Haley DeWitt, soprano

Student of Katherine Donner

with

David George, piano

Josh Costello, clarinet

Graduate Recital
This recital is presented in partial fulfillment
of the Master of Music degree.

Monday Evening
April 23, 2018
7:00 p.m.
Comstock Concert Hall
 PROGRAM
Der Hirt auf dem Felsen Franz Schubert
(1797-1828)

Six chansons françaises Germaine Tailleferre

(1892-1983)
Non, la fidélité…
Souvent un air de vérité
Mon mari m’a diffamée
Vrai Dieu, qui m’y confortera
On a dit mal de mon ami
Les trois présents

From Acht Lieder aus Letzte Blätter, Op.10 Richard Strauss

(1864-1949)
1. Zueignung
2. Nichts
3. Die Nacht
4. Die Georgine
5. Geduld
8. Allerseelen

Three Dickinson Songs André Previn

(b. 1929)
As imperceptibly as grief
Will there really be a morning
Good morning-- Midnight

Welcome to the University of Louisville!

We hope you enjoy the concert this evening.
Smoking is not permitted in the School of Music building.
In the unlikely event of fire or other emergency, please walk to the nearest exit.
The use of recording devices and flash photography is strictly prohibited.
Please silence cell phones & other electronic devices.
Thank you.
2
 PROGRAM NOTES
*Brackets around words indicate modification of poem text by the composer
Der Hirt auf dem Felsen - Franz Schubert
Franz Schubert’s Der Hirt auf dem Felsen (The Shepherd on the Rock) represents perhaps the most performed piece for soprano and clarinet
obbligato in the musical canon. The piece was conceived for Austrian soprano Anna Milder-Hauptmann, who in an 1825 letter to Schubert
requested he compose for her a longer piece with contrasting sections and an exciting ending which would be ‘suitable for a larger audi-
ence.’ The request for contrasting sections explains Schubert’s combination of texts, with the first four verses from Wilhelm Müller’s Der
Berghirt (The Alpine Shepherd) and the last verse from Müller’s Liebesgedanken (Thoughts of Love). The despair-laden middle section (“In
tiefem Gram…”) is from Karl August Varnhagen von Ense’s Nächtlicher Schall (Nocturnal Sounds). Schubert waited until 1828 to write
the piece Milder-Hauptmann had in mind but did not live to see the first performance, which was given by Milder-Hauptmann in 1830.
The Shepherd on the Rock is a dramatic piece with both moments of great joy and deep melancholy. The steady and repetitive founda-
tion of the piano stands in stark contrast to much of Schubert’s lieder. Allowing the obbligato and voice to take full attention in this concert
piece, the vocal line is more aria-like in its change of mood and combination of both extreme legato line and ostentatious coloratura.
The clarinet first introduces the opening melody in addition to small melodic phrases which intimate later material. The voice then
repeats the opening melody, as the lonely shepherd stands high above his watch, regarding the vast land and the echoes of his voice. On
the texts “und singe” (and sing) and “der Wiederhall” (the echo), Schubert mimics the sounds of Austrian mountain yodeling, giving
both the voice and clarinet wide leaps of a ninth and an octave. Throughout the piece, we hear interplay between the clarinet and voice,
sometimes in the form of imitation and echo and other times as a question and answer relationship.
After an interlude in which the clarinet imitates earlier melodic material, the first section repeats nearly verbatim with the same text
(“Wenn auf dem höchsten…”) and melody. After the second iteration, despair enters the mind of the shepherd, depicted by the clarinet
transitioning to the relative minor. A despondent shepherd is characterized by even eighth notes, a departure from the youth and excite-
ment of the previous triplet patterns. The shepherd now laments his loneliness and distance from his beloved. The loneliness is reflected
in the obbligato line as only brief phrases of imitation sound from the clarinet. The voice leads with an exceptionally legato line and
dramatically sustained notes which illustrate the shepherd’s pining.
When hope appears to be lost, a surprise of G major harmony arrives on “die Herzen es zum Himmel zieht” (The heart is drawn to
heaven). The shepherd realizes the power of his voice to reach the heavens, and ultimately, to reach his distant lover. Schubert surprises
the listener two more times with unexpected major harmonic arrivals on “mit wunderbarer Macht” (with wonderful power) and on the
repeat of “die Herzen es zum Himmel Zieht.” The clarinet assumes the earlier long notes of the singer and leads into the final section via
a cadenza followed by descending half steps which prepare the return to the original key of B-flat. The clarinet then introduces the joyful
melody closely followed by the voice declaring, “Der Frühling will kommen” (The spring is coming). From here the clarinet excitedly
mimics and echoes the vocal line. The text Schubert omitted in the repeat of the first section now makes a triumphant return: “Je weiter
meine stimme dringt” (The further my voice carries). This time there is no mention of the distant lover as the shepherd knows the return
of spring also means the return of joy and love. The più mosso sends the clarinet and voice in a race to the finish, overlapping one another
in a series of hurried coloratura phrases. The clarinet finishes the piece with a dazzling display of coloratura runs capped off with a final,
decisive arpeggio, signifying the triumph of love.
Der Hirt auf dem Felsen The Shepherd on the Rock
Wenn auf dem höchsten Fels ich steh’, When I stand on the highest rock,
In’s tiefe Tal hernieder seh’, Look down into the deep valley
Und singe. And sing,
Fern aus dem tiefen dunkeln Tal From far away in the deep dark valley
Schwingt sich empor der Widerhall The echo from the ravines
Der Klüfte. Rises up.
Je weiter meine Stimme dringt, The further my voice carries,
Je heller sie mir wieder klingt The clearer it echoes back to me
