The great French impressionist composer Claude Debussy once wrote, “Works of art make rules; rules do not make works of art.” This reminded me of the question so many freshmen ask: “What exactly is an art song?” My standard answer is that an art song is a classical song composed for voice and piano, not from an opera or oratorio.
Of course there are more nuances to completely answer this question, and Monsieur Debussy has opened up a world of possibility with his turn of phrase: work of art. Art songs are more than simply songs composed for voice and piano—they are works of art that compile the standard vocal literature taught in music programs worldwide.
Universities across the world require the study of art songs in the romance languages and English. A basic proficiency in the styles of Italian, French, German, early British, and American song is required in order to successfully perform the senior recital and fulfill requirements for the music degree. If you have wondered why so much emphasis is placed on art songs for younger voices, this is the column for you. Here, I will wax poetic (double entendre is most intentional) on the importance of art song study or . . . why art songs rule!
As I work semester upon semester with undergraduate students, I expound upon the definition of art song adding details including the stylistic components of the assigned repertoire. Some songs are for voice and an instrument other than the piano. Some songs are miniature studies, some are complex developments of a single poem, and others exist as units of an intricate song cycle. Young voices are a work in progress, developing with every hour of practice and strengthening with every birthday. A Fauré mélodie and Schubert Lieder are perfect repertoire for young voices because the song range is typically in the middle octave with expertly set moments of the poetry delivered in a comfortable tessitura.
A 20-year-old singer will perform an art song with more eagerness and sincerity than perhaps the 50-year-old singer whose approach to the song will be more experienced. Both voices can demonstrate the technical proficiency required by the music written for voice and piano, despite the age difference. An aria excerpted from an opera was composed for voice and orchestra, which requires vocal technique and stamina that typically develops with time and study. As the voice is developing, the art song provides the tools for the musical sensitivity that will be needed for a lifetime of classical singing on both operatic and recital stages.
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION CONTAINS FOREIGN LANGUAGES THAT MIGHT BE PERCEIVED AS STRONG AND POETIC CONTENT THAT WILL BE APPRECIATED BY MATURE AUDIENCES.
Now let’s get to the fun stuff. Singers are tasked with delivering texts (the words). Many young singers are drawn to opera for the love of drama. The plots of many classic operas are tales of lust, passion, murder, revenge, suicide, etc., all in the name of love. The culmination of the drama and music makes us weep when Madame Butterfly sings “Un bel di.” Hearing one great performance can hook the unsuspecting audience member for life. (A PBS broadcast of Die Zauberflöte was my hook. Little did my parents know how dangerous the Queen of the Night’s aria could be for a dramatic 10-year-old.)
I promised to write about the fun stuff, but first we must address the issue at hand: you are hooked on drama, but your college voice teacher is assigning introductory art songs, not verismo arias. Don’t panic. Everything is going to be OK, because we can find histrionic poetry in art songs that will suit your voice, I promise.
The 24 Italian songs are straight up love and death. The German romantic poets were all about the sexual metaphor. The French poets were all “ooh la la” with their analogies of sexual exploration. And the British humorists from Shakespeare to Sullivan are known throughout history for their use of similes to tiptoe around lusty and mischievous characters. Within the poetry of art songs, you will find innuendos and double entendres for all sorts of brazen activities.
Examples of Debauchery
One tune that almost every freshman will sing, or at least hear, is John Dowland’s “Come again! sweet love doth now invite.” The bawdy boys of the Renaissance are not as pure as their melodies first appear. With little to no actual analysis, Dowland’s naughty delight will be read in the text and heard in the musical motive that climbs and climbs until the final descending sigh of resolution. Carol Kimball writes a description of the Elizabethan metaphor for lovemaking as “a release of tension on a long climactic note, ‘to die’ . . . ” (Song, p. 355). The evidence is in the text, which you can read here (the first and final verses):
Come again! sweet love doth now invite
Thy graces that refrain
To do me due delight,
To see, to hear, to touch, to kiss, to die,
With thee again in sweetest sympathy.
Gentle Love, draw forth thy wounding dart,
Thou canst not pierce her heart;
For I, that to approve
By sighs and tears more hot than are thy shafts
Did tempt while she for triumph laughs.
