Rick Sowash: an Annotated Bio-Bibliography of His Vocal Works
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RICK SOWASH: AN ANNOTATED BIO-BIBLIOGRAPHY OF HIS VOCAL WORKS D.M.A. DOCUMENT Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Musical Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Susan M. Olson, M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 2004 Document Committee: Approved by Professor Loretta Robinson, Adviser Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt ______________________________ Dr. David Frego Adviser School of Music Copyright by Susan M. Olson 2004 ABSTRACT Richard “Rick” Sowash (b. 1950) is a late 20th century American composer who has composed over 250 pieces in many musical genres. According to Sowash, he has modeled his life as a composer after Charles Ives, although his music is far from the style of Ives. Sowash is a multi-talented composer, having written music for a wide range of ensembles. His works have been performed in a number of different venues, from church congregations to a public concert at the Cannes Film Festival. Sowash has composed nearly one hundred original vocal works. None of these pieces has been published to date. This document will bring these unknown works to the attention of vocal students, performers and teachers for future examination and performance. Included in this document is a comprehensive biography of Rick Sowash; a biography of one of Sowash’s most set poets, Sara Teasdale, including comment on Sowash’s compositional settings of Teasdale’s poetry in Bright April and Teasdale Songs; and, an annotated bibliography of his original works for solo voice and accompaniment. ii Dedicated to my family iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thank you to Rick Sowash for his collaboration with me on this project. His beautiful music and inspiring personality have made this work a joy. I would also like to thank the many people who have cooperated with me in order to finish this document. I have profound gratitude for my adviser, Professor Loretta Robinson, for her wonderful teaching and unwavering support of me and all of my endeavors during my D.M.A. degree. A special thank you to Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt, for her allowing me to fulfill part of my recital requirement with the OSU Chorale, for her support of me and this project, and for her help in its revisions. I am grateful to Dr. David Frego for his support of me during my degree program. I appreciate Dr. Robin Rice for serving on the committee for my recitals and for my general examination. Thank you to all of the faculty that I had the pleasure to study with during my time at The Ohio State University. I thank the Dominican Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs for the opportunity to continue my studies. Your good thoughts, prayers, support and encouragement have been so important to me. Finally, I thank God for the many gifts I have received and my family and friends for their constant encouragement, support, and unconditional love. iv VITA March 21, 1967……………………………...Born – Evanston, Illinois 1989………………………………………....B.M. Vocal Performance, Capital University Conservatory of Music 1991………………………………………....M.A. Vocal Pedagogy, The Ohio State University 1992-1995…………………………………...Instructor of Voice, Kalamazoo College 1993-1995…………………………………...Adjunct Instructor of Voice, Western Michigan University 1995-1996…………………………………...Lecturer of Music, Ohio Dominican University 1997-2002…………………………………...Lecturer of Music, Ohio Dominican University 2001-present………………………………... Graduate Teaching Associate, School of Music, The Ohio State University 2002-present………………………………...Adjunct Lecturer of Music, Ohio Dominican University FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Music Vocal Performance v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract …………………………………………………………………………… …ii Dedication ……………………………………………………………………………...iii Acknowledgments …………………………………………………..............................iv Vita ……………………………………………………………………………….….…v Chapters: 1. Introduction ……………………………………………………………………….…1 2. Biography of Rick Sowash ...………………………………………….................5 3. One Poet: A Biography of Sara Teasdale, including comment on her poetry used in Rick Sowash’s compositions BRIGHT APRIL (1980) and the TEASDALE SONGS (1998)...................................................................................28 4. Bibliography of original works for voice ………………………………………..…52 5. Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………97 Appendices: A. List of original chamber works ……………………………………………………98 B. List of original choral works ………………………………………………..……110 C. List of original keyboard works ………………………………………………….124 D. List of original chamber opera works ……………………………………………126 E. List of original orchestral works ………………………………………………….127 Bibliography …………………………………………………………………………129 vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION An active composer, Richard Sowash has written over 250 works for many combinations of instruments and voice. Many of his almost one hundred solo vocal works remain little- or unknown because they are not currently published. Proponents of his music are far ranging, from Les Gavottes, based in Nice, France to the former Gregg Smith Singers, here in the United States. Sowash’s solo vocal works are intimate and beautiful, thought-provoking works of art. Written for solo voice and piano, as well as for voice, piano, and a variety of instruments, or voice and instrument alone, these compositions are graced with lovely melody, clean tonal movement, and accessible text setting. Rick Sowash is currently not included in any music reference book. There have been a few articles written about Sowash and, specifically, about his recorded chamber ensemble works. There is presently no published, in-depth examination of Sowash as a significant American composer, however. This document will provide an in-depth biography of Rick Sowash and the poet, Sara Teasdale. It will also bring these unknown compositions to the attention of vocal teachers and performers for future performance and study. 1 Purpose and Limitations of the Study The purpose of this study is three-fold: to provide a biography of Rick Sowash for the performers of his music; to reveal characteristics of one of the poets whose texts Sowash has set; and to provide performers, teachers and scholars with a comprehensive bibliography of his solo vocal works. A biography of Rick Sowash can be found in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 is a brief biography of one of the poets, Sara Teasdale, whose texts are favored by Sowash. This chapter will also include commentary on two sets of songs that Sowash has composed, Bright April (1980) and the Teasdale Songs (1998). The fourth chapter contains the annotated bibliography of Sowash’s original works for solo voice. The appendices include a complete list of his compositions by genre and a bibliography of sources used in the writing of this document. Procedures Preparation for this document included a number of areas of research. The first area was the development of Sowash’s biography. This began with the collection of the limited information that was published about Sowash and his music, including articles and music reviews. Additionally, interviews were conducted with Sowash over the period of a year and a half. These interviews were done both in person and through electronic mail. The interviews were transcribed and the biography developed. Rick Sowash worked directly with the author on this biography, ensuring its accuracy. Finally, other interviews were conducted through electronic mail with persons Sowash named as integral to his musical life. The second section of this document, found in Chapter 3, pertains to one of the poets whose work Sowash frequently sets, Sara Teasdale. This section also includes 2 commentary on a cycle and a set that Sowash has written to Sara Teasdale’s poetry, Bright April and the Teasdale Songs, respectively. Through a brief biography of Sara Teasdale and the comment on Sowash’s songs to Teasdale text, some general observations of Sowash and his compositional style and process are determined and discussed. The third area of research for this document was the annotated bibliography, found in Chapter 4. The research for this chapter included locating a list of all of Sowash’s works for solo voice. None of these solo vocal works is presently published nor could be found in any online catalog. Because there are no holdings in libraries, Sowash graciously allowed the author to examine his personal library of manuscript copies. The manuscript copies of the music were examined to discern the following information for inclusion in this document: title, medium, compositional date, poet of the text being set, dedication, vocal range for the singer, and registration with ASCAP. The composer’s notes, if included with the composition, were examined for information about the compositions. An annotated bibliography of the original compositions for solo voice was created from this data. A complete listing of Rick Sowash’s compositions to date is included in the Appendices. The following information was included in the appendices if available: medium; number of movements, if applicable; composition date; and registration with ASCAP. Appendix A includes Sowash’s original chamber works. These include various combinations of instruments in an alphabetical listing. The numerous original choral works written by Sowash are included in Appendix B. Choral personnel needed for 3 performance divide this appendix into sections. Appendix C includes the original keyboard works. The one original chamber opera is included in Appendix D. The original orchestral compositions written by Sowash are included in Appendix E. 4 CHAPTER 2 BIOGRAPHY OF RICHARD