California State University, Northridge Graduate

Home , Pirate Jenny, Voice (duo)

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE

GRADUATE RECITAL IN VOICE

An abstract submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of Master of Music in Music, Performance

Nicolette Holman

May 2020

The graduate project of Christina Holman is approved:

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Dr. Anthony Moreno Date

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Diane Ketchie Date

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Dr. John Rosigno, Chair Date

California State University, Northridge

ii TABLE OF CONTENTS

Signature page……………………………………………………………………………ii

Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………..iv

Program………………………………………………………………………………..…x

Texts……..…………………………………………………………………………... …1

iii ABSTRACT

GRADUATE RECITAL IN VOICE

Nicolette Holman Master of Music in Music, Performance

The repertoire in my recital covers a wide range of periods from the Romantic period all the way up to today and it includes a variety of music from cabaret to classical to operetta songs.

Just as the genres are diverse, these songs cover a plethora of topics including a Pirate Queen plotting her revenge, a woman who has romantic partners in several countries, a bored housewife who fantasizes about living the island lifestyle, and a lonely partygoer who becomes disillusioned with high society as she observes from the sidelines at a party how truly dysfunctional each upper class partygoer is. It is my intent with this recital program to show that even though some of these songs were written almost a century apart from each other, themes of loneliness and longing for love run throughout these similar yet different styles in a most sentimental and thought provoking way.

In building this recital, I wanted to meld my love of both classical and cabaret music together in a way that feels seamless and appropriate. Choosing a life of vocal variety in all shows that I do, it felt only natural to include both works from the great, classic composers and composers of today. Most of the modern works chosen for this recital are a fusion of both vaudevillian cabaret and classical art songs. I was really drawn to music by William Bolcom,

iv Kurt Weill, and Leonard Bernstein as they all did a beautiful interchanging dance between playful, often banter-like cabaret melody lines and supremely legato and widely ranged melody lines of classical pieces. I carefully chose contemporary pieces that were both imaginative and groundbreaking for their time but which would not alienate an audience with too much dissonance or jagged effects as was the style of many modern pieces.

Paolo Tosti wrote songs in the Bel Canto style with well suited melody lines for the voice. Three of his most mellifluous love songs showing a wide emotional range and included in this set are; “Marechiare”, “Non t’amo piu”, and “Aprile”. “Marechiare'' is considered a

Neapolitan song and has lyrics written by the Neapolitan poet, Salvatore di Giacomo. It stays in a jaunty, 2/4 tempo for the entire song which compliments the excited lyrics about being in love with “love” and living in the Italian town of Marechiare. Notably shifting from the previous song’s sentiment, “Non t’amo piu”, has all of the passion and drama one would expect and hope for from an Italian love story neatly condensed into one song. This tale of love gone wrong and the volatile feelings of heartache and betrayal that ensue are portrayed in both the vocal and accompaniment lines with their many stops and starts and dynamic shifts in volume. Luckily,

“Aprile”, the final song in this set, with its lush and dynamic vocal line reminds us to not give up on romance completely because come springtime, love is in the air!

Hugo Wolf does a slight detour from the prevalent themes of this recital by offering a chance for levity and laughter with the songs in this set. “Ich Hab in Penna” is a playful song about the female version of a Cassanova or Don Juan. This woman feels no shame in taking lovers in different countries and she excitedly lists off these men whilst the piano line plays a pattern in thirds which keeps up with her energy by playing at a rapid pace. At the end, the accompaniment pauses for effect while the “Femmanova” makes her boldest declaration yet; she

v has ten boyfriends in Castiglione! “Er Ist” has a cascading and magical sounding accompaniment line which blends surprisingly well with the legato vocal line which has sweet lyrics about the beauty of Spring. Rounding out this set is a song that plays out like a children’s story.“Elfenleid” tells the tale of an Elf who thinks he is being summoned by the village watchman. He’s barely awake and bumbling through the village and ultimately bumps his head against stone. His awkward steps into town are accentuated by sixteenth notes in the accompaniment. The vocal line is syllabically set in short note values which makes it sound both conversational and expressive. The libretto is enhanced by dynamics, key changes, and falling octaves playing throughout.

