of love and longing

Alexis Ivec soprano

Steven Lightburn piano

Gaby Haeun Li cello

BRAUN MUSIC CENTER COURTYARD, SATURDAY, 5 JUNE 2021 2:30 P.M.

STANFORD UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC

PROGRAM

I

“The Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation” (from Harmonia Sacra, 1693) Henry Purcell (1659–1695) Exsultate, jubilate, K.165 (1773) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart III. “Alleluia” (1756–1791)

II

Ariettes oublieés (1885) Claude Debussy I. “C’est l’extase” (1862–1918) II. “Il pleure dans mon cœur” III. “L’ombre des arbres” IV. “Chevaux de bois” V. “Green” VI. “Spleen”

III

Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, D. 965 (1828) Franz Schubert (1797–1828)

Gaby Haeun Li, cello

INTERMISSION

IV

“Sì, mi chiamano Mimì” (from La bohème, 1896) Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924)

“Una voce poco fa” (from Il barbiere di Siviglia, 1816) Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868)

This recital and program were prepared under the supervision of Wendy Hillhouse.

Alexis would like to thank her patrons, Dean Jennifer Widom of the School of Engineering and The Friends of Music at Stanford, for their support.

2 19

Fire, joie-de-vivre,Swells every true Hungarian’s breast!Come to the fast dance,The Csárdás resounds so brightly!A dark maidenMust be my dancer,Extend your arm swiftly,Dark-eyed girl!Thirsty reveller,Grab a cup,Pass it in a circleQuickly from hand to hand!Slurp the fire

3

V

“I Cain’t Say No” (from Oklahoma!, 1943) Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960) “Not a Day Goes By” (from Merrily We Roll Along, 1981) Stephen Sondheim (b. 1930)

“Someone Like You” (from Jekyll & Hyde, 1997) Frank Wildhorn (b. 1958)

“Gimme Gimme” (from Thoroughly Modern Millie, 2002) Jeanine Tesori (b. 1961) Dick Scanlan (b. 1960)

INTRODUCTION

I am super excited to present my senior recital, titled Of Love and Longing, for you today. The pieces in my repertoire vary both in style (aria, art song, musical theatre) and language (English, German, French, Italian). However, they all address different aspects and forms of Love. Love can be felt, given, and experienced in so many different ways throughout our lives. Sometimes, Love is passionate and fiery; other times, Love is tender and cautious. Love can heal as well as hurt. Love can hope for the future as well as yearn for the past. Love can grow and dissolve.

Hollywood has distorted and compressed what Love is; in movies and television, Love is often portrayed as being at first sight and existing perfectly between parties involved. However, oftentimes Love is complicated. One of my favorite spoken poetry pieces is “When Love Arrives” by Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye (please check it out on YouTube if you haven’t yet!), which describes the unexpected difficulties that come with Love. Sometimes Love is lopsided, and sometimes it disappears and reappears unexpectedly.

I would like to give a special thank you to Wendy Hillhouse, Steve Lightburn, and Steve Sano for their support and mentorship through my musical career at Stanford, as well as to my family and friends for their inspiration and encouragement in continuing to pursue singing while studying science. — AI

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I say gimme, gimme ... gimme, gimmeGimme, gimme that thing called loveI want itGimme, gimme that thing called loveI need itHighs and lows, tears and laughterGimme happy ever afterGimme, gimme that thing called love

Gimme, gimme that thing called loveI crave itGimme, gimme that thing called loveI’ll brave itThick ‘n thin, rich or poor timeGimme years and I’ll want more timeGimme, gimme that thing called love

Gimme, gimme that thing called loveI’m free now!Gimme, gimme that thing called loveI see now!Fly, dove! Sing, sparrow!Gimme Cupid’s famous arrowGimme, gimme that thing called love

I don’t care if he’s a nobodyIn my heart he’ll be a somebodySomebody to love me!

I need it.Gimme that thing called loveI want it!Here I am, St. ValentineMy bags are packed, I’m first in lineAphrodite, don’t forget meRomeo and Juliet meFly, dove! Sing, sparrow!Gimme fat boy’s famous arrowGimme, gimme that thing called love!

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS

aLexis ivec is a senior majoring in Human Biology with a concentration in neurobiology, biotechnology, and disease. Hailing from Wilmington, IL, she grew up on a 20-acre farm, where she was known to sing late into the night while fixing fences and feeding her many horses. In her hometown, she learned violin, sang in choir, and performed in many musicals. During her time at Stanford, she has studied voice with Wendy Hillhouse; sung with the Stanford Chamber Chorale; danced on the Viennese Ball Opening Committee; served as a mentor and tutor for East Palo Alto Stanford Academy, the Give Something Back Foundation, and Athena Tutors organizations; and was a resident assistant in Kimball Hall. She also works in the Stanley Qi lab under the direction of Dr. Muneaki Nakamura to develop novel tools for gene regulation. Following commencement, she will travel to Austria to work in the Simon Hippenmeyer lab studying the development of the cerebral cortex at the Institute of Science and Technology and then to Oxford University to finish her undergraduate studies before applying to graduate school.

Gaby Li is a junior at Stanford University, majoring in Human Biology with a concentration in human-centered and cross-cultural approaches to public health. She has been playing the cello for over ten years and has performed at renowned venues including Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, the U.S. Senate, and the Italian Embassy. She has studied under James Lee, cellist at the National Symphony Orchestra and is currently studying with Chris Costanza, cellist of the St. Lawrence String Quartet. Gaby is also the president of Stanford Synapse, a brain injury support group, and a research assistant at the Stanford School of Medicine developing patient-provider communication interventions and anti-black racism curricula in medical education. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing social isolation concerns, she founded Virtual Companions, a national nonprofit working to reduce loneliness and ageism by bringing generations together through conversation, service, and the arts. Gaby aspires to become a physician-musician-scientist and is committed to working towards a more compassionate and inclusive society. In her free time, she enjoys learning new instruments, hiking, and Facetiming her dog.

steven LiGHtburn received a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University ofCalifornia, Los Angeles; advanced study at Durham University, England; and aMaster’s degree from the University of Southern California. A pianist of manytalents, he is highly regarded as a solo artist, collaborative pianist, teacher,competitive judge, and music director. He has been on the staff of the SanFrancisco Conservatory of Music and Sacred Heart Preparatory School. Hemaintains an active teaching studio and is an accompanying pianist at Stanford.

To help me see a worldI’ve never seen before —A love to open every door,To set me free, so I can soar.

If someone like youFound someone like me,Then suddenlyNothing would ever be the same

There’d be a new way to live,A new life to love,If someone like youFound me

Oh, if someone like youFound someone like me,Then suddenlyNothing would ever be the same

My heart would take wing,And I’d feel so alive —If someone like youLoved me

Jeanine tesori: “Gimme Gimme”Text: Dick Scanlan

As a senior in high school, I had the pleasure of acting in the role of Millie Dillmount, who sings “Gimme Gimme” near the end of the musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie. Set in 1922, the musical follows Millie, who moves to New York City to marry for money instead of love, the goal of every modern woman at the time. At this moment, she is conflicted about her feelings about Jimmy, a charming but poor young man of whom she has unintentionally fallen in love with. Millie seeks out the advice of singer Muzzy van Hossmere. As Muzzy leaves, Millie reconsiders her feelings.

A simple choice, nothing moreThis or that, either orMarry well, social whirl, business man, clever girlOr pin my future on [the boy I] loveWhat kind of life am I dreaming of?

