Jan (Janice) DeGaetani (July 10, 1933 – September 15, 1989) was an American

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...

known for her performances of contemporary classical vocal compositions. DeGaetani was born in

Massillon, Ohio Massillon is a city in western Stark County, Ohio, United States, along the Tuscarawas River. The population was 32,146 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Massillon is a principal city of the Canton–Massillon metropolitan area, whic ...

. Educated at

The Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

with Sergius Kagen, she was best known for her wide range, precise pitch, clear tone, and command of extended techniques that made her voice perfectly suited to the demanding style of modern and

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

vocal composition. Her recording of

Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian and American composer, music theorist, teacher and writer. He was among the first modernists who transformed the practice of harmony in 20th-century classical music, ...

song cycle A song cycle () is a group, or cycle (music), cycle, of individually complete Art song, songs designed to be performed in sequence, as a unit.Susan Youens, ''Grove online'' The songs are either for solo voice or an ensemble, or rarely a combinat ...

'' Pierrot lunaire'' is one of the classic recordings of the piece. (Due to its use of

atonal Atonality in its broadest sense is music that lacks a tonal center, or key. ''Atonality'', in this sense, usually describes compositions written from about the early 20th-century to the present day, where a hierarchy of harmonies focusing on ...

ity, wide range, and virtuoso techniques such as

sprechstimme (, "spoken singing") and (, "spoken voice"), more commonly known as speak-singing in English, are expressionist musical vocal techniques between singing and speaking. Though sometimes used interchangeably, is directly related to the operatic re ...

, all while requiring a lyrical sensibility, it is exceptionally difficult to sing.) Her collaboration with

George Crumb George Henry Crumb Jr. (24 October 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an American composer of avant-garde contemporary classical music. Early in his life he rejected the widespread modernist usage of serialism, developing a highly personal musical ...

was also a fruitful one; she premiered his song cycle ''

Ancient Voices of Children Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient h ...

'', and many of his other works were written for her. Uncommonly for a singer of her caliber (though her voice was not as powerful as most), DeGaetani rarely appeared in

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

, instead concentrating on solo recital work in the art song literature. Her talent at foreign languages also made her an accomplished interpreter of

lied In the Western classical music tradition, ( , ; , ; ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German and Dutch, but among English and French speakers, is often used interchangea ...

er; she sang and recorded works by composers such as

Hugo Wolf Hugo Philipp Jacob Wolf (; ; 13 March 1860 – 22 February 1903) was an Austrian composer, particularly noted for his art songs, or Lieder. He brought to this form a concentrated expressive intensity which was unique in late Romantic music, so ...

Hector Berlioz Louis-Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and conductor. His output includes orchestral works such as the ''Symphonie fantastique'' and ''Harold en Italie, Harold in Italy'' ...

, and

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic music, Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and ...

and was noted for her intelligence and skillful analytical interpretation. Her interpretive skills also lent themselves to songs in her native tongue of English, such as

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, critic, writer, teacher, pianist, and conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as the "Dean of American Compos ...

's ''12 Poems of Emily Dickinson'', and the songs of

Charles Ives Charles Edward Ives (; October 20, 1874May 19, 1954) was an American modernist composer, actuary and businessman. Ives was among the earliest renowned American composers to achieve recognition on a global scale. His music was largely ignored d ...

. On the other end of the spectrum, DeGaetani was also a noted performer of the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

and

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

repertoire. DeGaetani made her New York performance debut in 1958. Afterward, she performed with the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble regularly, and also appeared with several world-famous orchestras, including the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

, the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription concerts, n ...

, the

Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic () is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922� ...

, the

BBC Symphony The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. The ...

, and the

Chicago Symphony The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891, the ensemble has been based in the Symphony Center since 1904 and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Fes ...

, and made numerous recordings with them and in

chamber ensembles Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...

. She was professor of voice at

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1921 by celebrated industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, it was the ...

and Artist in Residence at the Aspen Music Festival from 1973 until her death. Notable students include American sopranos

Dawn Upshaw Dawn Upshaw (born July 17, 1960) is an American soprano. She is the recipient of several Grammy Awards and has released a number of Edison Award-winning discs; she performs both opera and art song, and her repertoire spans Baroque to contempo ...