Von unten. From below.
Mein Liebchen wohnt so weit von mir, My sweetheart lives so far from me,
Drum sehn’ ich mich so heiß nach ihr Therefore I long so to be with her
Hinüber. Over there.
In tiefem Gram verzehr ich mich, Deep grief consumes me,
Mir ist die Freude hin, My joy has fled,
Auf Erden mir die Hoffnung wich, All earthly hope has vanished,
Ich hier so einsam bin. I am so lonely here.
So sehnend klang im Wald das Lied, The song rang out so longingly through the wood,
So sehnend klang es durch die Nacht, Rang out so longingly through the night,
Die Herzen es zum Himmel zieht That is draws hearts to heaven
Mit wunderbarer Macht. With wondrous power.
Der Frühling will kommen, Spring is coming,
Der Frühling, meine Freud’, Spring, my joy,
Nun mach’ ich mich fertig I shall now make ready to journey.
Zum Wandern bereit
Translation by Richard Stokes
3
Six chansons françaises - Germaine Tailleferre
Typically recognized for her role as the only woman in Les Six group of French composers, Germaine Tailleferre was an adventurous
composer who also led a fascinating and tumultuous life which was reflected in her compositions. Tailleferre is known for dabbling in
many compositional styles and techniques, from neo-classicism to poly-tonality to serialism.
Her first husband, illustrator Ralph Burton, suffered from mental illness and was jealous of his wife’s success. When Tailleferre
announced her pregnancy to him in 1929, Burton offered to shoot her in the stomach. She ran outside and hid in the bushes, where she
heard gunshots. She escaped to the home of a friend, but the trauma of the event caused a miscarriage. Burton was overjoyed at the news
and sent his wife a room full of flowers while she was hospitalized. The couple never saw one another after the incident. Burton committed
suicide in 1931, leaving a note which pronounced his undying love for his third wife Carlotta and did not mention Tailleferre.
Tailleferre realized the negative effects of her first marriage on her ability to compose. She soon was back to work, and months after
the miscarriage in 1929 she finished composing Six Chansons Françaises, the only song cycle published before her death. The French texts
by various authors (two anonymous) range from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century and are scathing and harsh towards marriage and
men. They take on an even more feminist flair and confidence through Tailleferre’s musical settings. The set appears to be a catharthic
outlet for a woman trying to come to terms with the aftermath of disastrous loss.
In Six Chansons Tailleferre exhibits a keen awareness of the speech patterns used in the poetry and delivers specific rhythmic treatments
of words to exude an often matter-of-fact manner. The brevity of the set reflects Tailleferre’s quick-fire text setting.
Non, la fidélité expresses the “stupidity” and old-fashioned ways of fidelity. The first several measures paint the narrator as annoyed,
with the piano creating tension and dissonance. A very clear and consonant A-flat major appears at “Vive la nouveauté” (Long live novelty)
and continues until the first of a few playful “tra la la”s indicate a change of harmony. Tailleferre uses a clever meter change to 6/8 and
repeated pitches on the text “Le serment répété” (repeated vows) to give the effect of mimicking the stale, ineffective oaths. As the piece
ends with the woman lying next to her lover, Tailleferre settles on a sultry minor seventh chord.
Non, la fidélité… No, fidelity
Non, la fidélité No, fidelity
N’a jamais été has never been anything
Qu’une imbécillité. but stupidity.
J’ai quitté I ’ve left
Par légèreté thoughtlessly
Plus d’une beauté. more than one beautiful woman.
Vive la nouveauté! Long live novelty!
Mais quoi! la probité? But morality, you say?
Puérilité. Childish.
Le serment répété? Repeated vows?
Style usité; Out of fashion.
A-t-on jamais compté Could one ever count
Sur un traité on a treatise
Dicté [par] la volupté, inspired by pleasure
Sans liberté? without freedom?
On feint par vanité One pretends, out of vanity,
D’être irrité. to be irritated.
L’amant peu regretté The lover barely regretted
Est [invite]; is invited by others.
La femme, avec gaîté, The woman, gaily,
Bientôt s’arrange de son côté. Quickly arranges herself by his side.
Souvent un air de vérité is the most nostalgic of the set. In the poem, the narrator recalls a bittersweet dream in which an unrequited
love is expressed. The triple meter and calm, lullaby-like steadiness in the piano reinforce the scene of the dream. Triplets in the piano
create momentum upon the awakening of the narrator and realization that all was not lost, even as a king without an empire.
Souvent un air de vérité Often an air of truth
Souvent un air de vérité Often an air of truth
Se mêle au plus grossier mensonge. mixes with the crudest lie.
[Une] nuit dans l’erreur d’un songe, One night in the error of a dream
Au rang des rois j’étais monté. I rose to the rank of kings.
Je vous aimais alors et j’osais vous le dire. I loved you then and dared to tell you.
Les dieux, à mon réveil ne m’ont pas tont ôté : When I woke, the gods did not take it all away;
Je n’ai perdu que mon Empire. I lost only my empire.
Told from the viewpoint of a wife who has taken a lover, Mon mari m’a diffamée is a fast-paced and defensive declaration. The woman
seems to be backed into a corner, yet unapologetic and steadfast in her choices. The husband is an abusive and worthless scoundrel;
qualities which only encourage the wife’s undisguised affair. Tailleferre alternates between 2/4 and 5/8 time to fit the pattern of speech in
the poem. The setting is strophic with slight alterations in pitch and rhythm on each verse. Towards the end of each verse the woman calls
out to her lover, “Hé! Mon ami.” A constantly moving and consistently dissonant piano part is met with an almost breathless delivery in
the voice.