Georges Bizet is perhaps best known for his passionate and riveting opera, Carmen. Much like his title character, Carmen, the characters in his art songs also possess dynamic flair, flirtatious behavior, and lots of coloratura vocal passages. All three of the songs in this set have somewhat similar themes of romance and flirtation. “Ouvre ton coeur” has a Spanish flair for the dramatic and contains charming lyrics of romantic persuasion and cajoling the love interest to be trusting and open their heart. “Pastorale” is composed by Bizet and contains lyrics by French poet Jean-François Regnard. Since the other two songs in this set are perfectly exciting bookends, I chose this song as a calm in the storm. Essentially, it is about a shepherdess and a valet who are walking through the countryside and flirting with each other. The accompaniment and vocal melody both match the leisurely pace of an unhurried walk through country fields. The final song of this set, “Tarantelle”, was written in both Italian and French. This French version of

“Tarantelle” has lyrics by poet and dramatist, Édouard Pailleron. It contains many coloratura passages and sudden stops in the music which aptly drive the narrative of fleeting love and its

vi metaphor of a butterfly’s flight. After all, both the melody and accompaniment lines zig and zag much like the dizzying path of a butterfly.

Kurt Weill was a German Jewish composer who was well known for his collaborations with lyricist Bertolt Brecht. One of their collaborations was on the Three Penny Opera which became wildly successful much to their surprise. One of the most popular songs from that opera was “Pirate Jenny''. The lyrics are about a sassy, vengeful pirate queen are masterfully paired with a driving rhythm in the piano line which only stops for a rest when pirate Jenny realizes her ship and pirate crew had come to shore and she can now exact her revenge on her chauvinistic employers. At this point, the lyrics take on a somewhat gleeful morbidity while the accompaniment gets eerily pianissimo and almost grinds to a halt.

These next songs by Weill are “September Song”; written for the Broadway comedy,

Knickerbocker Holiday, “Lost in the stars”; the melancholy ballad with gut wrenching versions by both Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra, and “I’m a stranger here myself”; from the musical,

One Touch of Venus. Weill’s music expertly keeps with this recital’s central themes of loneliness and romantic confusion. “September Song” contains melancholy harmonic shifts. Its lyrics are a stark reminder that life is a cycle of birth and death much like the changing of the seasons.

William Bolcom, the composer of this cabaret song cycle, is a highly versatile modern

American composer and pianist. In 2004, Bolcom, and lyricist and playwright, Arnold

Weinstein, released a 24 cabaret song cycle. The common thread tying all of these songs together was that they described quirky, strange, and somewhat desperate characters. Many of these songs had dark themes though the bouncy accompaniment and musical jokes kept things from getting too heavy. Three of the most colorful and descriptive songs in this cycle are included in this

vii recital and are titled “Song of Black Max”, “Oh Close the Curtain”, and “Waitin”. “Song of

Black Max” was based on an actual person who wandered the streets in Amsterdam and who was considered a mysterious man with odd actions. The lyrics of this song transport you into a world that is dark, shadowy, and somewhat macabre which are all traits that Black Max represents. In

“Oh Close the Curtain”, the title character appears to be lonely, hopeless, and an outsider. The character is at a high end party with seemingly upper class people but these people turn out to be dysfunctional characters that are fighting, taking drugs, and engaging in overall hypocritical behavior. The main character realizes throughout the song that these are people from whom she is completely detached and who she wants no relations with.

It is worth noting that in both “Oh Close the Curtain” and “Song of Black Max”, the left hand and right hand are not always being played in the same major key. In many cases, both hands are in the same tonic but not in the same major. This creates a subtly dissonant sound which adds to the overall mood of these songs. The piano line also occasionally echos the vocal part which gives more fullness to the vocal melody line.

Though the last song in this set, “Waitin”, appears to be a short and simple song, it has a message of deep longing for something that is just beyond reach. Even though “Waitin” is by far the shortest and simplest song in my recital, it is arguably the most profound. It ties together the central themes of loneliness and hoping for love that is beyond one's reach. It has universally relatable lyrics of love lost and a focus on the past without an apparent hope for the future.

