Katelynn Amanda Watson’s Junior Recital Assisted by Brian Suits From the studio of Dominique McCormick Friday, March 26, 2021 Moody Methodist Church 6:30pm
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) Among the most popular Baroque-era composers, George Frideric Handel was known for his contributions to both instrumental and vocal music. Although he was born in Germany, Handel gained great recognition across Europe and made connections with aristocrats and royals who funded and supported his success. Furthermore, the time he spent in Italy allowed him to cultivate his craft alongside other notable composers, including Corelli and Scarlatti. His oratorio, the Messiah, is undoubtedly his most recognized work, adored by professional musicians and amateur listeners alike. Once Handel was appointed one of the Chapel Royal’s composers, a substantial amount of his music was written for the King’s Theatre in London. Floridante was among these works. Written in 1721, this opera tells the story of Oronte, a Persian general who kills the king in order to become the king himself. Oronte takes the previous king’s daughter, Elmira, as his own alongside his biological daughter, Rossane. Elmira is betrothed to Prince Floridante, while Rossane is betrothed to Prince Timante, who is the prince of Tyre. Oronte falls in love with Elmira and expels Floridante from the court. Floridante eventually dethrones Oronte and marries Elmira, who becomes the Queen of Persia, while Rossane and Timante marry and rule Tyre together. “Servasi alla mia bella … Amor commanda” is sung by Timante (a soprano castrato role) to Rossane in Act III, ensuring her that love and honor will be present in their relationship.
Servasi alla mia bella … Amor commanda
Let me dedicate myself to my beloved … Love commands me
Servasi alla mia bella,
Let me dedicate myself to my beloved,
E si tenti a un così nobile impegno;
And devote myself to this noble aim.
L’amor nell’ alme grandi non è remora mai
Love in great souls is never
D’eccelse imprese tanto più,
An obstacle to great endeavours,
Quando de valor mercede fian
And is even of greater value
Del caro idolo mio l’amor, la fede.
When love and faith are the rewards of the beloved.
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Amor commanda, onore invita,
Love commands, honor guides,
Più bell’impegno d’espor la vita,
A nobler principle in leading one’s life
Nò, non si dà.
Does not exist.
Già l’alma accesa di bella gloria
The soul, already afire with thoughts of glory
Corre all’impresa,
Speeds towards its goal.
E di vittoria sicura è già.
Assured of victory. -
Translation by International Music Publishers
Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880) Born “Jacob Offenbach,” Jacques Offenbach is credited with creating the opérette, a form of French music that is light and comical. Music of this style is often satirical and rarely serious, and almost all of the endings are happy. Most of Offenbach’s life was dedicated to writing and producing operettas, including the widely popular Orphée aux enfers (Orpheus in the Underworld). He only wrote one grand opera, Les Contes d’Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann), which was left unfinished, as Offenbach died during its composition. Pomme d’api (Little Red Apple) is a one-act operetta that takes place in nineteenth century Paris. Rabastens, a wealthy old bachelor, does not approve of his nephew, Gustave’s, relationship with a girl he calls “Pomme d’api.” In an effort to start receiving an allowance from his uncle again, Gustave breaks off his liaison with the woman. Rabastens welcomes Catherine as his new maid, and even though she’s a bit untraditional, Rabastens is completely charmed by her and invites her to dinner with his nephew. Gustave immediately realizes that Catherine is “Pomme d’api,” but Catherine feels hurt by Gustave after their sudden break-up and tests his love instead. She lets Rabastens attempt to woo her, which makes Gustave jealous enough to pack up his things and try to move away. Catherine, observing that Gustave really loves her, admits that she loves him too, and they receive Rabastens blessing to marry, as well as the return of Gustave’s allowance. “Bonjour Monsieur” is sung by Catherine at the beginning of the operetta, as she introduces herself and explains why she will be a spectacular maid.
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Bonjour, Monsieur
Hello, Sir
Bonjour, monsieur, je suis la bonne
Hello, sir, I am the maid
Qu’vous attendez.
That you have been waiting for.
