George Friderich Handel (1685-1759) wrote his oratorio Judas Maccabeus based on the historical figure of Judas Maccabeus. The plot follows the life of Judas and how he led the Jewish people to reclaim the Second Temple of Jerusalem. In the oratorio, Simon, Judas’ brother, is a priest who asks God to help drive out the presence of Greek, Roman, and Syrian deities from the holy land.       

The Lord worketh wonders takes place in part II of the story, where Simon is decreeing to the people of Israel that the lord will work wonders to help his people. The music of this aria is quick and thunderous, showing the might of the Lord. This is also reflected in the text, with the singer always placing the word wonders on long and flowing melismatic lines, showing how the wonder of the Lord’s power is ever flowing and moving. The music also utilizes a good bit of text painting, particularly on the line “his glory to raise” by placing the word raise at the apex of the phrase every time it is repeated. This text painting quite literally raises the glory of the lord above the rest of the text of the aria, ultimately showing the message of Simon and his goal of rallying the Israelites. This text painting is repeated in the second section with the text “and still as he thunders” with the stress of the phrase being placed on the word thunders to allow the singer to really let loose and let the voice reflect the thundering power of the text.

Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) was a French composer during the late romantic period and early 20th century known for his many art song compositions. L’horizon chimérique (The shimmering horizon) is the final set of songs that Fauré wrote before his death in 1924. The cycle is based on poetry by Jean de la Ville de Mirmont, who died in 1914 during the first world war.

The second song of the set Je me suis embarqué tells the story of a man setting out for a new life on the sea. This song immediately sets the perfect feeling for the story with its ¾ time signature that evokes the image of a ship rocking side to side on the ocean. The accompaniment keeps that consistent rocking motion throughout the entire piece, reflecting on the thoughts of the singer and their desire to leave land forever and seek out a new life on the sea. The singer further reflects on this with both the text of the along and the overall structure of the melody, flowing and swelling from phrase to phrase with a similar motion to the waves of the open sea. The dynamic contrast presented in this piece also allows the singer to further represent this idea of wavelike movement, with the dynamics rising and falling like the natural rhythm of the ocean.

Diane, Séléné is a lament to the goddess of the moon and stands as a sort of love letter to the peacefulness of the night sky. The light and ethereal sound of the accompaniment build an image of the moon shining on a field at night. The lightness of this piece is also shown in the tenderness of the vocal line, with the singer’s voice floating over the chords playing in the piano accompaniment. The elegant legato phrasing of the vocal line really helps to drive home the calmness of image being painted by the singer. The poetry of this song also reflects the calmness and serenity that the singer finds in the moon and how the world at night stays so tranquil. The only time that the piece really breaks this tranquil feeling is with the line “Injurieuse au trouble vain des pauvres âmes, Et mon cœur, toujours las et toujours agité,” which means “Mocking the fruitless commotion of wretched souls, And my heart, ever weary and ever uneasy,”. This text is painted well by the singer’s change in dynamics, which show the mounting feelings of the singer’s overflowing heart regarding the moon’s peacefulness.

Richard Strauss (1864-1949) wrote Acht Geidchte aus ‘Letzte Blätter,’ as his first full song cycle with poetry written by the same poet. This cycle was based off works by Hermann von Gilm, a relatively unknown poet at the time. He originally wrote the set to be sung by a tenor or soprano voice, but the set was later transposed down for lower voices. This set of songs are among Strauss’ most well-known works, especially the songs Zueignung, Die Nacht, and Allerseelen.

Zueignung (or dedication) is a testament to love and the commitment between the singer and their loved one. The music takes a steady tempo throughout the entire piece that gives the song a sense of steadiness and assuredness in its tone. The steady pulse of the accompaniment could be likened to that of a beating heart, and this pulse keeps steadily beating up until the climax of the piece in the third verse, where it finally erupts into a beautiful cacophony of sound on the phrase “Heilig, Heilig, ans Herz dir sank” which means “holy, holy, into your embrace I sank”. This phrase is both the climax of the piece for the singer and the piano, with the two joining together here to showcase the depth and fullness of the love being described in the poetry. The vocal line of this piece follows this same kind of steady pulse, but it stays mostly quiet and thoughtful during the first two verses of the piece. Then as the song builds into the third verse, the vocal line starts to grow higher in pitch and more intense dynamically until this climax right before the final phrase of the piece, which is the singer giving thanks to their love for allowing them to love as they have.

