Art Song Research Articles

Music Reviews

Abstract: This column includes reviews of a four-volume opera anthology series organized by voice type (soprano, mezzo, tenor and baritone), by American composer Jake Heggie. Also reviewed are art song settings of the poetry of Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes: "Dream Variations" by American composer Mark Carlson, and "Three Dream Portraits and Three Original Songs" by Margaret Bonds; the latter appears in an edition by scholar Louise Toppin.

The Media Gallery

Abstract: This installment of "The Media Gallery" begins with a discussion about the pod-cast "Aria Code" hosted by Rhiannon Giddens. That is followed by a review of "The Reaction," a CD of art songs by Black composers with baritone Carl DuPont. The column concludes with the "Stilled Voices" section, remembrances of several important singers who died during 2023: Renata Scotto, Grace Bumbry, Virginia Zeani, Mildred Miller and Gabriele Schnaut.

Musical Literacy and Education: A Historical Analysis of Huaibang Opera Development in Henan Province, China

This research employs a multidisciplinary approach, incorporating musicology and ethnomusicology, to explore the cultural significance of Huaibang Opera—a traditional Chinese Han ethnic local opera genre in Henan province, China. The investigation encompasses the historical evolution, cultural contexts, and musical attributes of Huaibang Opera, aiming to contribute to education, literacy, and a deeper comprehension of this traditional art form. The methodology involves interviews with key informants possessing profesional experience in Huaibang Opera, coupled with live performance observations. Through the analysis of collected data and its alignment with existing literature and theoretical frameworks, the study delineates the evolution of Huaibang Opera from a folk song art form to a prototype opera and its subsequent establishment as a local opera. This comprehensive examination sheds light on the cultural and artistic dimensions of education and literacy within Huaibang Opera, providing valuable insights into the historical significance, artistic expressions, and cultural heritage of this distinctive Chinese opera.

중국 작곡가 조원임의 예술가곡 ‘비를 듣다(听雨)’의 가창 방법 연구

Zhao Yuanren was a famous Chinese linguist and composer in the early 20th century. While studying the Chinese language, he began to create art songs with Chinese national characteristics, and achieved great results. Not only that, he was also one of the first Chinese composers to use western music creation techniques. Zhao Yuanren used his language research results and music research results. He combined Chinese folk music with Western creative techniques and created a new Chinese art songs. As a result of all these aspects of his achievements. Artists like Xiao Youmei called him Oriental Schubert. This research is based on "Listening to the Rain 听雨" in Zhao Yuanren's early art song. We find that "Listening to the Rain 听雨" is Zhao Yuanren's reading style of Chinese opera poetry. At the same time, on the basis of Chinese folk music, combined with western music creation techniques, the songs of early Chinese artists were born. During the course of this study, I analyzed the overall structure and music of this art song. According to the results of Zhao Yuanren's linguistics research, I also analyzed the pronunciation method of the lyrics. It also analyzes the singing version of the famous Chinese singers. Finally, I suggested how to sing the song. In order to objectify the results of this study, I discussed with three Chinese singers and university professors. The study results are presented as follows. The study results are presented as follows： First, keep your breathing at about 50%. The breath of the voice is not shaken. Make full use of the diaphragm to sing. In this way, singing can keep the same feelings from beginning to end. Second, the song does not have significant mood changes and timbre differences. The rhythm is very steady. The vibration frequency of the sound should be very soft, concise, delicate, just like the feeling of leaves falling in the breeze. Third, in the timbre, the voice can not be heavy, relax to sing. Make the voice feel soft. But the sound should distinguish between bright and dim. Fourth, rather than a strong emotional engagement. More need to have a hazy feeling and missing the feeling. Sing this song with sad feelings. Fifth, this song is an art song created based on the new poems as the lyrics. So sing like a poem.Therefore, we should pay special attention to the tone of Chinese Chinese and the rhythm of reading after singing. And perfect correspond to western music. So be sure to use the rules of pronunciation lyrics invented by Zhao Yuanren. Chinese art songs have now become one of the central genres of Chinese vocal music."Listen to the Rain" is a song of early Chinese artists, and it is the basis of understanding the whole Chinese art song. But now due to the western sound and pronunciation, it can not fully show the beauty of Chinese art songs. I hope that the research results will have a meaningful impact on famous Chinese singers and also on students learning Chinese music.

