Program Notes - ian daniel martin

Program Notes
Ian Martin, baritone
Junior Honors Recital
May 31, 2011
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Bach was born into a very musical family, a tradition he later perpetuated with his
own children. He spent his life working in churches: playing the organ, teaching music,
and composing for the various positions he held throughout his life. This work was
composed in 1734 and was performed in Leipzig at St. Thomas Church. It was based
largely on earlier cantatas, from which he recycled a fair amount of music. It was written
in six parts to be performed on each of the six feast days of the Christmas Season. This
particular movement is from the first section, which was performed on Christmas Day.
Bach uses the da capo form (ABA) to illustrate the stark difference between Jesus’ divine
and human natures: a Lord of such power and might must sleep in a hard manger.
“Großer Herr o starker König” from Weihnachtsoratorium BWV 248
Großer Herr, o starker König,
Liebster Heiland, o wie wenig
Achtest du der Erden Pracht!
Der die ganze Welt erhält,
Ihre Pracht und Zier erschaffen,
Muß in harten Krippen schlafen.
Great Lord, o powerful King,
dearest Savior, o how little
you care about the glories of the earth!
He who sustains the entire world,
who created its glory and adornment,
must sleep in a hard manger
Hugo Wolf (1860-1903)
Hugo Wolf graduated from the Vienna Conservatory of Music and spent much of
his life in Vienna. He is most well known for his Lieder, or German art songs. Wolf,
unlike Brahms, was of the opinion that only the best texts should be set to music. He was
therefore very scrupulous about his text selections, saying, “Poetry is the true source of
my music.” As a result, the music is shaped by the text and the work as a whole has
much to offer the insightful listener. Verborgenheit, Fußreise, Der Gärtner, and Gebet
are all texts by Eduard Möricke and are from a set titled Möricke Lieder composed in
1888. “Und willst du deinem Liebsten sterben sehen” is from a set of Italian poems
translated into German by Paul Heyse and was composed in 1892.
Verborgenheit
Solitude
Lass, o Welt, o lass mich sein!
Locket nicht mit Liebesgaben,
Lasst dies Herz alleine haben
Seine Wonne, seine Pein!
Leave, o world, o leave me be!
Tempt me not with gifts of love,
Let this heart alone have
It’s joy, it’s pain
Was ich traure, weiß ich nicht,
Es ist unbekanntes Wehe;
Immerdar durch Tränen sehe
Ich der Sonne liebes Licht.
What I grieve, I do not know,
It is an unknown pain;
Forever through tears do I see
The sun’s lovely light.
Oft bin ich mir kaum bewußt,
Und die helle Freude zücket
Durch die Schwere, so mich drücket,
Wonniglich in meiner Brust.
Often, I am scarcely aware,
And bright joy flashes
Through the pain, thus pressing
Blissfully in my breast.
Lass, o Welt, o lass mich sein!
Locket nicht mit Liebesgaben,
Lasst dies Herz alleine haben
Seine Wonne, seine Pein!
Leave, o world, o leave me be!
Tempt me not with gifts of love,
Let this heart alone have
It’s joy, it’s pain!
Fußreise
Journey on Foot
Am frisch geschnittnen Wanderstab,
Wenn ich in der Frühe
So durch Wälder ziehe,
Hügel auf und ab:
With my fresh-cut walking staff
Early in the morning
I go through the woods,
Over the hills, and away.
Dann, wie's Vöglein im Laube
Singet und sich rührt,
Oder wie die gold'ne Traube
Wonnegeister spürt
In der ersten Morgensonne:
Then, like the birds in the arbor
That sing and stir,
Or like the golden grapes
That trace their blissful spirits
In the first morning light
So fühlt auch mein alter, lieber
Adam Herbst und Frühlingsfieber,
Gottbeherzte,
Nie verscherzte
Erstlings Paradiseswonne.
I feel in my age, too, beloved
Adam's spring- and autumn-fever -God fearing,
But not discarded:
The first delights of Paradise.
Also bist du nicht so schlimm, o alter
Adam, wie die strengen Lehrer sagen;
Liebst und lobst du immer doch,
Singst und preisest immer noch,
Wie an ewig neuen Schöpfungstagen,
Deinen lieben Schöpfer und Erhalter.
You are not so bad, oh old
Adam, as the strict teachers say;
You love and rejoice forever,
Sing and praise forever,
Like it’s eternally a new day of creation,
Your beloved Creator and Preserver.
