Hello everyone,

I'm putting on a concert which is based around the the different personas of women: girl, young woman in love, widow etc. There was an obvious gap in the programme for 'Motherhood'. I'm sure there are lots of pieces out there, classical or show, on this theme, but so far my brain is blank! Something for soprano/high mezzo would be great.

I would be ever so grateful for any suggestions!

The obvious is an Ave Maria (Schubert? Bach/Gounod?)

Or if you are in a silly mood Tom Lehrer's Oedipus Rex (I'm not sure off hand if thats in the Too Many Songs songbook or not), or it if isn't in the song book, you could perhaps have a duet between Oedipus Tex and his mother by PDQ Bach.

"Meinem Kinde" (To My Child) by Strauss, Op.37 No.2 is a good one, and suitable for a soprano I think.

"Les Berceaux" (The Cradles) by Faure is about how Mothers are left rocking the cradles while the men ###### off.

"To the children" and "Child, you are lovely like a flower" by Rachmaninov are beautiful but these are more mezzo-y (and Russian - difficult if you're not used to singing in this language.) Oooh, and "The Soldier's Wife" also by Rachmaninov is a beautiful one, but obviously more wife than mother.

"Smutna Rzeka" (Sad River) by Chopin is hauntingly beautiful and has something about a Mother in it but its in Polish, so again maybe a bit difficult.

An option from the musicals repertoire is the Marilyn Monroe song from Blood Brothers. Talks about Motherhood and other aspects of being a woman. More specifically about Motherhood are "Easy Terms" and "My Child" also from Blood Brothers, but I think these have parts for two singers, although there might be some way you could cut it at an appropriate point or summat.

Hope that helps!


Wow, sorry, I didn't realise that was a rude word but the ABRSM seems to have blanked it out. Sorry, it honestly wasn't that rude. I'm kind of embarrased!

I have no healthy ideas, sorry, but there are several folk songs (some in Child Ballads) such as

The Cruel Mother (mother stabs her babies, whose little ghosties pop up and say "we are off to heaven, but you are going to Hades, dear mother")

Nice gruesome folk song about mother raising her sons from the dead! "The Wife of Usher's Well"

A mock-barbershop song by #### Sherman "Sign the Policies, Mother" ("...if you should die, I'll be one happy guy...")

This one is a bit better known... Joan Baez "All The Weary Mothers"

possibly:
The Devil and the Farmer's Wife (Devil takes the Farmer's Wife, but she causes so much trouble in Hades that he brings her back again)

A fun folksong for an encore would be Granny Frazer's Flittin', but it's perhaps more of a fast recitation than a song.

One of the most ferocious mothers of all time has to be The Queen of the Night!

Sunrise, Sunset from Fiddler?

WOW! Where do I start? I think I'm going to have to put on another concert entirely within this theme! Thanks everyone!

There is also a lovely setting of the Elizabeth Shane poem "Wee Hughie". I can't for the life of me remember who wrote the music now - I sang it years ago. Very beautiful song and bound to bring a lump to the throats of any parents in your audience....

That was by Dorothy Parke, I think

x Bass Clef