The Senior Half Recitals of

Marissa Adams and Sam Peterson

PROGRAM NOTES

Charles Wakefield Cadman (1881 – 1946) – At Dawning

Cadman was an American composer known for works spanning various genres. He was a
prominent composer for early Hollywood films and was a major figure in the Indianist
Movement, an attempt to incorporate Native American music into the Western classical
tradition. “At Dawning,” composed in 1906, is one of his earlier compositions with text
written by Nelle Richmond Eberhart, a frequent collaborator.

Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) – Zefiro torna

Italian composer, Claudio Monteverdi, was also known as a string player, choirmaster,
and a priest. He composed both sacred and secular music and became a pioneer during
the development of Italian opera. He is considered a crucial composer for transitional
music between the Renaissance and Baroque musical periods. Accompanied by a
recurring continuo, this madrigal is well known as one of Monteverdi’s greatest pieces,
and is a prayer to the gods for the beauty of nature and the return of Spring.

Zefiro torna Return O Zephyr

Zefiro torna e di soavi accenti
l’aer fa grato e’il pié discioglie a l’onde
e, mormoranda tra le verdi fronde,
fa danzar al bel suon su’l prato i fiori.
Inghirlandato il crin Fillide e Clori
note temprando lor care e gioconde.
Return O Zephyr, and with gentle motion
make pleasant the air and scatter the grasses
in waves
and murmuring among the green branches
make the flowers in the field dance to your
sweet sound.
Crown with a garland the heads of Phylla
and Chloris, with notes tempered by love
and joy.

George Frideric Handel (1685 – 1759) – Chi sprezzando il sommo bene

Handel is one of the most prominent names in Baroque music, his most famous work
being Messiah. Handel spent much of his life traveling and took inspiration from the
English and Italian musical styles of the day, as well as German. The Brockes Passion is
a larger work written by Barthold Henrich Brockes telling the story of Jesus’ death. It
was one of the first passion oratorios and it has been set to music many times by various
German Baroque composers, but Handel’s is the most famous.

Chi sprezzando il sommo bene He who despises the mighty God

Chi sprezzando il sommo bene He who despises the mighty God

Colpe a colpe accumulò Has accumulated sin upon sin,
Pensi a crude e giuste pene Think, the harsh but just punishment
Se il frutto maturò When the fruit of sin as matured.
Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) – O mio babbino caro
Known for his operas, this Italian composer is regarded as the most successful addition to
the Italian opera world after Guiseppe Verdi. The sixth of nine children, Puccini’s family
was well established in Lucca, Italy as a local musical dynasty - every family member
known for their musical abilities. O mio babbino caro is from Puccini’s opera Gianni
Schicchi, and takes place in Act Three where the character Lauretta pleads with her father
to please help her boyfriend, Rinuccio, and his family, so that they can be married.
Rinuccio’s family has previously forbidden the marriage because Lauretta has no dowry,
so her father must come up with a scheme to convince the family of Lauretta’s newly
aspired wealth.

O mio babbino caro Oh my dearest daddy

O mio babbino caro, Oh my dearest daddy

mi piace, è bello! he pleases me, and he is beautiful!
Vo’andare in Porta Rossa I want to go to the Porta Rossa
a comperar l’anello! to purchase the ring!
Si, ci voglio an dare! Yes, we want to go there!
E se l’amassi indarno, And if I love in vain,
andrei sul Ponte Vecchio, I’d go to the Ponte Vecchio
ma per buttarmi in Arno! to fling myself into the Arno [river]!
Mi struggo e mi tormento! I’m tortured and tormented!
O Dio, vorrei morir! Oh God, I want to die!
Babbo pieta! Father, pity me!

Gabriel Fauré (1845 – 1924)

Fauré was a French Romantic composer. He was born in southern France but studied
music in Paris from the age of 9. By the end of his life, he was recognized as one of the
top French composers of his time.

Automne
This is a beautifully heartbreaking piece about the melancholy that arrives with Autumn.
The trees begin the season with bright colors, but eventually the leaves fall and the sky
grows increasingly pale before the winter. This loss of vibrancy stirs old, sad memories.
This stirring is heard in the undulating eighth notes in the piano throughout the piece. The
text is by Paul Armand Silvestre.

