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The Art of the Art Song
STATEMENT:
Music has long been known as the “universal language.” With no opera or musical to call home, the art song is perhaps the best example of this phenomenon.
These three pieces—”Le Colibri” (1880), with poem by Charles Marie René Leconte de Lisle and music by Amédée-Ernest Chausson; “Befreit” (1898), with poem by Richard Dehmel and music by Richard Strauss; and “Heart We Will Forget Him” (1950), with poem by Emily Dickinson and music by Aaron Copland—utilize musical storytelling without an established plot, a named character, or even a solidified setting. They rely purely on the singer’s interpretation of music and poetry. Yet, when they are performed in succession, they still create a story within the human experience. The ambiguity of time, place, and character serve the narrative even further. The singer is not only actor, but creator.
That is the true “art of the art song.”
BIO:
Shannon Gaffney is a singer, actor, writer, and dramaturg currently pursuing her self-designed MA in Musical Dramaturgy and Performance at NYU Gallatin. Some of her favorite past theater roles include Kate Monster in Avenue Q, Rona Peretti in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Yellow Girl in Shout! The Mod Musical. She made her Gilbert and Sullivan debut as Isabel in Utopia Opera’s The Pirates of Penzance, which ran at the Lotos Club, the Ida. K Lang Recital Hall, and the Skytop Lodge in Skytop, Pennsylvania. She also performs with the Opera Collective of New York City. In addition to her performance work, Shannon has published numerous articles about theater, many of which analyze fatphobia, racism, transphobia, and other forms of oppression within the industry. She recently served as the dramaturg for Village Light Opera’s production of The Three R’s: Revolution, Rebellion, and Resilience.
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