I was just wondering if anyone knows any good female duets of approx grade 7 plus standard. Its for my 'performing during the course' bit of my a level. I've just taken my grade 8, and the person who's singing with me is taking hers at christmas.. just to give you an idea! So yeah, any suggestions welcome! Similarly, any suggestions of english songs that i could sing for my recital (again grade 7 plus needed) would be more than welcome! Thanks!

You haven't told us what voices you have yet. When you do I expect that lots of suggestions will be posted.

oh goodness yes.. its been one of those days! I don't know if i've done a thing today without forgetting something! I'm a mezzo-soprano and my friend is an alto. Thanks!

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Um, hang on a minute, that's a bit abrasive to David. These days, the trend is to call eveyone who is not a soprano a mezzo-soprano. (How long is it since we have seen a contralto in Cardiff Singer of the World, or seen one advertised in an opera?) An alto is a low female voice in a choir, and not a description of a solo singer. These days the word "contralto" has largely fallen out of use. It was certainly never used at Trinity College of Music when I studied there.

either really.... but probs classical is prefered - but any suggestions are more than welcome!!

alto isn't a specific voice type, its a category in choral music, and you can get countertenors or boy altos or contraltos performing alto music!

These days the lowest catagory of women's voice is usually referred to as being alto rather than contralto. Male singers using the same range are often called male altos. I see plenty in oratorio performances and at the National Eisteddfod. Perhaps it is not fashionable to be an alto any more.
But back to your question; I think that you might find it easiest to transpose a duet. I'll think and post some suggestions in the morning.

As ever, it's not easy to make recommendations without knowing your voices - but this is a rich and rewarding field to explore.

You could look through the Purcell duets - 'Lost is my quiet' is particularly suited to lower voices - and, if you like baroque style, there are some beautiful Monteverdi ones. Moving on the the 19th century, there are volumes of Schumann, Mendelssohn and Brahms. Oh, and Dvorak ( Moravian Dances etc)

As for 'contemporary', my least favourite duet of all time is probably 'I know him so well'.. followed closely by 'It's her or me'.. (not that you asked )

Good luck in finding something suitable.

I'll open a new thread for that alto/mezzo question

Did you have a look into Mendelssohn Duets? E.g. "Herbstlied" etc.?

Although it sometimes says "for 2 Sopranos", the range is very moderate, and Soprano 1 most certainly can be sung by an advanced mezzo, while the second still is alright for an alto (provided she has notes like c or d above middle c, which I guess ).

Have you tried the Purcell duet "Shepherds, shepherds, leave decoying" from King Arthur? It could be transposed down a little and is a nice one for young voices.