Nineteenth-Century Women in Music: MuGI, Sophie Drinker, Art Song Augmented and BID

This article focuses on four digital resources for researching nineteenth-century women in music. Two are over two decades old and hail from the German-speaking world: Musik(vermittlung) und Gender(forschung) im Internet (MuGI) and the Sophie Drinker Institut online lexicon. The remaining pair are emerging digital resources based in the United States: Art Song Augmented and the Boulanger Initiative Database (BID).

Music Reviews

Abstract: The work of the composers and editors reviewed in this issue include editor Louise Toppin, for the Videmus African American Art Song Series’ 47 Art Songs by Harry T. Burleigh; American composer Natalie Draper for O sea-starved, hungry sea ; and editor Alejandro Garri for Medea in Corinto , one of more than two hundred cantatas created by Baroque master Antonio Caldara for alto, violins and continuo. The column ends with a reflection on the life and work of composer and collaborative pianist Alan Louis Smith, who passed away on October 31, 2023.

ANALYSIS ON THE STRUCTURE OF TRADITIONAL DANCE MAENGKET

This research aims to explore the musical structure of Maengket Art, a performing arts tradition in Kaweng village, Kakas sub-district, Minahasa district. Maengket art is typically performed in harvest ceremonies as a form of expression of gratitude and joy towards God for the harvest obtained by the local community. Maengket art performances generally involve many dancers and involve both male and female dancers dancing in pairs. Maengket art is divided into three main parts, namely Maowey Kamberu, Marambak, and Lalayaan. The choice of the title of this research was based on the researcher's interest in the musical structure of Maengket Art songs, especially those that take place in Kaweng village, Kakas sub-district. The research method used is descriptive qualitative with data collection techniques through observation, interviews and documentation. The validity of the data is checked carefully, then the data is analyzed through reduction, presentation and verification processes. The results of the research show that in Kaweng village, Kakas subdistrict, Minahasa district, there is a Maengket Art group which has been established since 1968. This Maengket Art adopts Toulour literature as an integral part of their performances. Chapters of Maengket Art in Kaweng village, such as Maowey Kamberu, Marambak, and Lalayaan, depict various aspects of local community life. Maowey Kamberu expressed his gratitude for the abundant harvest, Marambak highlighted the spirit of mutual cooperation in the housewarming ceremony, while Lalayaan described the interactions between Minahasan youth in looking for a soul mate or social relationships in the past.

Images of National Poetry in Works of Chinese Composers (the case of art songs by composer Lu Zaiyi)

The article examines the images of national poetry in the works of Chinese composers using the creative work of Lu Zaiyi as an example. He is one of the brightest representatives of the vocal composing art. The author notes that the images of national poetry are vividly embodied through the composer’s style, through special attention to words, as well as through a sensitive combination of vocal and piano parts.

중등학교 가창 제재곡과 지도방법에 관한 실태 분석

In recent music classes in secondary schools, singing activities are not well performed, and the proportion of classes is decreasing. The purpose of this study is to understand the reasons and issues related to this trend and explore solutions by analyzing the current state, perceptions, and demands of vocal repertoire and teaching methods in secondary schools singing education. To achieve this goal, various literatures on singing class vocal repertoire and teaching methods were reviewed, and based on this, a survey tool was developed to find out the actual condition and demand of singing class vocal repertoire and teaching methods, and a survey was conducted on middle and high school music teachers nationwide, and statistics on the responses of 67 respondents were analyzed.
 As a result of the analysis, secondary school music teachers were strongly aware of the necessity of singing education. However, in actual music classes, singing classes were allocated as the third priority after instrumental and listening classes, resulting in a decrease in singing education. As singing class vocal repertoire, both art songs and popular music were used in the same ratio, but there was a preference for Korean art songs in the art song category and Korean popular songs in the popular music category. The main contents dealt with when teaching art songs were vocalization and breathing, but in the case of popular music, the focus was on the content of the lyrics and background knowledge.

