German Lieder listening
If you are new to German Lieder or already a listener here are a few recommendations:
Johannes Brahms - Feinsliebchen, du sollst mir nicht barfuss gehn (from 49 Deutsche Volkslieder) Irmgard Seedfried; soprano, Erik Werba; piano
Gustav Mahler - Nun will die Sonn so Hell aufgehn (from Kindertotenlieder) Kathleen Ferrier; mezzo-soprano, Bruno Walter; conductor
Robert Schumann - Seit ich ihn gesehen (From Frauenliebe und Leben) Irmgard Seedfried; soprano, Erik Werba; piano
Franz Schubert - Gesänge Des Harfners Matthias Goerne; baritone, Andreas Haeflinger; piano
thanks to Procrastination Under a Groove for the recordings.
A few words from Rosa Raisa
“I will speak somewhat softly, since speaking seems to tire me much more than singing, for what reason I do not know. We singers must think a little of our physical well being, you see. This means keeping regular hours, living very simply and taking a moderate amount of exercise.”
“So many young singers are so impatient; they want to prepare themselves in three or four years for a career. Perhaps they may come before a public after that length of time but they will only know a part, a little of all they ought to know. The singer who spends nine or ten years in preparation can sing anything, the music of the old as well as of the new.”
Amelita Galli-Curci - “Teaching oneself to sing”
“I was sent to the Conservatorio and graduated with a gold medal as a pianist. This won me some distinction and enabled me to tour as a pianist. Mascagni called upon us at that time and I asked him to hear me sing. He threw up his hands saying, ‘Start to work at once to develop your voice.’ I went to two teachers in Milan but was so dissatisfied that I was determined that it would be necessary for me to develop my own voice.
It was no easy matter to give up the success which attended my pianistic appearances to be in a long term of self study and self development. I took a number of piano pupils and gave lessons for four years and in my spare time worked with my voice, all by myself, with my friend, the piano. My guiding principles were:
There must be as little consciousness of effort in the throat as possible. There must always be the Joy of Singing
Success is based upon sensation, whether it feels right to me in my mouth, in my throat, that I know, and nobody else can tell me.
I devoted most of my time to slower exercises at first. What could be simpler than this?
How to take an intriguing picture
Birgit Nilsson
Irmgard Seefried
Kathleen Ferrier
More good advice from Ernestine Schumann-Heink
“Of course I take great pains to practice carefully. I will start with the following:
This I sing in middle voice and very softly. Thereby I do not become tired and I don’t bother the neighborhood. If I sang this in the big, full lower tones and sang loud, my voice would be fatigued rather than benefited and the neighbors would hate me.
I know nothing better for aquiring a flexible tone than to sing trills like the following:
and at the same time preserve a gentle, smiling expression. Smile as though you were genuinely amused at something - smile until your upper teeth are covered. Then try these exercises with the vowel ‘Ah.’ Don’t be afraid of getting a trivial colorless tone. It is easy enough to make the tone sombre by willing it so. You will be amazed what this smiling expression will do to relieve stiffness and help you in placing your voice right. The old Italians knew about it and advocated it strongly”.
-Ernestine Schumann-Heink (1861-1936) describes her vocal exercises
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau from a 1980 masterclass at the Berliner Hochschule für Musik. The piece is Robert Schumann’s Liederkreis op. 39 No. 6 - Schöne Fremde. Even if one isn’t a German speaker there is much to be gained from DFD’s expressions.
Ernestine Schumann-Heink
contralto Ernestine Schumann-Heink’s typical menu while on tour:
Breakfast:
Two or more glasses of Cold Water (not ice water)
Ham and Eggs
Coffee
Toast
Midday Dinner:
Soup
Some Meat Order
A Vegetable
Plenty of Salad
Fruit
Supper:
A Sandwich
Fruit