(continued)

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5

Henry PurceLL: “The Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation” Text: Nahum Tate

“The Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation” is based on the Biblical account of Luke 2:42-51. When Jesus was twelve years old, He went missing and Mary, His mother, struggled with having lost her child. Throughout the piece, Mary worries whether Jesus is “in Herod’s way”, as Herod had gone to great lengths to try to kill the baby Jesus in the past. She questions her role as the mother of Christ, a role in which she had been previously referred to as the most blessed of mothers. Now she is in distress, and not even the angel Gabriel, who had originally appeared to her to tell her that she was pregnant with the Son of God, comes to her in her time of need. The disconnected statements, questions, and exclamations through the piece are set to shifting meter and rhyme, and Purcell uses additional techniques based on the influence of the Italian cantata, dividing the song into a series of “recitative-aria-recitative” sections. (Holman 57). As a result, Mary’s anxiety and turmoil is evident as she searches for her child and questions God’s plan for her.

Tell me, some pitying angel, quickly say, Where does my soul’s sweet darling stay? In tyger’s, or more cruel Herod’s way? Ah! rather let His little footsteps press Unregarded through the wilderness, Where milder savages resort: The desert’s safer than a tyrant’s court. Why, fairest object of my love, Why dost Thou from my longing eyes remove? Was it a waking dream that did foretell Thy wondrous birth? no vision from above? Where’s Gabriel now that visited my cell? I call; he comes not; flatt’ring hopes, farewell.

Me Judah’s daughters once caress’d, Call’d me of mothers the most bless’d. Now (fatal change!) of mothers most distress’d.

How shall my soul its motions guide?How shall I stem the various tide, Whilst faith and doubt my lab’ring soul divide?

For whilst of Thy dear sight beguil’d, I trust the God, but oh! I fear the Child.

ReferenceHolman, Peter. Henry Purcell. Oxford New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.

TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS

16

And you won’t go away.So there’s hell to pay.And until I die

I’ll die, day after day afterDay after, day after day afterDay after day

‘Til the days go by

Frank WiLdHorn: “Someone Like You”Text: Leslie Bricusse

“Someone like you” is sung by Lucy in the musical Jekyll and Hyde. She lives in a brothel in London in the 1800s and dreams of a life beyond working as a prostitute. Immediately before the song, she visits Dr. Jekyll who treats wounds on her back inflicted by a ‘gentleman’ she worked for. Taken aback by his kindness and respect for her, Lucy kisses him and then sings “Someone like you” once he leaves, as she wonders about her love for him.

I peer through windows,Watch life go by,Dream of tomorrow,And wonder “Why?”

The past is holding me,Keeping life at bay,I wander lost in yesterday,Wanting to fly—But scared to try.

But if someone like youFound someone like me,Then suddenlyNothing would ever be the same!

My heart would take wing,And I’d feel so alive—If someone like youFound me.

So many secretsI’ve longed to share!All I have neededIs someone there,

(continued)

6

WoLFGanG amadeus mozart: Exsultate, jubilate, K. 165When he was still in his teens, Mozart wrote Exsultate, jubilate, K.165, a three- part motet especially for the Italian castrato, Venanzio Rauzzini. In English, “Exultate, Jubilate” means to “Rejoice, Be Glad”. The third movement is the “Alleluia” section, in which the singer sings praise to God. While there usually is no difficulty in remembering the lyrics, the challenge in singing this piece is to project sheer joy and exultant praise while navigating the decorated passages.

III. “Alleluia”

Alleluia! Praise be to God!

ReferenceSchwarm, Betsy. “Exsultate, Jubilate, K 165”. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Exsultate-Jubilate-K-165. Accessed 17 May 2021.

cLaude debussy: Ariettes oublieésTexts: Paul VerlaineTranslations © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder, published by Faber, provided courtesy of Oxford Lieder (www.oxfordlieder.co.uk).

Claude Debussy was a household composer for me growing up. My mother’s specialty was his Arabesque No. 1 for piano, which she played throughout my childhood. Naturally, I was drawn to his mélodies (French art songs) once I realized he wrote for singers. Ariettes oublieés, or “Forgotten melodies’’ is a song cycle written by Debussy based on poems by Paul Verlaine. He dedicated the cycle to soprano Madame Marie-Blanche Vasnier, of whom Debussy was in love with although she was already married. With Ariettes, Debussy began favoring highly syllabic text settings by Verlaine. Several of the pieces in the cycle dip into a lower tessitura, more closely resembling the range of the singer’s speaking voice. This use of tone color and rhythms work to bring a heightened understanding to Verlaine’s poetry.

ReferenceWintle, A. C. (2002). Ariettes Oubliées: A Marriage of Music and Poetry. (n.p.): University of California, Santa Barbara.

I. “C’est l’extase”

In “C’est l’extase,” the sighing melody line conveys the presence of a rustling breeze throughout the trees; the sound of nature in the background is reflected in the vocal line as Verlaine describes the feeling after making love.

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I’m jist a girl who cain’t say ‘No’,Cain’t seem to say it at all.I hate to disserpoint a beauWhen he is payin’ a call!

Fer a while I ack refined and cool,A settin on the velveteen seteeNen I think of thet ol’ Golden Rule,And do fer him what he would do fer me!

I cain’t resist a RomeoIn a sombrero and chapsSoon as I sit on their lapsSomethin’ inside of me snaps— I cain’t say ‘No’!

stePHen sondHeim: “Not A Day Goes By”Text: Sondheim

“Not A Day Goes By” is from the musical Merrily We Roll Along. In the first act version that I sing today, Beth sings the song as she experiences heartbreak as she and her husband Frank go through a divorce. In the second act, the song is sung again by Mary and Frank as they celebrate the beginning of the love affair that precedes the first song. Each time it appears, the song is sung with the intention of highlighting how memories can have echoes and resonances afterwards (Sondheim on NPR).

ReferenceSondheim, Stephen. “Stephen Sondheim: Examining His Lyrics And Life,” Host Terry Gross. NPR Music. NPR, 16 February, 2012. Web. 18 May 2021.

Not a day goes by, not a single dayBut you’re somewhere a part of my lifeAnd it looks like you’ll stay.As the days go by,

I keep thinking, “When will it end?Where’s the day I’ll have started forgetting?”But I just go on thinking and sweating

And cursing and cryingAnd turning and reachingAnd waking and dying

And no, not a day goes by,Not a blessed day.But you’re still somehow part of my life

(continued)

7

C’est l’extase langoureuse,C’est la fatigue amoureuse,C’est tous les frissons des boisParmi l’étreinte des brises,C’est, vers les ramures grises,Le chœur des petites voix.

Ô le frêle et frais murmure!Cela gazouille et susurre,Cela ressemble au cri douxQue l’herbe agitée expire …Tu dirais, sous l’eau qui vire,Le roulis sourd des cailloux.

Cette âme qui se lamenteEn cette plainte dormanteC’est la nôtre, n’est-ce pas?La mienne, dis, et la tienne,Dont s’exhale l’humble antiennePar ce tiède soir, tout bas?

II. “Il pleure dans mon cœur”

In “Il pleure,” the piano reflects the sound of the rain as the singer reflects the sadness in her heart, but is unable to understand its source. The piano introduces a sweet melody, as the singer repeats “Ô bruit doux de la pluie” and later, “C’est bien la pire peine”, contrasting the sweet sound of the rain and the worst pain, suggesting that perhaps there is beauty in being able to experience even the deepest of pain.

Il pleure dans mon cœurComme il pleut sur la ville;Quelle est cette langueurQui pénètre mon cœur?