4
 Mon mari m’a diffamée My husband has defamed me
Mon mari m’a diffamée My husband has defamed me
Pour l’amour de mon ami, for love of my lover,
De la longue demeurée citing the long stay
Que j’ai faite avecque lui. I made with him.
Hé! mon ami, Hey, lover,
En dépit de mon mari in spite of my husband
qui me va toujours battant, who always beats me,
Je ferai pis que devant. I will behave worse than before.
Aucunes gens m’ont blamée, Noone blamed me
Disant que j’ai fait ami; saying I had a lover;
La chose très fort m’agrée, The thing pleases me greatly,
Mon très gracieux souci. My very gracious concern.
Hé! mon ami, Hey, lover,
en dépit de mon mari in spite of my husband
Qui ne vaut pas un grand blanc, who is not worth a big nothing,
Je ferai pis que devant. I will behave worse than before.
Quand je suis la nuit couchée When I lie down at night
Entre les bras de mon ami, in the arms of my lover,
Je deviens presque pamée I become almost faint
Du plaisir que prends en lui. from the pleasure I take in him.
Hé! mon ami Hey, lover,
Plût à Dieu que mon mari Please God that I never see
Je ne visse de trente ans! my husband for thirty years!
Nous nous don’rions du bon temps. We will give each other a good time.
Si je perds ma renommée If I lose my reputation
Pour l’amour de mon ami, for love of my lover,
Point n’en dois être blamée, I need not to be blamed,
Car il est cointe et joli. for he is handsome and pretty.
Hé! mon ami, Hey, lover,
Je n’ai bonjour ni demi I don’t have a good-day or half
Avec ce mari méchant. with this nasty husband.
Je ferai pis que devant. I will behave worse than before.
The young wife in Vrai Dieu, qui m’y confortera is trapped in a marriage to an older man who keeps her locked away. She fantasizes
about having a younger man and questions why temptation (represented by a nightingale singing) visits her, a married woman, before
drifting further into her fantasy. The sadness of the text is affirmed by the first words: “Vrai Dieu, qui m’y confortera” (True God, who
will comfort me). Tailleferre uses semitone dissonances and wandering chromaticism in the melody to depict the tension. The constant
eighth note rhythms in the piano are used to portray a scene of a woman pacing through mental and physical confines. The only relief
comes after the last of the text as the piano finally settles on an E major chord.
Vrai Dieu, qui m’y confortera True God, who will comfort me
Vrai Dieu, qui m’y confortera True God, who will comfort me
Quand ce faux jaloux me tiendra when this false and jealous man holds me
En sa chambre seule enfermée ? locked his bedroom alone?
Mon père m’a donné un vieillard My father gave me an old man
Qui tout le jour crie : who all day cries:
Hélas ! Hélas ! Hélas ! “Alas, alas, alas!”
Et dort au long de la nuitée. and sleeps the through whole night.
Il me faut un vert galant I need a fresh young man
Qui fût de l’âge de trente ans about thirty years old
Et qui dormit la matinée. who sleeps in the morning.
Rossignolet du bois plaisant, Nightingale of the pleasant woods,
Pourquoi me va ainsi chantant, why do you sing to me,
Puisqu’au vieillard suis mariée? since I am married to an old man?
Ami tu sois le bienvenu; Lover, you are welcomed;
Longtemps a que t’ai attendu a long time I have waited for you
Au joli bois, sous la ramée. in the pretty woods, under the branches.

