Annotated Bibliography

John Dowland and Elizabethan Melancholy
Author(s): Robin Headlam Wells
Source: Early Music, Vol. 13, No. 4 (Nov., 1985), pp. 514-528
Published by: Oxford University Press

The author thoroughly investigates the phenomenon known as Elizabethan Melancholy, especially as it relates to Dowland.  The discussion in this article is actually too in depth for my needs, in that I only wanted a little bit of information about subject.  After reading this article I am still not sure if can quite say what Elizabethan Melancholy is in a nutshell, since the elaborations and tangents are frequent and many.



 New Light on John Dowland's Songs of Darkness
Author(s): Anthony Rooley
Source: Early Music, Vol. 11, No. 1, Tenth Anniversary Issue (Jan., 1983), pp. 6-21 Published by: Oxford University Press

In this article the author is offering a new hypothesis on why Dowland has such melancholic, depressing music.  The most accepted interpretation, put forth by Dowland’s chief biographer Diana Poulton, shows Dowland to have much unhappiness and frustration in his personal and professional life.  Rooley offers a different idea, that Dowland was generally a happy man, and that his music is more an expression of an artistic persona that he carefully crafted throughout his lifetime.  I agree with poulton, and her original assessment of Dowland’s character.     




Dowland's Darkness
Author(s): Diana Poulton
Source: Early Music, Vol. 11, No. 4, Rameau Tercentenary Issue (Oct., 1983), pp. 517-519
Published by: Oxford University Press




This article is in response to Anthony Rooley’s “New Light on John Dowland’s Songs of Darkness” cited above.  Poulton finds Rooley’s ideas intriguing but completely refutes everything he said about Dowland’s character being cheerful and merry.  She offers strong evidence that one of the key sources Rooley cited in proving Dowland’s cheerfulness was in fact written by someone who never even met Dowland.  I just can’t believe someone who didn’t feel a little glum or depressed at times would be able to write music and poetry like Dowland did. 




POETS, MUSICIANS AND THE ETIOLOGY OF ENGLISH MELANCHOLY, 1586-1651
Author(s): JOHN EDWARDS
Source:  A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS
Published by: GRADUATE PROGRAM IN INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES
YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, ONTARIO.   AUGUST 2009

The author gives his reasons on why he believes that the poets and musicians of the late Renaissance and early Baroque period anticipated the concept of melancholy being psychological in origin, rather than the common views of the time (as asserted in medical treatises), which held that it was due to physiological imbalances between the four humours.  These humours were blood (sanguine), phlegm (phlegmatic), yellow bile (choleric), and black bile (melancholy).  Whether the musicians, specifically John Dowland, really anticipated the psychological concept of melancholy doesn’t really matter to my purposes.  More important to me is that he is seen today as the official composer of English melancholy.  



John Dowland and the Art Song
Author(s):  Eddie T. Goins
Source:  A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy in music literature and performance, in the department of music in the graduate college of the state university of Iowa. 
Published: August, 1962

The author believes that not enough credit or attention is given in today’s recitals to the art songs of Dowland.  He makes a detailed analysis of the development of the genre (art song) up to the time of Dowland, and then takes us through detailed analyses of Dowland’s own contributions to the form.  I also feel like not enough classical singers know Dowland’s work, or are performing it in recitals these days.  That’s part of why I wanted to do my own project on Dowland.





Dowland's Lachrymae Tune
Author(s): Otto Heinrich Mies
Source: Musica Disciplina, Vol. 4, Fasc. 1 (1950), pp. 59-64
Published by: American Institute of Musicology Verlag Corpusmusicae, GmbH

This article gives a fairly detailed analysis about Dowland’s lachrymae tune which, according to the author, is found in its purest and clearest form in Flow My Tears.  The article talks about the history and form of the piece as well as recounting the many arrangements that have been made based on it (both by Dowland, and other composers of his day).      



