About
Art song
Mélodies, Liriche, Lieder, & al.
At the beginning of this new Century, while most of the world was sated with bad commercial pop music, Juliana Snapper and her accomplice, French-American pianist Andrew Infanti, reinvented, on numerous occasions, the cultural experience of the musical “salon.” Their work was inspired by European literary and artistic cenacles in vogue since the 18th century, notably in Paris.
Despite the ephemeral status of this kind of work, it is possible to listen to Juliana Snapper and Andrew Infanti interpret several songs by Hanns Eisler which often graced the musical “salon” programs. In an academic context quite different from the original presentation, here is a recent performance that was video recorded during the “Portrait and Absences” Concert at Bilkent University Concert Hall, Ankara, Turkey. (continue reading…)
The musical “salon” experience
Reviving the scintillating tradition musical “salon”, Juliana Snapper and Andrew Infanti hoped to offer relaxed settings for exacting performances and stimulating discussions of French, Italian, German or English art song and poetry.
To small (and sometimes larger) groups they both performed works by Emmanuel Chabrier, Henri Duparc, Gioachino Rossini, Hanns Eisler, Hugo Wolf, Percy Grainger. Even famous opera arias like Mozart’s, and so on… Performances and debates proliferated under their direction in art galleries, queer oases and historic ballrooms.
Such events were animated by Andrew Infanti, Paris-based salonnier and specialist in the history, literature, and performance of Mélodies and Chansons. They were free and open to all, including the finest vocal conoscienti, peculiarly lovers of French culture, and the genuinely curious. Only required was the password “Luxe, Calme et Volupté.”
Hosted by Juliana Snapper, Andrew Infanti has notably been cited as the instigator of the infamous song salon in Los Angeles (CA, USA) entitled L’Île Heureuse (Dec. 2011 at Machine Project), in reference to the fabulous mélodie by Chabrier which they often taught to the entire company.
Naturally, none of these events were recorded, neither in audio or video. What remains are a few amateur photos taken by guests as keepsakes.
Eisler’s Song texts
Read Song texts selected by Hanns Eisler from Bertolt Brecht’s and Peter Altenberg’s poems
Original versions
I. An die Nachgeborenen, III, B. Brecht
Ihr, die ihr auftauchen werdet aus der Flut
In der wir untergegangen sind
Gedenkt
Wenn ihr von unseren Schwächen sprecht
Auch der finsteren Zeit
Der ihr entronnen seid.
Gingen wir doch, öfter als die Schuhe die Länder wechselnd
Durch die Kriege der Klassen, verzweifelt
Wenn da nur Unrecht war und keine Empörung.
Dabei wissen wir doch:
Auch der Haß gegen die Niedrigkeit
Verzerrt die Züge.
Auch der Zorn über das Unrecht
Macht die Stimme heiser. Ach, wir
Die wir den Boden bereiten wollten für Freundlichkeit
Konnten selber nicht freundlich sein.
Ihr aber, wenn es so weit sein wird
Daß der Mensch dem Menschen ein Helfer ist
Gedenkt unsrer
Mit Nachsicht.
II. Der Pflaumenbaum, B. Brecht
Im Hofe steht ein Pflaumenbaum,
der ist Klein, man glaubt es kaum.
Er hat ein Gitter d’rum,
so tritt ihn keiner um.
Der Kleine kann nicht grösser wer’n.
Ja, grösser wer’n, das möcht er gern;
‘ist keine Red’ davon,
er hat zu wenig Sonn.
Der Pflaumenbaum glaubt man ihn kaum,
weil er nie eine Plaume hat.
Doch er ist ein Pflaumenbaum.
Man kennt est an dem Blatt.
III. Und endlich, P. Altenberg
Und endlich sterbt die Sehnsucht doch,
wie Blüten sterben im Kellerloch,
die täglich auf ein bisschen Sonne warten.
Wie Tiere sterben, die man lieblos hält.
Und alles Unbetreute in der Welt.
Man fragt nicht mehr, wo wird sie sein?
Ruhig erwacht man, ruhig schläft man ein.
Wie in verwehte Jugendtage blickst du zurück
und irgend jeman sagt dir leise: ’sist dein Gluck.
Da denkt man, dass es vielleicht wirklich so ist.
Wundert sich still, dass man doch nicht froh ist.
English translations
I. To Posterity, III, by B. Brecht
You, who will emerge from the flood
In which we have sunk
Remember
When you speak of our weaknesses
Our dark time
From which you escaped.
We went on changing countries more often than our shoes
Through class struggle, desperate
Because there was only injustice and no outrage.
But we know that
Even hatred of baseness
Distorts one’s facial features.
And that anger against injustice
Makes one’s voice hoarse. Alas, we
Who wanted to prepare the way for kindness
Could not ourselves be kind.
But you, when the time finally comes
When man is a helper to his fellow man
Remember us
With leniency.
II. The Plum Tree, by B. Brecht
In the yard there is a plum tree,
It is so small that one can hardly believe it.
It has a little fence around it,
So that no one steps on it.
The little one cannot get bigger.
Yes, to get bigger, that’s what it would really like.
But there is no question about that,
It gets too little sun.
People hardly believe it is a plum tree,
Because it never grew any plums.
Yet it is a plum tree.
One can recognize it by its leaves.
III. And finally, by P. Altenberg
And finally desire dies,
As flowers die in the cellar,
Waiting each day for a bit of sunlight.
Like animals die if nobody cares for them,
And like all neglected beings in the world!
We no longer ask ourselves,“Where can it be found?”
Quietly we wake up, quietly we fall asleep.
As you look back on the vanished days of your youth,
And someone says to you: “That’s your lot of happiness!”
Then we think this is probably true.
We silently wonder why we are still not happy.