"S'io ti guardo ti sdegni"
Composer: Francesca Campana (1610-1665)
Poet: Théodore de Banville (1823-1891)

Francesca Campana was a talented singer, harpsichordist, and composer in the Baroque era. She was born in Rome to an influential Italian family. This gave her access to an education which was atypical for women at the time. She quickly became regarded as one of the best singers in Rome. Her published works are expressive and feature chromaticism. I love this piece because it’s from the perspective of a woman continuing to see her beauty as she ages.  

Disprezzando il mio core sprezzi te stessa. 

(Despising my heart, you despise yourself.)

"Der Zauberer" (The Sorcerer)
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Poet: Christian Felix Weiße (1726-1804)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a child prodigy who was trained by his father, Leopold Mozart. He was proficient in violin and piano by the age of 5. He moved to Vienna in 1781 to work as a composer. He was one of the first artists to establish himself as a freelance musician. He was appointed as the composer of court chamber music in the Vienna court. 

 "Frülingsgruß," Op. 45, No. 2 (Spring Greeting)
Composer: Eduard Lassen (1830-1904)
Poet: Joseph von Eichendorff (1788-1857)

The art song "Frühlingsgruß" composed by Eduard Lassen with lyrics by Joseph von Eichendorff was first published in 1873. Eduard Lassen was a Danish composer and conductor who lived and worked in Belgium for a majority of his career. He utilized elements of both German and Belgium folk music in his work.  He won the prix de Rome in 1851. He attended the Brussels Conservatory. He was the court music director in Weimar. He conducted the first performance of Wagners’ Tristanurd Isolde. Joseph von Eichendorff was a German poet, novelist, and playwright born in Prussia. He valued theater above school. He studied law and humanities. He was a writer and critic of romanticism. Due to losses in his life, the death of two siblings and two daughters at young ages, a primary focus of his works is death. However, this poem is quite the opposite, focusing on the joy of spring beginning.

 "Bei dir is es Traut" from Fünf Lieder
Composer: Alma Mahler (1879-1964)
Poet: Unknown

Alma Mahler, born in Vienna, was a composer, author, editor, and socialite. In her youth she received piano and composition lessons which nurtured her musical ability. She composed close to fifty songs but only seventeen are known to survive. What draws me to her compositions is the depth and complexity of the accompaniment which seamlessly complements the vocal line.  

 "Nuit d'étoiles"
Composer: Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Poet: Théodore de Banville (1823-1891)

Claude Debussy was born in France and began attending the Paris Conservatory for piano and composition at age ten. As Impressionism gained prominence in Europe, Debussy was inspired by the writers and painters of the era, eventually becoming one of the impressionistic movements' most influential composers. Nuit d’étoiles (Starry night) was composed in 1880, written when Debussy was just eighteen years old. There is a juxtaposition of the starry night and the performers grief over lost love that is beautifully captured by Debussy's setting of Théodore de Banville’s Poem. 

 "Bookseller in the Rain" from December Songs
Composer & lyricist: Maury Yeston (b. 1945)

The song cycle December songs follows a heartbroken woman in central park. This song cycle was inspired by Shubert’s song cycle Die Winterreisse in which a man wanders the streets of Vienna as he descends into madness. This piece was commissioned by Carnegie Hall in 1991 for its centennial year celebration, an eleven day festival; a celebration of one hundred years of performances. 

"Love in the Thirties" from Cabaret Songs
Composer: William Bolcom (b. 1938)
Poet: Arnold Weinstein (1927-2005)

William Bolcom is an American composer and pianist whose style and compositions range from classical to pop music. His Cabaret Songs, a four-volume collection completed in 1966, pair his music with texts by poet and playwright Arnold Weinstein. Weinstein was a long time collaborator of Bolcom, and his writing was well suited for the chatty and theatrical nature of cabaret. Love in the Thirties portrays a late night conversation between a child curious about the world and a father who patiently answers while steering toward bedtime.  

"I Put a Spell on You"
Composers: Jalacy Hawkins (1929-2000) and Herbert E. Slotkin (1926-1979)

Jalacy “Screamin’ Jay” Hawkins was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist known for his theatrical performance style and influential contributions to rhythm and blues. Co-written with Herbert E. Slotkin, I Put a Spell on You was first conceived as a blues ballad before Hawkins transformed it into the uninhibited performance that became his signature recording in 1956. Slotkin was a record producer and music publisher whose work helped bring the song to audiences. The most famous rendition of this song is performed by Nina Simone which has a strong jazz influence.

"Hit me with a Hot Note" from Sophisticated Ladies
Composer: Duke Ellington (1899-1974)
Lyricist: Don George (1909-1987)

Duke Ellington, originally Edward Kennedy Ellington, earned his nickname in childhood for his dapper style and refined manners. He was raised in Washington DC. He began piano lessons at age 7 and his first composition was written at age 15. In his career of over 50 years as a pianist, composer, and conductor he wrote just shy of 2,000 compositions and performed over 20,000 times. His last words were “Music is how I love, why I live, and how I will be remembered.”