Though it is open to interpretation what Bolcom and Weinstein were implying was being waited on for so long, the lyrics suggest waiting a long while to find that one special person who might make the journey worth all of the heartache.

viii The end cap for my performance is the dynamic piece, “What a movie”, from Leonard

Bernstein’s operetta, Trouble in Tahiti. Trouble in Tahiti tells the story of an unhappy couple,

Sam and Dinah, living in suburbia. Dinah feels trapped in a loveless marriage to a thoughtless man and trapped by her boring whereabouts. In “What a movie”, Dinah initially mocks a movie she is watching about a South Seas romance until she starts fantasizing about what her life might be like if she were in this setting. Sam and Dinah’s relationship appears to be a metaphor for humdrum suburbia, pervasive consumerism, and the prevalent feelings of boredom and emptiness amongst wealthy suburban women in America following World War II. Juxtaposed with the facade of happy consumerism, their spiritual hollowness lies at the center of the opera’s drama and is enhanced by rapid stylistic changes in the music. “What a movie” brings to a close a recital with songs filled with poignant characters who long for a different reality and an ever changing musical landscape that keeps listeners on their toes and wondering what comes next.

ix PROGRAM

Ⅰ

Non T'amo Piu Paolo Tosti (1846-1916) Marechiare Aprile II

Er Ist’s Hugo Wolf (1860-1903) Ich Hab in Penna Elfenleid

III

Pastorale Georges Bizet (1838-1875) Ouvre Ton Coeur Tarantelle

-INTERMISSION-

Pirate Jenny Kurt Weill (1900-1950) September Song Stranger Here Myself Lost In the Stars

V. Cabaret Songs William Bolcom 1938 (age 81)

Close the Curtain Black Max Waitin

What A Movie Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)

x Non T'amo Più

Ricordi ancora il dì che c'incontrammo, You still remember the saying we met, Le tue promesse le ricordi ancor...? Do you still remember your promises...? Folle d'amore io ti seguii .. Crowds of love I followed you ... .ci amammo, we loved each other, E accanto a te sognai, folle d'amor. And next to you I dreamed, mad people of love.

Sognai felice, di carezze a baci I dreamed happy, of kissing caresses Una catena dileguante in ciel; A chain of inequality in heaven; Ma le parole tue... furon mendaci... But your words... furon mendaci... Perchè l'anima tua è fatta di gel. Because your soul is made of gel.

Te ne ricordi ancor? Do you still remember? Te ne ricordi ancor? Do you still remember?

Or la mia fede, il desiderio immenso Now my faith, my immense desire Il mio sogno d'amor...non sei più tu: My dream of love... it's not you anymore: I tuoi baci non cerco, a te non penso... Your kisses I don't seek, I don't think about you... Sogno un altro ideal; non t'amo più. I dream of another ideal; I don't love you anymore.

Nei cari giorni che pasamo ineieme In the dear days we go by ineie Io cosparsi di fiori il tuo sentier I'll sprinkle with flowers your sentier Tu fosti del mio cor l'unica speme You were of my cor the only spew Tu della mente l'unico pensier You of the mind the only thinker

Tu m'hai visto pregare, impallidire, You saw me pray, pale, Piangere tu mhai visto innanzi a te Crying you m have seen before you Io sol per appagare un tuo desire I alone to satisfy your desire Avrei dato il mio sangue a la mia fè... I would have given my blood to my fé...

Te ne ricordi ancor? Do you still remember? Te ne ricordi ancor? Do you still remember?

1 Marechiare

Quanno spónta la luna a Marechiaro, When the moon comes out in Marechiaro, pure li pisce nce fanno a ll'ammore. even the fish are making love. Se revòtano ll'onne de lu mare, The waves of the sea revolt pe' la priézza cágnano culore. Changing their colour from joy. Quanno spónta la luna a Marechiaro! When the moon comes out in Marechiaro!

