| Summary: | Interaction of composer, text and performer is a significant and fertile facet of
Western music. From the Troubadour poet-composer through the composer-singer teams
of Jacopo Peri and Vittoria Archilei, Mozart and Catarina Cavalieri to the twentieth
century's Britten and Pears, singers and composers have often demonstrated a significant
collaborative relationship. The goal of this paper (lecture-recital) is to introduce the
newly composed song-cycle Songs of Ascents as contemporary fruit of the collaboration
between composer Larry Nickel and tenor, Ray Harris.
The first chapter will survey the working relationships of two twentieth-century
composer-tenor teams: Roger Quilter (1877-1953) and Gervase Elwes (1866-1921) and
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) and Peter Pears (1910-1986). These collaborative models
will provide context for issues relating to text selection and setting, performance
considerations and ultimately their contribution to the repertoire. Chapter two will discuss
the work of Larry Nickel, placing this song cycle within the context of his development
as a composer, particularly with respect to his vocal music. The author's work as tenor
soloist, including previous work with Nickel will also be briefly presented. Chapter three
constitutes the main body of this paper and analyzes the Psalm texts and Nickel's musical
setting of eight of the fifteen Psalms of Ascents (Psalms 120-134). The paper concludes
with suggestions for this cycle's future performance potential and encouragement for
others to pursue such collaborative ventures. === Arts, Faculty of === Music, School of === Graduate
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