Nichts is the second song of the cycle and is a drastic change in tone and pace from the previous song, with a very quick and upbeat tempo, and quicker, more clipped vocal lines. The vocal phrases in this song are much more conversational in this song, which gives it a lighter and more buoyant feeling. This tone is also reflected in the text of the song, with the singer responding to a question posed by someone asking him to name the queen of all song. The lightness of the conversation is shown both in the shorter phrases and the text that the singer uses. At one point he even says “fools that you are” which implies some level of comfortability and friendship rather than romantic intimacy. As the second enters the second section, the tune slows down a bit and gets more of a wistful feeling as the singer begins to ponder on what this “queen of song” might look like, before coming back to the tone established in the opening by saying “Ach! What do I know of all that.”. The final section of this song combines the two established tones, beginning with the more slow and wistful feeling before the singer seems to interrupt himself and go back to the lighter and more friendly feeling from the song’s opening section.

Die Nacht is the third song in this cycle, and this song takes on a much different tone that the previous two. The song begins with a very soft piano accompaniment, which stays consistent throughout the entire song. The entire picture painted by the music in this piece is very quiet and at times a little fearful. This piano accompaniment of this piece does a very good job of helping the singer create this imagery with its steady eight note pulses, which create a sense of quiet suspense. This suspense becomes more apparent as the sections of the song begin to reveal the story and why the night is something to be more feared rather than enjoyed. This becomes increasingly more apparent the further along in the text the singer gets, starting with how the night takes away all the color from the world, then moving into how it takes away all that is precious like silver and gold, and the final stanza the singers says that they fear that the night will also steal a person from them. The music becomes increasingly more intense as the singer moves through these stanzas, showing the shift in tone from a more observational point of view in the beginning of the song to a fearful one at the ending.

The final song of the cycle is Allerseelen which is a poem about All Soul’s Day. This final song returns to the loving tone of the first of the set, but with an added sense of loss and longing. The piano has a much more involved presence in this piece, with longer melodic lines that seem to linger on the ear moreso than in the other songs of this cycle. The sense of longing and loss is further exemplified by this more involved piano accompaniment, and the long phrases of the piano allow for more vocal inflection from the singer. This added rubato of the piano also affects the singer’s ability to tell the story of this song, allowing for more variations between the different sections of this song. Each of the stanzas of this song have a distinct feeling that help the singer tell the story of that Von Gilm tried to convey with his poetry. The first section is the most romantic of the three, with the singer describing setting a table for two for All Soul’s Day. The opening section of this song is a slow build up to the phrase “wie einst im Mai” meaning “as once in May”, this phrase is repeated several times by the singer throughout the piece as they reminisce on a love lost. The second section of this song is much more subdued and quieter, signifying the tenderness of the love that the singer once had with the object of their affections. The third and final section of the song starts out similarly to the second with a quiet, somber tone, but it quickly builds into a huge declaration of how once a year the singer is allowed this day to love again. The climax of the piece is on the phrase “Komm an mein Herz, dass ich dich wieder habe” meaning “come to my heart, so that I can have you again”, this is where the singer’s emotions fully overflow and show the depth of this lost relationship. This final declaration is followed by a final wistful “wie einst im Mai” as the song ends.

Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896) was a French composer and teacher duing the romantic period. He is probably most well-known for his operas Hamlet and Mignon. He originally released his operatic interpretation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet in 1868, just two years after Mignon.

Doute de la Lumiere is a duet sung by Hamlet and Ophelia during the first act where they first confess their love for one another. Right before this scene Ophelia expresses her worry that Hamlet will leave the country following the death of his father, and the two eventually reconcile with this duet. The musical accompaniment throughout the duet takes more of a backseat while Hamlet and Ophelia sing to each other, which draws the focus onto the text and emotion of the singers. The text repeats itself quite often during this duet, especially the lines about doubt, and never doubting the love that these two have for each other. One great quality is that the singers both have their own separate declarations to each other before joining together for the last section of the duet. It’s a very tender and emotional duet between the two singers, and the way that the vocal lines of both singers always build up to an overflowing of emotion right before they say never to doubt their love is a great vehicle for showing the emotional connection that these two characters have.

Earth and Air and Rain is a song cycle written by British composer Gerald Finzi between 1928-1935 and published in 1936. Finzi wrote this cycle based off of poetry by Thomas Hardy, and this cycle was not the first or the last time that Finzi worked with Hardy’s poetry for his music.

