Stylistics of Impressionism in the Song Cycles of Lesia Dychko “Pastels” and “Enharmonic” on the Poems by Pavlo Tychyna

"The aim of the work is to determine the influence of the characteristic features of the linguistic and style environment of the second half of the twentieth century on the development of Lesia Dychko's creative personality (on the example of the song cycles Pastels and Enharmonic, written to the words of P. Tychyna). The analyzed song cycles demonstrate the artist’s deep penetration into the figurative concept of the poet's free verses, reflecting its semantic properties by musical means. We notice a lot in common and consonant in the works of both artists, namely, an impressionistic vision and perception of the surrounding world, a deep philosophical understanding of nature, a symbolic load of images. The musical-theoretical analysis of the cycles has shown the principles of the development of material common to poetry and music, such as cross-cutting development, leitmotif, etc. The article reveals another facet of the composer's stylistic direction, namely, the expressive means inherent in impressionism: the coloristic function of harmony, ostinato techniques and organ points, the melodic line of recitative-declamatory or instrumental plan. The overwhelming majority of them correspond to the principles of impressionism in combination with modern innovative techniques of the musical language and personal individual stylistic features of the composer. Keywords: Lesia Dychko, song cycles, poetic and musical texts, poetry of Pavlo Tychyna, impressionism. "

Whitman and Stevenson: Singing the Nation from Scotland to Sāmoa via Ohio and Hawai‘i

This chapter explores the role of song in the intermingled reception of Whitman’s and Robert Louis Stevenson’s work. The first section introduces Stevenson’s part in disseminating Whitman’s work in Polynesia, discussing Stevenson’s writings on Polynesian song and his friendships with Hawai’ian musicians King David Kalākaua and Queen Liliʻuokalani with whom he shared an interest in Whitman. It suggests the importance of song to their understandings of cultural authority and challenges to colonial influence. The second section considers several composers – including Ralph Vaughan Williams and Ernst Bacon – who set work by both Whitman and Stevenson, focusing particularly on James H. Rogers’ song cycle In Memoriam (1919). It considers the ways in which relationship between the two writers was constructed by these composers and their critics and explores the role of anthologising – whether in poetry anthologies or song cycles – in constructions of national identity and exoticism.

Vocal Repertoire for the Twenty-First Century, Volume 2

In this new follow-up to her highly regarded New Vocal Repertory, volumes 1 and 2, English concert and opera soprano Jane Manning provides a seasoned expert’s guidance and insight into the vocal genre she calls home. Manning’s comprehensive selection of contemporary art songs in Vocal Repertoire for the Twenty-First Century ranges from the avant-garde to the more easily accessible, including substantial song cycles, shorter encore pieces, and songs suitable for auditions and competitions. Each of the selections is accompanied by a highly detailed performance guide, music examples, levels of difficulty, and a brief encapsulation of vocal characteristics or challenges contained in the piece. A supplemental companion website provides composer biographies and an up-to-date list of recommended recordings. With a focus on younger composers in addition to prominent figures, Manning encourages singers to refresh and expand their recital repertoire into less familiar territory, and discover the rewards therein.

LORI LAITMAN (b. 1955)Men with Small Heads (2000)

This chapter studies Lori Laitman’s Men with Small Heads (2000). From a large and tempting selection of song cycles, this one is especially to be prized, since the counter-tenor repertoire is in need of a boost. The piece, though, lies just as well for mezzo or baritone. It fizzes with confidence and verve from start to finish, with words always audible, as long as the singer has the requisite verbal panache and slickness. The texts are a delight too—their bracing ironies aptly captured throughout. The composer has given careful thought to phrasing, and her markings throughout demonstrate her innate understanding of the voice. The words do, of course, suit an American accent, and this should be borne in mind. The musical idiom is neatly poised on the edge of tonality, identifiably ‘American’ yet entirely personal and cohesive, with an inbuilt rhythmic flexibility tailored to the flow of the texts. The piano writing also has flair and vitality and is clear-textured enough for the voice to come through.

Lawrence Set to Music

This chapter considers a number of ways in which musical composers have engaged with and assimilated Lawrence’s poetry (as well as some of his other works and, indeed, his life story), over a 100-year period. Foregrounding texts selected for musical setting, the chapter begins with an analysis of sound, silence, rhythm, repetition and movement in Lawrence’s verse. Subsequently, it explores the various strategies adopted by composers when setting these poems to music. Some create a song from a single poem; some compose song-cycles by combining poems from within a single collection, such as Birds, Beasts and Flowers. Others juxtapose poems from across a range of Lawrence’s verse-books – or combine Lawrence poems with those of other poets. This chapter explores the implications of such choices, offering analyses of musical compositions in which words and sounds have been creatively combined. Composers discussed include Peter Warlock, Benjamin Britten and Arnold Cooke, alongside a number of lesser-known contemporary figures, whose works (spanning a number of genres) bring Lawrence to a new generation.

The Lady Composer at the End

The letters sent to American composer and pianist Eugene Hemmer allow Dring to speak in her own voice for the first time since the early diaries, documents that allow a glimpse into her musical as well as her personal life. There is a brief discussion of The Florida International Music Festival, which featured the US premiere of her most popular instrumental composition, the Trio for Flute, Oboe, and Piano, a work which provides a splendid example of her later musical style. Other works that are discussed include The Real Princess, a ballet written for Mari Bicknell’s Cambridge Ballet Workshop, and four song cycles: Dedications, Love and Time, Five Betjeman Songs, and Four Night Songs. Also documented are the first professional recordings of her compositions and the spiritual journey she undertook in her last years, the latter illustrated by talks that she gave at the Centre for Spiritual and Psychological Studies. Finally, her sudden death from a brain aneurysm is related through letters of Roger Lord and other documents, followed by her memorial service and concerts in her honor at the RCM.