중등학교 가창 제재곡과 지도방법에 관한 실태 분석

In recent music classes in secondary schools, singing activities are not well performed, and the proportion of classes is decreasing. The purpose of this study is to understand the reasons and issues related to this trend and explore solutions by analyzing the current state, perceptions, and demands of vocal repertoire and teaching methods in secondary schools singing education. To achieve this goal, various literatures on singing class vocal repertoire and teaching methods were reviewed, and based on this, a survey tool was developed to find out the actual condition and demand of singing class vocal repertoire and teaching methods, and a survey was conducted on middle and high school music teachers nationwide, and statistics on the responses of 67 respondents were analyzed.
 As a result of the analysis, secondary school music teachers were strongly aware of the necessity of singing education. However, in actual music classes, singing classes were allocated as the third priority after instrumental and listening classes, resulting in a decrease in singing education. As singing class vocal repertoire, both art songs and popular music were used in the same ratio, but there was a preference for Korean art songs in the art song category and Korean popular songs in the popular music category. The main contents dealt with when teaching art songs were vocalization and breathing, but in the case of popular music, the focus was on the content of the lyrics and background knowledge.

China Classical Poetry Art Song Market Trend Forecast and Big Data Analysis in Music Industry

Abstract In view of the fact that Chinese classical poetry and art songs are more and more widely welcomed in people’s entertainment lives, the article conducts research on its market development trend. The PSO-Prophet-LSTM combined prediction model is constructed by combining the Prophet prediction model and the LSTM neural network model and optimizing the combined model with the PSO algorithm. The PSO-Prophet-LSTM model’s prediction performance was tested in this paper and it was used to predict the music industry and the market of Chinese classical poetry and art songs. The PSO-Prophet-LSTM model achieved the best prediction results in terms of the comparison of adaptation, LOSS, and RMSE convergence curves with prediction accuracy. In the prediction of the music industry in the next five years, the total output value of the music industry expanded from RMB 465 billion in 2024 to RMB 986 billion in 2028. The capital preservation rate, the profit tax rate of music output value, and the capital profit rate of the music industry all keep growing over the five years. In the market size prediction of Chinese classical poetry and art songs, the market size of this segment expands with the overall market size of the music industry.

The Application and Inheritance of Chinese Ancient Poetry and Art Songs in Vocal Teaching

The Application and Inheritance of Chinese Ancient Poetry and Art Songs in Vocal Teaching

Inclusion and Accessibility: The Explosion of the Art Song Canon

Abstract: We are living in a time of unprecedented growth in classical music repertoire. The global crisis of inequity and exclusion has necessitated changes throughout cultural and educational institutions, challenging the conventions of curricular teaching, performance traditions, and genre parameters. Consequently, the canon of art song repertoire has exploded with a wealth of underrepresented voices and their champions. This column acknowledges art song’s capacity to break down barriers of bias and prejudice, while celebrating some people and publications that are paving the way for a vibrant and inclusive world of vocal repertoire.

Students’ Psychological Analysis for Classroom Teaching Strategies of Art Songs Based on STEAM Education

Education in today’s society is starting to focus on training in line with the new curriculum concept and curriculum integration concept, paying attention to the change in students’ learning styles and following the law of students’ physical and mental development. In order to cultivate talents more in line with the needs of society and, meanwhile, to improve students’ own quality and comprehensive competitiveness, this paper analyzes and studies the classroom teaching strategies of art songs and students’ psychology under the educational philosophy of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics (STEAM). Firstly, the concept of STEAM education is introduced in detail, and teaching activities under the concept of STEAM education are analyzed. Secondly, the teaching strategies for the teaching of art songs are put forward. Finally, students’ learning psychology is explored to prove the correctness of the teaching strategies. A questionnaire survey is conducted by constructing the evaluation system of the STEAM educational concept. The survey results show that the classroom teaching of art songs under the STEAM educational concept significantly improved students’ “teamwork and interpersonal skills” and “learning interest”. The calculated results of P values are all less than 0.01, which shows that the correlation is significant. Therefore, the STEAM educational concept has positive significance for improving students’ learning motivation and comprehensive quality. This paper provides new theoretical and practical support for current higher education teaching strategies and models by assessing the application of STEAM education in teaching art songs and the blended teaching effectiveness in college English. This paper offers valuable experiences and methodological insights for future similar research endeavors.

