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From:  Karen Mercedes <dalila@R...>
Date:  Thu Jun 13, 2002  4:24 pm
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] Russian art songs

FOLK SONGS:

Two books might be of interest. Dover publishes A RUSSIAN SONGBOOK, with
25 songs in Cyrillic, transliterated, and English singing translation.

The one I bought has more songs in it, but costs a bit more. It's

There's also a book called RUSSIAN SONGS AND GYPSY ROMANCES published by
Ashley Publications; I've seen it, and it looked okay, but again has only
25 songs.

ART SONGS:

Cesar Cui would be a good composer for you to look into; he wrote some
gorgeous songs for soprano.

Also consider Balakirev, Glinka, Dargomyzhsky, Rimsky-Korsakov,
Borodin, Rachmaninoff (lots of songs for high voice), and Tchaikovsky.

Mussorgsky's best songs are for low voice (indeed, I don't think I've ever
heard Mussorgsky song that wasn't for low voice), so his work is out for
you.

Dover Publications is the singer's best friend when it comes to good,
cheap reprints of art song literature. They publish:

THE COMPLETE SONGS OF RACHMANINOFF, a reprint of a 1922 Moscow editio


On the other hand, you should avoid Dover's NONE BUT THE LONELY HEART, AND
OTHER SONGS FOR HIGH VOICE, by Tchaikovsky, because it includes only songs
in German and French translation (I've never been able to figure out
whether Tchaikovsky actually set the texts in German and French, or if he
set them in Russian and someone later translated them - e.g., did he set
Goethe's original poem from WILHELM MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP in "None but
the lonely heart" - in German - or did he set the Russian translation, and
did someone else then set the original Goethe poem?).

But fear not. There are two excellent editions of Tchaikovsky songs:
Boosey & Hawkes' two-volume set of the complete songs (volume 1 for high
voice, volume 2 for medium/low voice), and the somewhat more expensive
(and more scholarly) Indiana University Press edition of the complete
Tchaikovsky songs, edited by Richard Sylvester, which is hardcover and
includes a CD of 22 of the songs. Both books include Cyrillic,
transliterations, and singing English translations.

Boosey also publishes a 2-volume set of Rachmaninoff's songs - don't know
if they're split up by voice category like the Tchaikovsky songs or not,
but the edition may or may not be preferable to the less-expensive Dover
reprint.

More modern, you might look for Shostakovich's "Satires (Pictures of the
Past)" op. 109, which was dedicated to and premiered by Galina
Vishnevskaya in 1960 (Shostakovich's only songs for soprano).

B&H also publishes a 2-volume set of Rachmaninoff's songs. I don't know if
they're split up by voice type or not

There's a volume of 12 Borodin songs, with cyrillic texts, as well as
transliterations and singing translations by Richard Miller (music edited
by Graham Bastable). It's published by International Music Co.

Chester Music finally got their act together and republished Stravinsky's
Four Russian Songs IN RUSSIAN in 1996 (also in French); their earlier 1920
edition had only French texts. These are properly done with flute, harp,
and guitar, NOT piano accompaniment. Boosey & Hawkes publishes
Stravinsky's Russian Maiden's Song (or did, in 1948 - you may need to do
an interlibrary loan for this one). Boosey also published his Two Poems
and Three Japanese Lyrics (which are sung in Russian) in 1956.

TIS vocal music offers a number of songs by various Russian composers as
individual sheets. www.tismusic.com

Finding music by Russian publishers will be more of a challenge - and it's
getting harder, not easier. You might do better through interlibrary loan.
Some things to ask for (all are for high voice or high and medium voice):

Sergei Prokofiev: Izbrannye romansy i pesni (Muzyka, Moscow, 1983)

Milii Balakirev (R. Rustamov, editor): Izbrannye romansy i pesni
(publisher: Muzyka, Moscow, 1982)

Mikhail Glinka: Izbrannye romansy i pesni (several different editions out
there, including published by Izdatelstvo Muzyka in 1975, Muzyka in 1985,
Muziz in 1936, and the most complete collection by Gosudarstvennoe
muzykalnoe izdatelstvo in 1957)

Cesar Cui: Cui wrote songs in Russian, Polish, and French. Your best bet
for his Russian songs: Izbrannye romansy dlia golosa s fortepiano (Muzyka, 1969)

Nikokai Rimsky-Korsakov: Izbrannye romansy (Muzyka, 1979 and reissued in
1987)

Aleksandr Dargomyzhski: The edition of Izbrannye romansy i pesni published
by Muzyka in 1981 is the most complete, and preferable to either the 1976
or the 1987 edition.

YOu might also want to ask for Sergei Vasilenko's Desiat russkikh
narodnykh pesen (10 Russian Folk Songs), published by Muzyka in 1986.

There is also an edition, for tenor (rather than the original baritone) of
Georgii Sviridov's powerful cycle Otchaivshaia Rus ("Russia off her
moorings" - or, as it's translated on the album sung magnificently by
Dmitri Hvorostovsky, "Russia cast adrift"). This is also published by
Muzyka in Moscow (1979).

Now, for the good news. Muzyka appears to sell music via the Internet!
They've got an online catalogue with prices and and buttons to click to
order music. So you may be able to purchase all of the above, instead of
relying on interlibrary loan. The website:
http://www.muzykaizd.ru/about.phtml?lang=eng

A couple excellent books for any non-native Russian singer of Russian
songs:

Jean Piatak: RUSSIAN SONGS AND ARIAS (goes in and out of print, but
generally you can find a copy)

Natalia Challis: THE SINGER'S RACHMANINOFF


Karen Mercedes
http://www.radix.net/~dalila/index.html
______________________________________
I will sing with the spirit, and I
will sing with the understanding also.
1 Corinthians 14:15





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19388 Re: Russian art songsKaren Mercedes   Thu  6/13/2002  

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