Ô bruit doux de la pluiePar terre et sur les toits!Pour un cœur qui s’ennuieÔ le bruit de la pluie!

Il pleure sans raisonDans ce cœur qui s’écœure.Quoi! nulle trahison?Ce deuil est sans raison.

C’est bien la pire peineDe ne savoir pourquoiSans amour et sans haine,Mon cœur a tant de peine.

It is languorous rapture,It is amorous fatigue,It is all the tremors of the forestIn the breezes’ embrace,It is, around the grey branches,The choir of tiny voices.

O the delicate, fresh murmuring!The warbling and whispering,It is like the soft cryThe ruffled grass gives out …You might take it for the muffled soundOf pebbles in the swirling stream.

This soul which grievesIn this subdued lament,It is ours, is it not?Mine, and yours too,Breathing out our humble hymnOn this warm evening, soft and low?

Tears fall in my heartAs rain falls on the town;What is this torporPervading my heart?

Ah, the soft sound of rainOn the ground and roofs!For a listless heart,Ah, the sound of the rain!

Tears fall without reasonIn this disheartened heart.What! Was there no treason? …This grief’s without reason.

And the worst pain of allMust be not to know whyWithout love and without hateMy heart feels such pain.

14

ricHard rodGers: “I Cain’t Say No”Text: Oscar Hammerstein II

“I Cain’t Say No”, from the musical Oklahoma!, is sung by Ado Annie to her friend Laurey. She describes to her friend the attention she receives and her inability to turn down the amorous advances of her male suitors.

It ain’t so much a question of not knowin’ whuat to do.I knowed whut’s right an’ wrong since I been ten.I heared a lot of stories an’ I reckon they are trueAbout how girls’re put upon by men.I know I mustn’t fall into the pit,But when I’m with a feller, I fergit!

I’m just a girl who cain’t say ‘No’,I’m in a turrible fix!I always say ‘Come on, let’s go’Jist when I oughta say ‘Nix’!

When a person tries to kiss a girl,I know she oughta give his face a smack.But as soon as someone kisses me,I somehow sorta wanna kiss him back!

I’m just a fool when lights are lowI cain’t be prissy an’ quaintI ain’t the type that can faintHow c’n I be whut I ain’t?I cain’t say ‘No!’

Whatcha gonna do when a feller gets flirty,An’ starts to talk purty,Whutcha gonna do?Sposin’ that he says‘at your lips ‘re like cherries,Er roses, er berries?Whut you goin’ to do?Sposin’ ‘at he says ‘at you’re sweeter’n creamAnd he’s gotta have cream er die?Whut you goin’ to do when he talks thet way?Spit in his eye?

(continued)

8

III. “L’ombre des arbres”

“L’ombre” describes the illusion of a longing landscape blurring into the human experience. Verlaine first personifies the shadow of the trees utilizing the simile “Meurt comme de la fumée” while later informally comparing the listener, “ô voyageur”, to the [sickly] pale landscape. Musically, Debussy shifts tones, adding “dysmorphic ambience” as the “blurring and dissolution of the shadow... infect the perception of the real world”(Thompson 218) which is reflected textually in “les ramures réelles” (“the real branches”).

ReferenceThompson, T.M. (2018). The Rhetoric of Suggestion in Debussy’s Mélodies: A Contingent Poetics of Thematicity, Temporality, and Agency. (pp.1–283): Indiana University, Bloomington.

L’ombre des arbres dans la rivière embruméeMeurt comme de la fumée,Tandis qu’en l’air, parmi les ramures réelles,Se plaignent les tourterelles.

Combien, ô voyageur, ce paysage blêmeTe mira blême toi-même,Et que tristes pleuraient dans les hautes feuillées,Tes espérances noyées!

IV. “Chevaux de bois”

Along with the whirling piano accompaniment, “Chevaux” presents the child-like love for the excitement that the merry-go-round horses bring. During a global pandemic in which crowded amusement parks are of times past, the song describes heterogeneity of characters and feelings that are associative of the fervor that the turning wooden horses bring, even long after the fairs close and the velvet sky is decorated with stars.

Tournez, tournez, bons chevaux de bois,Tournez cent tours, tournez mille tours,Tournez souvent et tournez toujours,Tournez, tournez au son des hautbois.

L’enfant tout rouge et la mère blanche,Le gars en noir et la fille en rose,L’une à la chose et l’autre à la pose,Chacun se paie un sou de dimanche.

(continued)

The shadow of trees in the misty streamDies like smoke,While up above, in the real branches,The turtle-doves lament.

How this faded landscape, O traveller,Watched you yourself fade,And how sadly in the lofty leaves,Your drowned hopes were weeping!

Turn, turn, you fine wooden horses,Turn a hundred times, turn a thousand times,Turn often and turn for evermore,Turn and turn to the oboe’s sound.

The red-faced child and the pale mother,The lad in black and the girl in pink,One down-to-earth, the other showing off,Each buying a treat with his Sunday sou.

Mi chiamano Mimì, il perché non so. Sola, mi fo il pranzo da me stessa. Non vado sempre a messa, ma prego assai il Signore. Vivo sola, soletta là in una bianca cameretta: guardo sui tetti e in cielo; ma quando vien lo sgelo il primo sole è mio il primo bacio dell’aprile è mio! Germoglia in un vaso una rosa... Foglia a foglia la spio! Cosi gentile il profumo d’un fiore! Ma i fior ch’io faccio, Ahimè! non hanno odore. Altro di me non le saprei narrare. Sono la sua vicina che la vien fuori d’ora a importunare.

GioaccHino rossini: “Una voce poco fa” Text: Cesare SterbiniTranslation: Gabriel Huaroc from the Aria Database (http://www.aria-database.com)

In “Una voce poco fa,” Rosina falls in love with Lindoro after he serenades her outside of her window. She responds by expressing her determination in marrying him, despite being the ward of an older man who keeps her locked away in hopes of marrying her himself.

Una voce poco fa qui nel cor mi risuonò; il mio cor ferito è già, e Lindor fu che il piagò. Sì, Lindoro mio sarà; lo giurai, la vincerò. Il tutor ricuserà, io l’ingegno aguzzerò. Alla fin s’accheterà e contenta io resterò. Sì, Lindoro mio sarà; lo giurai, la vincerò.Io sono docile, son rispettosa, sono obbediente, dolce, amorosa; mi lascio reggere, mi fo guidar. Ma se mi toccano dov’è il mio debole sarò una vipera e cento trappole prima di cedere farò giocar.

They call me Mimi,And why I don’t know.Alone, I makeLunch for myself the same.I do not always go to mass,But I pray a lot to the Lord.I live alone, alone There in a white little room:I look upon the roofs and heaven;By when the thaw comesThe first sun is mineThe first kiss of April is mine!Rose buds in a vase...Leaf and leaf I watch it!That gentle perfume of a flower!But the flowers that I make,Ah me! they don’t have odor!About me I would not know how to tell.I am your neighbor who comes unexpectedly to bother you.

A voice has justechoed here into my heart;my heart is already wounded;and it was Lindoro who shot.Yes, Lindoro will be mine;I’ve sworn it, I’ll win.The tutor will refuse,I’ll sharpen my mind.Finally he’ll accept,and happy I’ll rest.Yes, Lindoro will be mine;I’ve sworn it, I’ll win. I’m gentle, respectful,I’m obedient, sweet, loving;I let myself be ruled, I let myself be guided.But if they touch where my weak spot is,I’ll be a viper and a hundred trapsbefore giving up, I’ll make them fall.