Summer Schemes starts off the cycle with a light and upbeat tempo that celebrates the return of summer and all the joyful noise and picturesque scenery that comes along with it. The piano mirrors these pictures with the same kind of smooth and light accompaniment that is established by the text of the song. One interesting feeling about this opening song is how Finzi switches time signature constantly throughout this song, which in turn allows for the meter of the poetry to be changed and not become stale or stuck, because this time signature change can either help the singer shorten phrases or elongate them depending on the text. One of the most precious aspects of this song is how the pianist and singer echo each other’s phrases and melodic lines in a way that makes the piece feel fluid and connected, just like the nature that the singer describes all throughout the song. As the song comes to a close there is a gorgeous moment of suspension between singers and pianist on the final phrase “but who may sing of what another moon will bring”. This final question posed by the singer is intentionally left unanswered by Finzi, which I believe is his own way of saying to enjoy the beauty of nature because you never know if you will have the chance to do so again.

When I set out for Lyonesse starts up with a marching beat, steady but not heavy. It still leaves room for some of the lightness and playfulness that had already been established in the previous song. This song tells the story of a man who set out on a journey to the mythical Lyonesse and returns from the journey with a newfound sense of magic in and wonder. The melodic line of the singer also reflects this journey, utilizing the fullness of a singer’s range with both highs and lows spanning over an octave and a half. The piano accompaniment on this piece is a bit more subdued, allowing for the singer to take precedence and tell the story that Hardy wrote. However, this less involved accompaniment gives way to my personal favorite moment of the entire song, where the singer gets into the third section of the piece and the piano makes an ever so slight shift from e minor to E Major when the singer “returns” from Lyonesse. This small shift in tone really helps to sell the idea that the singer has returned from their journey a changed person, with a newfound sense of magic in their eyes.

Waiting Both is a short and mysterious song that paints an image of a clear starry night. The descending arpeggios played by the pianist during the opening of the song are the perfect representation for showing the stars in the sky, the range of the pitches employed by the pianist combined with the slower tempo of this song evoke the exact imagery that Finzi wished to convey with this song. To go along with the wide arrangement of pitches, the song also carries phrases over bar lines, which makes it difficult to hear a steady pulse in this song, which adds on to the established sense of mystery. This piece places the singer into two different narrative roles, as a star looking down to Earth, and the singer who is responding to the star’s question. The singer first narrates the part of the star, and asks “here, I and you stand each in our degree. What do you mean to do?”. The piano then has a brief interlude that mirrors the opening of the song with the twinkling piano responding to the star’s question. The singer then gives their response “wait and let time go by, till my change comes”.

Proud Songsters the final song of the set takes some of the focus off of the singer and allows the piano to tell most of the story. It includes a lengthy introduction with several layers of melodies and harmonies overlapping and creating a scene of birdsong in the forest. The singer’s entrance is mostly just commenting on the image that the piano has been painting during the introduction about thrushes and birdsong. Once the singer finishes with this section the piano again takes off into its own interlude that builds to the same kind of dynamic heights of the introduction before slowing and becoming still before the transition into the final section of the song. The last section of the song reflects on the youth of the birds and how just a year ago they were nothing but particles of grain, and earth, and air, and rain. Finzi closing this cycle with the title of the entire piece is such a poetic moment, and it feels like he really captured the beauty of how cyclical nature can be with this entire song cycle.

Dust and Ashes is a solo sung by Pierre in Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. The show is based around the novel War and Peace and follows the events of Natasha’s affair with another man while her fiancée is away fighting in a war. This song takes place just after Pierre fights a duel against one of the most dangerous men in Moscow, and miraculously wins. It’s a very emotionally charged song, with Pierre contemplating his own mortality and his near-death experience. It begins with just a simple piano accompaniment that helps to set a mournful tone for the beginning of the song, and the entire first section of the song is mostly just the singer repeating the question “Is this how I die?” and reflecting on the life that he has lived. The song picks up a bit more at the first chorus, when the singer mentions falling in love, and this is where the piano also starts to get more involved, showing that the singer is slowly “waking up”. After this first chorus comes a more intense section where the singer again starts to question that life that he has lived, saying things like “life and love I don’t deserve” and "was there ever any other way my life could be?”. This quicker section shows some more of the panic and depth of Pierre’s character as he continues this downward spiral about his own mortality. Another return to the chorus follows this quick section, slowing the song back down and really giving the singer a moment to make the commitment to have this final moment to “wake up”.