Möcht' es dieser geben
Und mein ganzes Leben
Wär' im leichten Wanderschweiße
Eine solche Morgenreise!
I would like to be given this
And my whole life
Would be in simple wandering wonder
Of one such morning stroll.
Und willst du deinen Liebsten sterben sehen
And if you wish to see your lover die
Und willst du deinen Liebsten sterben
sehen,
So trage nicht dein Haar gelockt, du
Holde.
Laß von den Schultern frei sie
niederwehen;
Wie Fäden sehn sie aus von purem
Golde.
Wie goldne Fäden, die der Wind bewegt
Schön sind die Haare, schön ist, die sie
trägt!
Goldfäden, Seidenfäden ungezählt -
And if you wish to see your lover die,
Do not wear your hair in curls, darling.
Let it tumble free from your shoulders;
Schön sind die Haare, schön ist, die sie
strählt!
Like golden threads it looks like pure
gold.
Like golden threads, stirred by the wind
Beautiful is the hair, beautiful is she who
bears it!
Golden threads, silken threads
innumerable Beautiful is the hair, beautiful is she who
combs it!
Der Gärtner
The Gardener
Auf ihrem Leibrößlein
So weiß wie der Schnee,
Die schönste Prinzessin
Reit't durch die Allee.
On her favorite pony
as white as snow,
the fairest princess
rides down the avenue.
Der Weg, den das Rößlein
Hintanzet so hold,
Der Sand, den ich streute,
Er blinket wie Gold!
On the path down which her steed
so finely prances,
the sand that I strewed there
glitters like gold!
Du rosenfarb's Hütlein
Wohl auf und wohl ab,
O wirf eine Feder,
Verstohlen herab!
You rose-colored little hat,
bobbing up and down,
O toss a feather
stealthily down!
Und willst du dagegen
Eine Blüte von mir,
Nimm tausend für eine,
Nimm alle dafür!
and if, for that, you would like
a little flower from me,
take a thousand for one
take all of them!
Gebet
Prayer
Herr, schicke was du willt,
Ein Liebes oder Leides;
Ich bin vergnügt, daß beides
Aus Deinen Händen quillt.
Lord, send me what you will,
Love or sorrow;
I am content that both
From your hands did spring.
Wollest mit Freuden
Und wollest mit Leiden
Mich nicht überschütten!
Doch in der Mitten,
Liegt holdes Bescheiden.
May you not with joy
Nor with sorrow
Overwhelm me!
For in the middle,
Lies blessed moderation.
Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
Donizetti was one of the three major bel canto era composers, along with Rossini
and Bellini. This style was characterized by beautiful melodies and a desire to show off
the facets of the human voice. For this reason, the arias are filled with difficult runs and
frequent ornamentations. In Don Pasquale, Ernesto desires to marry Norina, a beautiful
but penniless woman. Don Pasquale decides to cut him off and marry someone himself.
In this particular aria, Dr. Malatesta attempts to convince Don Pasquale to marry his
sister Sorina, who is really Norina in disguise. In an elaborate plot that includes fake
weddings and disguises, Ernesto dupes Don Pasquale into letting him marry Norina.
Bella siccome un angelo
Beautiful as an angel
Bella siccome un angelo
In terra pellegrino.
Fresca siccome un giglio
Che s'apre sul mattino.
Occhio che parla e ride,
Sguardo che i cor conquide,
Chioma che vince l'ebano,
Sorriso incantator!
Beautiful as an angel
On earth as a pilgrim.
Fresh as a lily
That opens upon morning.
Eyes that speak and laugh,
Glances that conquer the heart,
Hair that surpasses ebony,
Enchanting smile!
Alma innocente, ingenua,
Che se medesma ignora.
Modestia impareggiabile
Bontá che v'innamora.
Ai miseri pietoso,
Gentil, dolce, amoroso!
Il ciel l'ha fatta nascere
Per far beato un cor!
A soul innocent and ingenuous
That ignores itself.
Modesty incomparable
Goodness that makes one fall in love.
She has mercy on the piteous,
Gentle, sweet, loving!
Heaven made her be born
To make a heart beat!
Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947)
Hahn was born in Venezuela but moved to Paris when he was three years old. As
a child prodigy he accompanied himself on the piano as he sang at famous Parisian
salons. He started composing at age eight and later studied at the Paris Conservatoire
under the tutelage of such teachers as Massenet, Gounod, Saint-Saëns, and Ravel. In
1888, at the age of 13, “Si mes vers…” gained him popularity and already demonstrated
his advanced style. His music is characterized by undulating accompaniment, a speech
driven vocal line, and a great depth of feeling, typical of la belle époche.