, Karen Holvik,

Renée Fleming Renée Lynn Fleming (born February 14, 1959) is an American soprano and actress, known for performances in opera, concerts, recordings, theater, film, and at major public occasions. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Fleming has been nom ...

, and Lucy Shelton, mezzo-sopranos

Milagro Vargas Milagro Vargas (born June 11, 1955) is an American mezzo-soprano known for her distinctive voice and stage presence. She has appeared as an international soloist in operatic, orchestral, chamber music and recital settings. Family background and ...

and Mary Nessinger, tenor Stephen Oosting, and baritone William Sharp. DeGaetani died in

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

, in 1989, aged 56, of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

Discography

*''Songs From a Colonial Tavern as sung by Taylor Vrooman also with Marvin Hayes, Bass (1964) *''Pierrot Lunaire'' by Schoenberg (1971) *''Songs by Stephen Foster'', with Leslie Guinn (1972) *''Las Cantigas de Santa Maria - Songs and Instrumental Music from the Court of Alfonso X'', with the Waverly Consort, Michael Jaffee, dir. (1972) *''Songs from the Spanisches Liederbuch'' by Hugo Wolf (1974) *''Songs'' by Schubert / ''The Book of the Hanging Gardens, Op. 15'' by Schoenberg (1975) *''Ancient Voices of Children'' by George Crumb (1975) *''Songs'' by Charles Ives (1976) *''Songs by Stephen Foster, Volume II'' with Leslie Guinn (1976) *''Classic Cole'' songs by Cole Porter, with Leo Smit, piano (1977) *''Chansons Madécasses'' by Ravel (1978) *''String Quartet #6 - A Whitman Serenade'' by Samuel Adler (1979) *''Songs'' by Sergei Rachmaninoff & Ernest Chausson (1980) *''Duets & Four Songs from Op. 98a'' by Robert Schumann, with Leslie Guinn (1983) *''Apparition'' by George Crumb / ''Songs'' by Charles Ives (1983) *''Songs'' by Brahms (1983) *''Moore's Irish Melodies'' (1984) *''Chansons de Bilitis'' and ''Fêtes Galantes'' by Debussy / ''Histoires Naturelles'' by Ravel (1984) *''The Nursery Cycle'' by Mussorgsky / ''Songs'' by Tchaikovsky (1985) *''Lullabies and Night Songs'' by Alec Wilder (1985) *''George Crumb: An Idyll for the Misbegotten/Vox Balaenae/Madrigals (Books I-IV)'' by George Crumb (1987) *''Songs of America on Home, Love, Nature, and Death'' - various composers (1988) *''Les Nuits d'été'' by Berlioz with ''Five Wunderhorn Songs & Five Rückert Songs'' by Mahler (1989) *''Jan DeGaetani in Concert, Volume One'': La Chanson d'Eve by Gabriel Fauré / Dark upon the Harp by Jacob Druckman (1991) *''Jan DeGaetani in Concert, Volume Two'': Frauenliebe und -leben by Schumann / Zigeunerlieder and other songs by Brahms (1991) *''Aaron Copland 81st Birthday Concert at the Library of Congress'' with Leo Smit (1993) *''Jan DeGaetani in Concert, Volume Three'': Shostakovich, Welcher, Kurtág (1995) *''Jan DeGaetani in Concert, Volume Four'': Early Music Recital by various composers (1999) *''Jan DeGaetani/Gilbert Kalish In Concert: Recital Performances from 1987 by various composers'' (2011)

References

*"Janice DeGaetani." Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Centennial Edition. Nicolas Slonimsky, Editor Emeritus. Schirmer, 2001. *Bernheimer, Martin. "Jan DeGaetani" Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 23 Jan 05
(subscription access)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Degaetani, Jan 1933 births 1989 deaths American operatic mezzo-sopranos People from Massillon, Ohio Deaths from leukemia in New York (state) Juilliard School alumni 20th-century American women opera singers Singers from Ohio Classical musicians from Ohio