Poetry into Song: Performance and Analysis of Lieder

Book Description
Focusing on the music of the great song composers--Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf, and Strauss--Poetry Into Song offers a systematic introduction to the performance and analysis of Lieder. Part I, "The Language of Poetry," provides chapters on the themes and imagery of German Romanticism and the methods of analysis for German Romantic poetry. Part II, "The Language of the Performer," deals with issues of concern to performers: texture, temporality, articulation, and interpretation of notation and unusual rhythm accents and stresses. Part III provides clearly defined analytical procedures for each of four main chapters on harmony and tonality, melody and motive, rhythm and meter, and form. The concluding chapter compares different settings of the same text, and the volume ends with several appendices that offer text translations, over 40 pages of less accessible song scores, a glossary of technical terms, and a substantial bibliography. Directed toward students in both voice and theory, and toward all singers, the authors establish a framework for the analysis of song based on a process of performing, listening, and analyzing, designed to give the reader a new understanding of the reciprocal interaction between performance and analysis. Emphasizing the masterworks, the book features numerous poetic texts, as well as a core repotory of songs. Examples throughout the text demonstrate points, while end of chapter questions reinforce concepts and provide opportunities for directed analysis. While there are a variety of books on Lieder and on German Romantic poetry, none combines performance, musical analysis, textual analysis, and the interrelation between poetry and music in the systematic, thorough way of Poetry Into Song.


Language Notes
Text: English, German


Buy from Amazon     Compare Prices

When Franz Schubert put Goethe's poem "Gretchen am Spinnrade" to music in 1814, he created a musical form that has captivated audiences ever since. In Poetry into Song, Deborah Stein and Robert Spillman challenge readers to seek a richer, more imaginative understanding of Lied - the nineteenth-century German art song. Written for students of voice, piano, and theory and for all singers and accompanists, Poetry into Song establishes a framework for the analysis of song based on a process of performing, listening, analyzing, and performing again. This unique approach emphasizes the reciprocal interaction between performance and analysis. Focusing on the masterworks, Poetry into Song features numerous poetic texts, as well as a core repertory of songs. Examples throughout the text demonstrate points, and end of chapter questions reinforce concepts and encourage directed analysis. While numerous books have been written on Lieder and German Romantic poetry, Poetry into Song is the first to combine performance, musical analysis, textual analysis, and the interrelation between poetry and music in a truly systematic, thorough way.


Buy from Barnes & Noble     Compare Prices