VIRTUAL ART SONG COURSES
(FORMERLY KNOWN AS TMM)
SESSION SIX INFO COMING SOON!
“I loved getting to know the French Art Song from Ann’s clear introductions each class and the music she chose. Without having to do any outside work or research, I felt as though I were developing a whole new skill set!”
WHAT IS TMM?
TMM classes comprise a mixture of lecture and guided listening - think live music-appreciation Podcast with on-screen poetry. Leave your pajamas on and your video camera off, pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea, and settle in for a sublime hour of music and poetry!
All sessions take place on Zoom, and are also recorded and made available for streaming for those who prefer to participate asynchronously.
“What a feast! All that wonderful music. I am totally enjoying these sessions.”
HOW IT WORKS
WHEN:
Real-time classes are Tuesday mornings from 8am-9am Pacific Time, and video links are distributed shortly after each session ends
REAL-TIME OR ASYNCHRONOUS:
Join Zoom classes in real-time and/or stream videos in your own time
PARTICIPATE AS MUCH (OR AS LITTLE) AS YOU CHOOSE:
Zoom attendants are welcome to leave video cameras off and remain muted - no pressure to participate in discussions!
FEES:
Classes cost $20 apiece and may be purchased individually or by the session
SIGN UP ANYTIME:
Participants who sign up after the course begins will receive video streaming links for all classes that have occurred prior to sign-up
“It has been a joy to participate in these classes - I feel like I’m getting such an education!”
All past sessions of my Virtual Art Song Courses are now available to enjoy online. Read on for details and purchase links for sessions one through five!
SESSION 5:
”POSTCARDS FROM EUROPE”
COMPLETE VIRTUAL COURSE: $80
S5 COURSE DESCRIPTION
This 4-week course follows the song cycle on a tour through various regions of Europe. We’ll explore how composers pair text with piano, orchestra and other chamber instrumentation to take listeners on a narrative journey, illuminate a poet's words, and convey profound human emotions.
Through guided listening sessions, we’ll savor music and poetry from Norway, Finland, Italy, Spain, France, Germany and more!
Each hour-long class features approximately forty minutes of music plus contextual background on the composers, poets, and musical material. Participants receive digital packets containing recording details, texts and translations for the material covered in each class. Streaming videos are made available for a month of unlimited viewing after the conclusion of each weekly Zoom class.
CLASS 1: Art Songs from Scandinavia
CLASS 2: Art Songs from Italy & Spain
CLASS 3: Art Songs from Ukraine, Czechia & Hungary
CLASS 4: Art Songs from France, Germany & Austria
SESSION FOUR:
”SCALING THE SONG CYCLE
W/ STRINGS ATTACHED”
COMPLETE VIRTUAL COURSE: $80
S4 COURSE DESCRIPTION
This 4-week course explores the song cycle genre, highlighting examples of this expressive musical form that combine voice and strings. We’ll investigate how composers pair text with string chamber instrumentation to take listeners on a narrative journey, illuminate a poet's words, and convey profound human emotions.
Through guided listening sessions, we’ll sample works by composers including Ralph Vaughan Williams, Samuel Barber, Augusta Reed Thomas, Benjamin Britten, Paul Hindemith, Heather Gilligan, Vartan Aghababian, Ernest Chausson, and more!
Each hour-long class features at least forty minutes of music plus contextual background on the composers, poets, and musical material. With purchase of this virtual course you’ll receive digital packets containing recording details, texts and translations for the material covered in each class. Streaming videos will be available to enjoy for a month of unlimited viewing.
CLASS 1:
A Plea for Peace – Augusta Reed Thomas
Dover Beach – Samuel Barber, Matthew Arnold
On Wenlock Edge – Ralph Vaughan Williams, A.E. Housman
CLASS 2:
Changing Light – Kaija Saariaho
Chanson Perpétuelle – Ernest Chausson, Charles Cros
Ludlow and Teme – Ivor Gurney, A.E. Housman
CLASS 3:
Battlegrounds – Heather Gilligan, E. Ethelbert Miller
Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings – Benjamin Britten, various authors
CLASS 4:
Melancholie, Op. 13 – Paul Hindemith, Christian Morgenstern
In Flanders - Ivor Gurney, Frederick William Harvey
Seven Songs – Vartan Aghababian, William Wilfrid Gibson
SESSION THREE:
”SCALING THE SONG CYCLE”
COMPLETE VIRTUAL COURSE — $100
S3 COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course explores the song cycle as a genre, sampling examples of this expressive musical form on both macro and micro levels. Juxtaposing large-scale orchestral song cycles with miniature works for unusual chamber ensembles, we examine how composers pair text with different types of instrumentation to illuminate the words of a poet, take listeners on a narrative journey, and plumb the depths of emotional expression.
