Now touch the air softly: Reflections upon art songs in the recording studio

Abstract

Artists contribute to music's rich performative tradition through the presentation of art songs—the lyrical merging of text and music composed for voice and piano. While audio recordings offer a vehicle for performers to document their work through sounds across time, singers' preparatory processes and the creative realization of art songs within the environs of the recording studio are seldom discussed. Through an autoethnographic approach, this article examines some of the complexities underpinning the phases of research, score study, rehearsal and recording as the foundation of a recent project chronicling selected art songs by composer Calvin Bowman (b. 1972). Offering a critical account reflecting upon the nuances of artistic practice, the author discusses the subtleties of preparing comparatively new works for their premiere recording, the vocalist's responses to sensitivities within the poetry, challenges in building commonality of interpretive purpose and intricate musical bonds between singer and composer-accompanist, while reflecting upon the significance of the producer's role in appraising and supporting the musicians and broader issues concerning the practice of music-making.