Student Recital: Devon Bain, Voice

PURCELL: What power art thou (Cold Song) from King Arthur (1691)

PURCELL: Next, winter comes slowly from The Fairy-Queen (1692)

ARNE: Blow, blow thou winter wind (1740)

ARNE: When icicles hang by the wall (c. 1750)

DEVON BAIN: Dryden Songs (2022)
I. Can Life Be a Blessing
II. You Charm’d Me Not with That Fair Face
III. Marriage a-la-Mode
IV. Song to a Fair Young Lady Going Out of Town in the Spring

BEETHOVEN: L’amante impaziente, Op. 82, No. 3 (1811)

MOZART: Un bacio di mano, K541 (1788)

SCHUBERT: Il modo di prender moglie, D902 (1827)

—INTERMISSION—

THOMAS: Air du Tambour Major from Le caïd (1849)

BIZET: La coccinelle (1868)

BERG: Jugendlieder (1901-04)
I. Wo der Goldregen steht
II. Abschied
III. Herbstgefühl
IV. Ferne Lieder

SAINT-SAËNS: Danse macabre (1872)

DEVON BAIN: Antigonish (2021)

WOLSELEY CHARLES: The Green-Eyed Dragon (1926)

Devon Bain, bass-baritone
Scott Nicholas, piano

BEETHOVEN: L’amante impaziente, Op. 82, No. 3 (1811)

Che fa, che fa il mio bene?
What is my beloved doing?

Perché, perché non viene?
Why does she not come?

Vedermi vuole languir
She wants to see me languish

Così, così, così!
This way!

Oh come è lento nel corso il sole!
Oh, how slow is the course of the sun!

Ogni momento mi sembra un dì,
Every minute seems like a day,

Che fa, che fa il mio bene?
What is my beloved doing?

Perché, perché non viene?
Why does she not come?

Vedermi vuole languir
She wants to see me languish

Così, così, così!
This way!

MOZART: Un bacio di mano, K541 (1788)

Un bacio di mano
A kiss on the hand

Vi fa maraviglia,
Seems marvelous to you,

E poi bella figlia
And now a beautiful girl

Volete sposar.
You want to marry.

Voi siete un po' tondo,
You are a bit dense,

Mio caro Pompeo,
My dear Pompeo,

L'usanze del mondo
The ways of the world

Andate a studiar.
Go and study them.

Un uom, che si sposa
A man who marries

Con giovin vezzosa,
A young beauty,

A certi capricci,
To certain whims

Dee pria rinunciar.
He must renounce.

Dee libere voglie lasciar alla moglie, 
He must allow his wife free will,

Dee sempre le porte aperte lasciar,
Must always leave the doors open,

Dee chiudere gli occhi, gli orecchi, la bocca,
Must close his eyes, ears, mouth,

Se il re degli sciocchi non vuole sembrar.
If he doesn’t want to seem like the king of the fools.

SCHUBERT: Il modo di prender moglie, D902 (1827)

​​Orsù! Non ci pensiamo,
Come now! Let’s not think about it,

Coraggio, e concludiamo:
Cheer up, and let’s conclude:

Alfin s’io prendo moglie
In the end, if I take a wife

So ben perché lo fo.
I know well why I’m doing it.

Lo fo per pagar i debiti,
I’m doing it to pay my debts,

La prendo per contanti,
I’m marrying her for money,

Di dirlo, e di ripeterlo,
To say it and to repeat it,

Difficoltà non ho.
I have no difficulty.

Fra tanti modi, e tanti
Among so many ways

Di prender moglie al mondo,
Of taking a wife in the world,

Un modo più giocondo
A more pleasant way

Del mio trovar non so.
In my findings, I do not know.

Si prende per affetto,
One marries for affection,

Si prende per rispetto,
One marries for respect,

Si prende per consiglio,
One marries on advice,

Si prende per puntiglio,
One marries out of obstinacy,

Si prende per capriccio
One marries on a whim,

È vero, sì o nò?
It’s true, yes or no?

Ed io per medicina
And I, as medicine

Di tutti i mali miei
For all my maladies

Un poco di sposina
A little bit of a wife

Prendere non potrò?
Can’t I take?

Ho detto e'l ridico,
I’ve said it and I’ll say it again,

Lo fo per li contanti;
I’m doing it for the money;

Lo fanno tanti, e tanti;
So many people do it;

Anch’io lo farò.
I’ll do it too.