On a dit mal de mon ami is similar to Mon mari in its viewpoint. Here, a woman defends her lover and questions whose business it is to
gossip about her or her lover. Rather than dissuade her, the gossip only makes her less repentant as she swears she would lay with him in
front of all her naysayers. The vocal line is built mostly upon repeated pitches with occasional fourth leaps, which lends a carefree air to
the delivery. Unlike Mon mari, the underlying harmony and character in the piano is lighthearted and less dissonant from start to finish,
creating the sense that the woman truly is unconcerned.

5
 On a dit mal de mon ami, Someone has spoken ill of my lover
On a dit mal de mon ami, Someone has spoken ill of my lover,
Dont j’ai le coeur bien marri, Causing my heart grief.
Qu’ont-ils affaire quel il soit, What do they have to do with him,
ou qu’il soit beau ou qu’il soit laid, if he is handsome or if he is ugly,
Quand je lui plais et qu’il me plait? when I please him and he pleases me?
Un médisant ne veut onc bien: A gossip does not mean well:
Quand le cas ne lui touche en rien, when the case does not even touch him,
Pourquoi va-t-il médire? why does he gossip?
Il fait vivre en martyre He creates a life of martyrdom
Ceux qui ne lui demandent rien. for those who ask nothing of him.
Quand j’ai tout bien considéré, When I have all things well-considered,
Femme n’est de quoi n’est parlé. there are no women of whom nothing is said.
Voilà ce qui m’avance That is what encourages me
De prendre ma plaisance. to take my pleasure.
Aussi dit-on bien que je l’ai. Also people rightly say that I do.
Plût or à Dieu qu’il fut ici Would to God that the he was here
Celui que j’ai pris et choisi, whom I have taken and chosen,
Puisqu’on en a voulu parler! Since people have wanted to talk about him!
Et, dussent-ils tous enrager, And, should they all be enraged,
Je coucherais avecque lui! I would lie with him!
Though sounding as a sweet, innocent, and unassuming message to a lover, there is mischief under the surface of Les trois présents.
The narrator charmingly introduces three mystery presents to the lover, of which the most pleasing can be chosen. C major harmony
dominates the peace. The harmony shifts to E major upon the narrator’s offer for the lover to choose one gift only. When the presents are
revealed, they turn out to be “Good day,” “Good evening,” and “Goodnight,” or in this context, “see you later.” The harmony under the
final note in the voice unexpectedly transforms to E-flat major, creating a pleasant but curious change before settling back in C major for
the final chord in the accompaniment.
Les trois présents The three presents
Je vous donne, avec grand plaisir, I give you, with great pleasure,
De trois présents un à choisir. three presents, one to choose.
La belle, c’est à vous de prendre Beauty, it is for you to take
Celui des trois qui plus vous plait. the one of the three that most pleases you.
Les voici, sans vous faire attendre: They are here, without making you wait:
Bonjour, bonsoir et bonne nuit. good day, good evening, and goodnight.
From Acht Lieder aus Letzte Blätter, Op.10 - Richard Strauss
In 1885, the 18-year-old Richard Strauss left Munich for Meinigen, moving away from the constraints of his father’s musical opinions
and criticism. In Meinigen, Strauss came under the wing of composer Alexander Ritter. Ritter and Strauss, along with Ritter’s circle of
composer friends, explored the compositions of Richard Wagner and the writings of Arthur Schopenhauer. Through these studies, they
came to celebrate and revere the ability of poetry to determine musical form and influence melody.
It was on the heels of this unfettered appreciation for Wagner that Strauss composed the songs which came to comprise the Acht
Gedichte von Hermann Gilm. Strauss is said to have spoken of “expression” in music so frequently that Wagner’s wife Cosima regularly
addressed him as “My dear Expression” in their correspondence. In his first two months at Meinigen, Strauss had completed three of the
eight songs: Allerseelen, Die Zeitlose, and Die Verschwiegenen.
Though Strauss agreed with poet Johann Goethe that the greatest poetry was not in need of music, he was motivated to compose by
specific poetry and claimed to hear melodic content almost immediately upon reading a striking poem. He also admitted to having to
forge ahead in composition of a song even when musical inspiration seemed to evade him. The poetry of Austrian lawyer Hermann von
Gilm was unknown until the posthumous publication of his work. The poems chosen by Strauss in the Acht Gedichte vary in mood and
touch on feelings of loss, urgency, and longing.
Zueignung is a sincere commemoration of a loved one. The poem’s original title, “Habe dank,” (Thanks to you) is sung at the end of
each stanza. There is a restless quality that dominates the character of the piece. A sense of urgency is underscored by eighth note rests
followed by right hand triplets in the piano which pervade the entire piece. In the third stanza Strauss manipulates the rhythm of the
melody at “Bis ich,” (until I) giving the sense of overwhelming emotion. This builds into the climax on “heilig, heilig” (holy, holy) and a
truly dramatic moment of text painting at the sudden low E-flat on “sank” (sank). A second climax comes in the piano, which is followed
by the final expression of “habe Dank.”

