Musicians today are being called upon to reconcile a growing dilemma between preserving the best of past traditions while responding to contemporary culture, change, and innovation. Traditional performances of classical music are especially challenging with “aging” audiences and declining participation. Finding an audience for classical solo singing may be the most challenging. Unless a singer achieves considerable fame, often through opera performance, attendance at solo recitals appears destined to be modest as this venue seems to appeal to an increasingly limited audience.
The reasons for shrinking audiences are many. Modern consumers of entertainment crave bite-sized morsels of media, scrolling through smart phones and tablets and perusing the headlines of news articles rather than reading the actual content. They want convenience, opting for streaming movies in the comfort of their home as opposed to going out. People now even watch opera from a comfortable seat in a movie theater with popcorn and guilt-free bathroom (and cell phone) breaks, forgoing an uncomfortable seat in dress clothes.
These cultural preferences seem at odds with the traditional idea of the art song recital. Offering music in this genre presents its own set of challenges different from those of performing in opera let alone cinema, television, or theater. I spoke with three leading industry professionals—an administrator and stage director, a coach, and a successful opera singer and recitalist—for their thoughts on this struggling art form.
Not only are audiences shying away from the art song recital but, unfortunately, so are performers. Alan Darling—coach at the Bienen School of Music of Northwestern University, the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center of Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Merola Program of San Francisco Opera—discussed this phenomenon with me. With the exception of extremely well known—and, as a result, well paid—opera singers, recitalists rarely make enough money for performances to justify it. Recitals, much like new opera roles, require hours of research, practice, and coaching; however, they usually produce only a fraction of the compensation. Unlike with an opera, where the company provides the orchestra, singers must also arrange and compensate their own recital collaborators. Darling also stresses that even a performance at Carnegie Hall can yield only enough compensation to break even with travel and lodging expenses.
Established performers are not the only singers who are reticent to sing art song. In my voice studio experience, art song is the least commonly requested genre of music. Students of a classical bent generally prefer to skip the art song and delve right into the operatic repertoire. Musical theatre students often initially think of their art songs as the “classical stuff I have to get through before my teacher lets me belt.” More and more singers are interested in commercial music and pop a cappella music.
Why then do we force a genre of music upon our students who seem less and less interested in its study and performance? Art song lovers such as myself tout the benefits of studying this repertoire, including the richness and variety intrinsic in the poetry, the attention to detail needed in each miniature performance, the evolution of imagination in the absence of scenery and costume, and the development of foreign language vocabulary. Too often, these protestations fall upon the uninterested ears of students who have their hearts set on skipping what they see as an unnecessary first step.
With interest waning on the parts of both the audience and the performer, the art song recital seems to be something of an endangered species. With careful intervention, however, it is an art form that can not only survive but flourish.
By selecting the right repertoire, performers can ensure the viability of the song recital. Lawrence Brownlee—international opera singer, recording artist, and active recitalist—contends that the location of a recital and the audience’s sensibilities factor into the selection of recital repertoire. “Some presenting organizations have very knowledgeable audiences that ask for sophisticated recitals asking for several languages, etc.,” he says.
Brownlee also says that collaborating with a coach is helpful when selecting recital music. Darling agrees, explaining that the best recitals result from an honest discussion between singer and pianist about strengths and weaknesses and goals for the performance.
The singer needs to make other practical decisions as well. Unlike opera roles that a singer may revisit production after production, the crafting of a recital program almost always necessitates the inclusion of previously unperformed material. Brownlee makes it a rule to never add more than two new sets of music to his repertoire per recital. With his busy schedule, he wants to ensure that every piece he sings is thoroughly prepared and polished.
Jay Lesenger, artistic and general director of Chautauqua Opera from 1994–2015, programed an art song recital series for his young artists every summer and he agrees with Brownlee. Singers and coaches at Chautauqua select recital programs collaboratively, with recitals early in the season focused on reinvestigating familiar repertoire, and later recitals comprised predominantly of music new to the singer. This ensures variety for regular recital attendees but also encourages thoroughly prepared music and high-quality performances.
Lesenger is a strong proponent of the inclusion of “lighter” music in art song recitals for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, as a training program for young professionals, Chautauqua Opera encourages young artists to include operetta, Broadway, and folk music into their recitals to broaden and diversify each singer’s repertoire and performance skills. Lesenger also feels that ignoring those segments of the repertoire prohibits the exploration of a rich and diverse tradition of music and restricts the ability of performers to best entertain the audience.
For Brownlee, the inclusion of lighter music often depends upon the circumstances of the recital. Academic recitals and recitals for especially sophisticated audiences may not require lighter music. In fact, in some cases it may interfere with the ideal experience for those audiences. The exception to this is the African American spiritual repertoire.
While not necessarily “light,” many consider spirituals to be nontraditional within art song recitals. Brownlee, however, is dedicated to this tradition and its propagation. While he describes spirituals as a part of the African American experience, he contends that singers from any ethnic background have the right and ability “to perform these pieces and perform them well.”
Darling finds lighter repertoire appropriate when it serves the greater theme and objective of the recital. While the inclusion of recognizable tunes seems innocuous and even considerate, there is an underlying implication that troubles Darling. “We know you couldn’t possibly have enjoyed all that Schumann, so here’s some Broadway!”
This underlying idea not only potentially diminishes the importance, substance, and beauty of the art song repertoire but also implies a distrust of the audience to appreciate these things. In this way, a seemingly lighthearted addition to the end of a program can denigrate the entire recital and insult the sophistication of the audience. While a well thought-out program that is inclusive of recognizable and blithe music can be inviting to the audience, a tactless addition of froth can actually achieve the opposite effect.
