The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department of Music
Presents a Senior Recital
Andrea Vaughan, soprano
Scott Schlesinger, piano
Friday, February 12, 2016
5:00 pm
Person Recital Hall
~ Program ~
From Siroe, re di Persia
Ch’io mai vi possa
George Frederic Handel (1685-1759)
From Frauenliebe und Leben
I. Seit ich ihn gesehen
II. Er, der Herrlichste von allen
III. Ich kann’s nicht fassen, nicht glauben
IV. Du Ring an meinem Finger
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
There’s None to Soothe
The Ash Grove
Sweet Polly Oliver
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
~ Intermission ~
From Airs Chantés
I. Air romantique
IV. Air vif
From Cinderella
Ten Minutes Ago
From Into the Woods
On the Steps of the Palace
From My Fair Lady
I Could Have Danced All Night
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
Richard Rogers (1902-1979)
Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960)
Stephen Sondheim (b. 1930)
Frederick Loewe (1901-1988)
Alan Jay Lerner (1918-1986)
Please hold your applause until the end of each set.
Please silence all cell phones.
Ms. Vaughan, a candidate for the Bachelor of Arts degree, currently studies with Dr. Melissa Martin.
You are invited to attend a reception following the performance in Person Choral Room
George Frederic Handel’s aria Ch’io mai vi possa is sung by the character Emira at the end of Act III of the opera
Siroe. The title character, Siroe, has come back to Emira, revealing he is not dead. Siroe asks her to end the grudge she
has against his father and marry him instead. The aria she sings in response to his question is her declaration of love,
saying that nothing will ever cause her to stop loving him. The opera premiered at the King’s Theatre in London on
February 17, 1728 with libretto written by Nicola Francesco Haym. Like many opera arias written during the Baroque
period, Ch’io mai vi possa is a Da capo aria, meaning the aria is divided into three different sections. In Da capo arias the
first section introduces the theme of the aria and ends on the original key. The second section contrasts the first in mood,
text, key, or all three. The third section is a repeat of the first section. This is not often written out; instead the composer
uses the term da capo (from the beginning) in the score to indicate the musicians repeat the first section and is where this
form of music takes its name. The most interesting feature of a Da capo aria is this return to the first section. In Baroque
music it was expected for the performer to add in ornaments to the music. This allowed the music to be more interesting
as well as demonstrated the performer’s skill.
Ch'io mai vi possa
Ch'io mai vi possa
Lasciar d'amare,
Non lo credete,
Pupille care,
Nè men per gioco
V'ingannerò, nò.
Voi foste e siete
Le mie faville,
E voi sarete,
Care pupille,
Il mio bel foco
Fin ch'io vivrò.
That I could ever
Cease to love you!
Do not believe,
Dearest eyes,
Not even in jest
Will I deceive you
You were and are
My love’s flame
And you will be,
Dearest eyes
My true love
So long as I live
Robert Schumann’s song cycle “Frauenliebe und Leben” is a cycle set to 8 poems written by Adelbert von Chamisso.
Translated the title means a young woman’s life and love and outlines the growth of love a young woman has—from first
meeting her love, to marriage, and eventually her response to his death. Chamisso’s texts have been set to music by many
composers, but Schumann’s music is the most well-known; the set itself is one of his most popular and the music is
instantly recognizable around the world. The first song in the cycle, “Seit ich ihn gesehen” introduces us to the woman
who will fall in love and two images that recur throughout the cycle: dreams and light. The song itself remains reserved
like the text-- the word “love” is never used in the poem. We must infer from the woman’s description and the lack of
emotion in the music that she has been stunned by her feelings for this man. The second song, “Er, der herrlichste von
allen,” again uses the image of light in comparing the man she loves to a bright, lofty star. Like the poem, Schumann’s
music follows the arc of emotion from the beginning when the music is lively and happy as she describes the man she
loves. With the text “Wandle…” the mood turns sad and wistful as the young woman speaks of how he may not know her
or love her in return. Unlike the poem, Schumann returns at the end of the piece to the text of the first stanza. The return
of the original text as signifies a return to a happier (yet still slightly wistful) mood in the music, as if the character is still
hoping for the chance that he will fall in love with her. The next song, “Ich kann’s nicht fassen, nicht glauben,” brings
back the imagery of dreaming. Schumann keeps the piano accompaniment simple and unadorned to allow the text and
singer’s expression to come through as she grapples with the reality of her dream come true. Finally “Du Ring an meinem
Finger” comes as a calming melody as our protagonist has finally accepted her dream as reality with the engagement ring
on her finger.
