Widmung (Dedication) by Robert Schumann

Lyrics and Translation:

Du meine Seele, du mein Herz,

You my soul, you my heart,

Du meine Wonn', o du mein Schmerz,

You my delight, o you my pain,

Du meine Welt, in der ich lebe,

you my world in which I live,

Mein Himmel du, darin ich schwebe,

my heaven you, into which I soar,

O du mein Grab, in das hinab

O you my grave in which

Ich ewig meinen Kummer gab!

I have buried forever my sorrows!

Du bist die Ruh, du bist der Frieden,

You are rest, you are peace.

Du bist der Himmel, mir beschieden.

you were given to me by heaven.

Dass du mich liebst, macht mich mir wert,

Your love makes me feel worthy, 

Dein Blick hat mich vor mir verklärt,

your glance has transformed me in my own eyes,

Du hebst mich liebend über mich,

you lift me lovingly above myself,

Mein guter Geist, mein beßres Ich!

my guardian spirit, my better self!

Character Study:

I.  Before

  1.  The events that have occurred prior to this song that have led me to this point is that I am about to be married.

  2.  My thoughts and feelings just before the song begins are that I am happy and excited to be married and that I love this person so much.  I want the world to know how wonderful I think they are and how special they are to me

II.   During

1.  I am a bride or a groom. 

2.  I am a young bride or groom.  I am loving, tender, passionate, and sweet.

3.  My lover is the other character involved.

4.  They are my greatest joy and my greatest pain, they always make me happy and when they are around, all my troubles melt away.  They are like a guardian angel sent from heaven, and they make me feel worthy.

5.  I am not with them now, but maybe I am talking to someone else about how much I love them.  Maybe I am talking with my friend on the street, or one of our houses.

6.  I could be speaking to my friends, my parents or just myself.

7.  Yes, this person is with me now.

8.  I am saying this because I feel like we are truly in love.  When I look into their eyes I can see what they see in me that makes them love me.  They love me better than I could love myself and think the world of me.

9.  My feelings throughout this song are happiness, amazement, and wonder.  It is awesome to know that someone has that amount of love for me.

10.  N/A

III.  After

1.  My thoughts and feelings as the song ends are that I am overjoyed that we are together and that we are in love.

2.  The events that will occur as a result of this song is that we will get married and live happily ever after. 

Reward by John Jacob Niles

Character Study:

I.  Before
  1.  The events that have occurred prior to this song that have led me to this point is that I have been in love with someone for a long time and they have not returned my love in the same way.
  2.  My thoughts and feelings just before the song begins is that I am tired and I am going to put my feelings out there.  I am going to lay my love on the line.
II.  During
  1.  I am a lover.
  2.  I could be an older woman of middle class decent.  I am patient, giving, kind, loving, gentle, and loyal.
  3.  My lover is the other character involved.
  4.  My lover is another older man.
  5.  I am at home with my lover.
  6.  I am singing to my lover.
  7.  Yes, this person is present with me now.
  8.  I am saying this because I have patiently waited all these long and painful years to be with the one I love and now finally I can be united with the one I have longed to be with so desperately.
  9.  My thoughts throughout this song are that I am so happy that this long wait is finally over.  I can be with the one I love forever and no one can tear us apart now.  I am in his strong arms where I feel safe and where I feel like I belong.  Now I can kiss the lips that I have longed to kiss.  We belong to each other.
  10.  N/A
III. After
  1.  My thoughts and feelings as the song ends are of joy because the world I lived in before was not as nice as it is now.  I worked and waited but my efforts were not recognized until my lover came and returned my love.
  2.  The events that will occur as a result of this song are that I will be with my lover forever and nothing will tear us apart.  It's almost like I am so happy I died and went to heaven.

This Little Rose by William Roy

Character Study:

I.  Before
  1.  The events that have occurred prior to this song that have led me to this point is that a rose, representing human life, has just died.
  2.  My thoughts before the song begins is of our role in human life.  I am feeling thoughtful, peaceful, and serene.
II.  During
  1.  I am just an observer.
  2.  I could be anybody.  I might have known this "little rose" before it died.
  3.  The other characters involved are the bees, the butterflies, the birds, and the breeze.
  4.  The butterfly and the bee are close family or friends of the rose, but the bird and the breeze are merely familiar faces who aren't connected to the rose in any sort of relationship at all.
  5.  I am sitting alone somewhere like my room or a garden pondering life.
  6.  I am singing to myself.
  7.  I am saying this because the "bee" and the "butterfly" (representing friends and family) need the rose to survive.  They love, cherish, and appreciate the rose.  The bird and the breeze, however, do not know the rose, nor do they need the rose to live happily.  They represent those who don't know the "rose".  They wonder about the "rose" but they just pass on by like a breeze.  When the "rose" dies, only the "butterfly" and the "bee" will be affected because they love and care about the "rose" and need it to survive. 
It will not affect those who don’t notice the "rose". So basically it is not that big of a deal if the "rose" is dead or alive.  "You hasten from a far journey," means that the "rose" has been through many things in life. "On it’s breast to lie" means that after all it has put up with through life, it has to lay down and surrender.  It is easy for the "rose" to die because those who care will still be there and those who don’t care will remain not caring. The rose, gives it's all, it's life, to the world, and yet not everyone in the world notices it.
  9.  My feelings throughout this song are peace, serenity, and acceptance.
  10.  N/A
III. After
   1.  My feelings as the song ends are peace, serenity, and acceptance.
   2.  N/A

