WILL COOPER '22, BARITONE - JUNIOR RECITAL - University of Puget Sound
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JUNIOR RECITAL
WILL COOPER '22, BARITONE
JEFF CALDWELL, PIANO
SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2021 at 2:00PM
“Si, Tra I Ceppi”…………………………………………………………George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
from Berenice
“Deh, vieni alla finestra”……………………………………………Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
from Don Giovanni
Selections from Dichterliebe…………………………………………………..Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
I. Im Wunderschönen Monat Mai
II. Aus meinen tränen Spriessen
III. Die rose, die lilie, die taube
IV. Wenn ich in deine Augen Sei
Works by Fauré……………………………………………………………………Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)
I. Mandoline
II. Clair de lune
III. Chanson d’Amour
DENTIST!…………………………………………………………………….Alan Menken/Howard Ashman
from Little Shop of Horrors (b. 1949) (1950-1991)PERFORMERS
Will Cooper ‘22, baritone is a junior music education major with a minor in mathematics, and plans to
continue his education as part of Puget Sound’s MAT Program after graduation. He is a current student of Dr.
Steven Zopfi. Will has performed in Adelphian Concert Choir, where he is current Assistant Tour Manager,
Voci d’Amici, and is the current president of Timbermen A Cappella. He has performed the role of Mr.
Maraczek in the School of Music’s production of She Loves Me, which unfortunately was canceled due to the
pandemic. He currently holds a choral scholar position at the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Federal
Way. Later in the spring, Will will be playing a variety of roles in the School of Music’s production of An
Evening of Opera Scenes.
Jeff Caldwell, piano, returned to Seattle after spending 13 years in New York City, and now is working as an
Affiliate Artist and Staff Accompanist in the School of Music here at Puget Sound. He was on the faculty for
the Juilliard School Drama Division as musical vocal coach, worked at NYU's Tisch School and CAP21
programs, and taught at AMDA as a voice teacher and staff accompanist. He played keyboard in the
Broadway pit of The Producers and was a regular audition accompanist for Telsey & Company, especially for
the Lincoln Center revival of South Pacific and its subsequent tours.
As a singer Jeff performed with New York City Opera in the choruses of Haroun and the Sea of Stories, La
Fanciulla del West, and Cendrillon, as well as with the New York Choral Artists with the New York
Philharmonic and with the Vienna Philharmonic in Carnegie Hall. He has enjoyed a revitalization of his
opera directing career (which originally brought him to Seattle years ago) with the grass roots company
Operamission and their Handel Project, and has directed the North American premieres of Handel's first two
operas Almira and Rodrigo. He was a frequent music director for the songwriting team of Dan Martin and
Michael Biello, especially their short film Papa's Prince and the marriage equality project First Comes Love.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Will would like to thank his mother, Thara, stepfather, Dan, sisters Elizabeth and Zoe, among the rest of his
family for their endless support of and belief in him. He would like to thank his choral director from high
school, Luke Stromberg, for giving him the tools and resources he needed to succeed. Will would also like to
thank Dr. Zopfi for his incredible teaching and encouraging character throughout the years, along with all of
his other professors in the School of Music for helping him succeed and get to the level he has gotten to.
Will Cooper, baritone – Junior Recital Program – Pg. !2PROGRAM NOTES AND TRANSLATIONS
Written and Compiled by Will Cooper
“Si, Tra I Ceppi” comes from the opera Berenice by George Frideric Handel, and premiered in
1737. The opera’s setting takes place in 81 B.C., and traces the life of Berenice III of Egypt. “Si, Tra I Ceppi”
means “Yes, even in chains”, and is one of the most admirable songs in this opera. The aria comes in the
second of the three acts, and is sung by Demetrio, whom is the object of queen Berenice’s affection.
However, Demetrio prefers Selene, Berenice’s sister. Because of this, Berenice orders to have him
imprisoned and tortured, and his response to this is this aria, in which he says, with optimism and conviction,
that even in chains, his faith will shine, and not even death itself will extinguish the flame.
George Frideric Handel, born in Germany, is one of the most prominent composers of the baroque
era, and began bringing Italian opera in his repertoire in 1711 in his mid-20s in London. In this aria, Handel
inserts melismatic passages into the music to embellish and enliven the repetition of the text.
Si, tra i ceppi e le ritorte Yes, even in chains and bonds
La mia fe risplenderà. my faith will shine.
No, ne pur la stessa morte No, not even death itself
Il mio foco estinguerà. will extinguish my flame.
