Hi! I'm trying to expand my repetoire to include some 20th Century classical works, as I don't think I really know any! I'm trying to concentrate on secular works and I was wondering whether there might be a few books you could recommend to me?

Thank you

Hi ES,
I cannot think of any off-hand but use the Schirmer books of soprano songs often and these include a useful selection of modern songs as well as older ones. They might be a good start.

The Boosey and Hawkes song books are a good resource: the first one is entitled The Boosey & Hawkes Easy 20th Century collection and the second the Boosey & Hawkes Song collection vol. 2. If you see the covers you realise they are in the same series, but the titles don't help, in my opinion! The covers are rather hard on the eye - alternating turquoise and dark magenta wavy stripes.

Composers range from the expected (Howells, Vaughan Williams, Britten) to the less well-known. They are all by English-language composers, and in English.

Back in the summer I made a similar request for songs for a young alto I accompany. She was particularly interested in songs by living composers, and had already enjoyed singing songs by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Roger Quilter, Herbert Howells, Gerald Finzi, Peter Warlock, Benjamin Britten and Madeleine Dring.

Several Forumites responded, and I also got suggestions from students and the vocal tutor Loré Lixenberg on the Contemporary Music-making for Amateurs summer course. Here's most of the message in which I passed on the list I compiled as a result. I realise that songs won't necessarily be available in appropriate keys for both voices, but you may get some ideas:

One of the students specifically seconded Val_alto's suggestion of Jonathan Dove's unaccompanied My Love is Mine. Dove will be 50 next year.

Other composers and songs suggested:

Ned Rorem (1923-still alive I think)(American):
Far, far away
Early in the morning.

John Cage (1912-92)
(American): A flower (accompanied by noises on closed piano)
The wonderful widow of eighteen springs (ditto)
Five songs for contralto.

John Adams (American). Nothing specific. I think the person who suggested him had something from Nixon in China in mind.

They also mentioned a book (i.e. not actual music) of repertoire suggestions by Jane Manning who is particularly known for singing contemporary repertoire, though I think she may more or less have retired now. That sounded like a useful resource. I think she said it included performance suggested.

Laurence Crane:
Tour de France Statistics 1903-2003 (written 2004) in French.

Christopher Fox: A-N-N-A Blossom Time, mainly written 1987. 9 poems translated from German, by Kurt Schwitters (1887-1948). I looked at these, and they are all either a bit high [for the particular singer I was asking for] or have a very tiny range.

Geoff Hannan (1972-) (available from BMIC - British Music Information Centre - where he is one of their featured "New Voices" composers):
A pair of songs: 1. Where I live is ######e [rhymes with white]. 2. Where I live is posh. (Doesn't sound quite like what the good folk of Cambridge would expect, but I didn't actually see them!).
Why do people believe in God? (I was able to look at this one which is fast and fun - the gist of it is that they believe in God because he stops their balloon from falling out of the sky). At the suggested speeds it would last about 3.5 minutes. Range a 9th from middle C. It seems only to be available with Go to ###### [opposite of Heaven], World! which I think had a man's text.

Simon Holt (1958-):
6 Caprices. (unaccompanied, or accompanied by singer with castanets). In Spanish (Lorca).

Dai Fujikura:
Accompanying Franz (based on the Schubert song Der Lindenbaum) (unaccompanied).

Martyn Harry:
Chamber Intimacy, 6 songs (separable?). Possibly available from SPNM - Society for the Promotion of New Music.

Errolyn Wallen:
Nothing specific.
http://www.myspace.com/errollynwallen

Judith Weir (Scottish)(1954-) published by Chester:
Nothing specific.
The only solo voice item I've heard of hers is a c.7 minute opera for solo voice called "King Harald's Saga", which I saw Jane Manning perform live. It's brilliant! One voice has to be King Harald, his two wives, the chorus, etc. etc. I've liked everything of hers I've heard.

--------------------

The whole thread comes up if you do a search on seeking / dacapo / viva voice / show as topic

I hope you will find some music that you really enjoy.

Thanks everyone, that's really helpful sorry for late reply!