Two songs on the “perils of love” this week. Love Quickly is Pall’d – Purcell [AB(4)] This is a good introductory song for students who are beginning to tackle Baroque repertoire. Purcell incorporates quite a few vocal runs which should be practiced slowly at first to ensure Read more
Happiness and joy are our themes this week, and I’ve selected two intermediate level songs Schubert – Seligkeit (Heavenly Bliss) [AB(4B);LCM(7);TG(5)] This song has quite a long introduction which should be used by the singer to prepare mentally for the mood of the song. The melody here needs Read more
Two love songs this week… Greig – Tø Brune Øin / Two Brown Eyes / Zwei Brune Augen [ABRSM 3(B); NC 2] This is a fairly simple song melodically, but still needs a good acting performance to ensure the meaning is clear to the listener. The opening Read more
Welcome back to Repertoire Corner. This week, we’re contrasting two very different songs taken from the ABRSM Grade 2 list – both with more adult ideas in them than might first meet the eye. Anon. English – The Coventry Carol [ABRSM 2(B), TG 2(B)] At first listen, this Read more
Apologies for not having posted this for the last few weeks – I have been quite busy recently and forgot about it :(… Two songs for young beginners this week. Traditional English – I Had a Little Nut Tree [ABRSM 1(A); Trad. Song] A gentle tune which would suit a Read more
NB: While reading this series, it can be helpful to keep a copy of the ABRSM Singing syllabus to hand. The syllabus can be downloaded here http://gb.abrsm.org/en/our-exams/singing/ Many years ago (I’m not sure how many) the ABRSM syllabus used to have scales and exercises for singers, just as they do Read more
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 Read more
NB: While reading this series, it can be helpful to keep a copy of the ABRSM Singing syllabus to hand. The syllabus can be downloaded here http://gb.abrsm.org/en/our-exams/singing/ ABRSM did a wise thing when they invented the lists. It might initially seem restrictive to have to pick from a list, but Read more
One of the aspects of teaching I really enjoy is when I get to use my degree (which isn’t in music) to help students understand the songs they are singing. I studied Social Anthropology and Social History, and so I love discussing historical context, composers and meaning. When preparing repertoire Read more
In addition to my Friday Favourites posts, and the slot on Wednesdays reserved for series (like the current ABRSM exam series), I hope to make a regular appearance of a short post on Mondays with my teaching notes on one classical and one music theatre song. I like to discover new Read more