I doubt your professors will choreograph a striptease—but by understanding the structure of the poem and music, you can perform this song with an educated twinkle in your eye that will convey an insightful interpretation your audience is sure to enjoy.
One of Robert Schumann’s most famous songs from the year 1840 is “Die Lotosblume.” Heinrich Heine’s text describes an innocent flower that, fearing the sun, unveils herself only to her paramour, the moon. The amorous poem is an erotic tale of the flower that entschleiert, or “unveiled,” herself to her lover—and at the song’s end, she zittert, or “trembles,” with love’s pain. On www.allmusic.com, Meredith Gailey writes:
One of the most effective ways that Schumann created the mood of the poem was through the use of the piano, which takes a most beautiful plunge from C major into the remote, luminous key of A-flat major to evoke the moonrise implied by the words Der Mond, der ist ihr Buhle (“The moon is her paramour”). There has been some question of the composer’s ability to interpret the text, as the continuity of the vocal line is broken by rests. This argument collapses upon discovering that a nontraditional use of the text was intended by Schumann.
It should be remembered that this song was part of a collection of songs Schumann gave to his fiancée Clara Wieck as a wedding gift. Pretty hot stuff, when you think about it.
Examples of Death and Drama
Many students are assigned Italian songs in the first years of vocal study, and Tosti’s “Donna, vorrei morir” is a two-page winner (Leoncavallo also set the same poem). The poet, Stecchetti, dying of tuberculosis, begins the song with a wish to die, comforted by love. He finishes the moment with Quel po’ che resta della mia gioventù . . . E non destarmi più (“That little that remains of my youth . . . And not to wake myself more”). Typical Italian.
There are also many American songs that explore death in exceptionally musical and personal ways. A few special poets that have been beautifully set by many composers are Sara Teasdale, Emily Dickinson, and Langston Hughes. If you are looking for songs by specific composers on the themes of death or others, check www.americanartsong.org for a quick guide. Although difficult as a whole, many undergraduate singers can learn much about their own sensitivity to themes of faith, death, hope, and forgiveness from Aaron Copland’s Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson.
Examples of Wit and Mischief
Leonard Bernstein’s I Hate Music! and La Bonne Cuisine are lovely song cycles that many undergraduate singers can deliver superbly as complete sets or individual songs. They are not easy, so be prepared to count and practice your diction—but then you can show off your excellent intonation with commanding stage presence. The character of I Hate Music! is a young and curious girl, text by Bernstein himself, but composed for grown-ups. La Bonne Cuisine consists of Émile Dumont’s recipes: word for word. Bernstein translated the English version. The set of four dishes can be performed in just about four minutes. As with cooking, follow the recipe: simply sing what is on the page, as quickly or as sassy as Bernstein indicates, and your audience will be over the moon.
There is an entire world of cabaret music by master composers; among my favorites are Erik Satie and Kurt Weill. Stay tuned for a future “Music Major Minute” devoted to this delicious genre.
Art Song Rules
The “art” of the art song is an intellectual challenge requiring your musicality and your presentation to unite on demand. Assuming you do your research on top of the practice required to master your song, you will have to present a multitude of ideas, embody a character, and assume expertise on the historical genre in one performance. This takes enormous concentration, and there are rules for the process. Don’t move too much or move too little—in art song, your voice tells the story. Simple gestures that punctuate your ideas are ideal, but your pianist is your duet partner and you, the singer, do not want to wander too far from Bae. The number one rule of art song is to remember your partner on the piano bench—the story of each art song can be fully shared only when both the voice and the accompaniment serve the music to the best of both musicians’ abilities.
There are summer festivals devoted to art songs, and ambitious young singers should seek out every opportunity to participate in such festivals. Immersing yourself in a week or a month of intensive song study with new teachers, coaches, and pianists will strengthen your artistry. Whether in your weekly lesson, a masterclass, or elsewhere, explore new songs and develop your technique by performing as much as possible. Trust the process and do the work your teachers ask. With much practice and the guidance of great teachers and coaches, you will comprehend and enjoy the various styles of this beloved music—because art songs rule!