“Deh vieni alla finestra” is one of the many great arias written by Mozart in his well known opera,
Don Giovanni, a two act opera which premiered in 1787. This opera is based on the legends on Don Juan,
who is a fictional libertine and seducer. He is young, arrogant, and sexually promiscuous nobleman. With
libretto by Italian poet and librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte, the text in the opera was billed as a common
designation of its time that denotes a mixing of serious and comic action, which Mozart brought to mind with
the music. This aria, which takes place in the beginning of act two pictures Don Juan in action, encumbered
by angry exes or jealous fiancés, but more specifically in this scene is Don Juan serenading a nameless
woman with a mandolin (or guitar) outside her window.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a heavily prominent and influential composer of the Classical
period. He began composing at the age of five and never stopped composing until his early death at the age
of 35 in Vienna, Austria, in which would be where he had composed many of his best known symphonies,
concertos, and operas.
Will Cooper, baritone – Junior Recital Program – Pg. !3Deh, vieni alla finestra, o mio tesoro, O come to the window, beloved;
Deh, vieni a consolar il pianto mio. O come and dispel all my sorrow!
Se neghi a me di dar qualche ristoro, If you refuse me some solace,
Davanti agli occhi tuoi morir vogl'io! before you dear eyes I will die.
Tu ch'hai la bocca dolce più del miele, Your lips are sweeter than honey,
Tu che il zucchero porti in mezzo al core! your heart is sweetness itself:
Non esser, gioia mia, con me crudele! then be not cruel, my angel,
Lasciati almen veder, mio bell'amore! I beg for one glance, my beloved!
“Dichterliebe”, or “A Poet’s Love” is a 16 movement song cycle composed by Schumann
in 1840, with texts based on the poems of German poet Heinrich Heine nearly 20 years earlier in
1822. The poems represent vignettes of love unfulfilled, either unrequited by the poet’s object of
desire, or fated to failure by the poet’s own incapacities.
Robert Schumann was a German composer and pianist, and is known to be one of the most
prominent composers of the Romantic era. In this composition, Schumann heavily bases it off of his
love affair with Clara Wieck (better known as Clara Schumann), whom he would eventually marry.
He captures the psychological atmosphere of each poem, and the mood of each song is heavily
defined by the piano writing, in which the piano is not just mere accompaniment, but an equal
partner to the vocal music.
I & II - In the first movement, “Im Wunderschönen Monat Mai,” Schumann uses the art of
harmonic tone painting, specifically between the sustained chords of major and minor, which acts as
if the singer wants to sustain the feeling of longing rather than to chance the tragedy he knows could
ensue once the lover becomes his. The slow, pensive feeling of the first song is continued in “Aus
Meinen Tränen Spriessen,” but this time with a clear sense of tonal direction, in the major key.
Im wunderschönen Monat Mai, In May, the magic month of May,
Als alle Knospen sprangen, When all the buds were springing,
Da ist in meinem Herzen Into my heart the burning
Die Liebe aufgegangen. Bright arrow of love came winging.
Will Cooper, baritone – Junior Recital Program – Pg. !4Im wunderschönen Monat Mai, In May, the magic month of May,
Als alle Vögel sangen, When all the birds were singing,
Da hab ich ihr gestanden I told her of my yearning,
Mein Sehnen und Verlangen. My longing and heart-wringing.
—
Aus meinen Tränen sprießen Out of my tears of yearning
Viel blühende Blumen hervor, The blossoming flowers throng,
Und meine Seufzer werden And all my sighs are turning
Ein Nachtigallenchor. To nightingales in song.
Und wenn du mich lieb hast, Kindchen, And if you love me, dear,
Schenk ich dir die Blumen all, I’ll give you those blossoms pale,
Und vor deinem Fenster soll klingen And outside your window you’ll hear
Das Lied der Nachtigall. The song of the nightingale.
III & IV - The mood provided by the two opening songs quickly changes into a faster and
much more spirited song in “Die Rose, die Lilie, die Taube”, in which roughly translates to “The
rose, the lily, the sun and the dove”. This song truly shows the singer’s pure excitement for this girl
whom is all he loves and admires, and Schumann is able to match these high spirits with a catching
and gleeful vocal line. The next song, “Wenn ich in deine Augen seh”, translating to “When I look in
your eyes”, is a much slower tempo than that of the previous song, so there is an added challenge of
transition and preparation for the performer. This song is about the idea of when looking into the
eyes of his lover, among other key details, he is overwhelmed with emotion. Schumann adds more
of the effect of the exchange of importance between the piano and the singer.