THOMAS: Air du Tambour Major from Le caïd (1849)

Enfant chéri des dames, des grisettes,
Dear child of ladies, of working-class girls,

Enfant gâté des boudoirs, des guinguettes,
Spoiled child of boudoirs, of taverns,

Les fils d’or de ses épaulettes
The threads of gold of his epaulets

Sont moins brillants et moins nombreux
Are less brilliant and less numerous

Que ses triomphes amoureux.
Than his triumphs in love.

Le tambour major
The drum major

Tout galonné d’or
All adorned with gold

A partout la pomme
Has the apple* everywhere

C’est un superbe homme,
He is a superb man,

Rempli de valeur, de coeur et d’honneur
Full of valor, heart, and honor

De sa canne un signe
From his baton a sign

Comme une consigne
Like a command

Met en mouvement
Puts in motion

Tout le régiment à l’instant
The entire regiment at once

Partout l’on renomme le tambour major
Everywhere they laud the drum major

Pour le coeur, la valeur,
For his heart, his valor,

À lui la pomme et l’honneur!
To him the apple and the honor!

Mais c’est le dimanche
But it is on Sunday

Quand il penche sur la hanche,
When he leans on one hip,

Ah, voyez que de grâce et de fierté,
Ah, see with what charm and pride,

Et si le camarade à la parade
And if our friend at the parade

En tapinois lui lance une oeillade
Stealthily throws a glance

Le coeur de la beauté
The heart of the beauty

Tout agité soudain va battre la chamade,
All excited, suddenly beats furiously,

Car jamais un coeur n’a résisté
For never has a heart resisted

À son amabilité.
His kindness.

* “Avoir la pomme” (to have the apple) is a French idiom meaning “to be chosen/favored”

BIZET: La coccinelle (1868)

Elle me dit: “Quelque chose
She said to me: “Something

Me tourmente.” Et j'aperçus
Is bothering me.” And I glimpsed

Son cou de neige, et, dessus,
Her neck of snow-white, and on it,

Un petit insecte rose.
A small rose-colored insect.

J'aurais dû, - mais, sage ou fou,
I should have—but, wise or foolish,

A seize ans, on est farouche, -
At sixteen years old, one is shy—

Voir le baiser sur sa bouche
Seen the kiss on her lips

Plus que l'insecte à son cou.
More than the insect on her neck.

On eût dit un coquillage;
One would have called it a shell;

Dos rose et taché de noir.
Red back and spotted with black.

Les fauvettes pour nous voir
The warblers, in order to see us

Se penchaient dans le feuillage.
Craned their necks in the trees.

Sa bouche fraîche était là;
Her fresh mouth was there;

Je me penchai sur la belle,
I leaned over the beautiful girl,

Et je pris la coccinelle;
And I plucked away the ladybug;

Mais le baiser s'envola.
But the kiss flew away.

“Fils, apprends comme on me nomme,”
“Son, learn what they call me,”

Dit l'insecte du ciel bleu,
Said the insect from the blue sky,

“Les bêtes sont au bon Dieu;
“Animals belong to the good lord;

Mais la bêtise est à l'homme.”
But stupidity belongs to the man.”

BERG: Jugendlieder (1901-4)

I. Wo der Goldregen steht

Eh’ wir weitergehen,
Instead of walking farther,

Laß uns stille stehen,
Let us stand still,

Hier ist alles ruhig, weit und klar.
Here everything is quiet, broad, and clear.

Eine Blütendolde
A cluster of blossoms

Von dem gelben Golde
From the yellow gold

Dieses Strauches in dein braunes Haar!
Of this shrub in your brown hair!

Seine Zweige hängen
Its branches hang

Schwer und voll und drängen
Heavy and full, and they press in

Über uns mit süßer Kraft herein.
Over us with sweet power

Laß uns stehn und warten
Let us stand and wait

Tief im fernsten Garten
Deep in the farthest garden

Kann die Liebe nicht verborg’ner sein.
Love cannot be more hidden.

Eine alte Weise
An old song

Klingt verträumt und leise,
Sounds dreamlike and soft,

Und du siehst mich an und lächelst hold.
And you look at me and smile sweetly.

Quellen gehn und rinnen,
Streams run and flow,

Ach, was jetzt beginnen?
Oh, what is beginning now?

Sieh, es regnet Glück und Sonnengold.
Look, it’s raining happiness and golden sun.

II. Abschied

Ein Spielmann, der muß reisen,
A musician, he must travel,

das ist ein alter Brauch,
That is an old custom,

drum weht aus seinen Weisen
Therefore, there blows from his tunes

auch stets ein Abschiedshauch.
Also always a whisper of farewell.

