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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