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Lady Blarney – March 3, 1996 | Walter Hall, Toronto
Lady Blarney – March 3, 1996 | Walter Hall, Toronto
The life and times of Anna Jameson (1794-1860)
date: March 3, 1996
This concert told the extraordinary story of Anna Jameson (1794-1860), who arrived in Toronto in 1836 as the wife of the Attorney General of Upper Canada. After six months, she decided Canada was not for her; her husband allowed her to return to England with an allowance of £300 a year – but before that, she made an epic, solo tour of the province, right up to the western extremity of Lake Huron. She wrote of her travels in Winter Studies and Summer Rambles in Canada, the engaging readability of which justifies her nickname for herself (and our title): “Lady Blarney”. Before coming to Ontario, she had visited Germany several times, met the poets Friedrich von Schlegel and Ludwig Tieck and became a close friend of Ottilie von Goethe, the daughter-in-law of the poet. Later in life, she made a name for herself as a writer and particularly as an art historian. She was, clearly, an independent and assertive woman. She was proud of her light, soft singing voice and of her skill as a guitarist. Having been born in Ireland, she had a particularly sympathy for Thomas Moore’s Irish Melodies. All of these threads – Ireland, England, Germany, Ontario, our native peoples – served to create the patchwork quilt of our programme, which was greatly enhanced by substantial extracts from Jameson’s writings, read by Jennifer Phipps.
| Song | Artist | Composer | Poet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erin, the tear and the smile in thine eye | Whicher, Monica, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Irish folksong | Moore, Thomas |
| Poor Jack | Neff, Daniel, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Dibdin, Charles | Dibdin, Charles |
| Sprache der Liebe, D410 | Whicher, Monica, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Schubert, Franz | Schlegel, August Wilhelm von |
| Die Liebende schreibt, Op. 86/3 | Turnbull, Elizabeth, mezzo; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix | Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von |
| As slow our ship her foamy track | Whicher, Monica, soprano; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Irish folksong | Moore, Thomas |
| The Canadian Sleigh Song | Turnbull, Elizabeth, mezzo; Neff, Daniel, baritone; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Russell, Henry | Mackay, Charles |
| Quick! we have but a second | Neff, Daniel, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Irish folksong | Moore, Thomas |
| Erster Verlust, D226 | Whicher, Monica, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Schubert, Franz | Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von |
| Frühlingslied, Op.47/3 | Turnbull, Elizabeth, mezzo; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix | Lenau, Nikolaus |
| Fill the bumper fair | Turnbull, Elizabeth, mezzo; Neff, Daniel, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Irish folksong | Moore, Thomas |
| Brilliant Contredanse and Polka | Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Strathy, George | n/a |
| What the bee is to the flow’ret | Whicher, Monica, soprano; Turnbull, Elizabeth, mezzo; Neff, Daniel, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Irish folksong | Moore, Thomas |
| Wanderlied, Op.57/6 | Whicher, Monica, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix | Eichendorff, Joseph Freiherr von |
| Auf dem See, D543 | Whicher, Monica, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Schubert, Franz | Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von |
| Nass River Dance Song (Four Love Songs) | Neff, Daniel, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Folksong, arr. Beckwith, John | anon. |
| Il giuramento: Notturno (Nuits d’été à Pausilippe) | Whicher, Monica, soprano; Turnbull, Elizabeth, mezzo; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Donizetti, Gaetano | Palazzolo, Michele |
| Ojibway Quaince | Whicher, Monica, soprano | trad. Chippewa, transcr. Jameson, Anna | anon. |
| Vive la Canadienne! – quodlibet | Turnbull, Elizabeth, mezzo; Neff, Daniel, baritone; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Voyageur songs, arr. Greer, John | anon. |
| An den Mond, D259 | Neff, Daniel, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Schubert, Franz | Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von |
| Voyage to Canada: Study (Studies and Rambles of Wasagewanoqua) | Whicher, Monica, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Greer, John | Schiller, Friedrich von |
| Toronto: Ramble (Studies and Rambles of Wasagewanoqua) | Whicher, Monica, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Greer, John | Jameson, Anna |
| Sleigh Trip to Niagara: Study (Studies and Rambles of Wasagewanoqua) | Whicher, Monica, soprano; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Greer, John | anon. |
| The Resurrection of Nature: Ramble (Studies and Rambles of Wasagewanoqua) | Whicher, Monica, soprano; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Greer, John | Jameson, Anna |
| From Sault Ste. Marie en Bateau! Ramble and three Studies (Studies and Rambles of Wasagewanoqua) | Whicher, Monica, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Greer, John | Jameson, Anna / anon. / Irving, Washington |
| Ojibway Quaince: Ramble and Study (Studies and Rambles of Wasagewanoqua) | Whicher, Monica, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano | trad. Chippewa, transcr. Jameson, Anna / Greer, John | Jameson, Anna / anon. |
| The Heart’s Laugh: Envoi (Studies and Rambles of Wasagewanoqua) | Whicher, Monica, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Greer, John | Taylor, Sir Henry |
| Canadian Boat Song | Whicher, Monica, soprano; Turnbull, Elizabeth, mezzo; Neff, Daniel, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Moore, Thomas | Moore, Thomas |
| The Canadian Sleigh Song – ENCORE | Whicher, Monica, soprano; Turnbull, Elizabeth, mezzo; Neff, Daniel, baritone; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Russell, Henry | Mackay, Charles |