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D'Anna Fortunato, mezzo-soprano
Born in Evanston, Illinois in 1913, Gardner Read has enjoyed a prolific and varied career as composer, conductor, teacher, and author. As a high school student majoring in music he studied piano and organ privately and took lessons in composition at Northwestern University's School of Music. During the summers of 1932 and 1933 he studied composition and conducting at the National Music Camp, Interlochen, Michigan, where in 1940 he taught composition and orchestration. In the fall of 1932 Gardner Read was awarded a four-year scholarship to the Eastman School of Music, where his principal teachers were Bernard Rogers and Howard Hanson.
In 1938, on a Cromwell Traveling Fellowship to Europe, he studied with Ildebrando Pizzetti in Rome and briefly with Jan Sibelius in Finland just prior to the outbreak of war in 1939. A 1941 fellowship to the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood enabled him to study with Aaron Copland. From 1941 to 1948 Read headed the composition departments of the St. Louis Institute of Music, the Kansas city Conservatory of Music, and the Cleveland Institute of Music. In 1948 he was appointed composer-in-residence and professor of composition at the School of Music, Boston University, retiring as Professor Emeritus in 1978. He has taught at the Limberlost Music Camp in Indiana, and in 1966 was a visiting professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Read has held resident fellowships at both the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire, and the Huntington Hartford Foundation in California. In 1964 he was awarded an honorary doctorate in music by Doane College. His activities as a conductor include two seasons with the St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra as principal conductor, and appearances with the major symphony orchestras of Boston, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh, leading his own works.
His major awards include first prize in the 1937 New York Philharmonic Symphony Society's American Composers Contest for his Symphony No. 1, Op. 30, and premiered by the orchestra under the baton of Sir John Barbirolli; first prize in the 1943 Paderewski Fund Competition for his Symphony No. 2, Op. 45, given its first performance by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the composer; the Eastman School of Music Alumni Achievement Award in 1982, and first prize in the 1986 National Association of Teachers of Singing Art Song competition for his Nocturnal Visions, Op. 145.
"Overshadowed by his achievements in instrumental forms, Gardner Read's wonderful atmospheric songs go virtually unnoticed," in the opinion of the authors of A Singer's Guide to the American Art Song. "With their gracious, comfortable melodic lines, Read's lovely, sensitively crafted, unpretentious songs should be a boon to singers looking for something fresh and unhackneyed. For the most part he has set first-rate lyric poems by lesser known American poets and interpreted them with sensibility, imagination, and an exceptional gift for evoking their mood."
As a longtime, committed composer of art songs and of choral music, I have always been drawn to poetry that is rich in vivid imagery "where sheep lie down to wait for morning's dew," (track 20) for instance, or "when moonlight falls on the water," (track 6), or "while envious fireflies spoil the twinkling dew," (track 14), and "eager people, banners dreaming, marble gleaming" (track 17) all evoke a positive musical response to the poem's compelling imagery. On the other hand, poetry that is heavily philosophical in tone, is basically narrative-oriented, or is motivated by social protest, for example, seldom stirs the creative juices for me.
Stylistically, my vocal music here recorded ranges from overt romanticism (The First Jasmines (track 11 and 21), or Night of All Nights (track 20), to various degrees of impressionism (such as The Lute of Jade (tracks 13-15), in which there is not a scintilla of "Chinese" music, or the Four Nocturnes (tracks 6-9)), to an almost folklike simplicity, even naiveté, exemplified by the Song of Innocence (track 12) or It is pretty in the City (track 17). These different vocal styles, however, are not the result of calculated choice but are determined only by the perceived musical potentialities of the poetic text. A clearly defined melodic line and a varied and apt accompanimental support are the twin basic criteria that have always shaped my vocal writing.
It will perhaps seem curious to some that there are two settings of Tagore's The First Jasmines (tracks 11 and 21) included here. The initially composed version of the poem is that appearing in Songs to Children (track 11) for mezzo-soprano and instruments; the second version is a later revision, originally designed for baritone voice and piano as part of the Nocturnal Visions (track 21). Because this song comprises such an integral part of both cycles, it was deemed essential that it appear twice on the recording at hand.