C’est bien moi, monsieur la personne,
Yes, it’s me, sir, the person
Voilà r’gardez!
Look, here I am!
Je vais vou dir’ foi de Catherine
I’m gonna tell you, on the faith of Catherine,
Qu’est mon petit nom mon petit nom
My nickname,
Tout c’que j’sais faire en fait d’cuisine
All that I know how to do in the kitchen
Ça n’s’ra pas long: Les ouefs à la coque
The list is not long: I cook boiled eggs,
Les om’lettes, les ouefs sur le plat,
Omelettes, eggs, sunny-side-up eggs,
Les pomm’s de terr’ frit’s, les côflettes
Hashbrowns, côflettes
Et puis voilà! Mais!
And that is all! But…
J’ai bon coeur et pas mauvaise tête,
I have a good heart and not a bad head,
Si c’est sur moi qu’tomb votre choix,
If it’s me that you choose,
J’vous donn’rai tout,
I will give you everything
Tout c’quìnn’ fill’ honnête
That an honest girl
Peut donner pour trent’ francs par mois.
Can give for thirty francs per month
Quand aux boutons, je sais les r’mettre:
When there are buttons, I know how to repair them.
Je sais blanchir.
I know how to bleach.
A la post’ j’sais porter une lettre
At the post office, I know how to mail a letter
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Et l’affranchir.
And put a stamp on it
Pour les tapis, j’sais qu’on n’les s’coue
For the rugs, I know how to shake them
Que dans les cours:
I shop for groceries:
Sitôt qu’on sonn’ sans faire la moue
As soon as someone rings, without being lazy,
Vite je cours.
Quickly, I run.
J’ouvre la port’ et puis j’a r’ferme
I open the door, and then I shut it
Quand on s’en va.
When they go.
Je n’emploie jamais un mauvais terme
I’ve never had a bad recommendation.
Et puis voilá!
And there you go! -
Translation by Dominique McCormick & Katelynn Watson
André Messager (1853-1929) Once a student of French composer Camille Saint-Saëns, André Messager composed operettas in a style similar to those of Jacques Offenbach. His operettas and ballets, though less common in the USA, garnered great notability in France and England. Although Messager made his name as a composer in Europe, his reputation as a conductor is not to be ignored. He is associated with the Opéra-Comique in Paris, the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, and the Paris Opéra, having served in directorial positions for all three organizations. Claude Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande was conducted for the very first time by André Messager. Messager’s Véronique was written in 1898 and takes place in mid-nineteenth century Paris. This operetta tells the tale of Florestan, an aristocrat whose wealthy uncle presents him with a choice between bankruptcy or arranged marriage. Florestan, who already has a flirtationship with Agathe, must break it off in order to marry Hélène, an heiress to a rich family. Overhearing Florestan’s breakup with Agathe where he calls his chosen fiance a “simple girl,” Hélène is upset and goes undercover as “Véronique,” a simple, working girl. After spending all day with her, Florestan is so charmed by “Véronique” that he chooses prison over marrying Hélène, who is a
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stranger to him. Hélène pays his bail after hearing about this, and they each attend a ball thrown by Hélène’s aunt that night; here, Hélène tells Florestan the truth, and they choose to be together. “Petite Dinde” is sung by Hélène after overhearing the conversation between Florestan and Agathe. Petite Dinde
Little Turkey
Petite dinde: Ah! Quel outrage!
Little turkey: Ha! What outrage!
Vraiment, je suffoque de rage!
Really, I’m suffocating with rage
Pour me traiter du haut en bas,
To treat me from top to bottom,
Ce monsieur ne me connaît pas,
This man doesn’t know me,
Il ne sait rien de ma personne.
Nothing is about me.
Ni si je suis méchante ou bonne.
Neither if I am bad or good.
Ni la couleur de mes cheveux,
Neither the color of my hair,
Ni ce que sont mon nez, mes yeux.
Nor what are my nose, my eyes
Et tout gonflé dans sa cravate,
And all swollen in his tie,
Il veut trancher! Du coup j’eclate!
He wants to decide! Suddenly I explode!