Automne
Automne au ciel brumeux, aux horizons
navrants,
Aux rapides couchants, aux aurores pâlies,
Je regarde couler, comme l’eau du torrent,
Tes jours faits de mélancolie.
Autumn
Autumn of misty skies and heartbreaking
horizons,
Of swift sunsets and pale dawns,
I watch flow by, like torrential water,
Your days imbued with melancholy

Sur l’aile des regrets mes esprits emportés,
– Comme s’il se pouvait que notre âge
renaisse! –
Parcourent, en rêvant, les coteaux
enchantés
Où jadis sourit ma jeunesse.
My thoughts, borne away on the wings of
regret,
– As though our time could come round
again! –
Roam in reverie the enchanted hills,
Where long ago my youth once smiled.
Je sens, au clair soleil du souvenir
vainqueur
Refleurir en bouquet les roses déliées
Et monter à mes yeux des larmes, qu’en mon
cœur,
Mes vingt ans avaient oubliées!
I feel, in the bright sun of triumphant
memory
Untied roses reflower in bouquets,
And tears rise to my eyes, which in my heart
At twenty had been forgotten!

Rêve d’Amour
Translating to “Dream of Love,” this song is about a lover’s devotion. They wish to make
their love’s life as pleasant as possible. In contrast to Automne, this song evokes imagery
of Spring and the new life and new love it brings. The text for this song was written by
Victor Hugo, a famous French Romantic writer and, later, politician. His most famous
novels are The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Misérables.

Rêve d’Amour Dream of Love

S'il est un charmant gazon If there's a lovely field

Que le ciel arrose, Watered by the sky
Où naisse en toute saison Where in every season
Quelque fleur éclose, Some flower blossoms,
Où l'on cueille à pleine main Where one can freely gather
Lys, chèvre-feuille et jasmin, Lilies, honeysuckle, and jasmines...
J'en veux faire le chemin I wish to make it the path
Où ton pied se pose! On which you place your feet.

S'il est un sein bien aimant If there is a loving breast

Dont l'honneur dispose, Where honor rules,
Dont le ten-dre dévouement Where tender devotion
N'ait rien de morose, Is free from all gloominess,
Si toujours ce noble sein If this noble breast always
Bat pour un digne dessein, Beats for a worthy aim...
J'en veux faire le coussin I wish to make it the pillow
Où ton front se pose! On which you lay your head.

S'il est un rêve d'amour, If there is a dream of love

Parfumé de rose, scented with roses,
Où l'on trouve chaque jour where one finds every day
Quelque douce chose, something gentle and sweet,
Un rêve que Dieu bénit, a dream blessed by God
Où l'âme à l'âme s'unit, where soul is joined to soul...
Oh! j'en veux faire le nid oh, I wish to make it the nest
Où ton coeur se pose! in which you rest your heart.

Lydia
This is a lover singing to his beloved, Lydia. He sings she is like a goddess with flowing
gold for hair and the scent of roses emanating from her chest. This piece is an earlier
work of Fauré, characterized by gentle contours and a floating melody line. The text is by
Leconte de Lisle.
Lydia Lydia

Lydia sur tes roses joues Lydia, over your rosy cheeks,
Et sur ton col frais et si blanc, and over your neck, so fresh and white,
Que le lait, roule étincelant sparkling, rolls
L’or fluide que tu dénoues; the fluid gold that you untie.

Le jour qui luit est le meilleur, The day which is gleaming is the best:
Oublions l’éternelle tombe. let us forget the eternal tomb.
Laisse tes baisers de colombe Let your dove's kisses
Chanter sur ta lèvre en fleur. sing on your blossoming lips.

Un lys caché répand sans cesse A hidden lily ceaselessly diffuses

Une odeur divine en ton sein; a divine scent in your breast:
Les délices comme un essaim like a swarm, delights
Sortent de toi, jeune déesse. escape from you, young Goddess!

Je t’aime et meurs, ô mes amours. I love you and am dying, o my loves!

Mon âme en baisers m’est ravie! My soul is ravished by kisses.
O Lydia, rends-moi la vie, O Lydia, give me back my life,
Que je puisse mourir toujours! that I might die eternally!