Situated sounds of place in the songs of Wilhelm Stenhammar

Abstract Many art songs relate to ideas of place as they express relationships to sites and interpret their meanings. The place-making they engage in might encompass physical geographies, narratives of place, or negotiations around experience of places and spaces, and explore aspects of spatiality, historicity and temporality. This article listens to songs by Wilhelm Stenhammar, taken from an anniversary recital in 2021, as geographically connected, and considers their relationship – textually, musically, and performatively – to topographies, sites, and situated experiences of place.

The Colombian Art Song. Jaime León: Analysis and Compilation of his Vocal Works Vol. 1 ed. by Patricia Caicedo, and: Latin American & Iberian Art Songs by Women Composers: Canciones Artísticas de Compositoras Ibéricas y Latinoamericanas Vol. 1 ed. by Patricia Caicedo, and: The Argentinian Art Song. Irma Urteaga: Complete works for Voice and Piano ed. by Patricia Caicedo, and:

The Colombian Art Song. Jaime León: Analysis and Compilation of his Vocal Works Vol. 1 ed. by Patricia Caicedo, and: Latin American & Iberian Art Songs by Women Composers: Canciones Artísticas de Compositoras Ibéricas y Latinoamericanas Vol. 1 ed. by Patricia Caicedo, and: The Argentinian Art Song. Irma Urteaga: Complete works for Voice and Piano ed. by Patricia Caicedo, and:

The Therapist as a Collaborative Pianist.

In this article we seek to examine what we might learn about the therapist/psychoanalyst's function as selfobject by examining the relationship between the "vocal persona" and the "instrumental persona" in the art song. The comparison was born out of our own life partnership as a therapist, currently studying in a psychoanalytic-Buddhist training program that stresses the presence of the therapist/psychoanalyst as selfobject; and a collaborative pianist who instructs and performs with singers onstage. The concept of selfobject has offered a compelling and fruitful analogy. We explain and demonstrate this analogy using the terms selfobject and instrumental persona, which have in common the willingness to suspend selfhood in order to stand by another- a patient or a vocal persona- so that the latter might take root and flourish.

On Migration, Exile, and Cosmopolitanism: A Brief Survey of South African Art Song

One of the genres that comprise the different musics of South Africa is that of the art song. Imported through its European heritage, the art song has found a place in the portfolios of South African composers throughout the twentieth century. However, against the backdrop of its complicated history, South Africa’s art songs often seem to reflect themes of exile, inner struggle and nostalgia. This article contemplates how these themes resonate through South Africa’s complex history, and how they have subsequently been reflected in the genre of art song, with specific reference to songs by composers S. le Roux Marais, Hubert du Plessis, Arnold van Wyk, Peter Klatzow, Hendrik Hofmeyr, and Bongani Ndodana-Breen.

The Media Gallery

The first review in this installment of the Media Gallery is of an art song collection titled Force of Nature by soprano Emily Albrink that she created as a memorial to her mother, pianist Nancy Albrink. It features song cycles by Rene Orth, Nailah Nombeko, Steve Rouse and Jake Heggie. The second review is of Renée Fleming: Greatest Moments at the Met, which offers up excerpts from seventeen of the operas she has performed at the Met. The third and final review is an overview of offerings by the streaming service BroadwayHD.

On Love and Storytelling with Alan Louis Smith

Pianist-Educator-Composer-Poet Alan Louis Smith has “done it all” in the field of art song, and finds that, for him, it all comes down to “love and storytelling.” Through conversation with Smith, and drawing heavily on his own words, author Elvia Puccinelli explores Smith’s compositional output, and how love and storytelling have manifested themselves in various ways in Smith’s life and professional activity.