Ah! Monsieur Florestan!
Ha! Mr. Florestan!
A nous deux maintenant!
Both of us now!
Entre nous, c’est la guerre!
Between us, it is war!
Et bientôt je l’espère
And soon I hope
Je vous le prouverai tout sec:
I will prove it to you all dry:
La petite dinde a bon bec!
The little turkey, good beak
Et moi j’allais, pauvre ingénue,
And I was going, poor, unsuspecting,
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Venir à lui tremblante émue!
To come to him trembling and moved!
Je me faisais un doux roman
I was making myself a sweet novel,
Dont il était le dénouement!
Of which he was the denouement!
Fière de me dire sa femme
Proud to tell me, his wife,
Je lui donnais toute mon âme
I gave her all my soul
Et prête à me laisser charmer
And ready to let me be charmed,
Je ne demandais qu’à l’aimer…
I just wanted to love him…
Mais c’est f’ini! Brisé le charme!
But it’s finished! Break the spell!
Je luis dois ma première larme!
I owe him my first tear! -
Translation by Dominique McCormick & Katelynn Watson
Messager’s L'Amour Masqué (Masked Love) is set in early twentieth century Paris. Elle, who is beautiful and wealthy, dates two men at the same time, and although she does not love either of them, they buy things for her! Instead, she falls in love with the picture of a man that she found while working with a photographer. One of her two suitors suggests that she hold a masked ball, and soon after this, an older man comes to retrieve the picture from Elle, claiming that the younger man in the portrait is his son. Elle invites him to the ball, to which he shows up masked, pretending to be his son. He and Elle spend the night together, and she discovers that he is actually the older man who came to visit her the other morning, and the photo she had found was what he looked like as a young man. She is not disappointed and loves him anyway. “J’ai Deux Amants” is Elle’s opening piece, where she rejoices in telling the audience how stupid her two suitors are for giving her money.
J’ai Deux Amants
I Have Two Lovers
J’ai deux amants, c’est beaucoup mieux,
I have two lovers. It’s much better,
Car je fais croire à chacun d’eux
Because I make each of them believe
Que l’autre est le monsieur sérieux.
That the other is the serious gentleman
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Mon Dieu, que c’est bête les hommes!
My God, they are stupid men!
Ils me donnent la même somme
They give me the same amount
Exactement par mois.
Exactly per month
Et je fais croire à chacun deux
And I make each of them believe
Que l’autre m’a donné le double chaque fois
That the other gave me double each time
Et ma foi, Ils me croient tous les deux
And my faith, they both believe me
Je ne sais pas comment nous sommes,
I don’t know how we are,
Mais, mon Dieu! Que c’est bête un homme!
But, my God! How stupid men are!
Alors… vous pensez… deux!
Then… you think… two!
Un seul amant, c’est ennuyeux
One lover, it’s boring
C’est mònotone et soup conneux,
It’s monotonous and suspicious
Tandis que deux c’est vraiment mieux
While two is really better
Mon Dieu! Que les hommes sont bêtes!
My God! These men are stupid!
On les f’rait marcher sur la tête
We’d make them walk on their heads
Facilement, je crois,
Easily, I believe!
Si par malheur ils n’avaient pas
They didn’t have
A cet endroit précis des ramures de bois
At this precise place wooden antlers
Qui leur vont! Et leur font
That fit them and make them
Un beau front, ombrageux!
A beautiful forehead, shady -
Translation by Dominique McCormick & Katelynn Watson
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Richard Strauss (1864-1949) Often regarded as a composer who bridged the gap from the Romantic era to the early Modern era, Richard Strauss became a composer at a very young age, even throughout normal schooling. While his popularity as a conductor grew, his reputation as a composer subsequently grew, and he was given more and more opportunities to collaborate with notable composers and musicians. Strauss did, however, spend a period of time working for the Nazis as the president of Germany’s Reichmusikkamer (Chamber of State Music) before choosing to use his power and fame to keep his Jewish daughter-in-law out of harm’s way. Influenced mostly by Mozart and Wagner, Strauss composed hundreds of works for a large variety of venues and instruments, while maintaining a recognizable style that emphasizes psychological details with or without text. Arguably the most beautiful Lied of all time, “Morgen!” denotes a feeling of stillness as the narrator expresses their blissful hope for reconciliation with their love on the next day. It is a peaceful setting of text that illustrates the purest desire to savor a moment for as long as possible. “Schlagende Herzen” is a much quicker, lighter art song that tells the story of a boy and a girl happily running through fields and meadows to be with each other. “Die Nacht” contrasts with its predecessor in its slower tempo and more melancholy subject matter; the narrator is aware of the night’s ability to steal all that is beautiful from the day and can only hope that it will not steal their beloved, too.
