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From:  <info@g...>
<info@g...>
Date:  Wed Aug 1, 2001  8:50 am
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] Songs about Animals? For a Charity


Dear Pablo,

first of all, congratulations on the job ! You'll see that I even managed to
find two "Tiger" songs...

There are A LOT of songs about animals. For example, I have first-performed and
recorded Apollinaire's "Bestiaire" Poetry Cycle (full) with world-premiere
compositions in Monte-Carlo. That lasted for a normal recital duration, with
the famous Poulenc cycle of course but also songs from other composers
(sometimes on the same poetry). Most of the songs actually were commissioned,
so I have the original scores, although they're mainly intended for a lower
voice (not especially in range, but in color).

Now here's the vote of the French Jury (a selection of what's to be found).

BARBER
- Le Cygne "Mélodies Passagères" (in French original)
- The Monk and his cat "Hermit Songs"

BIZET
- La Coccinelle

BRITTEN
- Cuckoo "Friday Afternoons"
- There was a monkey "Friday Afternoons"
- Rats Away ! "Our Hunting Fathers" (with high As...)
- The Tyger "Songs and Proverbs of William Blake"
(People of TigerHaven would like that one, but it was written for and
first-performed by Fischer-Dieskau...)

CAPLET
Trois Fables
- Le Corbeau et le Renard
- La Cigale et la Fourmi
- Le Loup et l'Agneau

CHABRIER
"Romances zoologiques" as Debussy described the 4 songs:
- Ballade des gros dindons
- Villanelle des petits canards
- Pastorale des cochons roses
- Les Cigales

CHAUSSON
- Le Colibri
- L'Albatros
- Les Papillons
- La Cigale

DE FALLA
- Les Colombes (French original)

GOUNOD
- Au Rossignol

MAHLER
- Ablösung im Sommer
- Lob des hoen Verstanden

POULENC
- La Reine des Mouettes
- Aussi bien que les cigales

"Le Bestiaire", 6 short songs:
- Le Dromadaire
- La Chèvre du Thibet (the H in Thibet is in the original score, although it is
spelled without in current language)
- La Sauterelle
- Le Dauphin
- L'Ecrevisse
- La Carpe

You might want to add immediately after the last one:
- La Souris (that's what I did everytime I sang/recorded the cycle)

RAVEL
"Histoires Naturelles"
- Le Paon
- Le Grillon
- Le Cygne
- Le Martin-Pêcheur
- La Pintade

ROSENTHAL
- L'Eléphant du Jardin des Plantes
- Fido, Fido (about a dog)
- La Souris d'Angleterre
- Le Vieux Chameau du zoo

SATIE
- La statue de Bronze (about a frog)
- Air du Rat
- La Grenouille américaine (needs to be sung as a Frenchman would speak English)
- Chanson du Chat

SCHUBERT
- Die Vögel

THOMSON
- Tiger ! Tiger 1 (same poetry as Britten, but also for lower male voice...)

VILLA-LOBOS
- A Cascavel (about a rattlesnake)
- Il Bove (about a beef)
- A Gatinha parda (a grey cat)

That's all Folks !

Gilles Denizot
baritone - voice teacher
European Assistant of
Maestro David L. Jones (NYC)
http://gillesdenizot.com



----- Original Message -----
From: promero@w...
To: vocalist-temporary@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2001 9:06 AM
Subject: [vocalist] Songs about Animals? For a Charity


Aside from the infamous cat duet, can anyone recommend something?
Keep in mind a young light lyric tenor (still working on A4 at this
time). generally animal themed.





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