History of Song
A three-term course exploring the development of secular art-song in Western classical music from the Middle Ages to the present day. Each term we shall be covering two eras in music history: Medieval & Renaissance, Baroque & Classical, and Romantic & Modern. We shall focus on the song repertoire from the troubadours to contemporary music via cancioneros, lute songs, French mélodie, German Lied, and much more, from Europe and Russia to the Americas.
A Selected Bibliography:
Music, Words and Voice: A Reader. Edited by Martin Clayton
The Story of Music: From Antiquity to the Present. H F Ullmann
Dictionary of Early Music: From the Troubadours to Monteverdi
Source Readings in Music History: Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Oliver Strunk
Antiquity and the Middle Ages (Man and Music Series)
A History of Song. Edited by Denis Stevens
A Performer’s Guide to Music of the Classical Period. ABRSM
The Classical Style: Haydn, Beethoven, Mozart. Charles Rosen
A Performer’s Guide to Music of the Romantic Period (ABRSM)
The Romantic Generation by Charles Rosen
Francis Poulenc: ‘Echo and Source’ Selected Correspondence 1915-1963
Why Mahler?: How One Man and Ten Symphonies Changed the World
Alma Mahler-Werfel: Diaries, 1898-1902
Messiaen by Robert Sherlaw Johnson
A Selected Discography:
The Dante Troubadours. Martin Best Medieval Ensemble
Love Songs in the Middle Ages 1150-1450. Sequentia
Sumer Is Icumen In, Medieval English Songs. The Hilliard Ensemble
Canciones españolas. Teresa Berganza, mezzo
Alfonso X El Sabio: Cantigas de Santa Maria. Hesperion XX, Jordi Savall
Carmina Burana, Vol. 2. The New London Consort, Philip Pickett
The Art of Courtly Love: Machaut, Binchois & Dufay. David Munrow
Machaut Chansons – Dreams in the Pleasure Garden. Orlando Consort
Codex Chantilly – Ballades & Rondeaux /Ensemble Organum · Pérès
Codex Faenza-15c.Italy. Ensemble Organum
The Garden Of Zephirus: courtly songs of the early 15th Century
Oswald von Wolkenstein: Songs of Myself – Andreas Scholl, countertenor
La Sublime Porte: Voices of Istanbul. Hesperion XXI, Jordi Savall
Sepharad: Songs of the Spanish Jews
Il Cantar Moderno – Venetian and Neopolitan Songs of the 15th Century
Alfons V El Magnanim – El Cancionero de Montecassino. Hesperion XX
El Cancionero de la Colombina. Hesperion XX, dir. Jordi Savall
El Cancionero de Palacio. Hesperion XX, dir. Jordi Savall
El Cancionero de Medinaceli. Hesperion XX, dir. Jordi Savall
Frottole: Songs from the courts of Rennaisance Italy
Luys Milan: El Maestro. Montserrat Figueras, sop. & Hopkinson Smith, vihuela
Virtuoso Chamber Music of 16th Century
Dowland: Second Booke of Songs. The Consort of Musicke
Dowland & Britten: Lute Songs. Mark Padmore, tenor
Ancient Airs and Dances: Rogers Covey-Crump, tenor
The Dark is my Delight. Evelyn Tubb, soprano, Michael Fields, lute
Caccini: Le Nuove Musiche. Montserrat Figueras, sop.
Monteverdi, Caccini, Peri: Canti Amorosi. Nigel Rogers, tenor
Lamenti: Monteverdi, Purcell, etc. Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo
Monteverdi: Arie e Lamenti. Montserrat Figueras, sop.
Stefano Landi: Homo fugit velut umbra… /L’Arpeggiata · Pluhar
Virtuoso Italian Vocal Music. Catherine Bott, sop.
Music for a While. Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo.
Elizabethan Songs / Lady Musick. Emma Kirkby, sop.
The Dark is my Delight. Evelyn Tubb, sop. & Michael Fields, lute
Lambert: Airs de Cour. Les Arts Florissants, William Christie, cond.
Ombre De Mon Amant – French Baroque Arias. Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo
José MarÃn – Tonos Humanos. Montserrat Figueras, sop.
The Mad Lover. Evelyn Tubb, sop.
Purcell: Secular Solo Songs Vol.1
Purcell: Airs and Instrumental Music. Howard Crook, tenor
O Tuneful Voice: Songs and Duets from late 18th-century London
Mozart & Haydn: Songs and Canzonettas. Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo
Mozart Lieder. Guy de Mey, tenor
Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart Lieder. Wolfgang Holzmair, baritone
Mozart, Debussy, Wolf. Edita Gruberova, soprano
Beethoven, Meyerbeer, Spohr: Lieder. Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo
Beethoven An die ferne Geliebte. Thomas Hampson, bar. Geoffrey Parsons, piano
Song Recital: Schubert/Verdi/Donizetti/Bellini. Lawrence Brownlee, tenor
Voice & Guitar: Schubert/Spohr/Brahms. Christoph Prégardien, tenor
Simply the Best – Songs and Lieder. Fischer-Diskau, Ameling, Popp etc
Ian Bostridge, tenor. Schubert, Schumann etc
Las Mujeres y Cuerdas: Fernando Sor guitar songs. Marta Almajano, sop.
Beethoven/Meyerbeer/Spohr: Lieder Melodies. Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo
Rossini Recital: Marilyn Horne, mezzo
Soirées musicales: Songs & Duets by Rossini
Cecilia Bartoli – An Italian Songbook Rossini/Bellini/Donizetti
Canzone-Art of Bel Canto: Verdi/Rossini/Bellini/Donizetti. Carlo Bergonzi, tenor
Schumann: Dichterliebe & Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder
Liszt/Meyerbeer/Verdi etc. Il primo dolce affanno – Il Salotto, Vol 7
Liszt/Wagner/Berlioz: Romantic Songs. Thomas Hampson, baritone
Véronique Gens, mezzo – Nuits d’étoiles (Mélodie françaises)
La Bonne Chanson. French chamber songs. Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo
Voyage A Paris: The Mélodies of Francis Poulenc. Felicity Lott, sop.
Songs of Travel: Vaughan Williams, Butterworth, Ireland, Gurney, Warlock
Roger Quilter Songs: Benjamin Luxon, baritone, David Willson, piano
An Anthology Of English Song: Janet Baker, mezzo, Martin Isepp, piano
Hugo Wolf – 150th Anniversary Edition
Folksongs: Dvorak, Grainger, Hahn, Kodály, Britten. A S von Otter, mezzo
Montserrat Caballé Sings Granados
Canteloube: Chants d’Auvergne. Federica von Stade, mezzo
Berg / Korngold / Strauss: Lieder. Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo
Messiaen: Poemes pour Mi; and Dallapicola. Phyllis Bryn-Julson, soprano
American Songs: Copland, Barber, Previn, Argento. Barbara Bonney, sop.
Songs of Ned Rorem. Susan Graham, mezzo & Malcolm Martineau, piano
Pärt, etc: A Simple Song. Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo & Bengt Forsberg, piano
