History, Artistry… and a Moat!

The city of Gouda (g-ow-duh, not g-oo-dah! And the g is guttural like Hebrew or an ach-laut in German) is so old they don’t have newfangled things like stained glass windows in the church. Instead, they’re burned glass. The St. Janskerk church–where the windows are–was built early in the middle ages. The house I am sitting in currently was built 800 years ago. So was the moat. The eels and the herons that feed on the eels have been in the moat and canals for generations. This neighborhood only got a sewer system within the past 8 years. Gouda charms me.  

In Gouda Waits My Guru

This just in… the voice teacher I wanted to study with in the Netherlands agreed to teach me this summer! Yahooooooooo!

Jetzt gehe ich nach Holland.

Details: Every two weeks I’ll take a ten hour overnight train ride to Holland, where I will spend two days in Gouda eating cheese and throwing red wax around like confetti. Oh to dream! Want to join me?

This teacher is intense, and I’m going to get some serious teaching. Here’s what I mean…

She doesn’t give one hour lessons. Instead, she spends a HALF DAY on one lesson, working technique, working repertoire, working Alexander Technique, and then working the voice some more. There are lots of breaks, but I gather that it’s all very body/singing oriented. Then, she wrote that she believes she can (Huzzah!) help me with my middle voice, as long as I don’t try to avoid it anymore.

First item on the agenda… Una Voce Poco Fa. Gulp. And then Oscar, Tytania and the Schumann set.

So. No making nice and no fear of the middle voice. 

I’m told Persephone hails from the Edith Bers and James McDonald school of singing.

You ask, what exactly do they teach?

Balls. To. The. Wall. Singing.  

I’m in for a trip.

Senior Moments, brought to you by Clara Schumann’s lover

The first, very rough itinerary page is posted! Woohoo! ::victory dance::

Now down to business.

In my last post I decided to compare performances of specific pieces. Umm, what was I thinking?!?!? No artistic director in their right mind duplicates another ensemble’s repertoire. Fortunately for me, there are a select few instances where Brahms Symphony No. 2 will be played by different ensembles, but my enthusiasm wanes drastically for Brahms… even though I’ll be attending. Ach.

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate Brahms. There’s no doubt that he was a master. Take two seconds to look at the way he plays with form and counterpoint in the string quartets and piano trios. The guy was a genius, and it’s no surprise that he paved the way for the likes of Schoenberg and Berg (swoon!). Still, I don’t enjoy listening to his music. All those sappy, sequenced 7-6 suspensions in the piano sonatas slay me. every. time. Blegh. Enough already! But I diverge…

In order to fix my lapse in common sense regarding repertoire, I’m left with no choice but to widen the parameters! Darn. Instead of comparing performances of specific pieces, I’ll be comparing composers and their respective musical styles/periods. Christine Schaefer (mein Lieblings Saengerin) will be singing sacred baroque music by Vivaldi and Pergolesi at Rheingau which will contrast nicely with the Bach performed at the Leipzig Bach Festival earlier in the summer. Performances of Mahler (Alma AND Gustav) songs will also contrast well with Victor Ullman’s songs salvaged from Teresienstadt and Wagner’s Die Meistersinger. To boot, BBC Proms Folk Nights provide a selection of composers that integrated “folk” into their music in vastly different ways, such as Vaughn Williams, Bartok, Grainger and Berio.

But, who ever thought Vaughn Williams and Berio would be on the same program???? Talk about culture shock. BBC Proms might just have topped La Scala’s awkward performance of La Boheme. Of course, it is prom, and we all know how awkward that can get… 

Rules of Thumb: Flexibility, Generality, Pack Earplugs?

