Introducing the CASP Song Spotlight
Introducing the Cuban Art Song Project's "Song Spotlight". Each month we will highlight a "petite" version of our favorite Cuban songs. We kick this month off with Eduardo Sánchez de Fuente's La Volanta. The volanta, or steering wheel was an open carriage, popular in the mid 1800s, similar to a quitrìn (pictured below). Sánchez de Fuente's charming song La Volanta describes our coquettish protagonist, (the daughter of a wealthy coffee farmer) asking her Calesero (coachman or driver) to go slowly while she savors and contemplates. She is waiting for her lover in the guardarraya, the path alongside the coffee plants. She later asks her Calesero not to tell her father what they've been up to.
I thoroughly enjoy performing this song and like to pair it with Jorge Anckermann's equally charming El Quitrín. ***Evidently carriage songs were very popular as subject material in the late 19th century.
Both La Volanta and El Quitrín are perfect examples of what we in the classical world think of as art songs. In general, art songs are a type of musical composition, usually for solo voice and piano, often with poetic lyrics.
These songs are characterized by:
Combination of Poetry and Music
Art songs are usually based on well-crafted poetry, with composers striving to enhance the emotional and narrative elements of the text through their music.
Piano Accompaniment
The piano accompaniment plays a crucial role, often providing not just harmonic support but also contributing to the mood and atmosphere, sometimes even reflecting the themes of the lyrics.
Form
While the art song can vary in structure they are often strophic (same music or melody but different lyrics) or through-composed (continuous, non-repetitive) forms.
Emotional Expression
These works aim to convey deep emotions and complex feelings, making them expressive and often introspective.
Historical Context
When we think of art song, we typically think of this genre peaking in popularity during the 19th century in the Romantic period of music. The german lied or french chanson come to mind and composers like Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Gustav Mahler, Gabriel Fauré, and Claude Debussy were masters in the art song.
Performance
Art songs typically are presented in a concert setting, often as part of a recital in a more intimate setting (though they certainly can be presented in large scaled venues).
When I studied classical voice at The Boston Conservatory, preparing and performing art songs were a large part of the curriculum. Each semester we were required (as part of our jury) to sing several art songs which had to be in German, French, Italian, and sometimes English for a panel of professors who would grade us based on our technical and interpretive proficiency. In short, I really learned how to sing classically through art songs.
Fast forward to living in NYC as a professional singer and I frequently am asked to sing arias (songs from oratorios and operas) and musical theatre songs, but almost never have the opportunity to perform art songs. As a performer, I also prefer the theatricality and heightened expressivity of arias to the more subtle quality of German and French art song. I was so excited to discover that many Cuban art songs feature elements of classical art song (poetry, piano accompaniment, a self-contained quality) with rhythm and melody that feel much more theatrical and exciting than most European art song.
Expanding the idea of what is an art song
When you hear the term, "classical music," most people mean any music that feels like it would belong in a concert hall. It evokes thoughts of acoustic spaces, technical proficiency, and requires rigorous preparation to perform well. In academic terms, classical music only refers to music written during the classical era (roughly 1730-1820) when Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven were writing. Similarly, art song means something specific to musicologists that probably wouldn't include a lot of the music we perform with CASP. However, I chose the name Cuban Art Song Project to connect cuban art music to the larger art song tradition and to indicate the seriousness with which it should be treated. To me, art song describes the manner in which an artist prepares (intense rehearsal, analysis, and vocal coordination) and presents (formal concert setting, piano and voice, etc.) a piece.
Abrazos,
Isabella
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