She Walks in Beauty (3/5/16)

Songs by Women Composers

Aram Tchobanian, tenor; Tamara Cashour, pianist; with special guest
Alma Hamilton, composer/pianist

Aram Tchobanian has a pleasant voice, but was slightly under the weather on Saturday afternoon (in fact, one song was dropped from the program). In honor of International Women’s Month, he curated and performed this event with music from the 9th through the 21st centuries—all by women composers. The earliest, by Kassia and Hildegard von Bingen (1098–1179), were snippets of a cappella chant, as a precursor to Gregorian chant. Throughout the afternoon, he peppered the performance with interesting snippets of conversation.

Next we heard O Deathe, rock me asleep, by Anne Boleyn (1501–1536) — yes, the Anne Boleyn of Henry VIII infamy. The song had an ethereal, simple quality, with effective accompaniment, reminiscent of John Dowland. Names I knew followed, in Clara Wieck Schumann (1819–1896) and Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805–1847). Interestingly, it was recounted that some of Fanny Mendelssohn’s output appeared as the work of her brother, Felix, and that early on in the marriage of Clara to Robert Schumann, he was referred to as Mr. Wieck. Her music was better known at the time. Both works, Lorelei (Schumann) and Verlust (Hensel) were firmly in the dramatic lieder style, and both quite enjoyable.

Pauline Viardot-Garcia (1821–1910) was represented by Madrid, with a definite feel for Spain, in the rhythms and motifs, though with a text set in French. A Scottish feel was provided via Marjory Kennedy-Fraser (1857–1930) and her The Peat-Fire Flame, Aignish on the Machair, and The Reiving Ship. The first had a folk song feel to it, while the accompaniment for the second was like gentle, pealing bells—indeed, the text dealt with coming to terms with death. After a ringing cell phone was silenced (really, people? really?), The Reiving Ship was an energetic setting of the text.

A sing-along followed, and was even fun! Nora Bayes (1880–1928) was responsible for the music to Shine On, Harvest Moon. Mr. Tchobanian sang the verses and we joined in on the chorus. Who knew that the original lyrics were, “I ain’t had no lovin’ since April, January, June or July.” I certainly didn’t. Nameless, by Sirvart Karamanuk (1912–2008) was in the style of an Armenian folk song, as Mr. Tchobanian, who is Armenian, informed us.

Episodes, by Alma Hamilton (b. 1947), was a nice song cycle—She Walks in Beauty; To Citriodora; Go, Lovely Rose; Never Give All the Heart;
Oh, When I Was in Love with You—that went from gentle and effective, through to energetic and then jarring, but ending rather brightly, with the message that even in rejection, there is no dejection.

Jacqueline Steiner (b. 1924) and Bess Lomax Hawes (1923–2009) rounded out the afternoon with another sing-along (not familiar to me). Charlie on the M.T.A. (The M.T.A. Song) was apparently popularized by the Kingston Trio. It was a rather humorous account of a fare increase on the Boston subway, where, in order to get off of the subway if you took an outlying route, you had to pay an extra nickel. Alas, poor Charlie never could. My favorite verse was:
“Charlie’s wife goes down / To the Scollay Square station / Every day at quarter past two;
And through the open window / She hands Charlie a sandwich / As the train comes rumblin’ through.”

All in all, it was a really enjoyable, and informative, afternoon, and a great way to celebrate International Women’s Month.