 John Dowland His Life and Works
 Author:  Diana Poulton
 Published by: University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles  1972

This is a biography of John Dowland written by Diana Poulton, who is considered to be the expert on all things Dowland.  I did not read this book (only snippets), but have it listed here in case I may have to fact check anything else I have read.  The book covers everything that Poulton could gather on the life and works of Dowland and even includes some pictures and facsimiles of Dowland, his letters, original manuscripts, etc.



 Singling English Lute Songs
 Author:  David Van Ooijen
 Source:  http://home.planet.nl/~ooije006/david/writings/lutesong_f.html
 June 2008  

This online article is useful and credible because of the many quotes it pulls together from contemporaries of Dowland - including Dowland’s own words - on the subject of singing lute songs.  It features good, solid, practical advice. 

"little" Fugue in G minor by J.S. Bach (1685 - 1750)

This has been one of my favorite fugues of all time, but it wasn't really until we studied fugues in theory class that I realized how amazing they were.  Then, when I began playing organ at my church (not very well mind you), I realized how impossible the pedal parts would be, especially when you're keeping other parts of the fugue going in the hands.  Drummers are impressive because they can keep all their limbs independent and free of each other, but they've got nothing on organists who can play any of Bach's fugues.  The subject of the fugue is one of the most recognizable, since by the time each of the four voices enter you can hum the tune back.  The fugue is called "little" because there is another fugue by Bach in G minor that is longer in length.  It makes me want to practice more on the organ.  Oh if only I had 5 hours more in the day than anyone else...or, perhaps I could get trapped in an endless cycle like the movie "Ground Hog Day" where I am forced to keep reliving the same day over and over again.  I would use that time to work on musical stuff, or at least that's my plan when that happens to me.  Yeah, I'm kind of tired right now, but at least this blog is getting some really unfiltered free writing from my mind right now, eh?      

Cello Suite no. 1 - Prelude by J.S. Bach (1685 - 1750)

Okay, anyone who gets the wrong idea about Bach, that he is some "old wig" composer, with nothing beyond the stereotypical Baroque compositions in his offering, really needs to listen to the Cello Suites.  This prelude is so beautiful and moving.  It is for solo cello and shows me again what kind of genius Bach was.  I mean, is there anything he can't do?  How, as an organ player did he write something so amazing for cello.  This particular prelude can easily be found on youtube with perfomances by Yo Yo Ma, Rostropovich, and Mischa Maisky to name a few of the better performances I found.  To me this piece falls under the category of instrument changing (kind of like life changing).  It makes me want to switch from playing piano to playing cello.  I have always liked the cello, but this prelude makes it sound even more beautiful. Perhaps the biggest argument for becoming a composer is that you figuratively get to perform any instrument you want, or at least provide a voice for it.

Crucifixus from Mass in B Minor by J.S. Bach (1685 - 1750)

As I mentioned in my weekly writing response to the Mass in B minor DVD we watched in class, I find this piece very inspiring and moving.  I wanted to write a listening log about it in order to explore further what about this piece touches me so much.  I notice that I am often more moved by music that is primarily in the minor, than the major.  I wonder if I am unique in this, or if it is some kind of universal human trait.  It's not that I don't like music in the major keys, or anything along those lines, it's just that it lacks the emotive power to move me.  When I hear this piece, if I am alone, it almost brings me to tears.  I am talking about something beyond the meaning of the lyrics - I am not even really listening to the words right now - but something inherent in this modality and chord progression that makes me feel like everything is going to be okay.  I know I am sort of rambling right now, but that's what the purpose of this entry is supposed to be.  I am trying to figure out what makes me connect to this kind of music.  I may have to do some research on the subject, because I am not really sure if I have an answer.  First, I need to see if others feel the same way about slow, minor, somber movements.  If they feel this deep breath feeling.  If there are others feeling what I am feeling, then it will be worth finding out why.  Then, perhaps someday, I will be able to write something that makes other people feel the way I feel when I hear this music.  I have now listened to three versions, and all of them are beautiful and are effecting me the same way.  

