Text/music relations in Ralph Vaughan Williams' Songs of travel: an interpretive guide
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Arizona State University
Abstract
Preparation of art song for performance requires intensive
collaborative effort by both the singer and the pianist. This preparation
should include a thorough study of the text as well as the music. The
relationship between the composer’s music and the poet’s words is the key
to discovering the interpretive intentions of the composer, as well as
making informed musical decisions regarding the performance of the work.
Songs of Travel for baritone and piano, composed in 1904 by Ralph
Vaughan Williams on poems of Robert Louis Stevenson, is an example of
song cycle, a set of art songs that are connected musically, textually, or
both. The songs were intended by the composer to be performed as a unit.
The texts were chosen by the composer from a larger collection of poems
of the same title, and were arranged in a particular order that suggests a
chronology of events in the life of the protagonist. This particular song
cycle employs recurring musical ideas while maintaining the independence
of each piece. The story is told by a narrator, represented by the baritone,
who has abandoned civilized society in favor of a life of wandering. His
development as a person, and the effect the events of each song has upon
his personal journey, are reflected through the use of returning musical
themes, specific harmonic devices, and other compositional tools with
which Vaughan Williams suggests dramatic direction.
This research paper focuses on an analysis of text/music relations in
each of the nine Songs of Travel. Specific musical ideas have been
highlighted, possible connections between these figures and the poetry
have been explored, and a dramatic progression of the story has been
extrapolated. The end of each chapter presents interpretive suggestions for
performance based upon those findings
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Citation
Larson, M. (2001). Text/music relations in Ralph Vaughan Williams' Songs of Travel: An interpretive guide. Retrieved from ProQuest Digital Dissertations. (AAT-3004121)