Ob ich einst wiederkehre?
Will I ever return?

Mein Lieb, das weiß ich nicht.
My love, I don’t know.

Des Todes Hand, die Schwere,
The heavy hand of death

viel Rosenknospen bricht.
Breaks many rosebuds. 

III. Herbstgefühl

Verwelkte Blätter, entseelte Götter,
Withered leaves, killed gods,

Erloschne Liebe, versunk’nes Glück.
Extinguished love, sunken happiness.

Das Laub der Bäume, der Jugend Träume,
The leaves of the trees, the dreams of youth,

Sie sinken mählich in das Nichts zurück.
They sink gradually back into the void.

Was rauscht die Linde, was seufzt im Winde?
What does the linden tree murmur, what sighs in the wind?

Gar todesbange so Busch wie Strauch.
All fear death, bush and shrub alike.

Erstorbene Triebe, erloschene Liebe,
Deceased desires, extinguished love,

die Welt durchschauert ein Grabeshauch.
The world shudders through a dying breath.

IV. Ferne Lieder

Rosen!
Roses!

Ein Zypressenhain,
A cypress grove,

Alte Brunnen fließen.
Old wells flow.

Auf dem Meer im Abendschein
On the sea in the evening light

Schwarze Schwalben schießen.
Black swallows dart.

Aus der weißen Villa dringt
From the white villa seeps

Eine sanfte Klage:
A soft lament:

Eine Frau, die spielt und singt
A woman who plays and sings

Lieder andrer Tage.
Songs of other days.

Eine große Stille spinnt,
A great stillness spins,

die Fontänen steigen.
The fountains rise up.

Und die fernen Lieder sind
And the distant songs are

Laut geword’nes Schweigen
Sound become silence.

SAINT-SAËNS: Danse macabre (1872)

Zig et zig et zig, la mort en cadence
Zig and zig and zig, death in rhythm

Frappant une tombe avec son talon,
Strikes a tomb with his heel,

La mort à minuit joue un air de danse,
Death at midnight plays a dance tune,

Zig et zig et zag, sur son violon.
Zig and zig and zag, on his violin.

Le vent d'hiver souffle, et la nuit est sombre,
The winter wind blows, and the night is dark,

Des gémissements sortent des tilleuls;
Some groans come from the lime trees;

Les squelettes blancs vont à travers l'ombre
The white skeletons go across the shadows

Courant et sautant sous leurs grands linceuls,
Running and jumping in their great shrouds,

Zig et zig et zig, chacun se trémousse,
Zig and zig and zig, everyone trembles,

On entend claquer les os des danseurs,
You hear the clacking of the dancers’ bones,

Un couple lascif s'asseoit sur la mousse
A lustful couple sits down on the moss

Comme pour goûter d'anciennes douceurs.
As if to savor past delights.

Zig et zig et zag, la mort continue
Zig and zig and zag, death continues

De racler sans fin son aigre instrument.
To endlessly scrape his shrill instrument.

Un voile est tombé! La danseuse est nue!
A veil has fallen! The dancer is naked!

Son danseur la serre amoureusement.
Her dancing partner grasps her amorously.

La dame est, dit-on, marquise ou baronne.
The lady is, they say, a marchioness or baroness.

Et le vert galant un pauvre charron -
And the young suitor a poor cartwright -

Horreur! Et voilà qu'elle s'abandonne
Horrors! And see how she abandons herself

Comme si le rustre était un baron!
As if the peasant were a baron!

Zig et zig et zig, quelle sarabande!
Zig and zig and zig, what a saraband!

Quels cercles de morts se donnant la main!
What circles of the dead holding hands!

Zig et zig et zag, on voit dans la bande
Zig and zig and zag, you see in the crowd

Le roi gambader auprès du vilain!
The king dancing next to the peasant!

Mais psit! tout à coup on quitte la ronde,
But shh! Suddenly they stop the dance,

On se pousse, on fuit, le coq a chanté
They push each other, they flee, the cock has crowed.

Oh! La belle nuit pour le pauvre monde!
Oh! What a beautiful night for the poor world!

Et vive la mort et l'égalité!
And long live death and equality

Senior Manager of Concert Services – Luis Herrera 
Concert Production Coordinator – Matthew Carey
Concert Production Manager – Kendall Floyd
Manager of Performance Technology – Wes Fowler
Performance Technology Technicians – Sara Pagiaro, Goran Daskalov