Poetry into Song: Performance and Analysis of ^ILieder^R
Author(s): Deborah Stein (Author), Robert Spillman (Author), Elly Ameling (Foreword), Max Deen Larsen (Editor)
Publisher: OUP USA
Publication Date: 13 Jun. 1996
Edition: First Edition
Language: English
Print length: 432 pages
ISBN-10: 0195093283
ISBN-13: 9780195093285
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. Directing the book towards 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 analysing, designed to give the reader a new understanding of the reciprocal interaction between performance and analysis. Emphasizing the masterworks, the volume features numerous poetic texts, as well as a core repertory 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.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“At last! A comprehensive, systematic text about lieder that is couched in analytical poetic and musical language!…This is an important, carefully notated book.”–Choice
“More than a compendium of analytical concepts, this is a book that enables you to shape individual interpretations through personal encounter with a lively train of provocative questions and creative experiments.”–Elly Ameling
“Stein, a music theorist and Spillman, an active accompanist, have merged their two strengths, the result of which is a pioneering study….it will surely engage not only the singer and pianist, but also the theorist, historian, and anyone else interested in the nineteenth century Lieder. In addition, it will likely become a major resource for teachers and students of vocal literature and pedagogy.”–Integral
Review
a most important book, rich in detail, authoritative, an extradordinarily well-written and well-researched document that is certain to become a pivotal study in the field…This is an absolutely essential acquisition for anyone having anything to do with the preparation and performance of German Lieder ― Journal of Singing
“More than a compendium of analytical concepts, this is a book that enables you to shape individual interpretations through personal encounter with a lively train of provocative questions and creative experiments.”–Elly Ameling
Deborah Stein and Robert Spillman … not merely give aspiring singers specific ideas but also pose questions about the songs, answers to which they can think out and analyse for themselves. This is of course an intelligent and helpful method. … sensibly written for sensible people.
Poetry into song is essentially a teaching manual, but lifted above and beyond what this may suggest by the enthusiasm, sense of adventure and respect for individuality which are marks that distinguish the best of teachers. ― The Musical Times, 1 July 1997
the book proceeds in a structured and coherent manner … a book which serious students of Lieder, whether singers or academics, will find stimulating ―
Martin Bussey, B J Music 14/3
From the Back Cover
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.
About the Author
Libby Larsen (b. 24 December 1950, Wilmington, Delaware) is one of America’s most prolific and most performed living composers. Her catalogue of over 200 works spans virtually every genre from intimate vocal and chamber music to massive orchestral and choral scores. Her music has been praised for its dynamic, deeply inspired, and vigorous contemporary American spirit. Constantly sought after for commissions and premieres by major artists and orchestras around the world, Libby Larsen has established a permanent place for her works in the concert repertory.
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