Seit ich ihn gesehen
Since I first saw him
Seit ich ihn gesehen,
Glaub’ ich blind zu sein;
Wo ich hin nur blicke,
Seh’ ich ihn allein;
Wie im wachen Traume
Schwebt sein Bild mir vor,
Taucht aus tiefstem Dunkel,
Heller nur empor.
Since I first saw him
I think I must be blind;
wherever I look
I see only him;
as if in a trance,
his image hovers before me,
emerging from the deepest gloom
even brighter.
Sonst ist licht- und farblos
Alles um mich her,
Nach der Schwestern Spiele
Nicht begehr ich mehr,
Möchte lieber weinen,
Still im Kämmerlein;
Seit ich ihn gesehen,
Glaub ich blind zu sein.
All else is dark and colorless
in my surroundings;
my sisters' games
interest me no longer;
I would rather weep
quietly in my room
Since I first saw him,
I think I must be blind.
Er, der Herrlichste von allen
He, the most glorious of all
Er, der Herrlichste von allen,
Wie so milde, wie so gut!
Holde Lippen, klares Auge,
Heller Sinn und fester Mut.
He, the most glorious of all,
O how mild, so good!
lovely lips, clear eyes,
bright mind and steadfast courage.
So wie dort in blauer Tiefe,
Hell und herrlich, jener Stern,
Also Er an meinem Himmel,
Hell und herrlich, herr und fern.
Just as yonder in the blue depths,
bright and glorious, that star,
so he is in my heavens,
bright and glorious, lofty and distant.
Wandle, wandle deine Bahnen;
Nur betrachten deinen Schein,
Nur in Demuth ihn betrachten,
Selig nur und traurig sein!
Meander, meander thy paths,
but to observe thy gleam,
but to observe in meekness,
but to be blissful and sad!
Höre nicht mein stilles Beten,
Hear not my silent prayer,
Deinem Glücke nur geweiht;
consecrated only to thy happiness,
Darfst mich nied’re Magd nicht kennen, thou mays't not know me, lowly maid,
Hoher Stern der Herrlichkeit!
lofty star of glory!
Nur die Würdigste von allen
Darf beglücken deine Wahl,
Und ich will die Hohe segnen,
Viele tausend Mal.
Only the worthiest of all
may make happy thy choice,
and I will bless her, the lofty one,
many thousand times.
Will mich freuen dann und weinen,
Selig, selig bin ich dann,
Sollte mir das Herz auch brechen,
Brich, o Herz, was liegt daran.
I will rejoice then and weep,
blissful, blissful I'll be then;
if my heart should also break,
break, O heart, what of it?
Ich kann's nicht fassen, nicht glauben
I can't grasp it, nor believe it
Ich kann's nicht fassen, nicht glauben,
Es hat ein Traum mich berückt;
Wie hätt' er doch unter allen
Mich Arme erhöht und beglückt?
I can't grasp it, nor believe it,
a dream has bewitched me,
how should he, among all the others,
lift up and make happy poor me?
Mir war's, er habe gesprochen:
Ich bin auf ewig dein -Mir war's -- ich träume noch immer,
Es kann ja nimmer so sein.
It seemed to me, as if he spoke,
"I am thine eternally",
It seemed - I dream on and on,
It could never be so.
O laß im Traume mich sterben,
Gewieget an seiner Brust,
Den seligen Tod mich schlürfen
In Tränen unendlicher Lust.
O let me die in this dream,
cradled on his breast,
let the most blessed death drink me up
in tears of infinite bliss.
Du Ring an meinem Finger
You ring on my finger
Du Ring an meinem Finger,
Mein goldenes Ringelein,
Ich drücke dich fromm an die Lippen,
Dich fromm an das Herze mein.
You ring on my finger,
my golden little ring,
I press you devoutly to my lips
And to my heart
Ich hatt' ihn ausgeträumet,
Der Kindheit friedlich schönen Traum,
Ich fand allein mich, verloren
Im öden, unendlichen Raum.
I seems that I had dreamed
that peacefully beautiful childhood dream
I found myself lost
In an empty, endless space
Du Ring an meinem Finger,
Da hast du mich erst belehrt,
Hast meinem Blick erschlossen
Des Lebens unendlichen, tiefen Wert.