Razzle Dazzle from Chicago is Billy Flynn’s song to Roxie Hart about how to work the court system during her first murder trial. It’s a very light and jazzy piece, which is a stark contrast to actual contents of the ongoing murder trial. The singer’s vocal line in this song is very smooth and connected, playing into the character of Billy Flynn and his occupation as a trial lawyer, staying smooth and knowing how to work a crowd. The jazz influences of this song also work for the more theatrical aspects of this song, allowing for more audience work and fourth wall breaking during the actual show. It’s a song that is meant to entertain and distract in the context of the show, and the jazz accompaniment along with showmanship of the character really allow for a fun exploration of character that I enjoy getting to work with.

The Impossible Dream is one of Don Quixote’s songs in the musical Man of La Mancha. This song is the first one that Don Quixote sings in the show, and it gives the audience an idea of what kind of man the Quixote believes himself to be, a chivalrous knight who will take on this quest to uphold the ideals of courage, righteousness, and chivalry. As a fictional figure, Don Quixote is known as a crazy old man who is just imaging his mundane life to be something much more extraordinary that the reality that he sees. But the character of Don Quixote and the ideals that he loves to espouse are real and tangible, and while his great quest might be fiction his drive and passion can still be found in the real world. This song that he sings about his quest is one of purpose and drive, and the song reflects this with the constant growth through the phrases of the singer. This song really feels like one large crescendo up to the final declaration of Don Quixote to reach the unreachable stars, and his drive to complete his impossible dream.

L’horizon chimérique
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)

II. Je me suis embarqué

Je me suis embarqué sur un vaisseau qui danse
Et roule bord sur bord et tangue et se balance.
Mes pieds ont oublié la terre et ses chemins;
Les vagues souples m’ont appris d’autres cadences
Plus belles que le rythme las des chants humains.

À vivre parmi vous, hélas! avais-je une âme?
Mes frères, j’ai souffert sur tous vos continents.
Je ne veux que la mer, je ne veux que le vent
Pour me bercer, comme un enfant, au creux des lames.

Hors du port qui n’est plus qu’une image effacée,
Les larmes du départ ne brûlent plus mes yeux.
Je ne me souviens pas de mes derniers adieux 
Ô ma peine, ma peine, où vous ai-je laissée?

I have embarked on a ship that dances
And rolls and pitches and swings.
My feet have forgotten the land and its ways;
The soft waves have taught me other rhythms,
More beautiful than the tired ones of human song.

To live among you, Alas! Did I have a soul?
Brothers, I’ve suffered on all your continents.
I want only the sea, I want only the wind
To rock me like a child in the trough of the waves.

Far from the port, now but a faded image,
Tears of parting no longer sting my eyes.
I can no longer recall my last goodbye…
O my pain, my pain, where have I left you?

Diane, Séléné, lune de beau métal,
Qui reflète vers nous, par ta face déserte,
Dans l’immortel ennui du calme sidéral,
Le regret d’un soleil dont nous pleurons la perte.

Ô lune, je t’en veux de ta limpidité
Injurieuse au trouble vain des pauvres âmes,
Et mon cœur, toujours las et toujours agité,
Aspire vers la paix de ta nocturne flamme.

Diana, Selene, moon of beautiful metal,
Reflecting on us, from your deserted face,
In the eternal boredom of sidereal calm,
The regret of a sun whose loss we mourn.

O moon, I blame you for your clarity,
Injurious and troubled poor vain souls, 
And my heart, ever weary and ever uneasy,
Strives for the peace of your nocturnal flame.

Ja, du weißt es, teure Seele,
Daß ich fern von dir mich quäle,
Liebe macht die Herzen krank,
Habe Dank.

Einst hielt ich, der Freiheit Zecher,
Hoch den Amethysten-Becher,
Und du segnetest den Trank,
Habe Dank.

Und beschworst darin die Bösen,
Bis ich, was ich nie gewesen,
Heilig, heilig an’s Herz dir sank,
Habe Dank!

Yes, you know it, dear soul
That I’m in torment far from you,
Love makes hearts sick –
I have thanks.

Once, reveling in freedom,
I held the amethyst cup aloft
And you blessed that drink –
I have thanks.

And you banished the evil spirits,
What I, have never been,
Holy, holy to your heart I fell –
I have thanks.

Nennen soll ich, sagt ihr, meine
Königin im Liederreich!
Toren, die ihr seid, ich kenne
Sie am wenigsten von euch.

Fragt mich nach der Augen Farbe,
Fragt mich nach der Stimme Ton,
Fragt nach Gang und Tanz und Haltung,
Ach, und was weiß ich davon!

Ist die Sonne nicht die Quelle
Alles Lebens, alles Licht’s
Und was wissen von derselben
Ich, und ihr, und alle?—nichts.

