The Theatrical Vocal Music of Nancy Van de Vate: Volume I 1958-2000

By Michelle Vought

A specialist in contemporary music, soprano Michelle Vought has made nine recordings for Vienna Modern Masters. In 2005 at Illinois State University, where she is Professor of Voice, she produced and performed in the world premiere of Van de Vate’s one-act opera, Where the Cross Is Made, based on the play by Eugene O’Neill. The recording of this performance was released in 2006 on VMM 4006.

In 2011 in Olomouc, Czech Republic, Vought sang the role of Ophelia with the Moravian Philharmonic in the world premiere recording of Nancy Van de Vate’s opera, Hamlet, released in 2012 on VMM 4008. She performed in Vienna and again in the Czech Republic in 2014, where she was featured as guest artist and lecturer, together with Van de Vate, at Masaryk University in Brno. During their 22-year collaboration, the two musicians have travelled and presented concerts together in many countries.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Jan 7, 2015
• ISBN: 9781483424231

Book preview

The Theatrical Vocal Music

of

Nancy Van de Vate

Volume I 1958-2000

by

Michelle Vought

Copyright © 2014 Nancy Van de Vate.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

‘A Night in the Royal Ontario Museum’ from The Animals in That Country by Margaret Atwood originally published by Oxford University Press, ©1968. Reprinted by permission of the Author.

Interior Graphics/Art Credit: Nancy Van de Vate

ISBN: 978-1-4834-2044-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-2423-1 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 12/29/2014

CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter 1   Profile Of The Composer

Biography

Style

Chapter 2    A Night In The Royal Ontario Museum

Profile Of The Work

Musical And Dramatic Flow

Performance Considerations

Chapter 3    Cocaine Lil

Profile Of The Work

Musical And Dramatic Flow

Performance Considerations

Chapter 4    In The Shadow Of The Glen

Profile Of The Work

Musical And Dramatic Flow

Performance Considerations

Chapter 5    Nemo: Jenseits Von Vulkania

Profile Of The Work

Musical And Dramatic Flow

Performance Considerations

Conclusion

Bibliography

Discography

PREFACE

Twentieth-century theater music provides an ideal vehicle with which composers, performers, and listeners can explore and become familiar with contemporary idioms. Audiences find theater pieces accessible because of the dramatic features of staging, lighting, properties, costumes, and characterization; listeners seem more open to musical innovation in such a context. Composers, while using the tools of a broad twentieth-century musical language, can create through this amalgamation of music and theater a unique product of self-expression.

As a performer, I have a special interest in twentieth-century music, particularly theater music, and find it not only very engaging, but also challenging and extremely gratifying to perform. I know that my ear, as well as my overall musicianship, continues to improve with each new piece. Of the four works discussed here, I have performed in three, and each performance was a unique experience, both for me and for the audience

This project was first undertaken as my dissertation for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. It is fortunate that since that time all of the works discussed have been professionally recorded and released on compact disc, making my commentary more immediately accessible. These recordings are now also universally available over the Internet from Naxos Music Library or on You Tube

I am deeply indebted to Nancy Van de Vate and her colleague Meaghan Burke for their assistance in preparing the material for publication and hope this book not only illustrates the excellence of the four works included, but also brings a broader understanding to all contemporary theatrical vocal music.

Michelle Vought

Normal, Illinois, June 2014

CHAPTER ONE

Biography

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Nancy Van de Vate, born Nancy Jean Hayes on December 30, 1930, in Plainfield, New Jersey, studied piano as a young girl and made her debut as a concert pianist in 1946. During her high school years, her piano teacher, Mary Grissom of Plainfield, recognizing her unusual talent, arranged a scholarship for additional study with master teacher, Anton Rovinsky, who came to Plainfield once each week from New York. Van de Vate worked with Mr. Rovinsky for one year, then in 1948 entered the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, as a piano performance major, studying with Cécile Genhart.

After one year of intensive study at Eastman, Van de Vate transferred as a sophomore to Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Wanting a somewhat broader education leading to both the Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Arts degrees, her plan was to return to Eastman every summer, then for an additional year, to complete a B.Mus. in piano, having already completed a B.A. in music theory at Wellesley.

In the summer of 1950, after her first year at Wellesley, she returned to Eastman, again studying piano with Cécile Genhart. The following summer, however, she spent in Europe, working at a children’s camp in Menton, France for several weeks, then traveling in Italy and England. On June 9, 1952 she married Dwight Van de Vate, Jr. in the Wellesley College Chapel after having graduated earlier that day. The couple moved to New Haven, Connecticut, where they remained until the summer of 1955, and Van de Vate did not return to Eastman to complete the Bachelor of Music degree.

However, in 1954 she resumed studying piano with Bruce Simonds of the Yale School of Music. After her husband accepted his first teaching position at the University of Mississippi in the fall of 1955, she began to study music composition there with Arthur Kreutz. In 1958 she became the first person to be awarded the Master of Music degree in composition by that institution. In 1963 Van de Vate entered the doctoral program in composition at Florida State University, studying with John Boda. She completed the D. Mus. in 1968, the first woman to earn that degree in composition at Florida State, which awarded no further doctorates in composition to women until the late 1970s. She later undertook post-doctoral study in electronic music as a participant in the 1972 Summer Electronic Music Institute at Dartmouth College and the University of New Hampshire.

Throughout her career, Van de Vate has worked