Singers, teachers, and coaches should collaborate to create a representative, engaging, and varied program that best serves the strengths of the singer and the beauty and substance of the music. They can use recital programs of admired singers as a resource, as well as texts like Shirlee Emmons and Stanley Sonntag’s The Art of the Song Recital. As singers move beyond the academic realm and seek alternative performance opportunities, they can employ even more innovation and uniqueness in their programming.
In addition to creative song selection, the industry professionals I interviewed stressed communication first and foremost. Brownlee says that knowing the text in literal translation is not enough to effectively communicate an art song with the audience. “I write every possible emotion of any song and try to find ways to color those words [through] dynamics, accents, and phrasing,” he says.
“Everyone brings their own personal experience to any performance and [singers] have artistic license to use [their] own tools and ideas to be effective in communicating the piece being performed,” he continues. For Brownlee, finding the emotional message of a piece and utilizing our experiences as human beings is what creates a truly communicative performance.
Lesenger agrees. “[Art songs] are miniature plays or operas for one actor,” he says. “The venues are intimate . . . so making direct contact with the audience is essential.” Treating every art song as an independent story, with a journey for a character, will engage the audience in a compelling way.
He also contends that strict adherence to a perceived need for formality interferes with direct communication with the audience. “Art song would not be languishing if singers were less formal, would break the rules, and [would] talk more . . . honestly to the hearers,” Lesenger concludes.
Darling also talks about the importance of the interplay between the singer and pianist. The composer communicates the song’s message not just through the text or melody but also through the setting, accompaniment, and interludes. Singers must ensure the subtext they employ matches the composer’s intent. This is essential for a unified performance.
For art song to be truly effective for a new generation of audiences, Darling advocates for “thinking outside the box.” He founded a performance group and concept called “No Tiny Birds.” The tiny birds the name alludes to are the kind that might fit neatly in the shape made by many art song recitalists with both hands outstretched together as if holding something delicate while standing in the crook of the piano. No Tiny Birds presents art song repertoire in nontraditional environments.
For example, a group of four singers presented a program of art song
centering on Charles Ives. They primarily sang songs by Ives himself but also included a few songs by other composers—such as Liszt, Brahms, Schubert, and Debussy—selected by virtue of their known influence on Ives. Various performers staged these songs as vignettes from Ives’ life in quasi-chronological order to form a narrative. The recital began and ended with the line “scenes from my childhood are with me” from the last of Ives’ Three Songs of the War.
Recitalists are also increasingly implementing audio/visual components as a means to engage audiences in new ways. I’ve seen this technique employed with varying degrees of success, but was especially impressed by Scott McCoy and Ryan Behan’s presentation of Franz Schubert’s <emWinterreise at the Ohio State University. They projected translations and evocative animated images throughout the work. These projections highlighted, but did not detract from, the music being presented.
Lesenger advocates for the expansion of the recital into nontraditional venues, arguing that the genre should move beyond universities and recital halls because audiences there are already committed to the art form.
“Make opportunities to sing!” he exclaims. “At church, community halls, friends’ and families’ homes, for the elderly . . . at the end of the day, people love singing.” While it seems a simple concept, Lesenger contends that we cannot simply tweak the recital details and expect the masses to arrive, but instead must work to bring art to the people where they are if we want to build a new audience of art song lovers.
Many of these ideas to revitalize the art song recital genre fit well with emerging and established professionals and community recitals. Applying these ideas to the standard academic recital, however, seems difficult. How do those in academic positions draw on these ideas to attempt to expand the appeal and broaden the audiences for student, faculty, and guest recitals?
Working in a cross-curricular fashion brings in a built-in audience. Commemorating a milestone birthday of a famous poet, for example, gives a music program a chance to collaborate with the English department and plan events centered on this individual. This could include poetry readings with piano accompaniment, ensemble performances of compositions originating from the poet’s place of birth, and solo recitals of settings of that poet’s text. Not only will this draw in audiences that might not typically attend musical performances, but it will also foster a cooperative spirit among the faculty at the university.
This idea is not limited to literature. Cooperation among theater and music programs is often strained as the two groups often compete for audiences, performers, venues, and resources. But such programs can look for opportunities to collaborate. For example, the theater program’s performance of Damn Yankees—a modernized telling of the Faust story—could easily be paired with opera scenes from Gounod’s Faust or a performance of Berlioz’s The Damnation of Faust; solo recitals of the poetry of Goethe, especially “Gretchen am Spinnrade” or “Mignons Lied;” or a general themed performance which playfully examines the character of the devil. We can garner new audiences who never thought to attend an art song recital or other musical performance but who will attend because it is a part of a series of events that focus on a subject matter of interest.
For student recitals, music programs require an inclusion of various languages and style periods to ensure that each graduate is proficient in these different aspects of the repertoire. It can seem difficult to be innovative with the standard senior recital requirements. But singers can still ensure that the programming is varied and engaging.
The dramatic study of art song can encourage effective communication. Opera workshops discuss the acting elements of arias and ensembles—but in the most effective opera workshop classes I’ve observed, teachers dedicate time to bringing the same interpretive strategies to the art song repertoire.
Finally, rather than discouraging or outright disallowing the performance of academic recitals off campus, students could be encouraged to perform their recitals in churches, community centers, schools, and senior living facilities. In this way, we are providing a service not only to students but also to the community.
While the outlook for the art song recital can seem a bit bleak at cursory glance, the tools needed to revitalize the art form and bring it to an entirely new audience are within reach. Proper artist compensation, smart repertoire choices, presentation innovation, effective communication with audiences, and cooperative audience building are central to the cause of preserving this performance style for future generations.
