Breaking Babb: Discovery and Process in Learning Babbitt’s Philomel: A Conversation between a Rock Star and a Screecher

Abstract

This article presents a conversation that took place on 8 May 2017 in Somerville, MA, between two singers who have performed Babbitt's composition Philomel (1964) for soprano and electronic tape. In addition to her recordings of Babbitt's Quatrains (1993) and performances of Phonemena (1969), Arnold's 2010 performance of Philomel at the Monadnock Music Festival has had nearly 40,000 hits on Youtube. Pearse's first experience with Babbitt was A Waltzer in the House (2003). She has since performed Philomel in New York, Wisconsin, Missouri, Colorado, and Nebraska. Her future plans include a performance of the complete works of Babbitt for treble voice and piano with pianist Augustus Arnone.

Keywords:

• Babbitt
• Singing
• Voice
• Philomel
• Bethany Beardslee

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Tony Arnold’s rendition of Philomel can be heard at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SMR5WIgSUg.

2 Liz Pearse’s rendition of Philomel can be heard at https://soundcloud.com/lizp/philomel-1.

3 Chapter 4 of voice pedagogue Kenneth Bozeman’s (2017) Kinesthetic Voice Pedagogy discusses vowel perception in relation to pitch, formants, and source harmonics.

4 Liz Pearse performed Morton Feldman’s Three Voices as a member of Quince Ensemble (quince-ensemble.com) with Amanda DeBoer Bartlett and Kayleigh Butcher between 2014 and 2018. Presenters included Areté Gallery NYC, Bowerbird Philadelphia, Third Angle New Music in Portland, University of Nebraska–Kearney, Vanguard New Music at Kent State, Unruly Festival at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and High Concept Labs Chicago.

5 Discussion of various types of ‘transformation’ are common to several analyses and interpretations of Babbitt and Hollander's treatment of the Philomel myth. David Lewin's (1991) article ‘Some Problems and Resources in Music Theory’ states that ‘Hollander's text for Babbitt’s piece depicts only Philomel's transformation: the mute woman, rushing through the woods, becomes a nightingale’ (119). Susan McClary (1989) states that it ‘can be read quite straightforwardly as an antirape statement, in which the victim is transformed into the nightingale to sing about both her suffering and her transcendence’ (75). Emily Abramowicz (2011) delves into the musical representation of transformation: ‘The dissolution of her physical being further manifests itself in the musical structures … as the work progresses, complete rows give way to smaller units, recurrent dyads’ (paragraph 12). The opening of the work mirrors this—the serial structure of the work is introduced in an additive manner, an ‘unfolding’ type of transformation.

6 The F#/B on tape with E♭ in the vocal line on ‘The pain of slow change’.

7 To align vertically with the tape in this section (34–36), it is necessary to internalize the pacing by repeated listening. Metric time has proven (to this performer [LP]) less useful than recalling a rhythmic series of sounds made familiar by repetition. In addition, there are some ‘relief valves’—cues that allow the singer to re-orient in the case of any mis-timed entrances. These include the F#/B dyad prior to ‘The pain of slow change’, the two dyads which act as a ‘pickup’ prior to ‘Life and feeling whirl on’. Practically, there are possibilities of executing extended initial consonants to mask any unsure entrances—‘Living, growing, changing’ and ‘Like unfelt … ’ (34), ‘Life and feeling … ’ and ‘Far’ (35). It is standard practice for consonants to sound prior to the vowel opening ‘on the beat’—in the case of these entrances in Philomel, this practice can be used to the singer’s advantage by initiating the consonant, and if too early, continuing the [l] or [f] consonant and opening to the vowel when the tape part sounds.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Liz Pearse

Liz Pearse is a musician of diverse skills. With a ‘maker-mentality of independence, curiosity and conviction’ (KC Studio), Liz’s uniquely colourful and versatile voice has led to performances of wide-ranging works from medieval to modern. Upcoming projects include her third programme of self-accompanied voice/piano works, her first solo recording, the complete Babbitt treble voice/piano works, and Messiaen’s Harawi. Liz sings with Quince, a treble-voice ensemble based in the Twin Cities. Dedicated to ‘charting bold new directions in vocal chamber music’ (Chicago Tribune), Quince commissions, performs, and teaches contemporary vocal literature throughout the US. Their fourth album, love fail, was released on Innova Recordings in April 2020. When not touring with Quince, Liz teaches at Winona State University and the University of Wisconsin—La Crosse. Liz belongs to Beyond Artists, a coalition of artists that donates a percentage of their concert fees to support organisations that benefit local communities.

Tony Arnold

Tony Arnold celebrated as a ‘luminary in the world of chamber music and art song’ (Huffington Post), is internationally acclaimed as a leading proponent of contemporary music in concert and recording. Her unique blend of vocal virtuosity and communicative warmth, combined with wide-ranging skills in education and leadership were recognised with the 2015 Brandeis Creative Arts Award, given in appreciation of ‘excellence in the arts and the lives and works of distinguished, active American artists’. She is a member of the intrepid International Contemporary Ensemble and enjoys regular guest appearances with leading ensembles, presenters, and festivals worldwide. With more than 30 discs to her credit, Arnold has recorded a broad segment of the modern vocal repertory with esteemed chamber music colleagues. Her recording of George Crumb’s iconic Ancient Voices of Children (Bridge) received a 2006 Grammy nomination. She is a first prize laureate of both the Gaudeamus International and the Louise D. McMahon competitions. She currently is on the faculties of the Peabody Conservatory and the Tanglewood Music Center.