Two lullabies for you this week. Both beautiful, but both very different.

Reger – Maria Wiegenleid
[ABRSM 5(B); TG Int.Cert.(B); LCM(5)]

This song shifts frequently between major and minor tonality so the singer needs to be confident at adjusting between the two. The “chorus” element (“Schlaf kindline…”)of this song needs a good understanding of how to bring colour to long notes which should sit in the middle of the singer’s range. The German pronunciation should not be too taxing, and since the song is short, it should be manageable to sing in its original language. [YouTube]

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Brown, Jason Robert – Christmas Lullaby (Songs for a New World)
[LCM MT 6-7]

On a first listen this song sounds simple, but, like all of Jasno Robert Brown’s songs, it is surprisingly challenging. The chorus passage (“and I will be like mother Mary..”) has large vocal leaps which need to be executed with accuracy, while maintaining the same volume and tonal quality of the lower sections of the melody. The emotional communication of the song is also key as the lyrics are not explicit about the meaning (so much so that Brown reportedly had to explain them himself). This song should be sung with a sense of mixed emotions: joy, fear and most of all awe. Not a song for the faint-hearted, but a rewarding one to master. [YouTube]


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