Friedrich Ruckert (poet/librettist)

Friedrich Ruckert (1788-1866)

Ruckert was a prominent German poet. His works were inspiration for many famous composers including: Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Strauss, Mahler, Hindemith, Berg, Bartók, and Wolf. He was also a master of over thirty different languages and worked as a translator. Later on he was appointed professor of Oriental languages at the University of Erlangen. He had a large output of poetry which was most notable for its neat workmanship in various verse forms than for vision or originality.

Christoph Willibald von Gluck (Composer)

Christoph Willibald von Gluck was a revolutionary Opera composer for his time.  He was born in 1714 and died in 1787.  His life was a true rags to riches story.  As a child, he grew up in a lower class family who served as game keepers under Prince Lobkowitz.  This is not to say however that he did not receive an education, in fact, the Prince helped fund his early schooling.  As a young man, Christoph furthered his education in Prague.  When he returned the Prince helped him become a well-known composer/musician by getting him gigs with the best families in Austria.  From there, Christoph's hard work began to pay off.  He wrote many beautiful French and Italian Operas during his time and they are still enjoyed today.

Theodore Baker

Theodore Baker was an American musicologist.  He was a New York native born on June 3, 1851.  Although he was an American citizen, he preferred to travel to Germany to the University of Leipzig to get his education.  After he received his Doctorate, Baker returned to the United States and got a job working for G. Schirmer Publishing as the literary editor.  Throughout his career he wrote several dissertations and articles about music.  After he retired, he returned to Germany and died in Dresden in 1934.

William Roy (Composer)

William Roy was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1928. His musical career began at the young age of three. He sang on a weekly children's radio program. When old enough to read he became a regular on "The Lone Ranger" and "The Green Hornet," which at that time were both broadcast from Detroit.  As a young adult, he was educated at the Hollywood Professional School and studied music with Arthur Laage, Joseph Achron, Eada Rubinstein, and Rina Larson.  His musical career involved writing tunes and revues for night clubs.  He was well known in the Cabaret and Broadway scene.

Emily Dickinson (poet)

Emily Dickinson was born into a well-known middle class family in Amherst Massachusetts.  A reoccurring theme in many of Dickinson's poems is the subject of death.  It is said that the untimely deaths of several close friends and family members traumatized her deeply.  To the locals she was considered eccentric.  She was known for her for obsession with white clothing and her reluctance to greet guests or even leave her room. Most of her friendships were carried out by correspondence. Dickinson's poems were ahead of her time in many ways.  Typically they contained short lines, lacked titles, and often used slant rhyme, as well as unconventional capitalization and punctuation.  Dickinson was also very humble about her work.  Most of her writing was kept private and wasn't discovered until after her death.

John Jacob Niles (Poet/Librettist/Composer)

John Jacob Niles was a collector of traditional ballads and folk songs.  He was born April 28, 1892 and died March 1, 1980.  This southern born composer was a huge advocate for the American Folk Music Revival in the 50's and 60's.   He served in the U.S Army Air Corps during World War I and studied music in France.  Later, he returned to the U.S. to finish his degree at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. During the early part of his career, Niles sang opera and folk music over the radio and toured with Contralto, Marion Kerby.  Later in his career, he published music both Folk and Classical.

Aus meinen großen Schmerzen ( Out of My Great Pain) by Robert Franz

Lyrics and Translation: 

Aus meinen großen Schmerzen

Out of my great pain

Mach' ich die kleinen Lieder;

I fashion little songs;

Die heben ihr klingend Gefieder

they lift their vibrant feathers

Und flattern nach ihrem Herzen.

ans flutter toward her heart.

Sie fanden den Weg zur Trauten,

They found the way to the beloved,

Doch kommen sie wieder und klagen,

yet they come again and complain,

Und klagen, und wollen nicht sagen,

and complain, and will not say

Was sie im Herzen schauten.

what they saw in her heart.

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 told the one I love about my feelings for her and I have not gotten a response.

2.  My feelings just before the song begins are that I am sad that she does not return my love

and that she says nothing in response about her feelings at all.

II.  During

1.  I am a lover.

2.  I am a young male musician.  I am passionate but full of sadness because of my rejection.

3.  The other characters involved are the "songs" that are personified as birds and my lover,

the lady who I love.

4.  The songs are the little bird creations inspired by the musician. They do the musicians

bidding and relay the musicians feelings like little love notes.  Like the musician, their

feelings are hurt when they are rejected by the musicians lady.  The lady,my lover, is a cold

woman who simply is not interested in this musician.

5.  I am sitting alone in my room.  I am writing another song about my feelings for my lover.

I am preparing to send another "messenger pigeon". 

6.  I am singing to my lady.

7.  This person is not with me now.

8.  I am saying this because I want to know how to find my way to this woman's heart and despite

my attempts, she will not let me in.

9.  My feelings throughout this song are that I am sad that she does not return my love and

hoping that she will see my sad state in this song and pay a little attention to me.

10.  N/A

III.  After

1.  My thoughts and feelings as the song ends are that I hope that this little "messenger pigeon"

or song finds it's way to her heart.

2.  The events that will happen as a result of this song is that she will receive this next song 

just continue to disregard it like all the rest.