CHERYL FRANCES-HOAD (b. 1980)One Life Stand (2011)

This chapter addresses Cheryl Frances-Hoad’s One Life Stand (2011). This major work was conceived as a companion piece to Schumann’s loved cycle Frauenliebe und Leben, Op. 42 (1830). It sets eight vivid contemporary poems by Sophie Hannah—charting the often turbulent emotional journey experienced by the present-day woman in love—in starkest contrast to the more conventional, submissive attitudes portrayed in the Schumann. Each song subtly, even obliquely, evokes a movement of the Schumann, ingeniously mirroring aspects of its musical setting, particularly in the relationships between voice and piano. It constitutes a compelling narrative of contemporary feminine experience, and a rewarding tour de force for a mezzo and pianist of interpretative and technical accomplishment. The work is written in standard notation and the voice part, set straightforwardly with a few curving melismas at key points, eschews extremes of range and ‘extended vocal techniques’. The singer will, however, need to call on reserves of stamina for some lengthy high-lying passages, although there is plenty of light relief in the fast movements with their quicksilver parlando delivery.

STACE CONSTANTINOU (b. 1971)From the Book of Songs (2014)

This chapter looks at Stace Constantinou’s From the Book of Songs (2014). This is a work of haunting originality and quirky memorability by a composer whose imagination and flair are backed up by technological expertise. Each of the five movements has a distinct character, and delightful surprises abound. Undeniably, patience, stamina, and dedication are needed, but a gifted artist will find it a fascinating and rewarding task. The tape does not run continuously, so a technician needs to be on hand to stop and start each song. The soprano has some gloriously lyrical phrases and catchy refrains, as well as Sprechstimme and onomatopoeic effects. The tape part consists of piano-like figures in microtones and purely electroacoustic sounds. Standard notation is used and timings are given in seconds. In the last movement, the taped accompaniment is given an eight-line stave.

CHARLES SHADLE (b. 1960)The Hills of Dawn (2012)

This chapter focuses on American composer Charles Shadle’s The Hills of Dawn (2012). This beautifully-written short cycle ought to be snapped up eagerly by young artists in particular. It is a perfect length for a recital. The range is tailored to accommodate a light voice, and occasional deep notes do not require powerful projection. Shadle successfully blends elements of English and American post-Romantic music, with an occasional nudge towards Hindemithian neoclassicism, to forge a thoroughly fresh and engaging personal style. The music flows spontaneously and motivic connections between the songs create a feeling of unity, with the piano’s introductions and postludes helping to establish mood and character. Three short middle movements are framed by more substantial opening and closing songs. Standard notation is employed, without key signatures. In an introductory note, the composer reveals a deep, personal affinity with the texts, which he sets with care and sensitivity. The five chosen poems by Native American poet Alexander Lawrence Posey are assembled ‘to suggest the passage from dawn to dusk on a mid-summer’s day’.

DON KAY (b. 1934)Four Bird Songs from Shaw Neilson (2005)

This chapter describes Tasmanian composer Dan Kay’s Four Bird Songs from Shaw Neilson (2005). The texts for this pleasing, fluent cycle are by the farmworker-poet Shaw Neilson, and reflect his close affinity with the natural world, especially the life of waterbirds. Kay’s palpable empathy with these unsophisticated but burningly sincere poems draws music of clarity and refinement. The frequent modal melodies and minor harmonies cannot help but call to mind Vaughan Williams and the English folk-song tradition, but Kay manages to inject an individual flavour by means of chromatic shifts and varied rhythms, especially in the last two, slightly longer, songs. A light young baritone with a safe high register would be ideal here. The piano writing is clear and uncluttered, with simple, repeated figurations, and there is no need to force the voice. Standard notation is used throughout.

SHEILA SILVER (b. 1946)Transcending (1995)

This chapter provides an example of Sheila Silver’s work. It features three distinctive, highly contrasting songs—an example of her writing on a smaller canvas—which form a nicely balanced cycle suitable for a flexible baritone with a characterful performing persona. The composer's style is immediately appealing, fluent, and colourful, incorporating a tinge of late romanticism within a modern idiom, but able to switch on the heat and embrace a more pungent rhythmic mode when needed. Standard notation is employed throughout, including time and key signatures. A substantial first song aptly depicts the mercurial moods and movement of the cat in the well-loved Yeats poem. The short, reflective H. D. Thoreau setting is followed by mordant, syncopated dance rhythms that convey the sardonic, bitter message of the final song based on the work of P. L. Dunbar.