The final song on the disc, I Hear an Army (track 22) is the most dramatic and the most complex, harmonically and rhythmically, of all the songs included here. It might be pointed out that no two settings of the same poem by two different composers could be more diametrically contrasted than my own version, first composed in 1940 for baritone and large orchestra, and that of Samuel Barber, dating from 1936, the same year he wrote his First Symphony. Composers, it would seem, do not invariably emulate each other's style, even when drawn to the identical, first-rate literary source.
Mezzo-soprano D'Anna Fortunato is widely acclaimed for her richly-colored voice and superior musical intelligence. Her schedule this season reflects her extraordinary versatility. She celebrates her tenth season as the alto member of the Bach Aria Group, teaching seminars and performing at SUNY-Stonybrook and St. John the Divine in New York City; concert appearances with the New Hampshire Music Festival in Mozart's C Minor Mass, Emmanuel Music in Handel's Solomon (Queen of Sheba), Craig Smith conducting, the Masterworks Chorale in Dvorak's Stabat Mater; the Sioux City Symphony for both Mahler's Second Symphony and Verdi's Requiem, and with the Worcester Concert Association. Her opera assignments include Hansel and Gretel (The Mother) with the Boston Aria Guild; Strauss' Arabella (Adelaide) with the Boston Academy of Music, and with the Cambridge Lieder and Opera Society in Handel's Rodelinda (Eduige). Her many chamber and recital appearances include the American Schubert Institute, the Provincetown Festival, and Wellesley, Stonehill, and Allegheny colleges, where she will hold master classes as well.
A "fresh, inventive, urbane, and keen-witted young composer" (Boston Globe) and "a splendid pianist with a born pianist's command
of colors, textures, dynamics" (Boston Globe), John McDonald has earned international acclaim as a musician. His compositions have been performed on four continents, and his work is frequently featured in the United States by such ensembles as ALEA III, Boston Composers String Quartet, Hartt Contemporary Players, and Marimolin. Recently, McDonald served as Cultural Specialist in Mongolia, where he premiered his Music for Piano and String Orchestra and worked with students on his pedagogical works. In his performing capacity, recent honors include a Duo Recitalists' Grant from the NEA, an Artistic Ambassadorship to Asia, and an Artists' Residency at M.I.T. with soprano Karol Bennet (1995, 1993, 1990-91). The Bennet/McDonald performance of Hindemith's Das Marienleben at Boston's Goethe-Institut was hailed as Best Song Recital for 1995 by the Boston Globe, and their recording of John Harbison's Simple Daylight appears on Archetype Records.
Melia Repko, harpist, has received her Masters degree from New England Conservatory and a Bachelors degree from Peabody Conservatory. She has premiered and recorded works by John Harbison, Michael Colgrass, and Malcolm Peyton. Composers Earl Kim and Gunther Schuller have coached her in performances of their pieces, and Daniel Pinkham has dedicated his Divertimento for Trumpet and Harp to Melia and trumpeter Alex Schmauk. Currently, in addition to an active career as chamber musician and soloist, Melia performs with the Albany Symphony and the Lexington Sinfonietta.
Violinist Jennifer Elowitch is the Artistic Co-Director of the Portland Chamber Music Festival. She is a member of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, performs regularly with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and tours with the Mark Morris Dance Group. Ms. Elowitch is on the faculties of the Longy School of Music and the New England Conservatory Preparatory School.
Violinist Danielle Maddon performs often with groups such as the Handel & Haydn Society, Boston Baroque, Emmanuel Music, The Cantata Singers and The Boston Pops. She is concertmaster of Emmanuel Music, and is heard often on WGBH Boston's broadcasts of Emmanuel's Bach Cantata series. As a soloist, she has recently appeared with the Brookline Symphony in concerti by Mendelssohn, Bruch and Beethoven, and with Emmanuel Music in the Bach Brandenberg Concerti. Her chamber music groups include Music At Eden's Edge, Amadeus Virtuosi of New York, and The Onyx Trio.