Shall I name you my
Queen in the realm of song!
Fools that you are, I know
Her least of all of you.

Ask me the color of her eyes,
Ask me about the sound of her voice,
Ask me about her walk, dancing, bearing,
Ah! And what do I know of all that!

Is not the sun the source
Of all life, of all light,
And what do we know about it,
I and you and everyone?—nothing.

Aus dem Walde tritt die Nacht,
Aus den Bäumen schleicht sie leise,
Schaut sich um in weitem Kreise,
Nun gib Acht!

Alle Lichter dieser Welt,
Alle Blumen, alle Farben
Löscht sie aus und stiehlt die Garben
Weg vom Feld.

Alles nimmt sie, was nur hold,
Nimmt das Silber weg des Stroms
Nimmt vom Kupferdach des Doms
Weg das Gold.

Ausgeplündert steht der Strauch:
Rücke näher, Seel’ an Seele,
O die Nacht, mir bangt, sie stehle
Dich mir auch.

From the woods comes the Night
From the trees sneaks the quiet,
Looks around her in a wide arc,
Now beware!

All the lights of this world,
All the flowers, all the colours
She erases them and steals the sheaves
From the field.

She takes all that is nice,
Takes the silver from the stream,
Takes from the cathedral’s copper roof
Away the gold.

Plunders stands the Shrub:
Drawing closer, soul to soul,
Ah the night, I fear, will steal
You too from me.

Stell auf den Tisch die duftenden Reseden,
Die letzten roten Astern trag herbei,
Und laß uns wieder von der Liebe reden,
Wie einst im Mai.

Gib mir die Hand, daß ich sie heimlich drücke,
Und wenn man’s sieht, mir ist es einerlei,
Gib mir nur einen deiner süßen Blicke,
Wie einst im Mai.

Es blüht und duftet heut auf jedem Grabe,
Ein Tag im Jahr ist ja den Toten frei,
Komm am mein Herz, daß ich dich wieder habe,
Wie einst im Mai.

Set on the table the fragrant mignonettes,
Bring the last red asters,
And let us talk of love again
As once in May.

Give me your hand to squeeze in secret,
And if people see, I do not care,
Give me but one of your sweet glances
As once in May.

It blooms and swells in every grave today,
One day each year is devoted to the dead;
Come to my heart, then I will have you again,
As once in May.

Hamlet:
Doute de la lumiere, doute du soleil et du jour
Doute des cieux et de la terre,
Mais ne doute jamais de mon amour
Ah! Ne doute jamais de mon amour 

Ophélie:
Helas! Hamlet! Cette amour même
Ne pouvait vous retenir!
Songeriez-vous à me fuir,
Si vous m’aimez autant que je vous aime?

Hamlet:
Non! Je ne te fuyais pas! Je fuyais l’inconstance humaine
Ton image, calme et sereine 
Eut dans ma solitude accompagne mes pas!
Mais ta présence me console!
Mes pleurs sont moins amers
Par l’amour et suyes;
Et c’est assez d’une parole
Pour me retenir à tes pieds!

Ophélie: 
Astre de la lumière, Qui sur nos fronts verses le jour,
Esprit des cieux et de la terre,
Soyez témoins de son amour,
Ah! Soyez, soyez de son amour!

Hamlet & Ophélie:
Pour toujours le destin nous lie! 
A toi mon âme! a toi ma vie!

Doute de la lumiere, doute du soleil et du jour
Doute des cieux et de la terre,
Mais ne doute jamais de mon amour
Ah! Ne doute jamais de mon amour!

Hamlet:
Doubt the light, doubt the sun and the day
Doubt the heavens and the Earth,
But do not ever doubt my love
Ah! Do not doubt my love

Ophélie:
Alas! Hamlet! This very love
Was not able to keep you here!
Would you think of leaving me
If you loved me as much as I loved you?

Hamlet:
No! I was not fleeing from you! I was fleeing 
From human inconsistency
Your image, calm and serene
Would have accompanied me in my solitude!
But your presence consoles me!
My tears are less bitter
By love dried;
And one word is enough
To keep me here at your feet!

Ophélie:
Star of light, who pours daylight on our brows.
Spirit of the heavens and the Earth,
Be witnesses of this love,
Ah! Be witnesses of this love!

Hamlet & Ophélie:
Forever fate binds us!
To you my soul! To you my life!

Doubt the light, doubt the sun and the day
Doubt the heavens and the Earth,
But do not ever doubt my love
Ah! Do not doubt my love