Lois Hegarty Performance

This past Thursday I attended one of Harding’s student recitals. Curious as to what types and genres would be played, I strolled into the recital hall open-minded. The room was a bit smaller than I expected, but it served great for the fact that not a single performer had a microphone. They were all expected to project their voices in such a way that even the people in the back row could hear them. However, it was also important that they did not sound like they were yelling. I do believe each performer obtained these qualities in his or her performance. All melodies, excluding the solo piano movements, were homophonic. The stage was simple; it consisted only of a piano, the pianist, and the performer. The crispness and simplicity of the stage left me in wonder of what music was coming my way. Kaylynn Wolfe was the first to performer. She sang Per la gloria d’adorarvi with a piano accompaniment. The
Oh, Margaret, It’s You! took advantage of a prop . . . a telephone. Lois Hegarty vividly portrayed a telephone conversation with a friend by using the phone. However, I do believe the listeners would have understood the meaning of the song even if she had not used the prop. Hegarty cleverly manipulated her vocal chords to show eagerness on the phone during the beginning of the performance; and she also did the same to let the audience know when she was becoming agitated. Her piece revolved around a homophonic texture. There were also subtle dynamic and tempo changes. It was written in major tonality which served well for not only the mood of the conversation, but for the moments of sing-song laughter. Willow Song, performed by Reagan Winsett was also written in major tonality. The title gives way to the pastorale theme of the piece. Beginning the movement’s form is a soft instrumental introduction played by Daniel Smith. This led way to the build-up and eventual crescendo of Winsett’s voice during the later part of her