Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2006 A Performance Guide to Selected Song Cycles of John Harbison: North and South (Six Poems of Elizabeth Bishop), Simple Daylight, and Flashes and Illuminations Cheryl Denyse Cellon Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MUSIC A PERFORMANCE GUIDE TO SELECTED SONG CYCLES OF JOHN HARBISON: NORTH AND SOUTH (SIX POEMS OF ELIZABETH BISHOP), SIMPLE DAYLIGHT, AND FLASHES AND ILLUMINATIONS By CHERYL DENYSE CELLON A Treatise submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Music Degree Awarded: Fall Semester, 2006 The members of the Committee approve the treatise of Cheryl Denyse Cellon defended on Monday, October 23, 2006. ___________________________ Timothy Hoekman Professor Directing Treatise ___________________________ André J. Thomas Outside Committee Member ___________________________ Valerie M. Trujillo Committee Member ___________________________ Carolyn Bridger Committee Member The Office of Graduate Studies has verified and approved the above named committee members. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would first like to thank John Harbison for his generosity in giving his time and willingness to provide valuable insight into his works. I would also like to thank the members of my committee for their help and guidance in the completion of this treatise. Thanks to those family members and friends who expressed their concern through countless phone calls, emails, and uplifting conversations. Most of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my parents and my daughter for all of their unfailing love and support throughout this entire process. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Musical Examples…..…………………………………………………………….vi Abstract………………………………………………………………………………….viii INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………...…1 1. BIOGRAPHY AND VOCAL WRITING STYLE………………….….…………...…2 2. POETS………………………………………………………………………………....6 Elizabeth Bishop William Carlos Williams Eugenio Montale Czesław Miłosz Michael Fried 3. BACKGROUND AND GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ……………………………11 4. NORTH AND SOUTH (SIX POEMS OF ELIZABETH BISHOP)……………………15 “Ballad for Billie I” “Late Air” “Breakfast Song” “Ballad for Billie II” “Song” “Dear, My Compass…” iv 5. SIMPLE DAYLIGHT……………………………………………………………….…31 “Japan” “Simple Daylight” “Somewhere a Seed” “Your Name” “Wild Irises” “Odor” 6. FLASHES AND ILLUMINATIONS……......................................................................51 “On the Greve” “Chemin de Fer” “The Winds of Dawn” “Cirque d’Hiver” “To be Recited to Flossie on Her Birthday” “December 1” 7. CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………..…67 TABLE 1: LIST OF HARBISON’S VOCAL WORKS…………………………...……68 APPENDIX A: COPYRIGHT……………………………………...……………………71 APPENDIX B: IRB APPROVAL……………………………………………………....75 BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………..……78 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH………………………………………………………….....81 v LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES 1. North and South, “Ballad for Billie I,” mm. 12-14………………………………18 2. North and South, “Ballad for Billie I,” mm. 20-23………………………………19 3. North and South, “Ballad for Billie I,” mm. 68-71………………………………19 4. North and South, “Late Air,” mm. 26-30………………………………………...21 5. North and South, “Late Air,” mm. 31-33………………………………………...21 6. North and South, “Breakfast Song,” mm. 1-7…………………………………...23 7. North and South, “Breakfast Song,” mm. 44-49………………………………...24 8. North and South, “Ballad for Billie II,” mm. 33-35……………………………..26 9. North and South, “Song,” mm. 1-8………………………………………………28 10. North and South, “Dear, My Compass…,” mm. 1-2…………………………….29 11. North and South, “Dear, My Compass…,” mm. 37-46………………………….30 12. Simple Daylight, “Japan,” mm. 1-2…………………………………………...…35 13. Simple Daylight, “Japan,” mm. 3-4……………………………………………...35 14. Simple Daylight, “Japan,” mm. 58-63…………………………………………...36 15. Simple Daylight, “Simple Daylight,” mm. 7-8…………………………………..37 16. Simple Daylight, “Simple Daylight,” mm. 19-21………………………………..38 17. Simple Daylight, “Simple Daylight,” mm. 25-26………………………………..39 18. Simple Daylight, “Somewhere a Seed,” mm. 53-55…………………………..…40 19. Simple Daylight, “Somewhere a Seed,” mm. 9-11………………………………41 20. Simple Daylight, “Your Name,” mm. 1-4……………………………………..…43 21. Simple Daylight, “Your Name,” mm. 13-16……………………………………..44 22. Simple Daylight, “Your Name,” mm. 19-20…..