Translations by Virginia Saya and Richard Walters, unless otherwise noted

6
 Zueignung Dedication
Ja, du weisst es, teure Seele, Yes, you know it, beloved soul,
Dass ich fern von dir mich quäle, that I am tormented far from you,
Liebe macht die Herzen krank, love makes the heart suffer,
Habe dank. thanks to you.
Einst hielt ich, der Freiheit Zecher, Once I held, the one who delighted in freedom,
Hoch den Amethysten-Becher, high the amethyst cup
Und du segnetest den Trank, and you blessed the drink,
Habe dank. thanks to you.
Und beschworst darin die Bösen, And exorcised the evil ones therein,
Bis ich, was ich nie gewesen, until I, as I had never been,
Heilig, heilig ans Herz dir sank, holy, holy onto your heart I sank,
Habe dank. thanks to you.
Nichts is a taunting, playful piece in which the narrator claims to know nothing about the “queen” of songs. At the top of the
piece Strauss indicates the accompaniment be played “mit Laune” or “with humor.” Powerful left hand chords in the piano are paired
with a dainty motive in the right hand, which mirrors the entrance of the voice and is repeated at various pitch levels throughout the
piece. The capricious and bouncy nature of the motive in the piano is offset by an overall legato vocal line. As the narrator instructs
the “fools” to ask about the queen’s eyes, voice, walk, dance, and stance, the sincerity of the music matches the prankish quality of
the poem, for the narrator then proclaims to know nothing of it. The same is true of the final section in which Strauss transitions
from A to C-sharp major, as if to depict the narrator once again feigning sincerity. A comparison is made with the sun, and a
question is posed as to how much anyone really knows about the sun. With a reappearance of the opening motive, the piano drives straight
into the definitive answer: “Nichts!” or “Nothing!”
Nichts Nothing
Nennen soll ich, sagt ihr, meine I should name, you say,
Königin im Liederreich? my queen in the empire of songs?
Toren, die ihr seid, Fools, that you are,
Ich kenne sie am wenigsten von euch. I know her the least of all of you.
Fragt mich nach der Augen Farbe, Ask me about the color of her eyes,
Fragt mich nach der Stimme Ton, ask me about the sound of her voice,
Fragt nach Gang und Tanz und Haltung, ask about her walk, her dance, and her bearing,
Ach, und was weiss ich davon! ah, and what do I know about that!
Ist die Sonne nicht die Quelle Is not the sun the source
Alles Lebens, alles Lichts? of all life, of all light?
Und was wissen von derselben And what do we know of the same,
Ich, und ihr, und alle? Nichts, nichts! I and you and everyone? Nothing, nothing!
The opening of Die Nacht is crafted to depict night as “she” envelopes everything in her path. A single note in the piano repeats, then
becomes two notes as the voice enters with “Aus dem Walde tritt die Nacht” (Out of the woods treads the night). Two notes become three,
and semitone chromaticism opens into a D major triad, where a bass line appears in the left hand. The vocal line is exposed by a lean and
gentle accompaniment. There is vulnerability to the sound, as the narrator expresses how night gradually consumes light, flowers, colors,
even the gold from domes of cathedrals. As night draws closer and closer, the vocal line becomes expanded as the realization sets in that
this dark, creeping nighttime might also take away the narrator’s beloved. On “auch” (as well) this realization is matched by a dramatic
harmonic change of D major to B-flat major. Strauss then repeats the D to B-flat harmonies in the final bars before finally settling on the
more comforting D major.
Die Nacht The Night
Aus dem Walde tritt die Nacht, Out of the woods treads the night,
Aus den Bäumen schleicht sie leise, out of the trees she gently steals,
Schaut sich um im weitem Kreise, she looks around in a wide circle,
Nun gib acht. now be careful.
Alle Lichter dieser Welt, All the lights of this world,
Alle Blumen, alle Farben all flowers, all colors
Löscht sie aus und stiehlt die Garben she erases and she steals the sheaves
Weg vom Feld. away from the field.
Alles nimmt sie, was nur hold, She takes everything, whatsoever is lovely,
Nimmt das Silber weg des Stroms, takes the silver away from the river,
Nimmt vom Kupferdach des Doms takes from the copper roof of the cathedrals,
Weg das Gold. away the gold.