A Marechiare ce sta na fenesta: In Marechiaro there is a window; la passiona mia ce tuzzuléa. my passion knocks on it. Nu garofano addora 'int'a na testa A fragrant carnation in a vase, passa ll'acqua pe' sotto e murmuléa. beneath it the water breaks and murmurs A Marechiare ce sta na fenesta! In Marechiaro there is a window! ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah

Chi dice ca li stelle só lucente, Whoever says that the stars are bright, nun sape st'uocchie ca tu tiene 'nfronte. doesn’t know these eyes gracing your face. Sti ddoje stelle li ssaccio i' sulamente, Myself alone I know of these two stars dint'a lu core ne tengo li ppónte. there in my heart I have spikes. Chi dice ca li stelle só lucente? Whoever says that the stars are bright,

Scétate, Carulí, ca ll'aria è doce. Wake up, Caroline, the air is sweet Quanno maje tantu tiempo aggi'aspettato? how on earth did I linger so long? P'accumpagná li suone cu la voce, To accompany the sounds with voice, stasera na chitarra aggio purtato. tonight I’ve brought a guitar Scétate, Carulí, ca ll'aria è doce! Wake up, Caroline, the air is sweet! Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah

2 Aprile

Non senti tu ne l'aria You can't hear the air il profumo che spande Primavera? the scent that spreads Primavera? Non senti tu ne l'anima You don't feel your soul il suon de nova voce lusinghiera? the ring de nova flattering voice? È l'April! È la stagion d'amore! It's the April! It's the season of love! Deh! vieni, o mia gentil Deh! come, O my gentle su' prati'n fiore! Su' meadows'n flower!

Il piè trarrai fra mammole, The footer between mammoths, avrai su'l petto rose e cilestrine, you'll have roses and Chileans on your chest, e le farfalle candide and the white butterflies t'aleggeranno intorno al nero crine. they're going to read you around the black hair. È l'April! È la stagion d'amore! It's the April! It's the season of love! Deh! vieni, o mia gentil Deh! come, O my gentle su' prati'n fiore! Su' meadows'n flower

Elfenlied

Bei Nacht im Dorf der Wächter rief: „Elfe!“ The village watch cried out at night: Eleven!” Ein ganz kleines Elfchen im Walde schlief – An elfin elf was asleep in the wood – Wohl um die Elfe – Just at eleven – Und meint, es rief ihm aus dem Tal And thinks the nightingale was calling Bei seinem Namen die Nachtigall, Him by name from the valley, Oder Silpelit hätt ihm gerufen. Or Silpelit had sent for him. Reibt sich der Elf die Augen aus, The elf rubs his eyes, Begibt sich vor sein Schneckenhaus, Steps from his snail-shell home, Und ist als wie ein trunken Mann, Looking like a drunken man, Sein Schläflein war nicht voll getan, Not having slept his fill, Und humpelt also tippe tapp And hobbles down, tippety tap, Durchs Haselholz ins Tal hinab, Through the hazels to the valley, Schlupft an der Mauer hin so dicht, Slips right up against the wall, Da sitzt der Glühwurm, Licht an Licht. Where the glow-worm sits, shining bright. „Was sind das helle Fensterlein? “What bright windows are these? Da drin wird eine Hochzeit sein: There must be a wedding inside: Die Kleinen sitzen beim Mahle, The little folk are sitting at the feast Und treibens in dem Saale; And skipping round the ballroom; Da guck ich wohl ein wenig ’nein!“ I’ll take a little peek inside!” – Pfui, stösst den Kopf an harten Stein! Shame! he hits his head on hard stone! Elfe, gelt, du hast genug? Elf, don’t you think you’ve had enough? Gukuk! Gukuk! Cuckoo! Cuckoo

3 Er lst

Frühling lässt sein blaues Band Spring leaves its blue ribbon Wieder flattern durch die Lüfte; Again fluttering through the air; Süsse, wohlbekannte Düfte Sweet, well-known fragrances Streifen ahnungsvoll das Land. Strip the country with a clue. Veilchen träumen schon, Violets are already dreaming, Wollen balde kommen. Want to come soon. Horch, von fern ein leiser Harfenton! Horch, a quiet harp tone from afar! Frühling, ja du bist’s! Spring, yes you are! Dich hab ich vernommen! I heard you! Ja! Du bist’s! Yes! You are!