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9

Tournez, tournez, chevaux de leur cœur,Tandis qu’autour de tous vos tournois

Clignote l’œil du filou sournois,Tournez au son du piston vainqueur!

C’est étonnant comme ça vous soûleD’aller ainsi dans ce cirque bêteRien dans le ventre et mal dans la tête,Du mal en masse et du bien en foule.

Tournez, dadas, sans qu’il soit besoinD’user jamais de nuls éperonsPour commander à vos galops rondsTournez, tournez, sans espoir de foin.

Et dépêchez, chevaux de leur âmeDéjà voici que sonne à la soupeLa nuit qui tombe et chasse la troupeDe gais buveurs que leur soif affame.

Tournez, tournez! Le ciel en veloursD’astres en or se vêt lentement.L’église tinte un glas tristement.Tournez au son joyeux des tambours!

Turn, turn, horses of their hearts,While the furtive pickpocket’s eye is flashingAs you whirl about and whirl around,Turn to the sound of the conquering cornet!

Astonishing how drunk it makes you,Riding like this in this foolish fairWith an empty stomach and an aching head,Discomfort in plenty and masses of fun.

Gee-gees, turn, you’ll never needThe help of any spurTo make your horses gallop roundTurn, turn, without hope of hay.

And hurry on, horses of their soulsNightfall already calls them to supperAnd disperses the crowd of happy revelersRavenous with thirst.

Turn, turn! The velvet skyIs slowly decked with golden stars.The church bell tolls a mournful knell.Turn to the joyful sound of drums!

V. “Green” and VI. “Spleen”

The last two pieces of the cycle are titled in English: “Green” and “Spleen”. Debussy referred to these songs as a pair, known as Aquarelles (“watercolors”). As an artist myself, I often utilize complementary colors in my painting palettes, which adds a richness to the subjects I portray. Debussy contrasts these songs similarly.

“Green” is a love song which begins with offerings from nature and ending with falling into a blissful sleep as one’s lover rests. Contrasting with “Spleen,” the text and melody is lush and filled with wonder.

12

In tiefem Gram verzehr ich mich,Mir ist die Freude hin,Auf Erden mir die Hoffnung wich,Ich hier so einsam bin!

So sehnend klang im Wald das Lied,So sehnend klang es durch die Nacht,Die Herzen es zum Himmel ziehtMit wunderbarer Macht.

Der Frühling will kommen,Der Frühling, meine Freud’,Nun mach’ ich mich fertigZum Wandern bereit.

Deep grief consumes me,My joy has fled,All earthly hope has vanished,I am so lonely here!

The song rang out so longingly through the wood,Rang out so longingly through the night,That it draws hearts to heavenWith wondrous power.

Spring is coming,Spring, my joy,I shall now make Ready to journey.

Giacomo Puccini: “Sì, mi chiamano Mimì” Text: Giuseppe Giacosa Translation: Terri Eickel from the Aria Database (http://www.aria-database.com)

Giacomo Puccini was primarily known for his operatic work, including the popular O mio babbino caro which has been sung by almost every seven-year-old on America’s Got Talent. In “Sí, mi chiamano Mimì,” the tenor Rodolfo has just told Mimì of his life as a poet, and he asks Mimì to tell him more about her life. She describes her simple life as an embroiderer and her love for beautiful things that speak of Springtime.

Sì, mi chiamano Mimì, ma il mio nome è Lucia. La storia mia è breve. A tela o a seta ricamo in casa e fuori... Son tranquilla e lieta ed è mio svago far gigli e rose. Mi piaccion quelle cose che han sì dolce malìa, che parlano d’amor, di primavere, di sogni e di chimere, quelle cose che han nome poesia... Lei m’intende? (continued)

Yes, they call me Mimi,But my name is Lucy.My history is brief.To cloth or to silkI embroider at home or outside...I am peaceful and happy And it is my pastimeTo make lilies and roses.I like these thingsThat have so sweet smell,That speak of love, of spring,That speak of dreams and of chimera,These things that have poetic names...Do you understand me?

10

Voici des fruits, des fleurs, des feuilles et des branchesEt puis voici mon cœur qui ne bat que pour vous.Ne le déchirez pas avec vos deux mains blanchesEt qu’à vos yeux si beaux l’humble présent soit doux.

J’arrive tout couvert encore de roséeQue le vent du matin vient glacer à mon front.Souffrez que ma fatigue à vos pieds reposée,Rêve des chers instants qui la délasseront.

Sur votre jeune sein laissez rouler ma têteToute sonore encore de vos derniers baisers;Laissez-la s’apaiser de la bonne tempête,Et que je dorme un peu puisque vous reposez.

“Spleen” is a song of despair. Contrasting with the previous song, it paints a world where the beauty of nature becomes repulsive and painful to experience: the sky is too blue, the sea is too green, and the air too mild. The presence of love does not always soothe despair, but yet we still yearn for it.

Les roses étaient toutes rougesEt les lierres étaient tout noirs.

Chère, pour peu que tu te bouges,Renaissent tous mes désespoirs.

Le ciel était trop bleu, trop tendre,La mer trop verte et l’air trop doux.

Je crains toujours,—ce qu’est d’attendre!—Quelque fuite atroce de vous.

Du houx à la feuille vernieEt du luisant buis je suis las,

Et de la campagne infinieEt de tout, fors de vous, hélas!

Here are flowers, branches, fruit, and fronds,And here too is my heart that beats just for you.Do not tear it with your two white handsAnd may the humble gift please your lovely eyes.

I come all covered still with the dewFrozen to my brow by the morning breeze.Let my fatigue, finding rest at your feet,

Dream of dear moments that will soothe it.

On your young breast let me cradle my headStill ringing with your recent kisses;After love’s sweet tumult grant it peace,And let me sleep a while, since you rest.

All the roses were redAnd the ivy was all black.

Dear, at your slightest move,All my despair revives.

The sky was too blue, too tender,The sea too green, the air too mild.

I always fear—oh to wait and wonder!—One of your agonizing departures.

I am weary of the glossy holly,Of the gleaming box-tree too,

And the boundless countrysideAnd everything, alas, but you!

11

Franz scHubert: Der Hirt auf dem Felsen (Shepherd on the Rock)Text: Wilhelm Müller, Karl August Varnhagen von Ense [stanzas 5 & 6]Translation: © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder, published by Faber, provided courtesy of Oxford Lieder (www.oxfordlieder.co.uk).

Der Hirt auf dem Felsen was composed just before Schubert’s death at the age of 31. Usually, the singer and piano are joined by a solo clarinet, which provides numerous interludes between verses and picks up phrases from the singer, providing an echo-like effect that is akin to what one might experience being alone in the mountains. However, the cello provides warmth and grounded tone that compliments the piece as well.

The piece is broken up into three sections. In the first, a lonely shepherd laments the distance between him and his sweetheart, who lives far from him. His only company is his voice that echoes back to him from the ravine.

In the second section, the shepherd reflects on the deep grief that consumes him as all hope leaves him.

Finally, the shepherd celebrates the arrival of Spring and the joy that comes with it, ending the song with an exuberant and hopeful conclusion.

While not all of us have experienced being alone on a mountain, we have been separated from friends, loved ones, and a hope for the future and sense of normality this previous year. As we near the end of the pandemic, we too become closer to the arrival of Spring, and with it, joy.

ReferenceSchwarm, Betsy. “Der Hirt auf dem Felsen”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Mar. 2016, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Der-Hirt-auf-dem-Felsen. Accessed 18 May 2021.