Mass in B minor by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750)

In class the past couple of weeks we have been spending a lot of time listening to, discussing, and enjoying the famous Mass in B minor.  This work is considered by many to be the crowning achievement of not only Bach's career, but the entire Baroque period.  The Mass was not finished until the year before Bach died, and was probably never performed in it's entirety while he was still alive.  It is a huge work, since it consists of the entire Latin Mass, which I believe is unusual for a Lutheran composer.  Much of the music in the mass is borrowed from Bach's own earlier works.  We talked about this at length in class and Dr. Pierce even showed us audio samples from the original works (the source material) and then the corresponding re-arrangement as it appears in the Mass in B minor.  Sometimes the borrowing only takes the form of duplicate or similar chord progressions, but other times it is almost an exact copy.  Even though I am only an insignificant hobbyist composer, I can understand where Bach is coming from in doing this.  At times I have written things that I think are really "catchy" or I am especially fond of, and as my music skills improve I revisit the older music, and I re-work it.  I am not sure if Bach was attempting to improve on any of his older music, or if it was just really meaningful to him, or whether he just did not have time to compose brand new music for every section.  I can only say that in my opinion, he did improve upon his older cantatas because the Mass in B minor is pretty awesome.  I am writing this while listening to the music and it is currently the crucifixus movement for chorus.  When I was younger (in my teens) I had certain music that I used to call my "deep breath" music, because it just made me stop and take a breath, and enjoy the beauty of it.  I had music by Mozart, Beethoven, Dvorak, and Mendellssohn included (among others).  But somehow, I never knew about this Mass by Bach.  Wow!  I just heard the German 6 transition thing to G major again (we discussed this in class, how the crucifixus is in e minor and uses a German 6 (enharmonic to Eb7 dominant chord) that resolves to a one-six-four and then to the dominant (D) of G and finally cadences on G.  That really is sweet.  Sorry for the theory tirade, but I really like theory.  The piece barely ends and the jubilant chorus sings about the resurrection of Christ - an upbeat, loud, timpani-and-trumpet accompanied piece.
In class, we have watched from the very beginning, this DVD performance of the mass. It is the kind of thing that I would actually like to own someday.  I especially like that there are subtitles.  A very interesting thing I just noticed is that during the Et in Spiritum Sanctum the bass soloist just sang something like the words "we believe in the catholic church".  I just found that interesting coming from a Lutheran.  I suppose Bach could have been using the word the way dictionary.com defines it. Their definition is "Catholic: pertaining to the whole Christian body or church."  In which case, it doesn't confine one to actually meaning the Roman Catholic church.  Well, we just ran out of time right when the Credo section of the mass ended.  So, we have at least watched most of the mass during class.  Overall I have really enjoyed my time spent listening to the Mass in B Minor.  It is an incredible, and huge work.  I didn't realize how lengthy it was until we only got through the Credo section after two 50 minute listening labs of just watching a performance of this piece.  Very inspiring to me, and very moving and something I will try to incorporate into my collection of beloved "Deep Breath" classical music.

Synopsis of L'Orfeo

In class we watched a large portion of a filmed performance of the Opera L'Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi (1567 - 1643).  I very much enjoyed the performance of the piece, and was too engaged by the video to take any notes during class.
The cast list here is not from my memory or notes, but found online at wikipedia:

La musica (Music)	soprano	Prologue
Orfeo (Orpheus)	tenor	Act 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Euridice (Eurydice)	soprano	Act 1, 4
La messaggera (The Messenger)	soprano	Act 2
Speranza (Hope)	soprano	Act 3
Caronte (Charon)	bass	Act 3
Proserpina (Proserpine)	soprano	Act 4
Plutone (Pluto)	bass	Act 4
Apollo	tenor	Act 5
Ninfa (Nymph)	soprano	Act 1
Eco (Echo)	tenor	Act 5
Ninfe e pastori (Nymphs and shepherds)	soprano, alto, tenor, bass	Act 1, 2, 5
Spiriti infernali (Infernal spirits)	tenor, bass	Act 3, 4