DEREK HOLMAN (1931–2019)The Centred Passion (1986)

This chapter examines The Centred Passion by Derek Holman. This beautifully crafted cycle shows flair and spontaneity, and a deep understanding of the physical nature of the voice. The idiom is quasi-tonal, with frequent use of wide intervals such as ninths and thirteenths. Furthermore, chromatic intervallic relationships with the piano need careful tuning at all times. Each of the six settings from Alfred Tennyson’s In Memoriam A.H.H. (1849) has its own distinct flavour, and the idiomatic keyboard parts are accordingly well varied, with a clear sense of balance and layout. Standard notation is used, but without key signatures. The cycle should prove an absorbing experience for both performers and listeners.

HANS WERNER HENZE (1926–2012)Three Auden Songs (1983)

This chapter studies songs for the tenor repertoire by Hans Werner Henze. Henze’s three songs, based on texts by the poet W. H. Auden, are a key example of his fastidious and beautifully-crafted vocal writing. Henze sets these three contrasting poems with utmost sensitivity. The fast-moving texts contain layers of subtlety, couched in a concise, freely chromatic musical language which sits easily in the voice. The settings build cumulatively in proportion and weight. A tiny, poignant tribute to a dead cat leads to a powerfully intuitive, four-verse portrait of the poet Arthur Rimbaud. This is followed by a substantial love song, full of tenderness and passion, yet controlled with consummate skill. The work is written in standard notation (without bar-lines) and should prove a rewarding vehicle for singers of relatively modest attainment as well as mature artists.

WILLIAM ALWYN (1905–1985)Mirages (1970)

This chapter looks at William Alwyn’s cycle Mirages. It argues that Alwyn’s concert music should not be overlooked in light of his prolific career. After all, almost every one of the six settings of this cycle is a tour de force for both singer and pianist. Substantial opening and closing movements frame briefer, contrasting songs. The piece suits a dramatic voice capable of a wide range of timbres, and with fine control of vibrato and dynamics. A compelling stage presence will become vital in the performance of this piece. The chapter shows how this musical style is a modernist ‘take’ on romanticism, with standard notation employed. Furthermore, Alwyn used a personal compositional discipline as an alternative to twelve-tone serialism, and was not averse to dissonance.

PETER MAXWELL DAVIES (1934–2016)The Medium (1981)

This chapter presents one of the most substantial works for voice by Peter Maxwell Davies. The piece was written for the late Mary Thomas, whose extraordinary range is here exploited to the full. The performer portrays a prodigious parade of colourful characters, with no holds barred as to extreme vocal effects and timbres. Although the singer will need a safe low F, and, occasionally an E, the upper range is not as daunting, since ‘normally sung’ notes go no higher than A. Others are treated with a variety of ‘spoken’ timbres, including blood-curdling shrieks, with a liberal use of glissandos. The score is mainly in standard notation, with a few of the more familiar twentieth-century innovations, such as the gradual thickening and thinning of ‘beams’ above groups of notes, to indicate accelerando and rallentando respectively.

DAVID BLAKE (b. 1936)Beata L’Alma (1966)

This chapter discusses the Beata L’Alma, a short but compelling cantata by David Blake. This is a piece that adheres strictly to the discipline of twelve-tone composition, yet manages to create within it an infinite variety of brilliantly intricate and satisfying writing for both voice and piano. Though the idiom may seem challenging at first, it eventually brings the rewards of enhanced technical prowess and an improved level of musicianship. An excitingly elaborate piano part reflects the fact that the composer is an excellent pianist. In addition, there is much scope for creating a variety of imaginative vocal timbres, and passages of dramatic tension are contrasted by lyrical phrases that use the voice's fullest range. The work is through-composed in one long span, and a piano solo divides the text's two stanzas. Standard notation is mostly used (without key signatures).