Wenn auf dem höchsten Fels ich steh’,In’s tiefe Tal hernieder seh’,Und singe,

Fern aus dem tiefen dunkeln TalSchwingt sich empor der WiederhallDer Klüfte.

Je weiter meine Stimme dringt,Je heller sie mir wieder klingtVon unten.

Mein Liebchen wohnt so weit von mir,Drum sehn’ ich mich so heiß nach ihrHinüber! (continued)

When I stand on the highest rock,Looking down into the deep valleyAnd sing,

From far away in the deep dark valleyThe echo from the ravinesRises up.

The further my voice carries,The clearer it echoes back to meFrom below.

My sweetheart lives so far from me,Therefore, I long so to be with herOver there!

10

Voici des fruits, des fleurs, des feuilles et des branchesEt puis voici mon cœur qui ne bat que pour vous.Ne le déchirez pas avec vos deux mains blanchesEt qu’à vos yeux si beaux l’humble présent soit doux.

J’arrive tout couvert encore de roséeQue le vent du matin vient glacer à mon front.Souffrez que ma fatigue à vos pieds reposée,Rêve des chers instants qui la délasseront.

Sur votre jeune sein laissez rouler ma têteToute sonore encore de vos derniers baisers;Laissez-la s’apaiser de la bonne tempête,Et que je dorme un peu puisque vous reposez.

“Spleen” is a song of despair. Contrasting with the previous song, it paints a world where the beauty of nature becomes repulsive and painful to experience: the sky is too blue, the sea is too green, and the air too mild. The presence of love does not always soothe despair, but yet we still yearn for it.

Les roses étaient toutes rougesEt les lierres étaient tout noirs.

Chère, pour peu que tu te bouges,Renaissent tous mes désespoirs.

Le ciel était trop bleu, trop tendre,La mer trop verte et l’air trop doux.

Je crains toujours,—ce qu’est d’attendre!—Quelque fuite atroce de vous.

Du houx à la feuille vernieEt du luisant buis je suis las,

Et de la campagne infinieEt de tout, fors de vous, hélas!

Here are flowers, branches, fruit, and fronds,And here too is my heart that beats just for you.Do not tear it with your two white handsAnd may the humble gift please your lovely eyes.

I come all covered still with the dewFrozen to my brow by the morning breeze.Let my fatigue, finding rest at your feet,

Dream of dear moments that will soothe it.

On your young breast let me cradle my headStill ringing with your recent kisses;After love’s sweet tumult grant it peace,And let me sleep a while, since you rest.

All the roses were redAnd the ivy was all black.

Dear, at your slightest move,All my despair revives.

The sky was too blue, too tender,The sea too green, the air too mild.

I always fear—oh to wait and wonder!—One of your agonizing departures.

I am weary of the glossy holly,Of the gleaming box-tree too,

And the boundless countrysideAnd everything, alas, but you!

11

Franz scHubert: Der Hirt auf dem Felsen (Shepherd on the Rock)Text: Wilhelm Müller, Karl August Varnhagen von Ense [stanzas 5 & 6]Translation: © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder, published by Faber, provided courtesy of Oxford Lieder (www.oxfordlieder.co.uk).

Der Hirt auf dem Felsen was composed just before Schubert’s death at the age of 31. Usually, the singer and piano are joined by a solo clarinet, which provides numerous interludes between verses and picks up phrases from the singer, providing an echo-like effect that is akin to what one might experience being alone in the mountains. However, the cello provides warmth and grounded tone that compliments the piece as well.

The piece is broken up into three sections. In the first, a lonely shepherd laments the distance between him and his sweetheart, who lives far from him. His only company is his voice that echoes back to him from the ravine.

In the second section, the shepherd reflects on the deep grief that consumes him as all hope leaves him.

Finally, the shepherd celebrates the arrival of Spring and the joy that comes with it, ending the song with an exuberant and hopeful conclusion.

While not all of us have experienced being alone on a mountain, we have been separated from friends, loved ones, and a hope for the future and sense of normality this previous year. As we near the end of the pandemic, we too become closer to the arrival of Spring, and with it, joy.

ReferenceSchwarm, Betsy. “Der Hirt auf dem Felsen”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Mar. 2016, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Der-Hirt-auf-dem-Felsen. Accessed 18 May 2021.

Wenn auf dem höchsten Fels ich steh’,In’s tiefe Tal hernieder seh’,Und singe,

Fern aus dem tiefen dunkeln TalSchwingt sich empor der WiederhallDer Klüfte.

Je weiter meine Stimme dringt,Je heller sie mir wieder klingtVon unten.

Mein Liebchen wohnt so weit von mir,Drum sehn’ ich mich so heiß nach ihrHinüber! (continued)

When I stand on the highest rock,Looking down into the deep valleyAnd sing,

From far away in the deep dark valleyThe echo from the ravinesRises up.

The further my voice carries,The clearer it echoes back to meFrom below.

My sweetheart lives so far from me,Therefore, I long so to be with herOver there!

9

Tournez, tournez, chevaux de leur cœur,Tandis qu’autour de tous vos tournois

Clignote l’œil du filou sournois,Tournez au son du piston vainqueur!

C’est étonnant comme ça vous soûleD’aller ainsi dans ce cirque bêteRien dans le ventre et mal dans la tête,Du mal en masse et du bien en foule.

Tournez, dadas, sans qu’il soit besoinD’user jamais de nuls éperonsPour commander à vos galops rondsTournez, tournez, sans espoir de foin.

Et dépêchez, chevaux de leur âmeDéjà voici que sonne à la soupeLa nuit qui tombe et chasse la troupeDe gais buveurs que leur soif affame.

Tournez, tournez! Le ciel en veloursD’astres en or se vêt lentement.L’église tinte un glas tristement.Tournez au son joyeux des tambours!

Turn, turn, horses of their hearts,While the furtive pickpocket’s eye is flashingAs you whirl about and whirl around,Turn to the sound of the conquering cornet!

Astonishing how drunk it makes you,Riding like this in this foolish fairWith an empty stomach and an aching head,Discomfort in plenty and masses of fun.

Gee-gees, turn, you’ll never needThe help of any spurTo make your horses gallop roundTurn, turn, without hope of hay.

And hurry on, horses of their soulsNightfall already calls them to supperAnd disperses the crowd of happy revelersRavenous with thirst.

Turn, turn! The velvet skyIs slowly decked with golden stars.The church bell tolls a mournful knell.Turn to the joyful sound of drums!

V. “Green” and VI. “Spleen”

The last two pieces of the cycle are titled in English: “Green” and “Spleen”. Debussy referred to these songs as a pair, known as Aquarelles (“watercolors”). As an artist myself, I often utilize complementary colors in my painting palettes, which adds a richness to the subjects I portray. Debussy contrasts these songs similarly.

“Green” is a love song which begins with offerings from nature and ending with falling into a blissful sleep as one’s lover rests. Contrasting with “Spleen,” the text and melody is lush and filled with wonder.

12

In tiefem Gram verzehr ich mich,Mir ist die Freude hin,Auf Erden mir die Hoffnung wich,Ich hier so einsam bin!

So sehnend klang im Wald das Lied,So sehnend klang es durch die Nacht,Die Herzen es zum Himmel ziehtMit wunderbarer Macht.

Der Frühling will kommen,Der Frühling, meine Freud’,Nun mach’ ich mich fertigZum Wandern bereit.

Deep grief consumes me,My joy has fled,All earthly hope has vanished,I am so lonely here!