You, ring on my finger,
you have just now taught me
you have opened up my eyes
To the infinitely deep value of life.
Ich will ihm dienen, ihm leben,
Ihm angehören ganz,
Hin selber mich geben und finden
Verklärt mich in seinem Glanz.
I want to serve him, to live for him,
to belong to him completely,
to fully give myself to him,
and find myself transfigured in his radiance.
Benjamin Britten was a composer, conductor and pianist who is considered one of the best-known 20th century British
composers. He composed for a range of genres, from opera, orchestral, choral and solo vocal works, as well as chamber,
instrumental and film music. Britten is known largely for his operatic works, but throughout his career he released
multiple volumes of vocal music based on traditional folksongs. The three pieces for this recital are arrangements of
Scottish, Welsh and English folksongs. The first piece, “There’s None to Soothe” is a Scottish folksong where the singer
is expressing their grief. The song has a slow, plodding tempo and little emotional expression written in the music until a
leap of a 6th in the voice. This allows the singer to be expressive in their characterization of the piece. “The Ash Grove,”
is a Welsh folksong written as a canon between the voice and piano with two primary sections. In the first section the
piano and voice work together in the canon to create a sweet sound that conjures the image of a tranquil wood where the
narrator takes his walks. However, it is at the beginning of the second verse where the mood of the piece shifts. The voice
continues on the same melody from the first section, but the piano accompaniment shifts into a new key. The simple
framework of the canon still exists in the piano, yet the accidentals and minor sound now hint at something tragic that has
occurred in the ash grove. It is not until the very end that we realize the narrator has lost his love and she is buried in the
wood. “Sweet Polly Oliver” is an English folksong and also written with a canon between voice and piano. The canon in
this piece creates a bright mood that fits the personality of Sweet Polly.
There’s None to Soothe
There's none to soothe my soul to rest,
There's none my load of grief to share
Or wake to joy this lonely breast,
Or light the gloom of dark despair.
The voice of joy no more can cheer,
The look of love no more can warm
Since mute for aye's that voice so dear,
And closed that eye alone could charm.
The Ash Grove
Down yonder green valley where streamlets meander,
When twilight is fading, I pensively rove,
Or at the bright noontide in solitude wander
Amid the dark shades of the lonely Ash grove.
'Twas there while the blackbird was joyfully singing,
I first met my dear one, the joy of my heart;
Around us for gladness the bluebells were ringing,
Ah! then little thought I how soon we should part.
Still grows the bright sunshine o'er valley and mountain,
Still warbles the blackbird his note from the tree;
Still trembles the moonbeam on streamlet and fountain,
But what are the beauties of nature to me.
With sorrow, deep sorrow, my bosom is laden,
All day I go mourning in search of my love.
Ye echoes, O tell me, where is the sweet maiden?
She sleeps 'neath the green turf down by the Ash grove.
Sweet Polly Oliver
As sweet Polly Oliver lay musing in bed,
A sudden strange fancy came into her head.
"Nor father nor mother shall make me false prove,
I'll 'list as a soldier, and follow my love."
So early next morning she softly arose,
And dressed herself up in her dead brother's clothes.
She cut her hair close, and she stained her face brown,
And went for a soldier to fair London Town.
Then up spoke the sergeant one day at his drill,
"Now who's good for nursing? A captain, he's ill."
"I'm ready," said Polly. To nurse him she's gone,
And finds it's her true love all wasted and wan.
The first week the doctor kept shaking his head,
"No nursing, young fellow, can save him," he said.
But when Polly Oliver had nursed him back to life
He cried, "You have cherished him as if you were his wife".
O then Polly Oliver, she burst into tears
And told the good doctor her hopes and her fears,
And very shortly after, for better or for worse,
The captain took joyfully his pretty soldier nurse.