Ausgeplündert steht der Strauch; The shrub stands plundered;

Rücke näher, Seel’an Seele, come closer, soul to soul,
O die Nacht, mir bangt, sie stehle oh the night, I’m afraid, she steals
Dich mir auch. you from me, too.

7
 Die Georgine is a metaphor for love found later in life. The dahlia, which is a late-blooming flower, is like the narrator in search of love.
While each verse is clearly similar in melody, Strauss makes changes to the rhythm each time. Sometimes the rhythm suggests hesitation
or a lack of control of timing, like the timing of love. Like Zueignung, Strauss writes in two final points of climax, the first on “stahl sich
die Liebe mir ins Herz” (so the love stealed into my heart) and the second after the words “dasselbe Entzükken” (the same delight) where
the piano plays a shimmering, expansive chord on the next downbeat. The narrator not only envisions finally obtaining love but also
feels, if only for a moment, the joy love brings. The energy lowers suddenly, and Strauss uses a harmonic indication to setup the text. An
E-major chord, altered promptly by a lowered third to create E-minor, matches the poem’s realization that no matter when love comes, it
is “the same delight” and “derselbe Schmerz” (the same pain).
Die Georgine The Dahlia
[Warum so spät erst, Georgine?] Why so late, Dahlia?
Das Rosenmärchen ist erzählt, The Rose-fairytale is told
Und honigsatt hat sich die Biene and the honey-filled bee has
Ihr Bett zum Schlummer ausgewählt. chosen its bed for sleeping.
Sind nicht zu kalt dir diese Nächte? Aren’t the nights too cold for you?
Wie [lebst du diese] Tage hin? How do you live these days away?
Wenn ich dir jetzt den Frühling brächte, If brought the spring to you right now,
Du feuergelbe Träumerin! you fiery-yellow dreamer,
Wenn ich mit Maitau dich benetzte, If I sprinkled you with the dew of May,
[Begöße dich mit Junilicht]? if I poured the light of June over you,
Doch ach, dann wärst du nicht die Letzte, but ah, you would neither be the last,
Die [stolze Einzige] auch nicht. not the only proud one.
Wie, Träumerin, lock’ ich vergebens? How, dreamer, do I entice you in vain?
So reich’ mir schwesterlich die Hand, So give me your sisterly hand,
Ich hab’ den [Maitag] dieses Lebens I have not known the Mayday of this life,
wie du den [Frühling] nicht gekannt. Just as you have not known the spring;
Und spät, wie dir, du Feuergelbe, and as late as you are, you fiery-yellow flower,
Stahl sich die Liebe [mir ins] Herz; so the love stealed into my heart;
Ob spät, ob früh, es ist dasselbe Entzücken no matter if late or early, it is the same delight
[und] derselbe Schmerz. and the same pain.
Geduld is one of the lesser-known and lesser-published pieces of Opus 10. The vocal line sits lower than in the other pieces, and the
brooding nature of the piece sets it apart from the rest. Each of the three stanzas begin softly, but the impatience grows with the lover
who keeps saying, “Patience.” Towards the end of each stanza, tension builds along with harmonic variation and new melodic material.
Finally, the narrator has had enough and bids farewell to their beloved. This leads into the final unraveling of patience. Strauss’ heavily
chromatic shifts and temporary tonicizations reflect the moody and unstable feelings of the rejected lover who has only so much time left.