Fêtes Galantes
Gallant Festivals
Les donneurs de sérénades
Et les belles écouteuses
Échangent des propos fades
Sous les ramures chanteuses.
The givers of serenades
And the lovely women who listen
Exchange insipid words
Under the singing branches.
C'est Tircis et c'est Aminte,
Et c'est l'éternel Clitandre,
Et c'est Damis qui pour mainte
Cruelle fait maint vers tendre.
There is Thyrsis and Amyntas
And there's the eternal Clytander,
And there's Damis who, for many
Cruel women writes many tender
verses.
Leurs courtes vestes de soie,
Leurs longues robes à queues,
Leur élégance, leur joie
Et leurs molles ombres bleues,
Their short silk coats,
Their long dresses with trains,
Their elegance, their joy
And their soft blue shadows,
Tourbillonent dans l'extase
D'une lune rose et grise,
Et la mandoline jase
Parmi les frissons de brise.
Whirl around in the ecstasy
Of a pink and grey moon,
And the mandolin prattles
Among the shivers from the breeze.
L’Heure Exquise
The Exquisite Hour
La lune blanche
luit dans les bois.
De chaque branche
part une voix
sous la ramée.
O bien aimée…
The white moon
shines in the woods.
From each branch
springs a voice
beneath the arbor.
Oh my beloved...
L'étang reflète,
profond miroir,
la silhouette
du saule noir
The pond reflects,
deeply mirrored,
the silhouette
of the black willow
où le vent pleure
Rêvons, c'est l'heure.
where the wind weeps.
Let us dream! It is the hour...
Un vaste et tendre
apaisement
semble descendre
du firmament
que l'astre irise.
C'est l'heure exquise!
A vast and tender
calm
seems to descend
from a sky
made iridescent by the moon.
It is the exquisite hour!
Si mes vers avaient des ailes
If my verses had wings
Mes vers fuiraient, doux et frêles,
Vers votre jardin si beau,
Si mes vers avaient des ailes,
Comme l’oiseau.
My verses would go, gently and frail,
Towards your garden so fair,
If my verses had wings,
Like the bird.
Ils voleraient, étincelles,
Vers votre foyer qui rit,
Si mes vers avaient des ailes,
Comme l’esprit.
They would fly, sparkling,
Towards your laughing home,
If my verses had wings,
Like the soul.
Près de vous, purs et fidèles,
Ils accourraient, nuit et jour,
Si mes vers avaient des ailes,
Comme l’amour!
Close to you, pure and faithful,
They would hasten, night and day,
If my verses had wings,
Like love!
L’énamourée
Loved One
Ils se disent, ma colombe,
Que tu rêves, morte encore,
Sous la pierre d'une tombe:
Mais pour l'âme qui t'adore
Tu t'éveilles ranimée,
Ô pensive bien-aimée!
It is said, my dove,
That you dream, though dead,
Beneath a tombstone:
But for the soul that adores you,
You awake, reanimated,
O thoughtful beloved!
Par les blanches nuits d'étoiles,
Dans la brise qui murmure,
Je caresse tes longs voiles,
Ta mouvante chevelure,
Et tes ailes demi-closes
Qui voltigent sur les roses.
Through the sleepless star-filled nights
In the murmuring breeze,
I caress your long veils,
Your flowing hair,
And your half-closed wings
That flutter among the roses.
Ô délices! je respire
Tes divines tresses blondes;
Ta voix pure, cette lyre,
Suit la vague sur les ondes,
Et, suave, les effleure,
Comme un cygne qui se pleure!
Oh delights! I breathe
Your heavenly blond tresses;
Your pure voice, this lyre,
Follows the swell of the waves,
And softly, touches them,
Like a weeping swan.
