I'm trying to search out a suitable aria for a student - mezzo / alto kind of range, and about Grade 6 / 7 standard. We want to get away from the usual Handel, Bach, Mendelssohn ones etc. - perhaps something a little more modern (but not too 'operatic' if you take my meaning). It should be in English (or with an English singing translation). I thought there might be something suitable in A Child of Our Time (taking it to be a sort of modern oratorio), but the one or two alto bits there are so short. I seem to have been through all my scores, and am just drawing a complete blank on this one!

All suggestions welcome!

David

One which just popped into my head was the setting of The Lord's Prayer from the African Sanctus - I wonder whether this would count as an oratorio though?

Speaking as a mezzo/alto, it's certainly easy to feel like the sopranos get most of the tunes!

But there are some gorgeous peices for us too... what springs to mind most is the Dream of Gerontius. I'm only really familiar with the final mezzo aria, the Angel's Farewell - really beautiful and in a lovely place range wise. That involves a choir as well so probably not practical but I think that as well as lots of Recit the Angel sings another aria earlier on in the peice so that might be worth checking out.

Will keep my thinking cap on as I'm sure there are others but can't remember them just yet.

PS my usual approach to seeking mezzo repertoire is that if it's worth singing, Janet Baker recorded it, so sometimes it's good to look on Amazon at CD's for ideas rather than searching through sheet music sites.

Also your student could try "I know a bank" from Midsummer Night's Dream. (Britten) or "Must Winter Come so Soon", Samuel Barber or even "We cannot retrace our steps" Virgil Thompson. What age is your singer?

She's 57. I think the three you mention are nice, but they're quite tricky for that level.

Can you provide any more context? i.e. what will she be singing the piece for? As you mention Oratorio quite a lot is this something for a religious service? What is the timescale: when does she need the piece for and how fast a learner is she?

I could provide you with the incredibly long list of pieces I am working on at the moment! I've only been taking lessons a few months myself, so can't imagine I'm working on anything that would be too difficult (though a lot of it isn't in English!). I'm not doing any Oratorio at the moment though, so can't help with suggestions there! Have you tried looking at stuff that is technically written for soprano but doesn't go up too high?

I do rather love Elgar's "Where Corals Lie" and it's probably the easiest of the 'Sea Pictures' song cycle, not too long either; and "Weep You No More Sad Fountains" (the version by Patrick Doyle from the Sense and Sensibility soundtrack, avoiding the, if I remember correctly, octave leap in the last verse!).

Most of the rest of the stuff I'm doing isn't in English, but as it's all fairly standard stuff, there are probably translated versions, so if you want a list just let me know!

There are really tons of good alto/mezzosoprano repertoire (being one myself, I certainly could give you a very long list ), but I find that you are crossing out an awful lot already and are very specific about what it should and shouldn't be, which is of course very limiting.

1. It has to be English/translated - why if I may ask, because that somehow really narrows it down quite a bit and takes away some of the most beautiful pieces ever written. Is it a problem with foreign languages in general (something every singer really has to tackle sooner or later IMO), or does the setting or the audience require English language (especially the latter is really no necessity if a translation is provided in the program)? If no other language, what about Latin?

2. It shouldn't be 'the usual' Handel & Co. Is Purcell one of the usual suspects, too? If not, what about 'Vouchsafe, O Lord' (Te Deum)? But Purcell is probably not modern enough ...

3. It also has to have a certain standard - probably not too easy, neither too hard, both of which is very relative, since I don't kow your student. Grade 6/7 standard as such does not mean much (to me anyway) - if I look at the syllabus myself, there are pieces that IMO are by far harder than Grade 6 (Cherubino's aria for instance if you want to do it well), and other where I constantly ask myself why they don't appear in grade 3 or 4. Without knowing your student, I think we should at least take the grade off the list. Or maybe you could give us an idea what she normally sings well, and what she couldn't cope with at all. It at least would help with getting an idea about her voice structure.

4. It has to be sacred/oratorio - which I can understand if it has to be sung in some sort of church setting. If not however, I would suggest to have a look at easier operatic repertoire or song. You wrote it shouldn't be 'too operatic'. Again, it would help if you could describe why. Is it the setting, the voice etc?

Without more information, I feel the same as false_harmonic and cannot really pull more out of my hat than a few hymn settings or the Purcell at the moment ...

How about 'Lullaby' from Menotti's The Consul? Its not too 'operatic' as you say and is really beautiful. From the oratorio repertoire I would suggest the two alto solos from Honegger's King David. They're beautiful, but quite strange. The first one is quite a nice, simple tune over a strange accompaniment whilst the second one is altogether a bit more crazy.

x Bass Clef

Ooh, forgot to say that the Lullaby is in English originally while the King David stuff is originally in French with an English translation.

Crumbs! I'm doing my best here!

1. Really because we already have a lot of languages going on in other pieces so unlike normal, we could do with something in English. I guess Latin is OK, but again, we've done a lot of that.

2. I'm just trying to move a little bit away from things like 'O Rest in the Lord', 'O Thou that Tellest' etc. - if you like, the 'standard' alto/mezzo arias. I think we'd like something a little more modern really or something a bit difference - things people haven't heard done to death.

3. As I said, we've done things like 'O Rest in the Lord', 'Iris hence away' and suchlike. Ultimately, there probably should be many (if any) long semiquaver passages.

4. It doesn't have to be sacred - just fall into the oratorio/opera category.

More than anything, it's about finding new things - maybe things people don't hear all the time, or don't expect to hear?

Hi David,

had a wee thought about it - still not easy though

If we stay more classical: With leading up to Christmas, what about a low setting of Adams's 'The Holy City'? English language and sacred (although not my favourite I have to say, and most people will expect to hear a male voice for some reason).
If we go more towards Opera, I quite like Barber's Vanessa ('Must the winter come so soon'). Edit: Oops, just have seen that Henry already suggested it.
Barber songs in general are maybe not a bad choice, and not too much on the well-trodden path either.

When you say 'modern', what about 'classical' musical theatre, as in Gershwin, Porter, Berlin, Kern, Weill etc. Not exactly off the beaten track, but very good to sing for a lower voice (even the soprano parts, which are most off the time mezzo-tessitura really).

What about Sondheim? Mrs. Lovett is always good for a mezzo/alto who likes to patter and play a bit. Or 'Another hundred people' from Company. I think Sondheim is always a good choice and fills the gap between classical and musical theatre perfectly. It's difficult to sing and much more sophisticated than the 'usual' musical theatre stuff.

If we stay English, Sullivan of course springs to mind - there is a whole album of mezzo/alto arias available. I hate it I have to admit, but many people don't