Beyond Writer’s Block: A Look at 19th Century Literature in Music

Writer’s block plagues every poet, novelist, and composer- no matter if they’re a novice or seasoned veteran. These writers and composers have surpassed this boundary and have created spectacular works. Unfortunately, this recital is not nearly long enough to encompass all of the literary works out there! Instead, this performance will focus on a sampling of American, English, Scottish, French, and German literature during the 19th century. Literary writers include: Walt Whitman, Robert Louis Stevenson, John Henry Mackay, Heinrich Hart, Thekla Lingen, Paul Heyse, Gustav Mahler, Fiona MacLeod, Richard Wagner, George Crabbe, and Victor Hugo. Richard Strauss, Joseph Marx, Gustav Mahler, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Charles Griffes, and Kurt Weill composed some of these works as arts songs an lieder (German art songs). Richard Wagner and Benjamin Britten have taken their chosen literature and turned them into full operatic works, of which one aria from each will be performed. Lastely, Alan Menken, inspired by Hugo’s beloved novel, wrote the music for Disney’s telling of Hunchback of Notre Dame, which includes Quasimodo’s “Out There.”

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Collegiate Church of St Paul the Apostle (Episcopal), 1802 Abercorn Street, Savannah, United States