O del mio dolce ardor by Christoph Willibald von Gluck

Lyrics Translation:

O del mio dolce ardor bramato oggetto,

O thou beloved, whom long my heart desireth

    bramato oggetto,

    my heart desireth,

L'aura che tu respiri,

At length the air thou breathest

    alfin respiro,

    my soul inspireth,

Ovunque il guardo io giro.

Where'er mine eye may wander.

Le tue vaghe sembianze Amore in medipinge:

Still of thee some vague semblance Doth Love awake within me.

Il mio pensier si finge

My every thought doth win me

  Le più liete speranze;
  To yet fonder remembrance;

  E nel desio che così m'empie il petto
  And in this ardor that all my bosom so fireth

Cerco te, chiamo te, spero e sospiro.
Thee I seek, Thee I call, Fondly and e'er fonder.


Ah! O del mio dolce ardor bramato oggetto,
Ah! O thou beloved, whom long my heart desireth,

  bramato oggetto,
  my heart desireth,

L'aura che tu respiri,
At length the air thou breathest,


al fin respiro,
my soul inspireth,


alfin, alfin respiro.
my soul, my soul inspireth.


Character Study:
I.  Before
  1.  The events that have occurred prior to this song that have led me to this point are that I have just met and fallen in love with Queen Helen of Sparta.
  2.  My thoughts and feelings just before the song begins are that I am full of love and passion and determination to win the love of Lady Helen.
II.  During
  1.  I am Paris, Prince of Troy and son of King Priam.
  2.  I am a brave, handsome, and talented young Prince.
  3.  Helen of Sparta is involved.
  4.  Helen is the most beautiful woman on earth. She is also a smart young Queen.
  5.  I am at Helen's Palace in Sparta.  The Spartans are having an athletic competition and Queen Helen has called on me to judge it.
  6.  I am singing to Queen Helen.
  7.  Yes, Helen is present for the song.
  8.  I am saying this because Helen has asked me to sing a song for her.  I want this song to impress her and win her love.
  9.  My thoughts and feelings throughout this song are that I am so in love with Queen Helen.  She is the most beautiful woman in the world and everything about her inspires me.  I am filled with passion and desire by her every breath.
  10.  Other factors that have bearing on this situation is that Helen is already married.  Out lives and our provinces are in danger of war.  This Opera is set in the 10th century B.C.
III.  After
  1.  My thoughts and feelings as the song ends is that of despair because Helen has sent me away.  I begin to plead for her to reconsider and to accept my love.
  2.  The events that will occur as a result of this song is that Helen will dismiss me after she hears the song because she has discovered the true intentions of my visit.  After I have pleaded with her, she begins to reconsider her decision and falls in love with him.

Non so più cosa son by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Lyric Translation

Non so più cosa son, cosa faccio;
I don't know anymore what I am, what I'm doing;

or di foco, ora sono di ghiaccio.
now I'm made of fire, now of ice.

Ogni donna cangiar di colore,
     ongi donna cangiar mi fa palpitar.
Every woman makes me change color;
    every woman makes me tremble.

Solo ai nomi d'amore, di diletto,
At merely the words "love," "pleasure,"

mi si turba, mi s'altera il petto,
my breast becomes nervous and upset

e a parlare mi sforza d'amore un desio,
    un desio ch'io non posso spiegar.
and a desire for love--a desire that I
    can't explain--forces me to talk.

Parlo d'amore vegliando,
I talk about love when I am awake.

parlo d'amore songnando,
I talk about love when I am dreaming,

all'acqua, all'ombra, ai monti,
to the water, to the shadow, to the mountains,

ai fiori, all'erbe, ai fonti,
to the flowers, to the grass, to the fountains,

all'eco, all'aria, ai venti,
to the echo, to the air, to the winds,

che il suon de' vani accenti
    portano via con se.
which carry away with them the sound of
    my futile words.

