Two Songs - Lean Out Of The Window, Golden Hair
by Jean Coulthard (1946, for baritone & piano)
In many ways, Jean Coulthard and Violet Archer led nearly parallel lives. Born five years apart, both women were pioneers in Canadian music in the middle of the 20th century. Jean Coulthard taught composition at the University of British Columbia, Violet Archer at the University of Alberta. Both had contact with the most prominent composers of their time, including Bartók, Schoenberg, and Hindemith. It is perhaps peculiarly Canadian that two female composers achieved such prominence at a time when music and academia was still so male-dominated. It is also a testament to the talent of both composers that their music and their teaching has had an effect on music in Western Canada for more than a generation.
The selection of songs for this recording are a snapshot of Coulthard's essential lyricism. Two Songs (Gentle Lady, do not sing sad songs and Lean out of the window, Golden Hair) date from 1946, the year before Coulthard’s appointment at UBC. The texts are from James Joyce, and the musical language is delicate and dreamy. Coulthard’s musical language is perfectly suited to the mood and subject matter of these intimate, sensual texts.
lyrics
Two Songs
Poetry by James Joyce
2. LEAN OUT OF THE WINDOW, GOLDEN HAIR
Lean out of the window,
Goldenhair,
I hear you singing
A merry air.
My book was closed,
I read no more,
Watching the fire dance
On the floor.
I have left my book,
I have left my room,
For I heard you singing
Through the gloom.
Singing and singing
A merry air,
Lean out of the window,
Goldenhair.
Ludwig Recordings is a Record Label specializing in the music of composer Christopher Ludwig and its artists.
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