Geduld Patience
Geduld, sagst du, und zeigst mit weißem Finger “Patience!” you say, and point with a white finger
Auf meiner Zukunft festgeschloss’ne Tür; to my future’s firmly closed door.
Ist die Minute, die da lebt, geringer Is the minute in which I now live less important
Als jene ungebornen? Sage mir; than those that are yet to come? Tell me!
Kannst mit der Liebe du den Lenz verschieben, If you can delay the Spring with love,
Dann borg’ ich dir für eine Ewigkeit, then I will owe you for eternity,
Doch mit dem Frühling endet auch das Lieben, but with the Spring love will also end,
Und keine Herzens-Schulden zahlt die Zeit. and time pays no debts of the heart.
Geduld, sagst du und senkst die schwarze Locke, “Patience!” you say and let your dark locks fall,
Und stündlich fallen Blumenblätter ab, and petals fall hourly from the flowers,
Und stündlich fordert eine Totenglocke and funeral bells demand hourly
Der Träne letztes Fahrgeld für das Grab. the last travel-toll of tears for the grave.
Sieh’ nur die Tage schnell vorüberrinnen, Just see how quickly the days run past,
Horch, wie sie mahnend klopfen an die Brust: listen how urgently they knock upon the breast!
Mach auf, mach auf, was wir nicht heut’ gewinnen, Open up! open up! what we do not gain today
Ist morgen unersetzlicher Verlust. is tomorrow’s irrecoverable loss.
Geduld, sagst du und senkst die Augenlider, “Patience!” you say and droop your eyelids,
Verneint ist meine Frage an das Glück; denying my question about happiness;
So lebe wohl, ich seh’ dich nimmer wieder, therefore, fare thee well, I will never see you again:
So will’s mein unerbittliches Geschick. my adamant fate thus wills it.
Du hast geglaubt, weil andre warten müssen You believed that, because others must wait -
Und warten können, kann und muß ich’s auch, and can wait - then I too must and can wait;
Ich aber hab’ zum Lieben und zum Küßen but for love and kisses I have
Nur einen Frühling, wie der Rosenstrauch. only one Springtime, like the rosebush.