Die Rose, die Lilie, die Taube, die Sonne, The rose, the lily, the dove, the sun,
Die liebt’ ich einst alle in Liebeswonne. I loved them all once in the bliss of love.
Ich lieb’ sie nicht mehr, ich liebe alleine I love them no more, I only love
Die Kleine, die Feine, die Reine, die Eine She who is small, fine, pure, rare
Sie selber, aller Liebe Wonne, She, most blissful of all loves,
Ist Rose und Lilie und Taube und Sonne. Is rose and lily and dove and sun.
—
Wenn ich in deine Augen seh, When I am gazing in your eyes,
Will Cooper, baritone – Junior Recital Program – Pg. !5So schwindet all mein Leid und Weh; Then all my pain and sorrow flies;
Doch wenn ich küsse deinen Mund, And when I kiss your lips, my soul
So werd ich ganz und gar gesund. Becomes completely healed and whole.
Wenn ich mich lehn an deine Brust, And when I lie upon your breast
Kommts über mich wie Himmelslust; My godlike joy is mightiest;
Doch wenn du sprichst: Ich liebe dich! But when you say ‘I love you!’ – see,
So muß ich weinen bitterlich. Then I must weep, and bitterly.
Gabriel Fauré was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the
foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century
composers.
“Mandoline” is based on a poem that was first written in the 1860s by Paul Verlaine, who
was a French poet, and is considered to be the founder of the ‘symbolist’ movement in French
poetry, in which are sought to invoke feelings and ideas through images, repeated words and
sounds, and the cadence of sonority of language. This poem in particular caught the eye of multiple
composers in the late nineteenth century. Each composer has a unique approach to capture the
essence of the poem, but the most common theme is the plucking of the mandolin that is translated
to the piano part, and you will be able to hear in the piano during the performance. Fauré made his
composition in 1891. Along with the plucking sound of a mandolin in the piano, he chooses to
repeat the first stanza and music at the end of the piece, and it appears to sound much more ‘playful’
than other compositions of this poem.
Les donneurs de sérénades The gallant serenaders
Et les belles écouteuses And their fair listeners
Échangent des propos fades Exchange sweet nothings
Sous les ramures chanteuses. Beneath singing boughs.
C'est Tircis et c'est Aminte, Tirsis is there, Aminte is there,
Et c'est l'éternel Clitandre, And tedious Clitandre too,
Et c'est Damis qui pour mainte And Damis who for many a cruel maid
Cruelle fait maint vers tendre. Writes many a tender song.
Will Cooper, baritone – Junior Recital Program – Pg. !6Leurs courtes vestes de soie, Their short silken doublets,
Leurs longues robes à queues, Their long trailing gowns,
Leur élégance, leur joie Their elegance, their joy,
Et leurs molles ombres bleues, And their soft blue shadows
Tourbillonnent dans l'extase Whirl madly in the rapture
D'une lune rose et grise, Of a grey and roseate moon,
Et la mandoline jase And the mandolin jangles on
Parmi les frissons de brise. In the shivering breeze.
“Clair de Lune” is also based on a poem by Verlaine, this one written in 1869, and inspired
Fauré to turn it into a piece for voice and piano in 1887. The piece begins with a long introduction
which has its own musical interest. The vocal line adds consonance in the song as it weaves in and
out of the piano part, and the minor mode adds to the melancholic atmosphere. The second theme
begins with a carnival ambiance as images of commedia dell’arte are offered but transitions back to
the first theme by the beginning of the second poetic stanza. At the end of this stanza, Fauré
transitions again -- but to the third theme. The accompaniment is more soothing with rolling
arpeggios going into the second theme to finish the last stanza. The piece closes with a postlude that
uses material from themes one and three and then finishes on minor chord that suggests the same
sadness from the beginning.
Votre âme est un paysage choisi Your soul is a chosen landscape
Que vont charmant masques et bergamasques Where charming masquerades and dancers are promenading,
Jouant du luth et dansant et quasi Playing the lute and dancing, and almost
Tristes sous leurs déguisements fantasques. Sad beneath their fantastic disguises.
