Browsing by Author "King, Stephen"
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Item A Guide to Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Two Vocal Duets: A History and Musical Analysis of His First Settings of Walt Whitman(2014-04-24) DeLoach, Marcus; Bailey, Walter B.; King, Stephen; Al-Zand, Karim; Campana, JosephVaughan Williams composed the two duets, “The Last invocation” and “The Love-song of the Birds” for soprano, baritone, and violin with pianoforte (and string quartet ad lib.) in 1904. This study examines these two works, which were designed to be performed together, their origins, and the people and places associated with their premiere performances in Reading and London. It also discusses the biographies of the singing duo that premiered the work, Arthur Foxton Ferguson and Beatrice Spencer, and explores the Wagnerian influences in the music. Walt Whitman’s transcendental poetry, its appeal to Vaughan Williams, and the techniques by which the composer adapted and manipulated his chosen texts are discussed in detail. Through an examination of the various manuscript versions of the “The Love-song of the Birds” (all held in the British Library), the author proposes a chronology for the revisions of the work. Following its premiere performances, Vaughan Williams, and subsequently his wife Ursula after the composer’s death in 1958, suppressed Two Vocal Duets until 1996. This paper explores that suppression and argues why the materials, which were premiered in the same year as the song cycles The Songs of Travel and The House of Life, should now be published and made available to the public.Item A Singer's Guide to the Songs of Ildebrando Pizzetti(2014-04-22) Whatley, Mark; Bailey, Walter B.; King, Stephen; Al-Zand, Karim; Fette, JulieIldebrando Pizzetti (1880–1968) composed approximately forty songs for voice and piano, thirty-three of which were published during his lifetime. Although many of his songs are of high quality, they have not become a part of the standard repertory. This guide is designed to make Pizzetti’s songs more accessible to singers. Toward this end it is organized in the following manner. The paper begins with an introduction that reviews the need for a guide to Pizzetti’s songs; it also details the methodology followed in creating the main part of the document, entries on each song. Chapter two briefly discusses Pizzetti’s life and provides information on the songs in general. The next three chapters contain detailed descriptions of each of the songs (they are organized according to publication dates). Each song entry contains: (1) a section that details facts about the song, such as the name of and dates for the author of the text, the composition date, publication information, and other useful information specific to the music of the song, such as range, key, meter, tempo, etc.; (2) a section that contains the text of the song, a word-for-word translation of the song, and an IPA transcription of the song; and (3) a brief discussion of the song that includes information about its inception and first performance (if known), its music and text, and its musical and vocal difficulties. In some cases, suggestions for performers are included. The remainder of the paper includes a complete listing of Pizzetti’s songs (Appendix A), an annotated bibliography of resources in English that deal with Pizzetti’s songs (Appendix B), and a new idiomatic translation of Pizzetti’s Due poesie di Giuseppe Ungaretti (Appendix C).Item Careers in Opera: Important Non-Musical Skills Stephen King(The Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, 2014) King, Stephen; Rarick, JanetStephen King relates essential skills for singers to cultivate towards success in the vocal world.Item Careers in Opera: Post Graduation Training Stephen King(The Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, 2014) King, Stephen; Rarick, JanetA discussion of how a singer can work on their musical training during the period between school and a professional career.Item Finding Work Through Networking Stephen King(The Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, 2014) King, Stephen; Rarick, JanetAdvice for young singers about the benefits of networking within a musician's circle to gain employment.Item Gender and Compositional Choice: Four Songs on a Poem of Heinrich Heine by Female and Male Composers(2012-09-05) Piersall, Paul; Citron, Marcia J.; Henze, Matthias; King, Stephen; Lavenda, RichardAs an accepted genre of female composition, song lies in a unique position among musical genres. This allows it to stand largely outside the area of Claude Steele’s notion of “stereotype threat,” and being absent such weighty pressures, it could then furnish an arena in which female composers can do their best work. As a genre that combines the arts of music and poetry, song is based upon a given set of symbols that provide the composer with inspiration. The study of these symbols and their possible metaphorical meanings can offer a guide to that inspiration. By studying two settings by male composers and two settings of female composers, we can compare their individual and gendered approach to those symbols for elements of a masculine or feminine style. Heinrich Heine’s 23rd poem in Die Heimkehr, analyzed thoroughly in Chapter 2, is the focal text in this study. In Chapters 3 through 6 each of the settings is examined at length using both a standard formal analysis and the “Grundgestalt” concept of Schoenberg. The settings examined are “Ihr Bild” by Franz Schubert, “Ich stand in dunkeln Träumen” and “Ihr Bildniss” (two versions of the same work) by Clara Schumann, “Ich stand in dunkeln Träumen” by Hugo Wolf, and a setting of the same name by Ingeborg von Bronsart. Each discussion focuses on the individual reactions to the specific symbols identified in Chapter 2, as well as the global approach to some well-known literary aspects of paternalistic literary culture of the time. The thesis concludes with a summary of the similarities and differences in the preceding four examinations. Chapter 7 also draws conclusions based on those contrasts, which yields an evaluation of gendered reactions and the possibility of a feminine style in the nineteenth century.Item Opera Training Programs and Other Options Stephen King(The Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, 2014) King, Stephen; Rarick, JanetA discussion about opera training programs and how they evaluate applicants. Other options to explore beyond these programs are also discussed.Item Opportunities for Singers Beyond Training Programs Stephen King(The Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, 2014) King, Stephen; Rarick, JanetOutside of training programs, it is necessary to be creative. Stephen King suggests several pathways for singers to explore.Item Resources for Young Singers Stephen King(The Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, 2014) King, Stephen; Rarick, JanetStephen King: developing a collection of resources as well as participation in clinics will present opportunities for young singers.Item What about work that doesn't fit my voice? Stephen King(The Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, 2014) King, Stephen; Rarick, JanetStephen King offers advice on how to respond to a job offer that is inappropriate for your voice type.