The opera is divided into 5 acts but begins first with a prologue.  The prologue is sung by La musica and serves to introduce the power of music and then bridges that to the main character Orfeo.  The staging was interesting for this part, as it involved La musica dressed kind of like a queen, and a man dressed like a king who did no singing but only made gestures toward La musica, and I think put some kind of crown on her head at one point.  The two of them then sit on opposite sides of the stage and watch the rest of Act I play out in front of them.   
Act I begins with shepherds and nymphs who are constantly joking, teasing, doing acrobats, and basically "hamming" up everything to the extreme.  The scene is the wedding day of Orfeo and Eurydice  who stand across from each other with a rope connecting them (or was it a Rapunzel-like braid of hair?) .  The chorus joins in at various points throughout the scene.  The chorus was made up of men in a balcony on stage right and women in a balcony on stage left all dressed up in fancy gowns and black suits.  They also appear to be observers of all that is taking place in the opera and often react to the things they are seeing below.  The happy couple leaves and the nymphs and shepherds sing one more song.
ACT II has Orfeo come back by himself and speak all about how happy he is now with Eurydice compared to his former life without her.  I remember the staging throughout this act involved a lute player actually coming on stage and being part of the show at various times.  Some of the camera angles and shots that were included in the final edit were a little bit awkward to me.  For example,  close-ups of Orfeo and Eurydice's faces while they were professing their love.  Act II ends in a bitter turn of events.  A friend of Eurydice's (La messagera) enters and gives the terrible news that Eurydice has been bitten by a snake and died.  The chorus mourns, the messenger mourns, and Orfeo is stricken with grief.  He declares his intention to descend to the underworld in an attempt to convince it's ruler to bring Eurydice back to life and failing that he will remain in the underworld as well. 
Act III is all about Orfeo arriving to the gates of Hades, confronting the ferryman Caronte, and eventually lulling him to sleep through the use of his lyre.  Once the ferryman is asleep, Orfeo steals the boat and crosses the river Styx.  I cannot say anything about it from memory, except that we watched a 30 second clip of Orfeo confronting the ferryman (Caronte) and was very impressed by the makeup and costume.  He truly looked like something not of this world. 
Act IV once again displays the power of Orfeo's music, as Proserpina, queen of Hades is affected by Orfeo's singing.  She petitions her husband king Plutone, for the release of Eurydice.  Plutone agrees on the condition that as he leads his wife out of Hades, Orfeo must not look back at her.  He does okay for awhile, but then begins to doubt whether she is still following.  We all know what happens next.  He looks back, Eurydice fades and is pulled back to the underworld and Orfeo is blocked from following.   
Act V begins with a long lament by Orfeo, now back home in the fields.  He resolves never to be hit by Cupid's arrow again (not to fall in love again) and the opera seems like it is going to end on this sad tone.  Suddenly, Apollo descends from the heavens, invites Orfeo to leave the world and join him in the heavens where he will see Eurydice's countenance in the stars.  Thus, the opera takes the sudden turn from sorrow to happiness, or at least a happier ending.     
   

Final Project: Introduction

Today's singer of the art song has probably heard of John Dowland, heard one or more of his pieces performed, and maybe had the opportunity of performing one himself.  One of Dowland's most famous pieces, "Flow My Tears", offers a chance to both sing high quality music, and to deal with some of the emotions we all feel as human beings.  It is my assertion that a fully immersed singing of this song can be both a work of art and serve as a catharsis for the stresses of our modern world.  It is to this end that I am attempting to create a singer's guide to "Flow My Tears" and providing several audio examples of performers who certainly immersed themselves into the music.