Draganski and Schafer: a perspective on works for voice and woodwind quintet
Abstract
The purpose of this document is to explore the relationship between voice and woodwind quintet by examining two prominent multi-movement works in the repertoire, Minnelieder: Love Songs from the Medieval German for mezzo soprano and wind quintet by R. Murray Schafer and Six Songs on Mother Goose Rhymes for soprano and woodwind by Donald Draganski. A secondary aim is to impart greater awareness and understanding of works for voice and woodwind quintet. Music for this combination is largely unknown and neglected, yet this subgenre of vocal chamber music has several works by twentieth and twenty-first century composers worthy of attention. Schafers’s Minnelieder and Draganski’s Six Songs on Mother Goose Rhymes are two works that successfully and beautifully demonstrate the unique possibilities of this ensemble. This document provides a brief history of the wind quintet and biographical information for composers, R. Murray Schafer and Donald Draganski. The primary focus of the document explores Schafer’s and Draganski’s compositional approach to the medium of voice and woodwind quintet and the unique textures and timbres that result from this combination. The document includes appendices with program notes, translations, and transcripts from interviews with the composers.