E se non ho chi m'oda,
And if I don't have someone to hear me,

parlo d'amore con me.
I talk about love to myself

Character Study:
I. Before
1.  The events that have occurred prior to this song that have led me to this point are that I, Cherubino, have just been caught in the arms of Barbarina by the Count Almaviva who has threatened to banish me from the castle.
2.  My thoughts and feelings just before the song begins are passion and desire.
II.  During
1.  I am Cherubino.
2.  I am a fourteen year old boy who is the page to the Count Almaviva.  I am obsessed with love and women.  I am also a wonderful singer and song writer.
3.  The Count Almaviva, Barbarina, and Susanna are the other characters involved.
4.  The Count Almaviva is a philandering husband who tries to seduce Figaro's fiance Susanna.  Barbarina is Susanna's cousin and the gardener Antonio's daughter.  Susanna is the Countess Rosina's Chamber maid and Figaro's fiance.
5.  I am in Susanna's new room.
6.  I am speaking to Susanna.
7.  Yes, this person is present with me now.
8.  My present concern is that I am in a love affair with love and set a blaze with passion by any and every woman I come across.
9.  My thoughts and feelings throughout this song are full of teenage angst, unbearable amounts of passion, and lust.
10.  This Opera is set in 17th Century Seville.
III. After
1.  My thoughts and feelings as the song ends are that I am worried about my future punishment from the Count.  I am hoping that Susanna will be able to help me elude his plans.
2.  The events that will occur as a result of this song are that the Count will come into Susanna's chambers and try to seduce her. I will hide behind a chair just in time to escape him.

That's Life by John P. Sacco

Character Study:

I.  Before

1.)  The events that have occurred prior to this song that have led me to this point is that my love life is not working out.  I probably just had a really bad day/week and nothing seems to be going right.

2.)  Before the song begins, I am feeling angry, agitated, and hopeless.  I am thinking that everything is against me.

II. During

1.)  I am the victim of love gone wrong and on top of that I am having a rotten day.

2.)  I am just a typical young adult, I could be male or female, and I could be from any social class.  I am a little high strung, but that could be as a result of certain circumstances.

3.)  There are no other characters involved.

4.)  N/A

5.)  I am probably in a bar drinking away my sorrows or at home.

6.)  If I was in a bar, I would be talking to the bartender and whoever was around me.  In some parts I am addressing the lover who did me wrong.  They might also be present or it might just be part of my ranting.   If I was at home I would probably be complaining to my mother or maybe yelling at God or if I also live with my lover, they might also be there as well.

7.)  Yes this person is with me now.

8.)  My present concern is that I have lost faith in love and life.  I am feeling really down on people and myself because my pride has been hurt.

9.)  At the beginning of the song I am feeling agitated and angry that nothing is working out for me.  I feel despair that I will experience this misfortune the rest of my life.  By the end of the song, I feel renewed strength and I decide that I must fight on and that love and happiness is worth fighting for.

10.)  In the 1930’s (1934 to be specific) The Great Depression was at an end and unemployment had decreased to only 22%.  America was being born again and many citizens were instilled with a persevering attitude.  I think this has a lot to do with the attitude of the main character.   They seem to have this “Oh Well” kind of fighting spirit.

III. After

1.)  As the song ends I decide my moping around is a waste of time and I decide to fight on for my love and happiness.

2.)  As a result of this song, I will get over my feelings of doom and my sorrow over lost love and move on and learn from mistakes and become more successful because of my attitude change.

Untitled #23

Today I worked mainly on Sonntag and The Old Man's Song.  First I did score study.  I got on NAXOS music library and looked up Sonntag and found it.  I made more pronunciation markings in for Fauline and Hoyte.  What I had written in for phonetics was not working for me because I was not pronouncing it correctly, so I am going to try writing it another way and maybe it will make more sense to me in the practice room later.  I also listened to how the singer presented it and where they were breathing/phrasing.  Then I looked up The Old Man's Song, but I had no luck.  It was hard to find on NAXOS.  In fact, I am almost for sure that they don't have it on there so I looked it up on YouTube and found one video of the song.  The girl who sang it, did a splendid job.  I needed to reacquaint myself with it, because it had been a while since I'd worked on it.  I listened to that a few times, and then went to the practice room to work on my rhythm errors on the last page.  I conducted myself through those parts slowly like you suggested and wrote in the counting.  Then I worked that last page starting at the "AH's".  After I had been through it a few times, I decided to go back and rerun the entire song so that I would get a hang of how it all fit together.  It went pretty well, sometimes I think I just psych myself out or over think things and get confused.