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) – Von ewiger Liebe

German composer and conductor of the mid-romantic period, Brahms spent much of his
life in Vienna. He was also a well known, talented pianist which is apparent in this Lied
that is full of dense, harmonic chords and complex patterns. This heartfelt piece tells the
story of a couple arguing in a meadow, as depicted by the narrator of the story. Notice
that the music reflects the text in each character: the man, with dense harmonies and
chords which give the audience a sense of anxiety; and the woman, who responds with a
lovely, soothing melody that proclaims their love and gives a wondrous testimony to the
strength of their love, which can never be broken!

Von ewiger Liebe Eternal Love

Dunkel, wie dunkel Dark, how dark

in Wald und in Feld! in forest and field!
Abend schon ist es, It's already evening
nun schweiget die Welt. and now the world is silent.
Nirgend noch Licht No light anywhere,
und nirgend noch Rauch, and nowhere smoke,
ja, und die Lerche sie schweiget nun auch. yes, and the lark is silent now too.

Kommt aus dem Dorfe der Bursche heraus, The boy comes out there from the village,
gibt das Geleit der Geliebten nach Haus, escorting his beloved home,
führt sie am Weidengebüsche vorbei, he leads her to the willow bushes nearby,
redet so viel und so mancherlei: he talks so much about so many things:
“Leidest du Schmach und betrübest du dich!
Leidest du Schmach von andern um mich,
werde die Liebe getrennt so geschwind,
schnell wie wir früher vereiniget sind.
Scheide mit Regen, und scheide mir Wind,
schnell wie wir früher vereiniget sind!”
“If you suffer from shame and distress
yourself because of me,
then let our love be separated quickly,
As quickly as we were united.
Gone with rain, gone with wind,
As quickly as we once were united!”

Spricht das Mägdelein, Then speaks the maiden,

Mägdelein spricht:
“Unsere Liebe, sie trennet sich nicht!
Fest ist der Stahl, und das Eisen gar sehr,
unsere Liebe ist fester noch mehr.
Eisen und Stahl, man schmiedet sie um,
unsere Liebe, wer wandelt sie um?
Eisen und Stahl,
sie können zergehn,
unsere Liebe, unsere Liebe
muß ewig, ewig bestehn!”
the maiden speaks:
“Our love undoes itself not!
Strong is steel, and iron is firm,
yet our love is strongest.
Iron and steel, they are forged,
but our love, who can change it?
Iron and steel,
they can melt,
but our love, our love,
our love endures forever!”

Franz Schubert (1797 – 1828) – Lied eines Schiffers an die Dioskuren

Schubert is considered a great composer that lived and worked on the border between the
Classical and Romantic periods. During his short life he managed to create an extended
body of work. Lied eines Schiffers an die Dioskuren is a Boatman’s prayer to the twin
stars Castor and Pollux. In this song, the sailor is calm as he prays, confident under the
light of the Dioscuri (also known as the Gemini). He offers his oar as a sacrifice when he
is safely home. The text is by Johann Baptist Mayrhofer, an Austrian poet with whom
Schubert frequently collaborated.

Lied eines Schiffers an die Dioskuren A boatman’s song to the Dioscuri

Dioskuren, Zwillingssterne, Dioscuri, twin stars,

Die ihr leuchtet meinem Nachen, shining on my boat,
Mich beruhigt auf dem Meere your gentleness and vigilance
Eure Milde, euer Wachen. comfort me on the ocean.

Wer auch fest in sich begründet, However firmly a man believes in himself,
Unverzagt dem Sturm begegnet, however fearlessly he meets the storm,
Fühlt sich doch in euren Strahlen he feels doubly valiant and blessed
Doppelt mutig und gesegnet. in your light.

Dieses Ruder, das ich schwinge, This oar which I ply

Meeresfluten zu zerteilen, to cleave the ocean’s waves,
Hänge ich, so ich geborgen, I shall hang, once I have landed safely,
Auf an eures Tempels Säulen. on the pillars of your temple.
Lili Boulanger (1893-1918) – Elle est gravement gaie
The first female winner of the Prix de Rome composition prize, Boulanger is known for
her complex, polytonal, mysterious pieces. The recognition of her musical talent was first
noticed by Gabriel Fauré, who discovered she had perfect pitch at the age of two. This
lesser-known piece uses the poetry of Francis Jammes and tells the story of a mysterious
girl depicted from the narrator's perspective. It gives an eerie and mysterious aura when
developed alongside Boulanger’s brilliant text painting, and is thought to be about Lili
herself.