Morgen!
Tomorrow!
Und morgen wird die Sonne wieder scheinen
And tomorrow the sun will shine again
Und auf dem Wege, den ich gehen werde,
And on the path that I shall take,
Wird uns, die Glücklichen, sie wieder einen
It will unite us, happy ones, again,
Inmitten dieser sonnenatmenden Erde.
Amid this same sun-breathing earth.
Und zu dem Strand, dem weiten, wogenblauen,
And to the shore, broad, blue-waved,
Werden wir still und langsam niedersteigen,
We shall quietly and slowly descend,
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Stumm werden wir uns in die Augen schauen,
Speechless we shall gaze into each other’s eyes,
Und auf uns sinkt des Glückes stummes Schweigen.
And the speechless silence of bliss shall fall on us. -
Translation by Richard Stokes
Schlagende Herzen
Beating Hearts
Über Wiesen und Felder ein Knabe ging,
A boy was walking across meadows and fields,
Kling-klang schlug ihm das Herz,
Pit-a-pat went his heart,
Es glänzt ihm am Finger von Golde ein Ring,
A golden ring gleamed on his finger,
Kling-klang schlug ihm das Herz.
Pit-a-pat went his heart.
„Oh Wiesen, oh Felder,
‘O meadows, O fields,
Wie seid ihr schön!
How fair you are!
Oh Berge, oh Täler
O mountains, O valleys,
Wie schön!
How fair!
Wie bist du gut, wie bist du schön,
How good you are, how fair you are,
Du goldene Sonne in Himmeshöh’n!“
You golden sun in heaven above!’
Kling-klang schlug ihm das Herz.
Pit-a-pat went his heart.
Schnell eilte der Knabe mit fröhlichem Schritt,
The boy hurried on with happy steps,
Kling-klang schlug ihm das Herz,
Pit-a-pat went his heart,
Nahm manche lachende Blume mit,
Took with him many a laughing flower,
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Kling-klang schlug ihm das Herz.
Pit-a-pat went his heart.
„Über Wiesen und Felder
‘Over meadows and fields
Weht Frühlingswind,
A spring wind blows,
Über Berge und Wälder
Over mountains and woods
Weht Frühlingswind.
A spring wind blows.
Im Herzen mir innen weht Frühlingswind,
A spring wind is blowing in my heart,
Der treibt zu Dir mich leise, lind!“
Driving me to you, softly and gently!’
Kling-klang schlug ihm das Herz.
Pit-a-pat went his heart.
Zwischen Wiesen und Feldern ein Mädel stand,
Between meadows and fields a young girl stood,
Kling-klang schlug ihr das Herz,
Pit-a-pat went her heart,
Hielt über die Augen zum Schauen die Hand,
She shaded her eyes with her hand as she gazed,
Kling-klang schlug ihr das Herz.
Pit-a-pat went her heart.
„Über Wiesen und Felder,
‘Over meadows and fields,
Über Berge und Wälder
Over mountains and woods,
Zu mir, zu mir schnell kommt er her!
To me, to me he’s hurrying!
Oh wenn er bei mir nur, bei mir schon wär!“
Ah! would he were with me, with me already!’
Kling-klang schlug ihr das Herz.
Pit-a-pat went her heart. -
Translation by Richard Stokes
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Die Nacht
Night
Aus dem Walde tritt die Nacht,
Night steps from the woods,
Aus den Bäumen schleicht sie leise,
Slips softly from the trees,
Schaut sich um in weitem Kreise,
Gazes about her in a wide arc,
Nun gib Acht!
