ELLY AMELING: Some Thoughts on the Heart of Art Song
In April 2020, Elly Ameling reached out to Sparks & Wiry Cries to share her video series, Some Thoughts on the Heart of Art Song. Below, we share this extraordinary video series along with our thoughts on her impact on the world of art song.
Renowned soprano Elly Ameling recently created a series of YouTube tutorials, Some Thoughts on the Heart of Art Song, which was filmed in January 2020 at her home in the Netherlands. The project was developed after a residency at Wheaton College with encouragement from Professor Carolyn Hart, who sought to capture Ms. Ameling’s interpretive ideas and ideals for future generations. With Professor Hart’s assistance, Ms. Ameling collected her thoughts into a series of essays, which now accompanies the videos. With her typical high standards and directness, Ms. Ameling offers 14 essential lessons in the interpretation of art song.
“An Art Song is like a diamond cut with strength into many facets, and it is our duty to polish the infinite details.”
Together with Prof. Carolyn Hart, Elly Ameling wrote a series of essays to accompany the video tutorials. Click the image above for the pdf.
It goes without saying that Elly Ameling (b. 1933) has lived these lessons throughout her life, both as an artist and as a teacher. Ms. Ameling’s extraordinary performance career, which revolved primarily around art song, brought her to every major concert stage and saw her under the baton of such conductors as Edo de Waart, Raymond Leppard, Andre Previn, and Seiji Ozawa, among countless others. In addition to these live performances, Ms. Ameling’s dizzying discography of over 150 recordings includes peerless interpretations of Brahms, Mendelssohn, and Ravel with Rudolf Jansen; the complete works of Fauré with Dalton Baldwin and Gerard Souzay, and a four-CD set of Schubert songs with both Jansen and Baldwin. Since retiring in 1996, she has offered regular masterclasses at educational institutions around the world. She comments on the growth of performance and study opportunities:
Fortunately, not only recitals but also masterclasses of Art Song are regularly sold out all over the world. And much more now than let’s say ten years ago.
To mention only a few: the Melbourne Art Song Festival and the Cleveland Art Song Festival. As well, Berlin, Germany has its series Lieder und Dichter (Songs and Poets); Schwarzenberg, Austria: Schubertiade; Baden bei Wien: Franz-Schubert -Institut; Oxford Lieder Festival. There are also concerts, contests and masterclasses in places such as London’s Wigmore Hall, Leeds Lieder Festival and the Hugo-Wolf-Akademie in Stuttgart. Amsterdam has two series of art song recitals, and Zeist in the Netherlands has its own May Festival for Art Song in all styles and languages. Art Song is alive and kicking!
Elly Ameling’s exuberant statement on the presence of Art Song in our time is a testament to the investment she and many others have made throughout their careers. We at Sparks & Wiry Cries are honored to have been asked by Ms. Ameling to share these videos with our international audience and are proud to be a platform celebrating the art form’s history while enabling the deep connections that song continues to build in our hearts and communities.
April 15, 2020
