Date of Defense
3-18-2012
Date of Graduation
12-2012
Department
Music
First Advisor
Carl Ratner
Second Advisor
Kimberly Dunn-Adams
Third Advisor
Alice Pierce
Abstract
On March 18th 2012, I presented a recital in which I explored the diversity of classical vocal repertoire. My hope was to educate an audience (and myself) about the vastly diverse styles of classical vocal music. The recital took the listener on a journey from Early Baroque to contemporary cabaret, exploring along the way languages intrinsic to classical voice (Italian, French and German) as well as those which are only recently gaining significance in the world of opera and art-song (English and Czech); the listener heard different accompanying instruments, not only piano but also harpsichord and a small chamber ensemble; the listener explored intimate forms such as German lieder, French chanson, and Early Baroque Cantata but also more dramatic forms such as opera and American cabaret; the viewer experiences the drama of Charlotte's letter aria from Massenet's Werther, which was partially staged, as well as in Bolcom's sassy Cabaret Songs and meditated on the restraint in Debussy's Trois Chansons de Bililis (which the composer himself wanted performed in a subdued fashion) and in the similarly subdued and Impressionistic Leden by Kapnilova. The stylistic diversity of the program was further enriched by the inclusion of female composers; it was important to me to explore the works of female composers (lesser known in classical music) and I succeeded in including four in the recital, almost half of the total number of composers represented. Because the recital was meant to be not only an aesthetic but an educational experience, the crafting of informative and interesting program notes was an important aspect of my preparation for the recital. Along with a recording, I have included my program notes in hopes that they will serve as a guide to listeners, putting in context a world of music they may not be familiar with.
Recommended Citation
Katrovas, Ema, "Recital (Voice)" (2012). Honors Theses. 2250.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/2250
Access Setting
Honors Thesis-Open Access