I don't normally venture into the Voice forum (very safe in the organ one normally!), but I could do with a bit of help. Here's the scenario.

Concert next year at school with choirs of two schools and lots of adult bumpers. We're doing a couple of Borque pieces, Bach and Handel and orchestra and soloists booked for the day. However, I would like a pupil of mine to do a solo in the concert, and wondered whether anyone knew of any short cantata type piece that a bass/baritone could do with the small orchestra booked. If it were a sop, lots of ideas (Bach, Jauzet Gott etc. and we have a trumpet). Are there are any solo Bach cantatas for men? Boy concerned is very good, ex cathedral head chorister and way past grade 8.

Any ideas/thoughts appreciated.

Thanks

For starters....

Alessandro Scarlatti: Cantata 'Tra speranza e timore'.

Daniel Purcell: Cantata 'When Night her Purple Veil' (scored for continuo and two violins)

Cesti: Four cantatas 'Tra L'orride Pendici', 'O Dell'anima mia', 'Chino la fronte', and 'Per L'ampio mar d'amore' for bass and continuo.

Another Cesti cantata: 'Il Nerone'.

William Croft: 'With Noise of Canon' cantata, for two violins and continuo.

Hope this helps!

If you really want J.S. after those great suggestions you could go for the cantata BWV 56. "Ich will den kreuzstab gerne tragen."
There are some modern works too that use chamber orchestra and baritone. Would they fit into your programme or do you want to keep to early music?

Early would be better for the programme.

Thanks HG for the suggestions, keep them coming!

Some months ago I sent David Barton a copy (from my youth choir days) of a cantata by Gordon Jacob called 'Highways'. It's for Baritone solo and orchestra and sounds exactly the sort of thing you are looking for. David might comment?

There are plenty of great bass and baritone arias to be found in the oratorios and stage works of Handel too of course. Would a burst of the Monster's arias from Acis be out of the question?

Tempting though that is, I think it would be better if we had a complete work. Doesn't make it look like I'm trying to arrange repertoire around a singer then (which of course, I am).