Tout en chantant sur le mode mineur While singing in a minor key
L'amour vainqueur et la vie opportune Of victorious love, and the pleasant life
Ils n'ont pas l'air de croire à leur bonheur They seem not to believe in their own happiness
Et leur chanson se mêle au clair de lune, And their song blends with the light of the moon,
Au calme clair de lune triste et beau, With the sad and beautiful light of the moon,
Qui fait rêver les oiseaux dans les arbres Which sets the birds in the trees dreaming,
Et sangloter d'extase les jets d'eau, And makes the fountains sob with ecstasy,
Les grands jets d'eau sveltes parmi les marbres. The slender water streams among the marble statues.
Will Cooper, baritone – Junior Recital Program – Pg. !7“Chanson d’amour” is a piece which was composed in 1882 from a poem by Paul Armand
Silvestre, another prominent French poet in the nineteenth century. In this composition, Fauré
utilizes repetition by creating a small rondo using the A section as a refrain. The central theme of
this piece is about romantic love, in which is suggested by harp-like gestures in the piano, where the
pulse gives the impression that it is in two instead of four. The performer enters with each phrase
higher than the previous, and as the singer ascends, Fauré calls for a crescendo, indicating an
increase in passion. There is an added tension in the B section with a transition from an E major to a
C major chord on the word “voix” and followed with a succession of chords based on of the
chromatically ascending bass line. In the C section, modulations to distant keys are once again used
to add dramatic color, in which also adds to the vocal intensity of the piece. The refrain is brought
back once more with a smooth transition that shows the largest amount of emotion in the piece
before ending slowly on “où mes baisers s’épuiseront”.
J'aime tes yeux, j'aime ton front, I love your eyes, I love your brow,
Ô ma rebelle, ô ma farouche, O my rebel, O my wild one,
J'aime tex yeux, j'aime ta bouche I love your eyes, I love your mouth
Où mes baisers s’épuiseront. Where my kisses shall dissolve.
J'aime ta voix, j'aime l'étrange I love your voice, I love the strange
Grâce de tout ce que tu dis, Charm of all you say,
Ô ma rebelle, ô mon cher ange, O my rebel, O my dear angel,
Mon enfer et mon paradis! My inferno and my paradise.
J'aime tout ce qui te fait belle, I love all that makes you beautiful
De tes pieds jusqu'à tes cheveux, From your feet to your hair,
Ô toi vers qui montent mes vœux, O you the object of all my vows,
Ô ma farouche, ô ma rebelle! O my wild one, O my rebel.
Will Cooper, baritone – Junior Recital Program – Pg. !8“DENTIST!” is a song from the horror comedy rock musical, “Little Shop of Horrors”, which
premiered in the early 1980s with music by Alan Menken and text (as well as a book) by Howard Ashman.
The story follows a florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood and flesh. The song
“DENTIST!” Is sung by the character Orin Scrivello, DDS, whom is the secondary antagonist in the story,
and is also the abusive, sadistic boyfriend of Audrey, the lead female character. In the song he describes that
although he is a sadist, it has allowed him to be a successful dentist. His character is meant to be a bad boy
Elvis-like persona, hence why the performer often chooses to wear a leather jacket in the beginning of the
song. In the original score there are backup singers along with the performer who have lines, but since there
will be no backups, the score has been altered to where it is just Scrivello.
[SCRIVELLO]
When I was younger, just a bad little kid
My momma noticed funny things I did
Like shootin' puppies with a B B gun
I'd poison guppies, and when I was done
I'd find a pussy cat and bash its head
That's when my momma said
What did she say?
She said "My boy, I think someday
You'll find a way to make your natural tendencies pay"
You'll be a dentist
You have a talent for causing things pain
Son, be a dentist
People will pay you to be inhumane
Your temperament's wrong for the priesthood
And teaching would suit you still less
Son, be a dentist you'll be a success
Here I am girls, the leader of the plaque!
Watch as I suck up that gas, oh my God!
I’m a dentist and I'll never ever be any good
Who wants their teeth done by the Marquis De Sade?
“Ow, that hurts! I'm not numb!”
Ehh, shut up, open wide, here I come
I am your dentist
And I enjoy the career that I picked
I am your dentist
And I get off on the pain I inflict
When I start extracting those molars
Your girls will be screamin’ like holy rollers
Dentist!
And though it may 'cause my patients distress
Somewhere, somewhere in heaven above me
I know, I know that my momma's proud of me
'Cause I'm a dentist and a success
Say aah
AAH!
Now spit!
Will Cooper, baritone – Junior Recital Program – Pg. !9You can also read
