My Creative Process
Techniques
Singing
For the performance section of the recital, I sang the entire cycle from memory. I had began learning the cycle towards the end of my freshman year and then I decided I wanted it to be the focus of my capstone. As a music major, I spent countless voice lessons, coaching, and rehearsals perfecting the work. It took a lot ogf practice and patience because the rhythm s and pitches were so obscure and out of my original comfort zone. I not only had to sing the piece with correct words, notes, and rhythms but I had to interpret the poetry as well and make a personal connection to ewach movement.
Rehearsal
The performance portion was truly a collaboration because the piano accompaniment is so virtuous and dense. Most of the melodies discussed in the lecture came from the piano line. I spent 45 minutes every week rehearsing this piece with my pianist. As the date got closer, we began rehearsing twice a week. Our rehearsal structure usually goes as follows: run the piece through without stopping, check places as needed, try a couple differing options, and then ask for any additional comments by the pianist. Sometimes, we would have a discussion about what should we do in the music based on the poetry. Rehearsal was a key element to taking the cycle to another level.
Research
After learning the music of the cycle, I spent a lot of time over winter break and the beginning of second semester researching the history, context, and background of the cycle. I reached out to my professors, coaches, and other trusted peers for source recommendations. I borrowed a couple of books from the library, and I searched online through databases like JSTOR. After reading each source, I complied the most important pieces in a google document so I could piece together my lecture easily.
Writing
In the first section of my recital, I gave a 30 minute lecture about Proses Lyriques. I am not enthusiastic about writing in general, nor do I consider myself to be a great writer, so this part was especially difficult for me. I started out by making a basic outline that I could follow. First, I had the introduction where I introduced myself and my pianist, the purpose of the lecture recital, and the historical context of the piece and information about the composer. After that, I chose three musical examples to discuss in each of the movements. I discussed each movement in chronological order and then I had my conclusion. Once my lecture was finished, I sent it out on a google doc to many scholars for feedback. I incorporated a lot of feedback into the lecture and ran through it at the dress rehearsal. I made more edits the week leading up to the recital. I still think it can be improved if I decided to perform this recital again.