Sing me a song

I sat down for an interesting conversation with my friend, 'the other voice teacher', who had visiting her another fine musician. We got on the subject of Lieder recitals and the lack thereof in today's musical world.

The July issue of Opera News treated this very subject, highlighting Gerald Finley, the Canadian bass-baritone, who makes a specialty of singing this type of program. It also contained an article on Elly Ameling, the Dutch soprano, who for years toured the world singing only song recitals. In earlier years singers like Janet Baker, Rise Stevens and many others, were known for their ability to combine careers in opera with one in the song repertoire. My friend told me that she used to sing as many as sixty song recitals each year, in addition to her appearances in opera.
. Elly Ameling

    Rise Stevens

Janet Baker 

Those were the days of Community Concerts, when great performers, singers and instrumentalists, came to small towns all over this country and performed. In Battle Creek, Michigan, I heard the greatest performers in the world. That, unfortunately, has ceased to exist.

I was working yesterday with  a student who is preparing a recital which will include, among other things, a set of songs by Hugo Wolf. She told me she likes to sing songs but really loves to sing operatic arias. I told her that in this day and age, outside of the conservatory, song recitals are becoming like the Brontosaurus: extinct! To have a career as a singer, one really needs to head for the operatic stage. If you are lucky, like Mr. Finley, people may then come to hear you sing songs.

Our visiting friend, who is involved in a summer chamber music festival, said that she thought that she would suggest that they begin to include at least four song recitals in each of their seasons. What a wonderful idea. Would that more venues would think like this.

In the meantime, my students learn a repertoire of songs, as well as of operatic roles and arias. Considering the vast catalogue of song repertoire, it is a crime to let it go unsung.