The song rang out so longingly through the wood,Rang out so longingly through the night,That it draws hearts to heavenWith wondrous power.

Spring is coming,Spring, my joy,I shall now make Ready to journey.

Giacomo Puccini: “Sì, mi chiamano Mimì” Text: Giuseppe Giacosa Translation: Terri Eickel from the Aria Database (http://www.aria-database.com)

Giacomo Puccini was primarily known for his operatic work, including the popular O mio babbino caro which has been sung by almost every seven-year-old on America’s Got Talent. In “Sí, mi chiamano Mimì,” the tenor Rodolfo has just told Mimì of his life as a poet, and he asks Mimì to tell him more about her life. She describes her simple life as an embroiderer and her love for beautiful things that speak of Springtime.

Sì, mi chiamano Mimì, ma il mio nome è Lucia. La storia mia è breve. A tela o a seta ricamo in casa e fuori... Son tranquilla e lieta ed è mio svago far gigli e rose. Mi piaccion quelle cose che han sì dolce malìa, che parlano d’amor, di primavere, di sogni e di chimere, quelle cose che han nome poesia... Lei m’intende? (continued)

Yes, they call me Mimi,But my name is Lucy.My history is brief.To cloth or to silkI embroider at home or outside...I am peaceful and happy And it is my pastimeTo make lilies and roses.I like these thingsThat have so sweet smell,That speak of love, of spring,That speak of dreams and of chimera,These things that have poetic names...Do you understand me?

8

III. “L’ombre des arbres”

“L’ombre” describes the illusion of a longing landscape blurring into the human experience. Verlaine first personifies the shadow of the trees utilizing the simile “Meurt comme de la fumée” while later informally comparing the listener, “ô voyageur”, to the [sickly] pale landscape. Musically, Debussy shifts tones, adding “dysmorphic ambience” as the “blurring and dissolution of the shadow... infect the perception of the real world”(Thompson 218) which is reflected textually in “les ramures réelles” (“the real branches”).

ReferenceThompson, T.M. (2018). The Rhetoric of Suggestion in Debussy’s Mélodies: A Contingent Poetics of Thematicity, Temporality, and Agency. (pp.1–283): Indiana University, Bloomington.

L’ombre des arbres dans la rivière embruméeMeurt comme de la fumée,Tandis qu’en l’air, parmi les ramures réelles,Se plaignent les tourterelles.

Combien, ô voyageur, ce paysage blêmeTe mira blême toi-même,Et que tristes pleuraient dans les hautes feuillées,Tes espérances noyées!

IV. “Chevaux de bois”

Along with the whirling piano accompaniment, “Chevaux” presents the child-like love for the excitement that the merry-go-round horses bring. During a global pandemic in which crowded amusement parks are of times past, the song describes heterogeneity of characters and feelings that are associative of the fervor that the turning wooden horses bring, even long after the fairs close and the velvet sky is decorated with stars.

Tournez, tournez, bons chevaux de bois,Tournez cent tours, tournez mille tours,Tournez souvent et tournez toujours,Tournez, tournez au son des hautbois.

L’enfant tout rouge et la mère blanche,Le gars en noir et la fille en rose,L’une à la chose et l’autre à la pose,Chacun se paie un sou de dimanche.

(continued)

The shadow of trees in the misty streamDies like smoke,While up above, in the real branches,The turtle-doves lament.

How this faded landscape, O traveller,Watched you yourself fade,And how sadly in the lofty leaves,Your drowned hopes were weeping!

Turn, turn, you fine wooden horses,Turn a hundred times, turn a thousand times,Turn often and turn for evermore,Turn and turn to the oboe’s sound.

The red-faced child and the pale mother,The lad in black and the girl in pink,One down-to-earth, the other showing off,Each buying a treat with his Sunday sou.

Mi chiamano Mimì, il perché non so. Sola, mi fo il pranzo da me stessa. Non vado sempre a messa, ma prego assai il Signore. Vivo sola, soletta là in una bianca cameretta: guardo sui tetti e in cielo; ma quando vien lo sgelo il primo sole è mio il primo bacio dell’aprile è mio! Germoglia in un vaso una rosa... Foglia a foglia la spio! Cosi gentile il profumo d’un fiore! Ma i fior ch’io faccio, Ahimè! non hanno odore. Altro di me non le saprei narrare. Sono la sua vicina che la vien fuori d’ora a importunare.

GioaccHino rossini: “Una voce poco fa” Text: Cesare SterbiniTranslation: Gabriel Huaroc from the Aria Database (http://www.aria-database.com)

In “Una voce poco fa,” Rosina falls in love with Lindoro after he serenades her outside of her window. She responds by expressing her determination in marrying him, despite being the ward of an older man who keeps her locked away in hopes of marrying her himself.

Una voce poco fa qui nel cor mi risuonò; il mio cor ferito è già, e Lindor fu che il piagò. Sì, Lindoro mio sarà; lo giurai, la vincerò. Il tutor ricuserà, io l’ingegno aguzzerò. Alla fin s’accheterà e contenta io resterò. Sì, Lindoro mio sarà; lo giurai, la vincerò.Io sono docile, son rispettosa, sono obbediente, dolce, amorosa; mi lascio reggere, mi fo guidar. Ma se mi toccano dov’è il mio debole sarò una vipera e cento trappole prima di cedere farò giocar.

They call me Mimi,And why I don’t know.Alone, I makeLunch for myself the same.I do not always go to mass,But I pray a lot to the Lord.I live alone, alone There in a white little room:I look upon the roofs and heaven;By when the thaw comesThe first sun is mineThe first kiss of April is mine!Rose buds in a vase...Leaf and leaf I watch it!That gentle perfume of a flower!But the flowers that I make,Ah me! they don’t have odor!About me I would not know how to tell.I am your neighbor who comes unexpectedly to bother you.

A voice has justechoed here into my heart;my heart is already wounded;and it was Lindoro who shot.Yes, Lindoro will be mine;I’ve sworn it, I’ll win.The tutor will refuse,I’ll sharpen my mind.Finally he’ll accept,and happy I’ll rest.Yes, Lindoro will be mine;I’ve sworn it, I’ll win. I’m gentle, respectful,I’m obedient, sweet, loving;I let myself be ruled, I let myself be guided.But if they touch where my weak spot is,I’ll be a viper and a hundred trapsbefore giving up, I’ll make them fall.

13

7

C’est l’extase langoureuse,C’est la fatigue amoureuse,C’est tous les frissons des boisParmi l’étreinte des brises,C’est, vers les ramures grises,Le chœur des petites voix.

Ô le frêle et frais murmure!Cela gazouille et susurre,Cela ressemble au cri douxQue l’herbe agitée expire …Tu dirais, sous l’eau qui vire,Le roulis sourd des cailloux.

Cette âme qui se lamenteEn cette plainte dormanteC’est la nôtre, n’est-ce pas?La mienne, dis, et la tienne,Dont s’exhale l’humble antiennePar ce tiède soir, tout bas?

II. “Il pleure dans mon cœur”

In “Il pleure,” the piano reflects the sound of the rain as the singer reflects the sadness in her heart, but is unable to understand its source. The piano introduces a sweet melody, as the singer repeats “Ô bruit doux de la pluie” and later, “C’est bien la pire peine”, contrasting the sweet sound of the rain and the worst pain, suggesting that perhaps there is beauty in being able to experience even the deepest of pain.

Il pleure dans mon cœurComme il pleut sur la ville;Quelle est cette langueurQui pénètre mon cœur?

