Symphonische Gesänge, Op. 20 (English: Symphonic Songs) is a set of songs for baritone (or alto) and orchestra composed in 1929 by Austrian composer Alexander von Zemlinsky.
Composition
Zemlinsky composed the songs in the early part of 1929 and orchestrated them in the summer of that year while holidaying in Juan-les-Pins.[1] The composer used texts extracted from a Viennese anthology of poems from the Harlem Renaissance entitled Afrika Singt (English: Africa Sings), edited by Anna Nussbaum and published in early 1929.[2] The set was dedicated to the memory of Zemlinsky's wife Ida who had died in January 1929. The text was edited by Wilhelm Grosz and translated by Jean Forman.[3]
Zemlinsky's direct experience of African societies and music was limited. However, he identified with the plight of black Americans as it reflected the post-World War I experience of many Jews in both Germany and Austria [4]
The work was premiered in a studio broadcast in Brno on 8 April 1935, conducted by Heinrich Jalowetz. It was not performed again until 1964 in Baltimore.[5] The score was published in 1977 by Universal Edition.[6]
Structure and style
The set features a total of seven songs and has a performance duration of approximately 18 minutes. The titles of the songs are as follows:
