Academic literature on the topic 'Schubert Songs'

Music Performance<br>D.M.A.<br>A Collection of Ten Schubert Songs Transcribed for the Piano Yoni Levyatov Doctor of Musical Arts Temple University, 2012 Doctoral Advisor Committee Chair: Dr. Charles Abramovic The objective of this project is the creation of a collection of ten songs by Franz Schubert, freely transcribed for solo piano: 1) "Gute Nacht" D.911 2) "An die Laute" D.905 3) "Memnon" D.541 4) "Wilkommen und Abschied" D.767 5) "Greisengesang" D.778 6) "Todesmusik" D.758 7) "Der Goldschmiedsgesell" D.560 8) "Das Fischermädchen" D.957 9) "Das Lied im Grünen" D.917 10) "Der Strom" D.565 These are written bearing in mind the general history of piano transcriptions as originated (in the modern sense) by Franz Liszt, the greatest of all transcribers for the piano, as well as other figures, such as Feruccio Busoni and Leopold Godowsky. The primary reason behind Liszt's idea of transcribing several Schubert song cycles, as well as singular lieder, was to popularize those works, and thus make them available to the common 19th century amateur, who was quite at home at the piano and usually wished to be able to reproduce favorite pieces with his own two hands. or in a four-hand collaboration. Liszt was also interested in raising awareness of these works, which were less popular and treated less seriously than they are today. At present such transcriptions may be done not only for the reasons described above, but also as a modern stylization, utilizing the many pianistic and compositional devices that have emerged since the 19th century. Some of the songs transcribed in my collection deviate considerably from the original accompaniment textures. Schubert, particularly in the strophic songs, tends to use consistent figures that hardly change with each repetition. The transcription medium allows an expansion of that, as well as use of many colorful and expressive pianistic idioms to reflect the text and the different stages of plot development. A rather extreme example of transcription taken to the point of re-composition that I discuss and use as a reference is the Schubert's Winterreise-Eine komponierte Interpretation (1993) by Hans Zender - a piece in which the composer explores the textual and musical possibilities in orchestrating his interpretation of the score for a tenor and a small orchestra. A similar treatment of Schubert, but for solo piano, as opposed to an orchestra, is one of the novelties in this project. The song that has been transcribed with a particular reference to Zender's work is Gute Nacht, which opens both Zender's and Liszt's transcriptions, following Schubert's original. Another significant point of reference in this project is taken from Liszt's transcription of "Das Fischermädchen" " from the "Schwanengesang" D.957. It is one of only two lieder in my collection also existing in another transcription which has been a part of the common piano repertoire. Liszt's treatment stands somewhat in between what would be a more common and literal transcription of the day in the 1840s and Zender's psychological re-composition and my transcription pays an homage to that. The implications of this project may bring a wider recognition to the validity of the transcription genre, and an expansion of the modern piano transcriptions repertoire, which is somewhat limited due to its unpopularity among current composers.<br>Temple University--Theses

This document will examine how Schubert's songs can be used to increase the existing bass trombone solo literature. The primary focus is on the process of selecting, organizing, and arranging songs for the purpose of creating an original instrumental performance edition. The document will discuss elements that influence individual song selection, compositional attributes of the music, the drama represented through the text, and the boundaries these expressive components impose on the arranging process. The arranging process is discussed for nine individual songs including compositional elements which might influence the ordering of songs in a specific performance. A brief historic discussion overviews the role of the bass trombone in early nineteenth-century classical music, Schubert's life in regards to his contribution to song literature, and the influence of politics and economics during Schubert's life. An extensive Appendices contains a recommended list of Schubert lieder recordings, detailed text translations, bass trombone solo parts and full piano scores for all nine songs arranged for this document.