Ich Hab in Penna

Ich hab in Penna einen Liebsten wohnen I have a loved one living in Penna In der Maremmeneb'ne einen andern In the Maremmeneb'ne another Einen im schönen Hafen von Ancona One in the beautiful port of Ancona Zum Vierten muß ich nach Viterbo wandern; For the fourth, I have to go to Viterbo; Ein Andrer wohnt in Casentino dort An Andrer lives in Casentino Der Nächste lebt mit mir am selben Ort The next one lives with me in the same place Und wieder einen hab' ich in Magione And again I have in Magione Vier in La Fratta, zehn in Castiglione Four in La Fratta, ten in Castiglione

Pastorale

Un jour de printemps A spring day Tout le long d'un verger All along an orchard Colin va chantant Colin goes singing Pour ses maux soulager: For his ailments relieve: Ma bergère, ma bergère My shepherdess, my shepherdess Tra la la la la la la la la Tra la la la la la la la la la la la la Ma bergère, laisse-moi My shepherdess, leave me Prendre un tendre baiser! Take a tender kiss!

La belle, à l'instant The beautiful, at the moment Répond à son berger: Meets his shepherd: »Tu veux, en chantant "You want, singing Un baiser dérober?... A kiss to steal?... Non Colin, non Colin No Colin, no Colin Tra la la la la la la la la Tra la la la la la la la la la la la la Tu voudrais, en chantant You'd like to, singing Prendre un tendre baiser Take a tender kiss Non, Colin, ne le prends pas No, Colin, don't take it. Je vais te le donner I'm going to give it to you.

4 Ouvre ton Coeur

Ouvre ton cœur Open your heart À l’amour qui m’enflamme, To the love that inflames me, Comme au soleil s’ouvre une fleur. As in the sun opens a flower. Ouvre ton cœur. Open your heart . Ô ma beauté, prends ma vie et mon âme ! Oh my beauty, take my life and my soul! Ouvre ton cœur Open your heart À l’amour qui m’enflamme, To the love that inflames me, Ouvre ton cœur. Open your heart.

Ah, voici l’heure de l’amour, Ah, here's the hour of love, L’ombre propice est de retour. The right shade is back. Viens dans mes bras Come in my arms Changer la nuit en jour ! Change the night into the day!

Ô ma beauté, To my beauty, C’est l’amour que fait vivre ! It's the love that makes you live! Qui fait rêver d’éternité, That makes you dream of eternity, Ô ma beauté! Oh my beauty! Ouvre ton cœur Open your heart

Au doux feu qui m’enivre ! To the low fire that intoxicates me! Ô ma beauté, To my beauty, C’est l’amour que fait vivre ! It's the love that makes you live!

5 Tarantelle

Tra la la. Tra la la.

Le papillon s'est envolé The butterfly flew away La fleur se balance avec grâce The flower swings gracefully Ma belle où voyez-vous la trace My beautiful where do you see the trace La trace de l'amant ailé ? The trace of the winged lover? Ah ! Le papillon s'est envolé ! Ah! The butterfly has flown away!

Le flot est rapide et changeant The flow is fast and changing Toujours sillonnant l'eau profonde Always crisscrossing the deep water La barque passe, et toujours l'onde The boat passes, and always the wave Efface le sillon d'argent Clears the silver furrow

Le papillon, c'est votre amour The butterfly is your love La fleur et l'onde, c'est votre âme The flower and the wave is your soul Que rien n'émeut, que rien n'entame Let nothing move, let nothing begin Où rien ne reste plus d'un jour Where nothing stays more than a day Le papillon, c'est votre amour The butterfly is your love

Ma belle où voyez-vous My beautiful where do you see La trace de l'amant ailé ? The trace of the winged lover?

La fleur se balance avec grâce... The flower swings gracefully... Le papillon s'est envolé ! The butterfly has flown away! .