Violist Anne Black, an active performer of contemporary music in the Boston area, is a member of Dinosaur Music Ensemble and Trio Capriccio. She has performed with Extension Works, Phantom Arts Ensemble, Alea III, Harvard University Fromm concerts and the Lydian Quartet. Ms. Black is Principal Viola of the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, with whom she premiered as well as recorded Ezra Sims' Concertpiece for Viola and Chamber Orchestra for CRI. She also performs with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra and the Handel and Haydn Society. Anne Black teaches violin and viola at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.
Michael Curry, cellist, was trained at Juilliard, Harvard, and New England Conservatory; his major teachers were David Finckel and Laurence Lesser. He was awarded two fellowships to study at the Berkshire Music Center, Tanglewood, where he won the Albert Spalding Prize for outstanding string playing. He performs with groups such as the Boston Pops, Boston Lyric Opera, Boston Ballet, and Emmanuel Music, and is the long-time cellist of Dinosaur Annex Music Ensemble. He has recorded for Albany, Centaur, CRI, New World, Gasparo, and other labels.
The Ariel Quintet was established in 1984 by five New England Conservatory graduates. Since that time the quintet was awarded an Artist's Diploma from the Longy School of Music where they were coached by Christopher Krueger and Victor Rosenbaum. The group has competed as finalists in competitions sponsored by the Shorelline Alliance for the Arts and East-West Artists Management. The Ariel quintet has been featured in a wide range of activities throughout New England including formal recitals, educational programs, concert series, and radio broadcasts. They have recorded Peter Child's Woodwind Quintet for the CRI label and Daniel Pinkham's Advent Cantata for the Koch International label. The members of the quintet are active as freelance performers and teachers in the New England area.
Clare Nielsen, flute, received her Bachelor of Music with Distinction in Flute performance from New England Conservatory of Music and her Master of Arts in Music History from Tufts University. In addition to teaching and freelancing in the Boston area, she is a member of the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra.
Nick Hart, oboe, received his Bachelor of Music from the University of Michigan and his Master of Music from New England Conservatory of Music. As an active freelancer, he has performed with such groups as the Boston Ballet Orchestra, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. Nick also teaches oboe privately in the Boston area.
Rebecca Leonard, clarinet, received her Bachelor of Music in Clarinet performance from New England Conservatory of Music. She is on the faculty of the University of Massachusetts in Lowell and Brown University. An active freelance player in several area orchestras and chamber music groups, she is also a frequent theatre musician and performer on the bass clarinet. She is currently a member of the Nashua Symphony Orchestra.
Ellen Donohue-Saltman, horn, received her Master of Music from the New England Conservatory and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Massachusetts. She and her husband direct a summer music camp, Camp Encore/Coda, in Maine. She also teaches horn privately and freelances in the Boston area.
Tracy McGinnis, bassoon, graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music with a Masters in Bassoon performance in 1982, where she studied with Sol Schoenbach. She lived abroad for several years performing in orchestras in South Africa and Israel, and returned to the United States in 1989. Tracy was the 1993 first prize winner of the Alpha Delta Kappa Music Competition. She performs often as a solo recitalist in the New England area and has coached with such solo artists as bassoonist Frank Morelli and oboist Humbert Lucarelli. Currently, she is principal bassoonist with the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra in New London and freelances in the New England area.
Three Songs for Mezzo-Soprano, Op. 68 (1946)
O hearts that are heavy with earth,
Let the world thunder away or pass overhead
with the dead of another day.
And if you must beat with the times
since the times are yours.
Follow the course of a river, the source of the seas,
or resign yourselves to the skies.
Nature is older and wiser than you'll ever be,
And nothing you may hide from her can make her weep.
For she has a star for you where the children sleep.
Alfred Kreymborg (1883-1970)
Used by permission. Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., 1950
Up and down the river the barges go:
Whether moons are yellow, whether stars flow
Softly over city, softly over town,
Sleepily the barges go up and down.
Up and down the river on summer nights
the barges drift, and emerald lights
and crimson prick the darkness
under blown out stars and gathering thunder.
Up and down the river the barges go,
Up and down the darkness river winds blow,
And sleepers in a city and sleepers in a town
Dream of the barges going up and down.