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Vaughan Williams is a distinctly English composer. He was extremely influenced
by folk tunes as well as the hymnal, which gave him a strong tie to English culture. He
composed music ranging from symphonies to operas to organ works to choral music. All
of his music is at once down-to-earth and deeply mystical. “Let Beauty Awake” and
“Bright is the Ring” are both taken from a set entitled Songs of Travel, which was
composed between 1901-1904. They are based on a set of poems by the same name
written by Robert Louis Stevenson. One can view this set as the English version of the
“way-farer cycle,” similar to Schubert’s “Die schöne Müllerin” and “Winterreise,” or
Mahler’s “Leider eines fahrenden gesellen.” Silent Noon is from a set of six sonnets by
Dante Gabriel Rossetti set to music by Vaughan Williams in 1904 in a set called “The
House of Life.” The Call is taken from a set called “Five Mystical Songs,” originally
scored for orchestra and chorus. Written from 1906-1911, they are based on the poetry of
a monk named George Herbert. While Vaughan Williams was himself an agnostic, he
presents these deep meditations beautifully.
Let Beauty Awake
Let Beauty awake in the morn from beautiful dreams,
Beauty awake from rest!
Let Beauty awake
For Beauty's sake
In the hour when the birds awake in the brake
And the stars are bright in the west!
Let Beauty awake in the eve from the slumber of day,
Awake in the crimson eve!
In the day's dusk end
When the shades ascend,
Let her wake to the kiss of a tender friend,
To render again and receive
Silent Noon
Your hands lie open in the long fresh grass, The finger-points look through like rosy blooms:
Your eyes smile peace. The pasture gleams and glooms
'Neath billowing clouds that scatter and amass.
All round our nest, far as the eye can pass,
Are golden kingcup fields with silver edge
Where the cow-parsley skirts the hawthorn hedge.
'Tis visible silence, still as the hourglass.
Deep in the sun-searched growths the dragon-fly
Hangs like a blue thread loosened from the sky: So this winged hour is dropt to us from above.
Oh! clasp we to our hearts, for deathless dower,
This close-companioned inarticulate hour
When twofold silence was the song of love.
The Call
Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life:
Such a Way, as gives us breath:
Such a Truth, as ends all strife:
Such a Life, as killeth death.
Come, My Light, my Feast, my Strength:
Such a Light, as shows a feast:
Such a Feast, as mends in length:
Such a Strength, as makes his guest.
Come, my Joy, my Love, my Heart:
Such a Joy, as none can move:
Such a Love, as none can part:
Such a Heart, as joys in love.
Bright is the Ring of Words
Bright is the ring of words
When the right man rings them,
Fair the fall of songs
When the singer sings them,
Still [they are]1 carolled and said On wings they are carried After the singer is dead
And the maker buried.
Low as the singer lies
In the field of heather,
Songs of his fashion bring
The swains together.
And when the west is red
With the sunset embers,
The lover lingers and sings
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
A native Austrian, Mozart traveled around Europe with his father performing on
the violin and piano. As a child prodigy, he composed his first music at age five and far
outshone his older sister. In his short 35 years, he composed over 600 works ranging
from operas to symphonies to concerti to lieder. This aria is sung near the end Die
Zauberflöte by Papageno, a bird catcher whose only wish is to find a wife. Throughout
the opera, this is his one desire. He must wait until the end of the opera, however, to
finally find Papagena. During this aria, the high piano part represents his magic bells that
will eventually help him locate his little wife.
Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen
A Maiden or Little Wife
Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen
Wünscht Papageno sich
O so ein sanftes Täubchen
Wär Seligkeit für mich.
A maiden or a little wife
Wishes Papageno
O, such a soft little dove
Would be bliss for me.
Dann schmeckte mir Trinken und Essen;
Dann könnte' ich
mit Fuersten mich messen,
Des Lebens als Weiser mich freun,
und wie im Elysium sein.
Then drink and food would taste good
Then I could
Measure myself with princes,
Enjoy life as a wiseman,
And feel like I'm in Elysium.
Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen…
A maiden or a little wife…
Ach, kann ich denn keiner von allen
den reizenden Mädchen gefallen?
Helf' eine mir nur aus der Not,
Sonst gräm¹ ich mich wahrlich zu Tod.
Ah, can I not please any of all
Those charming girls?
Would someone help me from this peril
Otherwise I will worry myself to death.
Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen…
A maiden or a little wife…
Wird keiner mir Liebe gewähren,
So muss mich die Flamme verzehren;
Doch küsst mich ein weiblicher Mund,
so bin ich schon wieder gesund.
If no one will grant me love,
Then the flame must consume me;
Still, if a womanly mouth kisses me,
Then I will be immediately healthy again.
Special Thanks
I would like to thank my parents and family for always supporting me in all that I do;
Pam for guiding me on this crazy journey; my friends for putting up with me; and all of
you for coming out tonight. I could not have done it without any of you!