Franz Liszt (1811-1886) made fifty-six transcriptions of Schubert's songs over a period of eight years (1838-46) to introduce the name of the composer, who was little known both in and outside Vienna during his lifetime. Because Liszt intentionally preserved all the details of the original songs, these transcriptions present challenges for a pianist, such as how to produce a vocal line on the piano, as well as interpretive issues such as ornamentation, style, and conveying the meaning of the lyrics on the piano. The purpose of this study is to introduce pianists to study practices employed by singers, with the goal of interpreting the vocal aspects of Liszt's Schubert song transcriptions. The composer Robert Schumann once remarked that Liszt's transcriptions were perhaps the most difficult pieces written for the piano up to that time, and only an intelligent artist could satisfy Liszt's high level of virtuosity without destroying the identity of the original work. This could be considered a warning to pianists not to focus on the technical aspects only. The pedagogical guide presented in the study, based on singers' approaches to the actual songs, should help pianists to "see beyond the notes" and achieve a performance closer to the heart of the songs.

During World War II the composer Kurt Weill was in America writing for the Broadway stage. On August 27, 1943, he became an American citizen and was eager to volunteer his talent to the American war effort. Among his many wartime musical contributions are fourteen songs, all with war-related texts, which can be divided into three distinct groups: the American propaganda songs (8), the German propaganda songs (2), and the Walt Whitman songs (4). It is the purpose of this paper to present a comparative analysis of a representative group of these war songs (two from each group) in order to illustrate Weill's musical versatility. The American propaganda songs were written in a purely popular song style; sung by Broadway actors; directed toward an American audience; with texts by the Broadway lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II and the Hollywood movie executive Howard Dietz. The German propaganda songs were written in a cabaret song style; sung in German by Weill's wife, Lotte Lenya; directed toward a German audience behind enemy lines; with texts by the German playwright Bertolt Brecht and the German cabaret writer Walter Mehring. The Four Walt Whitman Songs were written in a classical art song style; sung by classically trained singers; directed toward a general audience; with texts by the nineteenth-century American poet Walt Whitman. After an initial discussion of Weill's early musical training and career in Europe, his exile from Germany, his reception in America, and his contributions to the American war effort, each group of war songs is analyzed musically, textually, vocally, in reference to the audience to whom it was directed, and with regards to vocal performance practice. Comparisons and conclusions are then drawn. Kurt Weill's war songs are valuable for musical study, both in terms of examining his ability to write equally well in various musical styles and as an opportunity to learn more about music and society during the turbulent years' of World War II.

The English art song in the 20th-century presents a performance challenge unique in the solo song repertoire. Unlike the corresponding bodies of German Lied and French mélodie, which proceeded from a well-ingrained national tradition of music and poetry, the English art song had no such background. The many British composers who have contributed to the song literature of this century reflect varied backgrounds and influences. Lennox Berkeley combined his English heritage with the French background of his mother's family, largely self-taught musical skills and an innate sensitivity to poetry to become one of the most prominent song composers of this century. He trained with Nadia Boulanger, gaining exposure to the formal and melodic techniques of Faure and the neo-classicism of Stravinsky. Berkeley composed a total of seventy-eight solo songs. His acceptance and furtherance of a fundamentally traditional songmaker's craft place him more directly in the post-war line of succession of English song than Benjamin Britten, whose innovative musical techniques place him in the vanguard of new music.This document explores those aspects of Berkeley's life and work that contribute to his compositional choices. It provides an overview of all of Berkeley's known solo songs as well as a more detailed analysis of Five Songs (Walter de la Mare), Five Poems CW.H. Auden) and Another Spring. The paper illustrates the qualities of Berkeley's songs which justify his inclusion among the most successful art song composers of this century

This investigation sought to compare the transcription techniques of two pianist-composers, Godowsky and Liszt, using three Schubert lieder as examples. The lieder were "Das Wandern" from Die Schöne Müllerin, "Gute Nacht" from Winterreise, and "Liebesbotschaft" from Schwanengesang. They were compared using four criteria: tonality, counterpoint, timbral effects, and harmony. Liszt, following a practice common in the nineteenth century, was primarily concerned with bringing new music into the home of the domestic pianist. The piano transcription was the most widely used and successful medium for accomplishing this. Liszt also frequently transcribed pieces of a particular composer in order to promulgate them by featuring them in his recitals. The Schubert lieder fall into this category. Liszt did not drastically alter the original in these compositions. Indeed, in the cases of "Liebesbotschaft" and "Das Wandern," very little alteration beyond the incorporation of the melody into the piano accompaniment, occurs.Godowsky, in contrast, viewed the transcription as a vehicle for composing a new piece. He intended to improve upon the original by adding his own inspiration to it. Godowsky was particularly ingenious in adding counterpoint, often chromatic, to the original. Examples of Godowsky's use of counterpoint can be found in "Das Wandern" and "Gute Nacht." While Liszt strove to remain faithful to Schubert's intentions, Godowsky exercised his ingenuity at will, being only loosely concerned with the texture and atmosphere of the lieder. "Gute Nacht" and "Liebesbotschaft" are two examples that show how far afield Godowsky could stray from the original by the addition of chromatic voicing and counterpoint. Godowsky*s compositions can be viewed as perhaps the final statement on the possibilities of piano writing in the traditional sense. As such these works deserve to be investigated and performed.