Frances Frost (19056-1959)
As I walked through the meadows to take the fresh air,
The flowers were blooming and gay;
I heard a fair damsel so sweetly asinging.
Her cheeks like a blossom in May.
Said I: Pretty maiden and how came you here
In the meadows this morning so soon?
The maid she replied: For to gather some may,
For the trees thay are all in full bloom.
Said I: Pretty maiden shall I go with you
To the meadows to gather some may?
O no, sir, she said, I would rather refuse,
For I fear you would lead me astray.
Then I took this fair maid by the lily-white hand;
On the green mossy bank we sat down;
And I placed a kiss on her sweet rosy lips,
While the small birds were singing around.
And when we arose from the green mossy bank,
To the meadows we wandered away;
I placed my love on a primrose bank
While I picked her a handful of may.
Then early next morning I made her my bride,
That the world might have nothing to say,
The bells they did ring and the birds they did sing,
And I crowned her the sweet Queen of May.
From Songs for a Rainy Night, Op. 48 (1938-40)
Never a second time this rain, this night.
Never a second time this tree, mist-blown,
Nor this gray light so quick upon the heart;
What things are known briefly, what things touch
The moment into flame, and die,
being too much for the taut heart to bear?
Never these things twice, never a second time
Beauty's rain-wet lips upon the hair.
Used by permission. Associated Music Publishers, Inc., 1946.
All day I hear the noise of waters making moan,
Sad as the sea-bird is when, going forth alone,
He hears the winds cry to the water's monotone.
The gray winds, the cold winds are blowing where I go.
I hear the noise of many waters, far below.
All day, all night, I hear them flowing to and fro.
Used by permission. From Chamber Music.
Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., 1950.
Four Nocturnes, Op. 23 (1933-34)
When moonlight falls on the water
It is like fingers touching the chords of a harp
on a misty, misty day. When moonlight strikes the water
I cannot get it into my poem;
I only hear the tinkle of ripplings of light.
When I see the water's fingers
and the moon's rays intertwined,
I think of all the words I love to hear,
and try to find words white enough for such shining.
Used by permission. From Shoes of the Wind.
Galaxy Music Corp., 1945.
Flutter'd moth wings of vapor and flame;
The lights danced over the mountains,
Star after star they came.
The lights grew thicker unheeded,
For silent and still were we;
Our hearts were drunk with a beauty,
Our eyes could never see.
George W. Russell (1867-1935)
Used by permission. From The Collected Poems of G.W. Russell.
Macmillan Company, Publishers.
Associated Music Publishers, Inc., 1945.
A fragile bud, as white as jade,
on a single jasmine flow'r,
Perfumes the night outside my window
Hush'd as snow in early evening,
Melting as a warbler's song in rain,
It shines, a small white peace in the dark:
Beauty's breath, muting pain.
Thy beauty haunts me heart and soul,
O thou fair moon, so close and bright;
Thy beauty makes me like the child
That cries aloud to own thy light;
The little child that lifts each arm
To press thee to her bosom warm.
Though there are birds that sing this night,
With thy white beams across their throats,
Let my deep silence speak for me
More than for them their sweetest notes;
Who worships thee 'till music fails
Is greater than thy nightingales.
William H. Davies (1870-1940)
Associated Music Publishers, Inc., 1945.
Songs To Children, Op. 76 (1947-49)
The mountains waver through my tears, Hush, my son.
The trees are bending at the knees
Like women broken by the years.
But you, my child, need have no fears;
Only for women love has spears. Sleep, my son.
So cuddle closer to my heart. Dream, my son.
Tis strange to think that you find peace
Here, where all stormy passions start.
But you need fear no ache or smart
The pain is always woman's part. Sleep, my son.
Jean Starr Untermeyer (1886-1970)
Used by permission. Galaxy Music Corp., 1957.
Ah, these jasmines, these white jasmines!
I seem to remember the first day when I filled my hands
with these jasmines, these white jasmines.
I have loved the sunlight, the sky and the green earth;
I have heard the liquid murmur of the river
through the darkness of midnight;
Autumn sunsets have come to me
at the bend of the road in the lonely waste
like a bride raising her veil to accept her lover.
