornami a vagheggiar will be discussed to compare changing ideas of vocal ornamentation through selected recordings from the late 1950s and until the 2010s. The selection of recordings will be considered in relation to the ‘well-known’ virtuosos, Baroque music singers, and conductors as well. Based on the investigation of Handelian performance practices, this paper will provide a framework for critically evaluating improvised embellishments in published recordings, which may be 1) deficiently ornamented, 2) stylistically appropriate, or 3) excessively ornamented. KEYWORDS: George Frideric Handel, Baroque Ornaments, Baroque Performance Practice, Handel’s Soprano Arias, Recordings, Winton Dean Junghyun Lee 01/23/2020 Date AN UNDERSTANDING OF STYLE OF BAROQUE ORNAMENTATION IN HANDEL’S OPERATIC ARIAS: A STUDY OF SELECTED RECORDINGS (1950s – 2010s) By Junghyun Lee Cynthia Lawrence Director of Dissertation Lance Brunner Director of Graduate Studies 01/23/2020 Date TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. ⅴ LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ⅵ PART 1 .................................................................................................................. ⅵ PART Ⅱ ................................................................................................................ ⅷ PART Ⅰ CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2. BAROQUE PERFORMANCE PRACTICE ............................................... 4 2.1 Trill ......................................................................................................................... 7 2.2 Appoggiatura......................................................................................................... 13 2.3 Slide ...................................................................................................................... 19 2.4 Mordent ................................................................................................................. 22 2.5 Turn ....................................................................................................................... 25 2.6 Free Ornamentation .............................................................................................. 27 CHAPTER 3. ANALYSIS OF THREE ORNAMENTED ARIAS ................................. 32 3.1 Teofane’s Three Arias ........................................................................................... 35 3.2 Five Characteristics of Handel’s Vocal Ornamentations ...................................... 39 3.2.1 Changing the progression of the repeated rhythmic figuration .................. 41 3.2.2 Maintaining the principal notes ................................................................... 43 3.2.3 Diverse elaborations for the repetition of words .......................................... 45 3.2.4 Variations at the end of A and B sections .................................................... 47 3.2.5 Embellishment on the fermata ..................................................................... 49 CHAPTER 4. ANALYSIS OF RECORDINGS ............................................................... 51 4.1 Analysis of “Lascia ch’io pianga” ........................................................................ 58 4.2 Analysis of “V’adoro pupille” .............................................................................. 69 4.3 Analysis of “Piangerò la sorte mia” ...................................................................... 81 4.4 Analysis of “Tornami a vagheggiar” .................................................................... 95 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................... 108 iii PART Ⅱ SOLO RECITAL ............................................................................................................ 114 CHAMBER RECITAL ..................................................................................................