Because of the lack of information concerning the success or failure of Schubert's bilingual edition and concerning the relationship between the English texts and Schubert's settings, most performers take the conservative route of performing both the songs from Lady of the Lake and the rest of Schubert's English song repertoire only with the German translations. Because of the desirability of performing this repertoire in English for English-speaking audiences, this study examines all of the English songs of Schubert to determine whether the original poems can be successfully substituted for the German translations. Editions of the settings that can be effectively performed with the English texts are included in the appendix, in order to make available editions which reflect Schubert's ambition to make his songs easily accessible to non-German-speaking audiences.

Orientador: Adriana Giarola Kayama<br>Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Artes<br>Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-25T18:27:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Domingues_MelissaSofner_M.pdf: 9593128 bytes, checksum: 711d2f83f4953c663a8135590bbcf06b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014<br>Resumo: Música e poesia. Como as duas artes interagem, que significados são criados, reiterados, modificados e como a performance se constrói e se enriquece a partir desta interação é a reflexão que impulsiona o presente trabalho. Propomos uma análise músico-textual visando a interpretação e performance de quatro Lieder do período Romântico construídos sobre o poema Gretchen am Spinnrade de J. W. Goethe. Serão contempladas as canções dos compositores Louis Spohr (Gretchen), Franz Schubert (Gretchen am Spinnrade), Carl Loewe (Meine Ruh ist hin), e Richard Wagner (Meine Ruh ist hin). Para isso, é feita uma introdução sobre o gênero Lied e sobre o poeta. Em seguida, é proposta uma análise literária do poema, que servirá de base para a interpretação das canções. São abordados aspectos conteudísticos e formais do texto, assim como sua contextualização dentro da peça Fausto I, de que foi extraído. Em seguida, é feita uma análise musical das obras, com foco nas relações texto-música presentes e contemplando aspectos tanto da linha vocal quanto do acompanhamento. Ao longo da análise são feitas sugestões interpretativas baseadas nas relações texto-música<br>Abstract: Music and Poetry. How the two art forms interact, what meanings are created, emphasized, modified and how the performance is built and enriched from this interaction is the reflection that impels the present work. A text-music analysis aiming towards the interpretation and performance of four Lieder - settings from the Romantic period of the poem Gretchen am Spinnrade from J. W. Goethe is presented here. The settings of Louis Spohr (Gretchen), Franz Schubert (Gretchen am Spinnrade), Carl Loewe (Meine Ruh ist hin), e Richard Wagner (Meine Ruh ist hin) will be approached. After introductory considerations about the genre Lied and about the poet are made, an analysis of the poem is presented, which will ground the interpretation of the songs. Content and formal aspects of the text are considered, as well as its contextualization in the play Faust I, from where it was extracted. Afterwards, a musical analysis of the songs is presented, focusing on the existing text-music relations and taking aspects from the vocal line as well as the accompaniment into consideration. During the analysis interpretative suggestions are made, based on the text-music relations<br>Mestrado<br>Praticas Interpretativas<br>Mestra em Música

Combining the previously distinct genres of the traditional Tied and dramatic ballad is arguably Schubert's greatest contribution to song. Whilst the former is typically strophic the latter relies heavily on through-composition; combining the two allowed him to compose far more sophisticated song-forms in the service of musico-poetic expression. My thesis examines Schubert's songs from this perspective, and a central concern is the important role that recomposition of reprised material plays in his tertiary-form settings.