Yet my memory is still sweet with the first white jasmines
that I held in my hand when I was a child.
Many a glad day has come in my life,
and I have laughed with the merry makers on festival nights.
On grey mornings of rain I have crooned many an idle song.
I have worn 'round my neck the evening wreath of bakulas
woven by the hand of love.
Yet my heart is still sweet with the memory of the first
fresh jasmines that filled my hands, when I was a child.
Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)
Used by permission. From The Crescent Moon. Macmillan Publishing Company.
Piping down the valleys wild,
Piping songs of pleasant glee,
On a cloud I saw a child,
And he laughing said to me:
"Pipe a song about a Lamb!"
So I piped with merry cheer.
"Piper, pipe that song again;"
so I piped: he wept to hear.
"Drop thy pipe, thy happy pipe;
Sing thy songs of happy cheer."
So I sang the same again,
While he wept with joy to hear.
and write in a book that all may read."
So he vanished from my sight,
And I pluck'd a hollow reed,
And I stain'd the water clear,
And I wrote my happy songs
Ev'ry child may joy to hear.
William Blake (1757-1827)
From The Oxford Book of English Verse.
Galaxy Music Corp., 1957.
(Published as Piping Down the Valleys Wild.)
From a Lute of Jade, Op. 36(1934-35)
High o'er the hill the moon barque steers,
The lantern lights depart.
Dead springs are stirring in my heart;
But that which makes my grief more deep
Is that you know not when I weep.
Wang Seng-Ju (6th century A.D.)
Into the night the sounds of luting flow;
The west wind stirs 'mid the rootcrop blue,
While envious fireflies spoil the twinkling dew,
And early wildgeese stem the dark Kinho.
Now great trees tell their secrets to the sky,
And hill on hill looms in the moon clear night.
I watch one leaf upon the river light
And in a dream go drifting down the Hwai.
Po Chü-I (7th century A.D.)
The sun is ever full and bright,
The pale moon waneth night by night.
My heart that once was full of light,
Is but a dying moon tonight.
But when I dream of thee apart,
I would the dawn might lift my heart,
Confucius (5th century B.C.)
Composers Press, Inc., 1943.
A Sheaf of Songs, Op. 84 (1949-50)
Droop, little feather'd head, Fold your weary wings.
Lulaby! Lulaby! Now the wind sings.
Dream, little silken cat, Sheathe your padded claw.
Warm is the firelight, Barr'd is the door.
Bleat, little woolly lambs, Safe within the fold.
The patient shepherd guards you. The moon is old.
Come, little drowsy child, Put away your toys.
Waiting round the corner Are all tomorrow's joys.
Used by permission. Southern Music Publishing Co., 1951.
It is pretty in the city, tower and steeple,
eager people, banners dreaming, marble gleaming,
narrow sky, so blue, so high,
and the night's bewildering lights, sun and moon
gone so soon, rivers flowing, seaward going on each hand.
I understand some declare it is ugly there,
but I say anyway it is pretty in the city.
Elizabeth Coatsworth (1892-1986)
Used by permission. Southern Music Publishing Co., 1953.
Little Lamb, who made thee? Dost thou know who made thee?
Gave thee life and gave thee feed?
By the stream and o'er the mead; Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing woolly bright; Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice?
Little Lamb, who made thee? Dost thou know who made thee?
Little Lamb, I'll tell thee, Little Lamb, I'll tell thee.
He is called by thy name, For He calls Himself a Lamb.
He is meek, and he is mild; He became a little child.
I a child and thou a lamb, We are called by His name.
Little Lamb, God bless thee! Little Lamb, God bless thee!
Sister, awake, Close not your eyes,
The day her light discloses.
And the bright morning doth arise,
See the clear sun, the world's bright eye,
In at our window peeping,
Lo, how he blushes to espy us idle wenches sleeping,
Therefore awake, Make haste I say,
And let us without staying
All in our gowns of green so gay,
Thomas Bateson (1570-1627)
Nocturnal Visions, Op. 145 (1985)
Night of all nights, rich with the wind's wild laughter!
