| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 音樂學系 === 106 === Michael William Balfe, 1808-1870, was an Irish composer, baritone, and conductor in the 19th century, who enjoyed a short-lived fame. He studied in Paris and Milan, where he immersed himself in an environment where bel canto operas flourished. When he returned to London, he channeled his creativity into his English vocal works, utilizing what his experiences in Italian and French opera; through these successful operatic works, it conjured a new wave in English music. More vocal works were then composed, allowing the vocal arts to become more prevalent, thanks to Balfe. This thesis will focus on the six songs that Balfe had composed in 1858, using the poems of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Through gathering information from documents, understanding the cultural and social importance of the poems, structural analysis of the music, techniques of the compositional methods, understanding the relationship with the music and poetry, I have provided the Mandarin translation and the all the related contents, and have based my performance interpretations on all my findings.
These six songs were gathered from the various collections of poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1807-1882, from Voices of the Nights, The Belfry of Bruges and Other Poems, and The Spanish Students. In the six poems, different emotions and aspects of life are exhibited, allowing the music to develop differently, without any relevance. Balfe published these six songs and a duet altogether in the same book. From these six songs, one will notice Balfe’s compositional techniques and musical style. He uses many operatic compositional techniques, such as recitative, damper pedal, and sustaining pedal; through changes in the tempo, tonality, and rhythm, he shows us the changes in the mood as well. When he accurately harnesses the tempo, energy, emotions and inflections, he is able to dramatize the music; the piano plays a supportive role accompanying the singer, but provides an appropriate amount of emotional support to the development of the music. Through my knowledge and experience as a performer, I will provide my own interpretation of these six songs, and I hope my interpretation will be of assistance to those who wish to perform these works.
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