Now beware!
Alle Lichter dieser Welt,
All the lights of this world,
Alle Blumen, alle Farben
All the flowers, all the colours
Löscht sie aus und stiehlt die Garben
She extinguishes and steals the sheaves
Weg vom Feld.
From the field.
Alles nimmt sie, was nur hold,
She takes all that is fair,
Nimmt das Silber weg des Stroms
Takes the silver from the stream,
Nimmt vom Kupferdach des Doms
Takes from the cathedral’s copper roof
Weg das Gold.
The gold.
Ausgeplündert steht der Strauch:
The bush stands plundered:
Rücke näher, Seel’ an Seele,
Draw closer, soul to soul,
O die Nacht, mir bangt, sie stehle
Ah the night, I fear, will steal
Dich mir auch.
You too from me. -
Translation by Richard Stokes
Elizabeth Raum (b.1945) Elizabeth Raum was born in New Hampshire but eventually moved to and acquired citizenship in Canada. She attended the Eastman School of Music, where she pursued a degree (BM) in oboe performance. Years later, she attended the University of Regina to
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pursue a master’s degree in composition. Having written music for a variety of instruments and venues, Elizabeth Raum received an honorary doctorate from Mount St. Vincent University in Nova Scotia. Raum is known particularly for the stylistic diversity across all of her music, although the vast majority of her compositions are chamber works. Raum’s Men I Have Known is an 18-minute song cycle with texts detailing the narrator’s obsessions with various men; excluding the last piece of the set, the first five songs in the cycle have titles that are meant to be the initials of the men being sung about. For example, the first song, “J.D.,” illustrates a girl noticing a boy (with the initials “J.D.”) at school and pondering every detail about him. The second song, “T.S.,” is a tango setting of a woman admiring a man from afar and overthinking their connection. Lisa Lambert (b. 1962) Lisa Lambert is an actress on and off the screen; born in Washington D.C., she took part in a handful of movies and TV shows as a child, and she participated in more stage productions as she grew older. A seasoned comedy writer, Lambert is most well-known for her work on the text and composition of The Drowsy Chaperone, for which she worked alongside her co-composer, Greg Morrison. This musical earned each of them a Tony Award for the“Best Original Score.”
Greg Morrison (b.1965) Also most popular for his work on The Drowsy Chaperone, Greg Morrison is a renowned Canadian composer and music director. As Lisa Lambert’s co-composer, he received the same Tony Award for the “Best Original Score” and several nominations at other musical theater award shows. Morrison attended Humber College in Toronto and graduated with a degree in jazz performance. His compositional work includes scores for the theatre, as well as television and movies.
The Drowsy Chaperone was originally composed by Lambert and Morrison as a gift to their two engaged friends, Bob Martin and Janet Van De Graaff, who wanted performances at their bachelor(ette) parties. It was eventually developed into a chaotic musical where an old man plays a record of his favorite musical that he has never seen (titled The Drowsy Chaperone), and it comes to life on stage as he listens to the soundtrack. In the musical, Robert and Janet are about to get married, but the only problem is that Janet is a remarkably famous Broadway star and is
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planning to give all of that up when she marries Robert. A producer of an upcoming Follies production wants Janet to star in the premiere because it will garner popularity, so the producer tells Robert to rollerskate blindfolded to cure his cold feet. Janet, who is also getting cold feet, finds Robert in the garden and pretends to be a French woman. When Robert kisses her as the French woman, Janet insists that he’s a cheater and wants to call the wedding off. They make up after Janet’s dream sequence, and they get married alongside other couples who have been matched up throughout the show. “Bride’s Lament” is sung by Janet in the dream sequence, after she convinces herself that Robert is a cheater for kissing… her… in the garden.
Biographical Resources: Boosey.com Britannica.com elizabethraum.com maestramusic.org Naxos.com worddisk.com Translation Resources: Oxfordlieder.co.uk lieder.net
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