Ô bruit doux de la pluiePar terre et sur les toits!Pour un cœur qui s’ennuieÔ le bruit de la pluie!

Il pleure sans raisonDans ce cœur qui s’écœure.Quoi! nulle trahison?Ce deuil est sans raison.

C’est bien la pire peineDe ne savoir pourquoiSans amour et sans haine,Mon cœur a tant de peine.

It is languorous rapture,It is amorous fatigue,It is all the tremors of the forestIn the breezes’ embrace,It is, around the grey branches,The choir of tiny voices.

O the delicate, fresh murmuring!The warbling and whispering,It is like the soft cryThe ruffled grass gives out …You might take it for the muffled soundOf pebbles in the swirling stream.

This soul which grievesIn this subdued lament,It is ours, is it not?Mine, and yours too,Breathing out our humble hymnOn this warm evening, soft and low?

Tears fall in my heartAs rain falls on the town;What is this torporPervading my heart?

Ah, the soft sound of rainOn the ground and roofs!For a listless heart,Ah, the sound of the rain!

Tears fall without reasonIn this disheartened heart.What! Was there no treason? …This grief’s without reason.

And the worst pain of allMust be not to know whyWithout love and without hateMy heart feels such pain.

14

ricHard rodGers: “I Cain’t Say No”Text: Oscar Hammerstein II

“I Cain’t Say No”, from the musical Oklahoma!, is sung by Ado Annie to her friend Laurey. She describes to her friend the attention she receives and her inability to turn down the amorous advances of her male suitors.

It ain’t so much a question of not knowin’ whuat to do.I knowed whut’s right an’ wrong since I been ten.I heared a lot of stories an’ I reckon they are trueAbout how girls’re put upon by men.I know I mustn’t fall into the pit,But when I’m with a feller, I fergit!

I’m just a girl who cain’t say ‘No’,I’m in a turrible fix!I always say ‘Come on, let’s go’Jist when I oughta say ‘Nix’!

When a person tries to kiss a girl,I know she oughta give his face a smack.But as soon as someone kisses me,I somehow sorta wanna kiss him back!

I’m just a fool when lights are lowI cain’t be prissy an’ quaintI ain’t the type that can faintHow c’n I be whut I ain’t?I cain’t say ‘No!’

Whatcha gonna do when a feller gets flirty,An’ starts to talk purty,Whutcha gonna do?Sposin’ that he says‘at your lips ‘re like cherries,Er roses, er berries?Whut you goin’ to do?Sposin’ ‘at he says ‘at you’re sweeter’n creamAnd he’s gotta have cream er die?Whut you goin’ to do when he talks thet way?Spit in his eye?

(continued)

6

WoLFGanG amadeus mozart: Exsultate, jubilate, K. 165When he was still in his teens, Mozart wrote Exsultate, jubilate, K.165, a three- part motet especially for the Italian castrato, Venanzio Rauzzini. In English, “Exultate, Jubilate” means to “Rejoice, Be Glad”. The third movement is the “Alleluia” section, in which the singer sings praise to God. While there usually is no difficulty in remembering the lyrics, the challenge in singing this piece is to project sheer joy and exultant praise while navigating the decorated passages.

III. “Alleluia”

Alleluia! Praise be to God!

ReferenceSchwarm, Betsy. “Exsultate, Jubilate, K 165”. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Exsultate-Jubilate-K-165. Accessed 17 May 2021.

cLaude debussy: Ariettes oublieésTexts: Paul VerlaineTranslations © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder, published by Faber, provided courtesy of Oxford Lieder (www.oxfordlieder.co.uk).

Claude Debussy was a household composer for me growing up. My mother’s specialty was his Arabesque No. 1 for piano, which she played throughout my childhood. Naturally, I was drawn to his mélodies (French art songs) once I realized he wrote for singers. Ariettes oublieés, or “Forgotten melodies’’ is a song cycle written by Debussy based on poems by Paul Verlaine. He dedicated the cycle to soprano Madame Marie-Blanche Vasnier, of whom Debussy was in love with although she was already married. With Ariettes, Debussy began favoring highly syllabic text settings by Verlaine. Several of the pieces in the cycle dip into a lower tessitura, more closely resembling the range of the singer’s speaking voice. This use of tone color and rhythms work to bring a heightened understanding to Verlaine’s poetry.

ReferenceWintle, A. C. (2002). Ariettes Oubliées: A Marriage of Music and Poetry. (n.p.): University of California, Santa Barbara.

I. “C’est l’extase”

In “C’est l’extase,” the sighing melody line conveys the presence of a rustling breeze throughout the trees; the sound of nature in the background is reflected in the vocal line as Verlaine describes the feeling after making love.

15

I’m jist a girl who cain’t say ‘No’,Cain’t seem to say it at all.I hate to disserpoint a beauWhen he is payin’ a call!

Fer a while I ack refined and cool,A settin on the velveteen seteeNen I think of thet ol’ Golden Rule,And do fer him what he would do fer me!

I cain’t resist a RomeoIn a sombrero and chapsSoon as I sit on their lapsSomethin’ inside of me snaps— I cain’t say ‘No’!

stePHen sondHeim: “Not A Day Goes By”Text: Sondheim

“Not A Day Goes By” is from the musical Merrily We Roll Along. In the first act version that I sing today, Beth sings the song as she experiences heartbreak as she and her husband Frank go through a divorce. In the second act, the song is sung again by Mary and Frank as they celebrate the beginning of the love affair that precedes the first song. Each time it appears, the song is sung with the intention of highlighting how memories can have echoes and resonances afterwards (Sondheim on NPR).

ReferenceSondheim, Stephen. “Stephen Sondheim: Examining His Lyrics And Life,” Host Terry Gross. NPR Music. NPR, 16 February, 2012. Web. 18 May 2021.

Not a day goes by, not a single dayBut you’re somewhere a part of my lifeAnd it looks like you’ll stay.As the days go by,

I keep thinking, “When will it end?Where’s the day I’ll have started forgetting?”But I just go on thinking and sweating

And cursing and cryingAnd turning and reachingAnd waking and dying

And no, not a day goes by,Not a blessed day.But you’re still somehow part of my life

(continued)

5

Henry PurceLL: “The Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation” Text: Nahum Tate

“The Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation” is based on the Biblical account of Luke 2:42-51. When Jesus was twelve years old, He went missing and Mary, His mother, struggled with having lost her child. Throughout the piece, Mary worries whether Jesus is “in Herod’s way”, as Herod had gone to great lengths to try to kill the baby Jesus in the past. She questions her role as the mother of Christ, a role in which she had been previously referred to as the most blessed of mothers. Now she is in distress, and not even the angel Gabriel, who had originally appeared to her to tell her that she was pregnant with the Son of God, comes to her in her time of need. The disconnected statements, questions, and exclamations through the piece are set to shifting meter and rhyme, and Purcell uses additional techniques based on the influence of the Italian cantata, dividing the song into a series of “recitative-aria-recitative” sections. (Holman 57). As a result, Mary’s anxiety and turmoil is evident as she searches for her child and questions God’s plan for her.

Tell me, some pitying angel, quickly say, Where does my soul’s sweet darling stay? In tyger’s, or more cruel Herod’s way? Ah! rather let His little footsteps press Unregarded through the wilderness, Where milder savages resort: The desert’s safer than a tyrant’s court. Why, fairest object of my love, Why dost Thou from my longing eyes remove? Was it a waking dream that did foretell Thy wondrous birth? no vision from above? Where’s Gabriel now that visited my cell? I call; he comes not; flatt’ring hopes, farewell.

