Description
Instrumentation: voice and piano
Edition: score
Editor: Elisabeth Goell
Difficulty: easy to medium difficulty
Women Composers from America, Germany, France and the Netherlands: Amy Marcy Beach, Luise Greger, Fémine Schults, Luise Reichardt, Augusta Holmès, Bettine von Arnim, Emilie Zumsteeg
The Christmas-story, known to us all, seemed to me to incorporate so much of a woman’s life. Wonderful and yet questionable circumstances, joy over the expected child, care and hope, pain and despondency, homelessness and consolation, the entire palette of human experience is contained within this story. The works in this two editions exemplify this rich variety of women’s compositions in all its different shades. There are, for example, the complex, dense layers in the works of Lili Boulanger, the simple folksong – like setting by Luise Greger or Emilie Zumsteeg, improvisational melodies from Bettine von Arnim and artfully shaped miniatures by Rebecca Clarke and Fanny Hensel, to name a few…
With some of the texts I have taken interpretational liberties, as they contained suitable symbolic language. Others clearly defined the subject matter. The beauty and delight, as in life, is to be found in variety, not in uniformity.
Wiegenlieder/Lullabies
Amy Marcy Beach (1867–1944): Fairy Lullaby op. 37/3
Luise Greger (1861–1944): Jesu Wiegenlied op. 120/13
Die Weihnachtsgeschichte/The Christmas Story
Fémine Schults (Ende 19./frühes 20. Jh.): Kerstlied
Inspiration – Die Reise/Inspiration – The Journey
Luise Reichardt (1779–1826): Die Blume der Blumen aus op. 3
Augusta Holmès (1847–1903): Noël d’Irlande Nr. 2
Bettine von Arnim (1785–1859): Ein Stern der Lieb’ am Himmelslauf
Annette von Droste-Hülshoff (1797–1848): Lied des Hafners
Bettine von Arnim (1785–1859): Wanderers Nachtlied
Feier/Celebration
Augusta Holmès (1847–1903): Noël
Luise Greger (1861–1944): Weihnachtslied op. 13
Amy Marcy Beach (1867–1944): Empress of Night op. 2/1
Emilie Zumsteeg (1796–1857): Chorgesang am heil’gen Abend op. 8