Elle est gravement gaie She is gravely cheerful

Elle est gravement gaie. She is gravely cheerful.

Par moments son regard selevait, At times, her gaze lifted
comme pour surprendre ma pensée. as if to surprise my thoughts.
Elle etait douce alors, She was sweet then,
comme quand il est tard, like when it’s late,
Le velours jaune et bleu the velvet yellow and blue [sunset]
d’une allée de pensées like a pathway of thoughts.

Libby Larson (b. 1950) – The Present

Grammy award winning, American composer, Libby Larson, was born in Delaware and
has created over 500 works from various genres of vocal, choral, and instrumental music
in addition to over 15 operas. This piece is from the song cycle Me: Brenda Ueland
which uses texts from the famous writer’s journal entries and is set to an atonal
soundscape. Specifically, this piece focuses on a journal entry written on a late, snowy
night and presents a wave of emotions from impatience and anxiety, to longing and
nostalgia.

Charles Griffes (1884 – 1920)

Griffes was an American composer that, in his short life, composed both Romantic and
Impressionist music. He was fascinated by the music of other countries and regularly
tried to emulate various musical styles; he focused particularly on German Romanticism,
French Impressionism, and East-Asian musical traditions. Five Poems of Ancient China
and Japan (1917) is a song cycle that sets translated poems to music in different
pentatonic scales.

I. So-Fei Gathering Flowers

Wang Changling (698-756), the original poet behind this piece, was a major poet during
China’s Tang dynasty (618-908 CE). This song is about a woman walking in a garden,
her beauty comparable to the flowers she passes by.

II. Landscape
Fujiwara no Teika, also known as Fujiwara no Sadaie and Sada-Ihe, was a Japanese poet
who lived from 1162-1241 CE. Landscape is about a desolate view in Autumn,
portraying it as a season of loneliness.

III. The Old Temple Among the Mountains

This text is translated from a poem by Chang Wen-Chang. The song discusses the
imagery of a long-abandoned temple, presently occupied by a dragon. It is a mystical
picture painted through hazy harmonies and a distant melody.
Eric Whitacre (b. 1970)
Known for his impressive choral works, Eric Whitacre is a composer and conductor who
has quickly gained contemporary attention by choral communities around the world. This
set, from his song cycle Five Hebrew Love Songs, was originally composed as an
intimate troubadour set for piano, violin, and soprano. Whitacre’s wife, Hila Plitmann,
provided the “postcard” text from her native tongue and inspired Whitacre’s beautiful
melodies. The melodies in each instrument of this cycle provide beautiful text painting
which transports you to a heartfelt wedding ceremony, and then to the lively reception
after.

Temuná A picture

Temuná belibi charutá; A picture is engraved in my heart;

Nodédet beyn ór uveyn ófel. moving between light and darkness;
Min dmamá shekazó et guféch kach otá, a sort of silence envelopes your body,
Usaréch al panáich kach nófel. and your hair falls upon your face just so

Kalá Kallá Light Bride

Kalá kallá Light bride!

kulá sheli, She is all mine,
U’vekalút Tishákhili! and lightly she will kiss me!
La la la la! La la la la!

Joseph Haydn (1732 – 1809) – Sailor’s Song

Haydn is one of the great Classical composers. Despite being known as the Father of the
Symphony, his musical achievements span many other genres. After an already
successful career in continental Europe, Haydn began to spend more time in London in
the 1790s where his fame flourished. Haydn composed Sailor’s Song during one of these
trips to England from 1794 to 1795. Prior to his travels to London, Haydn had never seen
the sea. The text was written by Anne Hunter, an English poet. She is credited with
writing the text of at least nine of Haydn’s fourteen songs in English.

Stephen Schwartz (b. 1948) - Meadowlark

Schwartz is one of the most impressive American musical theatre composers of all time.
His award-winning musicals -- Wicked, Godspell, Pippin, and movie musical Enchanted -
- have earned three Grammy’s and three Academy Awards. In addition, Schwartz
composed the music for Broadway productions of Children of Eden, Rags, and Disney
film favorites Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Prince of Egypt. This
piece from The Baker’s Wife, is sung by the Baker’s wife, Geneviève, in which she shares
her favorite story of “the meadowlark”. Reciting this story leads her to reflect on her own
life as the “meadowlark,” when she is faced with a choice: stay with her husband, or
leave him for a younger man.