Me Judah’s daughters once caress’d, Call’d me of mothers the most bless’d. Now (fatal change!) of mothers most distress’d.

How shall my soul its motions guide?How shall I stem the various tide, Whilst faith and doubt my lab’ring soul divide?

For whilst of Thy dear sight beguil’d, I trust the God, but oh! I fear the Child.

ReferenceHolman, Peter. Henry Purcell. Oxford New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.

TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS

16

And you won’t go away.So there’s hell to pay.And until I die

I’ll die, day after day afterDay after, day after day afterDay after day

‘Til the days go by

Frank WiLdHorn: “Someone Like You”Text: Leslie Bricusse

“Someone like you” is sung by Lucy in the musical Jekyll and Hyde. She lives in a brothel in London in the 1800s and dreams of a life beyond working as a prostitute. Immediately before the song, she visits Dr. Jekyll who treats wounds on her back inflicted by a ‘gentleman’ she worked for. Taken aback by his kindness and respect for her, Lucy kisses him and then sings “Someone like you” once he leaves, as she wonders about her love for him.

I peer through windows,Watch life go by,Dream of tomorrow,And wonder “Why?”

The past is holding me,Keeping life at bay,I wander lost in yesterday,Wanting to fly—But scared to try.

But if someone like youFound someone like me,Then suddenlyNothing would ever be the same!

My heart would take wing,And I’d feel so alive—If someone like youFound me.

So many secretsI’ve longed to share!All I have neededIs someone there,

(continued)

4

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

aLexis ivec is a senior majoring in Human Biology with a concentration in neurobiology, biotechnology, and disease. Hailing from Wilmington, IL, she grew up on a 20-acre farm, where she was known to sing late into the night while fixing fences and feeding her many horses. In her hometown, she learned violin, sang in choir, and performed in many musicals. During her time at Stanford, she has studied voice with Wendy Hillhouse; sung with the Stanford Chamber Chorale; danced on the Viennese Ball Opening Committee; served as a mentor and tutor for East Palo Alto Stanford Academy, the Give Something Back Foundation, and Athena Tutors organizations; and was a resident assistant in Kimball Hall. She also works in the Stanley Qi lab under the direction of Dr. Muneaki Nakamura to develop novel tools for gene regulation. Following commencement, she will travel to Austria to work in the Simon Hippenmeyer lab studying the development of the cerebral cortex at the Institute of Science and Technology and then to Oxford University to finish her undergraduate studies before applying to graduate school.

Gaby Li is a junior at Stanford University, majoring in Human Biology with a concentration in human-centered and cross-cultural approaches to public health. She has been playing the cello for over ten years and has performed at renowned venues including Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, the U.S. Senate, and the Italian Embassy. She has studied under James Lee, cellist at the National Symphony Orchestra and is currently studying with Chris Costanza, cellist of the St. Lawrence String Quartet. Gaby is also the president of Stanford Synapse, a brain injury support group, and a research assistant at the Stanford School of Medicine developing patient-provider communication interventions and anti-black racism curricula in medical education. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing social isolation concerns, she founded Virtual Companions, a national nonprofit working to reduce loneliness and ageism by bringing generations together through conversation, service, and the arts. Gaby aspires to become a physician-musician-scientist and is committed to working towards a more compassionate and inclusive society. In her free time, she enjoys learning new instruments, hiking, and Facetiming her dog.

steven LiGHtburn received a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University ofCalifornia, Los Angeles; advanced study at Durham University, England; and aMaster’s degree from the University of Southern California. A pianist of manytalents, he is highly regarded as a solo artist, collaborative pianist, teacher,competitive judge, and music director. He has been on the staff of the SanFrancisco Conservatory of Music and Sacred Heart Preparatory School. Hemaintains an active teaching studio and is an accompanying pianist at Stanford.

To help me see a worldI’ve never seen before —A love to open every door,To set me free, so I can soar.

If someone like youFound someone like me,Then suddenlyNothing would ever be the same

There’d be a new way to live,A new life to love,If someone like youFound me

Oh, if someone like youFound someone like me,Then suddenlyNothing would ever be the same

My heart would take wing,And I’d feel so alive —If someone like youLoved me

Jeanine tesori: “Gimme Gimme”Text: Dick Scanlan

As a senior in high school, I had the pleasure of acting in the role of Millie Dillmount, who sings “Gimme Gimme” near the end of the musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie. Set in 1922, the musical follows Millie, who moves to New York City to marry for money instead of love, the goal of every modern woman at the time. At this moment, she is conflicted about her feelings about Jimmy, a charming but poor young man of whom she has unintentionally fallen in love with. Millie seeks out the advice of singer Muzzy van Hossmere. As Muzzy leaves, Millie reconsiders her feelings.

A simple choice, nothing moreThis or that, either orMarry well, social whirl, business man, clever girlOr pin my future on [the boy I] loveWhat kind of life am I dreaming of?

(continued)

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“I Cain’t Say No” (from Oklahoma!, 1943) Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960) “Not a Day Goes By” (from Merrily We Roll Along, 1981) Stephen Sondheim (b. 1930)

“Someone Like You” (from Jekyll & Hyde, 1997) Frank Wildhorn (b. 1958)

“Gimme Gimme” (from Thoroughly Modern Millie, 2002) Jeanine Tesori (b. 1961) Dick Scanlan (b. 1960)

INTRODUCTION

I am super excited to present my senior recital, titled Of Love and Longing, for you today. The pieces in my repertoire vary both in style (aria, art song, musical theatre) and language (English, German, French, Italian). However, they all address different aspects and forms of Love. Love can be felt, given, and experienced in so many different ways throughout our lives. Sometimes, Love is passionate and fiery; other times, Love is tender and cautious. Love can heal as well as hurt. Love can hope for the future as well as yearn for the past. Love can grow and dissolve.

Hollywood has distorted and compressed what Love is; in movies and television, Love is often portrayed as being at first sight and existing perfectly between parties involved. However, oftentimes Love is complicated. One of my favorite spoken poetry pieces is “When Love Arrives” by Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye (please check it out on YouTube if you haven’t yet!), which describes the unexpected difficulties that come with Love. Sometimes Love is lopsided, and sometimes it disappears and reappears unexpectedly.

I would like to give a special thank you to Wendy Hillhouse, Steve Lightburn, and Steve Sano for their support and mentorship through my musical career at Stanford, as well as to my family and friends for their inspiration and encouragement in continuing to pursue singing while studying science. — AI

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I say gimme, gimme ... gimme, gimmeGimme, gimme that thing called loveI want itGimme, gimme that thing called loveI need itHighs and lows, tears and laughterGimme happy ever afterGimme, gimme that thing called love

Gimme, gimme that thing called loveI crave itGimme, gimme that thing called loveI’ll brave itThick ‘n thin, rich or poor timeGimme years and I’ll want more timeGimme, gimme that thing called love

Gimme, gimme that thing called loveI’m free now!Gimme, gimme that thing called loveI see now!Fly, dove! Sing, sparrow!Gimme Cupid’s famous arrowGimme, gimme that thing called love

I don’t care if he’s a nobodyIn my heart he’ll be a somebodySomebody to love me!

I need it.Gimme that thing called loveI want it!Here I am, St. ValentineMy bags are packed, I’m first in lineAphrodite, don’t forget meRomeo and Juliet meFly, dove! Sing, sparrow!Gimme fat boy’s famous arrowGimme, gimme that thing called love!