Abstract
The purpose of this treatise is to provide a performance perspective and guide to selected works of John Harbison for voice and piano. John Harbison (b. 1938) is a Pulitzer-prize winning American composer, whose music is becoming a part of this century’s mainstream vocal repertoire. The three works selected for research and analysis are North and South (Six Poems of Elizabeth Bishop), Simple Daylight, and Flashes and Illuminations. This treatise provides performance suggestions for each piece, along with background information and a brief biographical description for each poet. The poets for these three works are Elizabeth Bishop, Eugenio Montale, William Carlos Williams, Czesław Miłosz and Michael Fried. Each section of text includes a brief explanation to aid performers in musical interpretation and guidelines by the composer, which comprise the remaining focus of this treatise.
Harbison writes specific instructions to accompany his works, and his indications create guidelines that can be used by performers to assist them in interpretation. In this treatise, these details on performance are outlined for pianist and singer and are derived from various first-hand accounts, interviews, and master classes. Other information is obtained from a variety of print and journal articles.
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