Francis Poulenc was a 20th Century French composer and pianist. Throughout the course of his career he composed 146
mélodies ranging from outrageously comical, serious, to sensual. The french mélodie is a style of vocal music meant to
mimic the cadence and sound of spoken French. Thus, the poetic text of French song was given equal, if not greater,
importance as the music. However, for Poulenc and his cycle of four songs Airs Chantés, set to the poems of Jean Moréas,
this was not the case. Poulenc did not try to hide his distaste for Moréas’s poetry, calling it “suitable for mutilation.” As a
result he set out to create a set of music from Moréas’s poems to challenge himself and tease a friend who genuinely
admired the poet’s work. The first song in the set, “Air romantique,” was given the direction by Poulenc to be sung “with
the wind in one’s face.” The music is deliberately meant to offset the somber interpretation of the words. By itself, the
poetic text casts the gloomy image of a lonely figure walking through the stormy countryside, accompanied only by a
raven. But the fast pace of the music and the major tonality of the second stanza lend instead the happier image of a
determined lover braving the storm with their love. The final piece in the set, “Air vif,” is meant to be sung very fast, as
an “explosion of joy.” Again Moréas’s poem is not as joyful; it ends speaking of the ocean’s lament and losing itself in
dreams. To offset this, Poulenc returns at the end of the song to the first stanza and original melody. In this return,
Poulenc alters the end of the melody for the voice to replicate the joyful wind. Poulenc is also explicit in writing his
music, giving very clear instructions to both singer and pianist for tempo and dynamics. Often the music is marked with
“sans ralentir” (without rallentando), indicating the performer should not slow his or her breakneck pace as they near the
end of the piece.
Air Romantique
Romantic Song
J'allais dans la campagne avec le vent d'orage,
Sous le pâle matin, sous les nuages bas;
Un corbeau ténébreux escortait mon voyage,
Et dans les flaques d'eau retentissaient mes pas.
I wandered through the countryside with the thunderstorm’s wind,
in the pale morning, under low clouds.
A gloomy raven escorted me on my journey,
And my steps echoed in the puddles.
La foudre à l'horizon faisait courir sa flamme
Et l'Aquilon doublait ses longs gémissements;
Mais la tempête était trop faible pour mon âme,
Qui couvrait le tonnerre avec ses battements.
The lightning on the horizon arrowed its fire downward
And the north wind doubled his persistent howling;
yet the tempest was too weak for my soul
Which sounded above the thunder with its pounding
De la dépouille d'or du frêne et de l'érable
L'Automne composait son éclatant butin,
Et le corbeau toujours, d'un vol inexorable,
M'accompagnait sans rien changer à mon destin.
From the ash’s and maple’s golden garment
Autumn gathered its glistening harvest,
and evermore the raven, with its inexorable flight
Followed me without changing my destiny.
Air Vif
Lively Song
Le trésor du verger
Et le jardin en fête,
Les fleurs des champs, des bois
Éclatent de Plaisir.
Hélas! Et sur leur tête
Le vent enfle sa voix
The riches of the orchard
and the festive garden,
the flowers of the fields, of the woods
Burst forth with delight.
Alas! and above their head
the wind’s voice is rising.
Mais toi, noble océan
Que l’assaut des tourmentes
Ne saurait ravager,
Certes plus dignement
Lorsque tu te lamentes,
Tu te prends à songer.
But you, noble ocean
that the assault of tempests
will not succeed in ravaging
most certainly with more dignity
when you lament,
You lose yourself in dreams.
Richard Rogers was an American composer who composed music for 43 Broadway musicals. He is most famous for his
collaborations with the lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II that led to 35 Tony Awards awarded to their musicals. One such
Tony-award-winning musical was Cinderella. Originally written for television, Cinderella was broadcast live on March
31, 1957 to more than 100 million people. Based off the traditional fairytale of Cinderella, the musical was remade for
television twice with multiple stage adaptations around the world. The song “Ten Minutes Ago” appears in the second Act
of the show, when Cinderella describes the feelings she had when she met the Prince.
Stephen Sondheim is recognized as one of “the greatest and… best-known artists in the American musical theater.”
Sondheim composed the music and lyrics for the musical Into the Woods, which follows the intertwined stories of
traditional fairytale characters like Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk. The characters go
into the woods looking to find something they want, but instead learn that getting what you want can have unexpected
consequences. For Cinderella, she realizes she is going to have to make a decision between her responsibilities at home
and her love for the prince in the song “On the Steps of the Palace.”
In 1956 a musical premiered on Broadway with music by Frederick Loewe and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner. That musical,
called My Fair Lady and based on the play by George Bernard Shaw, followed the story of Eliza Doolittle and her
relationship with Henry Higgins as he gives her elocution lessons. The musical was a hit and produced one of the most
recognizable songs in musical theatre, “I Could Have Danced All Night.” Eliza sings it as she realizes that her original
dislike for Henry has turned into something more romantic after he danced with her across his study after a successful
lesson.