…………………………………44 23. Simple Daylight, “The Wild Irises,” mm. 13-16………………………………...45 24. Simple Daylight, “The Wild Irises,” mm. 17-19…………………………………46 25. Simple Daylight, “The Wild Irises,” mm. 26-28………………………………....47 26. Simple Daylight, “Odor,” mm. 1-3………………………………………………48 27. Simple Daylight, “Odor,” mm. 33-37……………………………………………49 28. Simple Daylight, “Odor,” mm. 58-61……………………………………………49 29. Simple Daylight, “Odor,” mm. 66-68……………………………………………50 30. Flashes and Illuminations, “On the Greve,” mm. 1-2…………………………...54 31. Flashes and Illuminations, “On the Greve,” mm. 18-19………………………...55 32. Flashes and Illuminations, “On the Greve,” mm. 22-23………………………...55 33. Flashes and Illuminations, “Chemin de Fer,” m. 68-72…………………………57 34. Flashes and Illuminations, “Chemin de Fer,” mm. 73-77……………………….58 35. Flashes and Illuminations, “The Winds of Dawn,” mm. 1-3……………………60 36. Flashes and Illuminations, “Cirque d’Hiver,” mm. 34-36………………………62 37. Flashes and Illuminations, “To Be Recited to Flossie on Her Birthday,” mm. 1-6…………………………………………………………………………..63 38. Flashes and Illuminations, “December 1,” mm. 1-3…………………………….65 vi 39. Flashes and Illuminations, “December 1,” mm. 34-40………………………….66 vii ABSTRACT The purpose of this treatise is to provide a performance perspective and guide to selected works of John Harbison for voice and piano. John Harbison (b. 1938) is a Pulitzer-prize winning American composer, whose music is becoming a part of this century’s mainstream vocal repertoire. The three works selected for research and analysis are North and South (Six Poems of Elizabeth Bishop), Simple Daylight, and Flashes and Illuminations. This treatise provides performance suggestions for each piece, along with background information and a brief biographical description for each poet. The poets for these three works are Elizabeth Bishop, Eugenio Montale, William Carlos Williams, Czesław Miłosz and Michael Fried. Each section of text includes a brief explanation to aid performers in musical interpretation and guidelines by the composer, which comprise the remaining focus of this treatise. Harbison writes specific instructions to accompany his works, and his indications create guidelines that can be used by performers to assist them in interpretation. In this treatise, these details on performance are outlined for pianist and singer and are derived from various first-hand accounts, interviews, and master classes. Other information is obtained from a variety of print and journal articles. viii INTRODUCTION The purpose of this treatise is to provide a performance perspective and guide to selected works of John Harbison for voice and piano. John Harbison is a Pulitzer-prize winning American composer, whose music is becoming a part of this century’s mainstream vocal repertoire. The three works selected for research and analysis are North and South (Six Poems of Elizabeth Bishop), Simple Daylight, and Flashes and Illuminations. North and South (Six Poems of Elizabeth Bishop), for voice and piano, was written between 1995 and 1999 and premiered in 2001. Simple Daylight, a song cycle for soprano and piano, was commissioned by Lincoln Center and premiered in 1990. Flashes and Illuminations, for baritone and piano, was commissioned in 1994 and premiered in 1996. This treatise provides performance suggestions for each piece, along with background information and a brief biographical description for each poet. The poets for these three works are Elizabeth Bishop, William Carlos Williams, Eugenio Montale, Czesław Miłosz, and Michael Fried. Each section of text includes a brief explanation to aid performers in musical interpretation. In addition, guidelines provided by the composer will be included and remain the primary focus of this treatise. Harbison writes specific instructions to accompany his works, and his indications create guidelines that can be used by performers to assist them in musical expression. These details on performance are outlined for pianist and singer. Other helpful suggestions and notes on musical interpretation will come directly from the composer. Just as there are performance practices regarding articulation, dynamics, voicing, etc. in the study and performance of works by Bach or Beethoven, there are also rules that apply to interpreting Harbison’s music. Since little has been written about these song cycles, research will come primarily from the composer, with other information derived from journal articles. Harbison’s intentions for performance will be clarified through various recorded first-hand accounts, as well as print sources and master classes. 1 CHAPTER ONE BIOGRAPHY AND VOCAL WRITING STYLE John Harris Harbison was born on December 20, 1938, in Orange, New Jersey. His family was the primary influence in his diverse musical childhood. His father, a history professor at Princeton, gave him simplified piano arrangements of Bach chorale preludes and exposed him to chord progressions from popular songs. As a child, he was improvising before he learned to read music. At age nine, Harbison became fascinated with opera and began to listen to the Metropolitan