- Translation by Emily Ezust

8
 Beginning with a rather ordinary picture: the setting of late-summer Aster flowers on a table, Allerseelen is a grieving reflection on
a lost love that flourished in a bygone month of May. In the second stanza, the presence of the lost loved one is felt as the narrator longs
for their touch. In the third, it becomes clear that this day has taken on a special meaning and ritual for the narrator and their grief. The
strophic nature of the text is softened by Strauss’ mostly through-composed setting. Gentle arpeggiation in the piano lends to the tender
simplicity and vulnerability of the melody.
Allerseelen All Souls’ Day
Stell auf den Tisch die duftenden Reseden, Put on the table the fragrant mignonettes,
Die letzten roten Astern trag herbei, carry the last red astors here,
Und laß uns wieder von der Liebe reden, and let us again talk of love
Wie einst im Mai. like once in May.
Gib mir die Hand, daß ich sie heimlich drücke Give me your hand, that I may secretly press it,
Und wenn man’s sieht, mir ist es einerlei, and if anyone sees it, it makes no difference to me,
Gib mir nur einen deiner süßen Blicke, give me only one of your sweet glances
Wie einst im Mai. like once in May.
Es blüht und [duftet] heut auf jedem Grabe, Today it blossoms and smells sweet on each grave
Ein Tag im [Jahr ist ja den] Toten frei, one day in the year indeed the dead are free,
Komm an mein Herz, daß ich dich wieder habe, come to my heart, that I have you again,
Wie einst im Mai. like once in May.
Three Dickinson Songs - André Previn
“He’s a citizen of the world. He’s a German-Jewish-French-Hollywood-American-Classical-Jazz-Pianist-Pop-Film orchestrator-composer-
conductor.” - Ronald Wilford
A successful jazz pianist, Hollywood composer, adapter of musicals (including Porgy and Bess and My Fair Lady), and four-time Oscar
winner, André Previn shifted his attention to conducting after a stint serving with the Sixth Army Band. Previn held conducting posts
with many preeminent orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, and later transitioned to guest-conducting appearances.
Though he composed in the classical realm throughout his career, in a 2017 interview Previn said, “In the last 20 years, I’ve probably
composed more than in my whole life before that.”
A n d r é P r e v i n h a s b e e n k n o w n f o r h i s i n t e n s e l y p r i va t e n a t u r e . H e h a s a d m i t t e d t h a t e ve n c l o s e
friends have not been privy to his private life. Biographers Martin Bookspan and Ross Yockey have said, “there is
simply no way to pry out of him any of the intimate details which might add another dimension to his own music.”
It is not a far stretch to think that Previn identified with the well-known solitary and private nature of Emily Dickinson, a poet from
whom several prolific composers, including Aaron Copland, have drawn texts. Three Dickinson Songs was premiered in 1999 by its dedicatee
and Previn’s preferred soprano, Renée Fleming. There are clear connections to Previn’s background as a jazz pianist in the harmonic and
rhythmic language of the set. As Fleming put it, Previn “writes in a musical language that is consistent and distinctly his own.” While
Previn’s writing can at times be harmonically and rhythmically complex, the aural result is consistently accessible.
As Imperceptibly as Grief is a mourning of the passing of summer and a metaphor for grief. Despite the focus on grief, there is an
overall serenity to the poem and to Previn’s setting. The introduction bears a dirge-like sound, as the piano plays a series of even and
heavy, foreboding chords. The voice comes in as if a thread unraveling from the introduction; perhaps Previn’s attempt at painting the
“imperceptible.” The piano is less active overall when the voice is present and uses held chords to help depict the state of being described
in the poem. At the end of the poem the summer light has finally faded away; not into despair or hopelessness, but “Into the Beautiful.”
Here, Previn matches the text by lifting the melody with unexpected raised notes and an expansive harmonic design in the piano. In the
final moments, fragments of the opening melody disappear into a semblance of the dirge-like beginning, this time transformed into a
serene and fading “light.”
As imperceptibly as grief
As imperceptibly as grief
The Summer lapsed away -
Too imperceptible, at last,
To seem like Perfidy -
A Quietness distilled
As Twilight long begun,
Or Nature spending with herself
Sequestered Afternoon -
The Dusk drew earlier in -
The morning foreign shone -
A courteous, yet harrowing Grace,
As Guest, [that] would be gone -
And thus, without a Wing
Or service of a Keel
Our Summer made her light escape
Into the Beautiful.

9
 The aggressive and demanding opening triplet patterns in the piano undergird a declamatory, yet legato vocal line in Will There Really
be a Morning?. Both piano and voice exhibit a gentler character when the poetry wonders what the Morning/Day will be like. Here Previn
sets each question on a similar motive set on different pitch levels and harmonies. The same charged energy and rhythm of the beginning
returns immediately after the last question. The voice ends triumphantly, while the piano carries out the last few measures in haste with
the harmonies leaving a slightly unsettled final impression.
Will there really be a morning?
Will there really be a “Morning”?
Is there such a thing as “Day”?
Could I see it from the mountains
If I were as tall as they?
Has it feet like water lilies?
Has it feathers like a bird?
Is it brought from famous countries
Of which I have never heard?
Oh some scholar! Oh some sailor!
Oh some wise man from the skies!
Please to tell a little pilgrim
Where the place called “Morning” lies!

Good Morning Midnight is a conversation with light and dark, night and day. Day has turned “his” back on a “little girl,” who is
struggling to decide where to turn. In the first half, midnight is “home,” and Previn uses the warmth of a major triad with an added
second to paint the feeling of comfort. Seventh chords, triads with added notes, and quintuplets and sextuplets in the piano strike the ear
as homages to Previn’s jazz background. After a farewell to Day, an interlude transitions to a new harmonic idea. The narrator looks back
East and is wooed once again by the prospects of Day. Suddenly, at the height of this idea, the voice sings “You are not so fair, midnight.”
The surprise arrives at the word “fair,” set suddenly low in range and on a dissonance over the major seventh chord in the piano. It is
clear: there has been a change of heart; a proclamation of turning back towards Day. The optimism is short-lived as “a little girl” asks to
be taken back again. Once more she is left in between the two worlds as Day turns his back on her. Previn chooses here to repeat the last
phrase once more, treating both iterations with a sense of stunned helplessness.
Good Morning Midnight
Good morning midnight,
I’m coming home.
Day got tired of me.
How could I of him?
Sunshine was a sweet place.
I liked to stayBut
morn didn’t want me now,
So good night day!
I can look, can’t I,
When the East is red?
The hills have a way then
That puts the heart abroad.
You are not so fair, midnight.
I chose dayBut
please take a little girl
He turned away!

University of Louisville School of Music

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