When I had my phone interview with one of the internship’s sponsors, I asked what he thought the strengths and weaknesses of my proposal were. I anticipated requests for a more detailed itinerary, an outline of texts and music I intended to learn, explanations for why I would choose said body of work, and an overview of my plans for musical coaching*. Instead, I heard this:

 

• Travel more
• Travel outside of German-speaking Europe  
• Keep your project as general as possible
• Be flexible and open to experiences outside of your project

 

Now, I had originally restricted my traveling to German-speaking areas, such as Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and other areas that spoke Germanic languages, such as Sweden and the Netherlands, in order to immerse myself as much as possible. The sponsors had a different perspective though and suggested that I shift the focus from immersion to understanding how German language and art are handled by a variety of European cultures. Travel more? Attend a wider variety of concerts/festivals? You mean I can shamelessly add Paris and Prague and Barcelona to that list?!?!? Kein Problem.

 

In order to realize this change, I will attempt to contrast interpretations of the same pieces and/or pieces by the same composer. I use the word “interpretation” as loosely as possible, including program notes, pre-concert lectures, the musical performance itself, audience reactions, text translations, soloist choices, other music on the program, placement in a festival schedule, venue, ensemble, etc. in my definition. In keeping with the sponsor’s request, the emphasis will be on the big picture.

 

For example, anti-Semitism in the music of Wagner interests me quite a bit. Wagner infused many of his works with prejudice, especially in the case of The Ring cycle and Die Meistersinger. Wagner’s prejudice also extended beyond compositional practice and performance into musicology, where he published many articles condemning Jews in the Neue Zeitschrift fuer Musik. While these articles have drifted out of popular discussion, the mythological heroism of Wagner’s work has retained its strength. Moreover, the huge sounds produced from performers of these works are among the most lauded throughout the musical world. Why? How does this happen? When the operas are performed, is Wagner’s vehement anti-Semitism even mentioned? What form does the mention/omission take? Is it active or passive? Are the motivating factors apparent? Who performs this music? Do they specialize? Where is this music performed? Where is it celebrated? Where is it not? How does this differ in Germany, France, Austria and England?

 

I also think that it’s worth noting that musicians hazard their livelihood—their hearing—by playing and continuing to increase the decibel level in this music. It’s heroic to increase the decibel level, and it’s heroic to do violence to our ears. Though it may be taking the concept too far (and would take far more discussion than this blog post permits), I think it bears asking if there’s a lingering connection between the violence effected by anti-Semitism and the violence effected by the decibel level.

 

At the very least it’s food for thought.

 

More importantly though, do I invest in quality earplugs?

Wilkommen!

Hallo, liebe Freunden,

 

My name is Ceceilia. I am a classical singer, queer activist, student at New England Conservatory and a recipient of a scholarship from the Point Foundation—the largest scholarship granting organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students of merit. I am also thrilled to report that I have been chosen as the recipient of the Point Foundation’s 2008 Munich Internship.

 

The Point Foundation has played an integral role in my life, and I would not be in college today without their help. They have provided me with not only financial support but a community of mentors, trustees and, most importantly, other scholars who have had to face many similar barriers to education and career success due to our perceived and/or actual sexual orientation or gender identity.

 

As the recipient of the Point Foundation’s 2008 Munich Internship, I will experience as much as I can of European culture from my residence in Munich, Germany. To accomplish this goal, I will study German vocal music with artists throughout Europe, take language courses, travel as much as possible, and write about my experiences… in German! Do not despair if you do not speak the language! Each post to this blog will be accompanied by English translations and photos.

 

This blog serves as formal documentation of my summer for the internship sponsors, as an opportunity to practice my German language skills and as a conduit for sharing my experiences with the public and the Point Foundation community. Upon completion of the internship, I also hope to use this blog as a tool to understand how my experiences affected personal growth in my relationships to my musical vocation and American culture.

 

Please feel free to leave comments–in German or English!–where applicable, as I would love to hear your feedback on any and all content. You can also contact me at CeceiliaInMunich@gmail.com with feedback, questions or concerns of a more private nature.

 

Thank you so much for visiting my weblog. I look forward to what the summer holds.

 

Alles Gute, und herzlichst,

 

Ceceilia