Your thick blue skies, fleecelin'd with floating white;
Night of all nights, your sparkling moonlit water
Calls me to run and run into the night!
Music is in the wind that bends the sedge
Brown on the waste lands where the rabbits play;
Music is in the wind that cools the ledge
Where sheep lie down to wait for morning's dew.
Over the wastelands to my neck in briers,
Over the hollows and their swollen creeks,
And through white streaks of light from stars' white fires,
I run on iron legs with wind that speaks!
Night of all nights, that puts my blood astir
Like wild blood in the body of the fox,
I run these hills and ridges anywhere
Until the sun shines on the pasture rocks!
Used by permission. From John Hart in Album of Destiny.
Jesse Stuart Foundation, Ashland, Kentucky. Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., 1989.
Tagore - see under Songs for Children.
I hear an army charging upon the land,
and the thunder of horses plunging, foam about their knees:
Arrogant, in black armor, behind them stand,
disdaining the reins, with fluttering whips, the charioteers.
They cry unto the night their battle name;
I moan in sleep when I hear afar their whirling laughter,
They cleave the gloom of dreams, a blinding flame,
clanging, clanging upon the heart as upon an anvil.
They come shaking in triumph their long green hair;
They come out of the sea and run shouting by the shore.
My heart, have you no wisdom thus to despair?
My love, my love, my love, why have you left me alone?
Used by permission. From Chamber Music.
The Society of Authors, Estate of James Joyce. Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., 1989.
Recording Engineer: Bill Wolk, Music First
Assistant Engineers: Linda Wolk, Ju-i Ku
Executive Producer: D'Anna Fortunato
Session Producer: Mark Widershien
Edited & Mastered: Jonathan Wyner, M Works, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Recording made at: St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Brookline, Massachusetts, October 1-3, 1998.
Cover Art: Vincent van Gogh: La Nuit etoilee, Musee d'Orsay, Paris, France. Giraudon/Art Resource, New York
Photo of D'Anna Fortunato by Erika Davidson (page 9)
Cover Design: Bates Miyamoto Design
Gardner Read: The Art of Song
D'Anna Fortunato, mezzo-soprano
Three Songs for Mezzo-Soprano, Op. 68 (1946)
1 Lullaby for a Dark Hour (Alfred Kreymborg) (2:58)
2 River Night (Frances Frost) (3:57)
3 As I Walked Through the Meadows (Traditional Old English) (2:29)
From Songs For A Rainy Night, Op. 48 (1939-40)
4 Nocturne (Frances Frost) (2:43)
5 All Day I Hear (James Joyce) (2:20)
Four Nocturnes, Op. 23 (1933-34)
6 When Moonlight Falls (Hilda Conkling) 2:28)
7 The Unknown God (George W. Russell) (1:51)
8 A White Blossom (Vail Read) (2:09)
9 The Moon (William H. Davies) (2:52)
Songs To Children, Op. 76 (1947-49)
10 Lullaby for a Man-Child (Jean Starr Untermeyer) (4:08)
11 The First Jasmines (Rabindranath Tagore) (5:23)
12 Song of Innocence (William Blake) (1:52)
Clare Nielsen, flute · Melia Repko, harp
Jennifer Elowitch, Danielle Madden, violins
From A Lute of Jade, Op. 36(1935-36)
13 Tears (Wang Seng-Ju) (2:19)
14 The River and the Leaf (Po Chü-I) (3:10)
15 Ode (Confucius) (1:55)
A Sheaf of Songs, Op. 84 (1949-50)
16 At Bedtime (Irene Beyers) (2:39)
17 It is Pretty in the City (Elizabeth Coatsworth) (1:47)
18 The Lamb (William Blake) (3:34)
19 Sister, Awake (Thomas Bateson) 1:23)
Ariel Quintet: Clare Nielsen, flute
Rebecca Leonard, clarinet
Nocturnal Visions, Op. 145 (1985)
20 Night of all Nights (Jesse Stuart) (3:36)
21 The First Jasmines (Rabindranath Tagore) (5:40)
22 I Hear an Army (James Joyce) (3:24)
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