Through guided listening sessions, we investigate song cycles large and small by composers including Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, Margaret Bonds, Gustav Mahler, Germaine Tailleferre, Benjamin Britten, Heather Gilligan, Maurice Ravel, Alban Berg, and more!
Each hour-long class features at least forty minutes of music plus contextual background on the composers, poets, and musical material. With course purchase you’ll receive a digital packet containing recording details, texts and translations for all material covered in classes. Streaming videos will be available to enjoy for two (2) months of unlimited viewing.
CLASS 1: “A Feast for the Ears – Copland Two Ways”
Twelve Emily Dickinson Songs, for voice and piano – Aaron Copland
Eight Emily Dickinson Songs, for voice and orchestra – Copland
CLASS 2: “Know Thy Poet”
Three Dream Portraits – Margaret Bonds, Langston Hughes
Mixed Metaphors – Heather Gilligan, Lisa DeSiro
This Way to the Tomb – Benjamin Britten, Ronald Duncan
Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen – Gustav Mahler
CLASS 3: “Mixed Messages”
Pancarte pour une porte d'entrée – Germaine Tailleferre, Robert Pinget
Let me tell you – Hans Abrahamsen, Paul Griffiths (after Shakespeare)
Hermit Songs – Samuel Barber, Anonymous Irish monks and scholars
Letters From Composers for High Voice and Guitar – Dominick Argento, letter excerpts
CLASS 4: “Let’s Get Lush”
Three Shakespeare Songs, Op. 6 – Roger Quilter
Shéhérazade - Maurice Ravel, Tristan Klingsor
Sieben Frühe Lieder (orchestrated vn) – Alban Berg, various poets
CLASS 5: “A Singer’s Scrapbook”
Deux Poèmes de Louis Aragon - Francis Poulenc
Le temps l’horloge - Henri Dutilleux
An Amethyst Remembrance - Vartan Aghababian
The Gorgeous Nothings – Ingrid Stölzel
SESSION TWO
”GERMAN LANGUAGE ART SONG”
COMPLETE VIRTUAL COURSE — $120
S2 COURSE DESCRIPTION
GERMAN LANGUAGE ART SONG FROM THE 18TH – 20TH CENTURIES
Beginning with art songs by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven, we trace the evolution of the genre known as Lieder from its early development into the mid-20th century.
Enjoy vocal music by composers including Franz Schubert, Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Felix Mendelssohn, Fanny Mendelssohn, Gustav Mahler, Alma Mahler, Hugo Wolf and Richard Strauss. Poets include Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Rückert, Joseph von Eichendorff, Eduard Mörike and many more!
Each class features at least a half hour of music plus contextual background on composers, poets, and musical material. With course purchase you’ll receive a digital packet containing recording details, texts and translations for all material covered in classes. Streaming videos will be available to enjoy for two (2) months of unlimited viewing.
CLASS 1: Lieder of W. A. Mozart & L. van Beethoven
CLASS 2: Lieder of Franz Schubert
CLASS 3: Lieder of Fanny Hensel & Felix Mendelssohn
CLASS 4: Lieder of Clara Wieck Schumann, Robert Schumann & Johannes Brahms
CLASS 5: Lieder of Gustav & Alma Mahler
CLASS 6: Lieder of Hugo Wolf & Richard Strauss
SESSION ONE
”THE EVOLUTION OF FRENCH ART SONG”
COMPLETE VIRTUAL COURSE — $100
S1 COURSE DESCRIPTION
FRENCH ART SONG FROM THE 19TH – 20TH CENTURIES
Beginning with art songs by Hector Berlioz and Charles Gounod, session one traces the evolution of the genre known as Mélodie from its early development into the mid-20th century.
Enjoy vocal music by composers including Ernest Chausson, Pauline Viardot, Emmanuel Chabrier, Gabriel Fauré, Cécile Chaminade, Henri Duparc, Claude Debussy, Lili Boulanger, Reynaldo Hahn, Germaine Tailleferre, Maurice Ravel and Francis Poulenc. Poets include Victor Hugo, Théophile Gautier, Paul Verlaine, Guillaume Apollinaire, and many more!
Each class features at least a half hour of music plus contextual background on composers, poets, and musical material. With course purchase you’ll receive a digital packet containing recording details, texts and translations for all material covered in classes. Streaming videos will be available to enjoy for two (2) months of unlimited viewing.
CLASS 1: Introduction to the genre of Art Song; Hector Berlioz – Les Nuits d’été
CLASS 2: Mélodies and Chansons of Gounod, Viardot, Chabrier & Chausson
CLASS 3: Mélodies of Duparc, Chaminade & Fauré
CLASS 4: Mélodies of Debussy & L. Boulanger
CLASS 5: Mélodies of Hahn, Ravel, Tailleferre & Poulenc