Hardest Song You've Ever Had to Sing...

Probably "For The Flowers Are Great Blessings," the tenor aria from "Rejoice In The Lamb" by Benjamin Britten.

It sits rather high and must be sung slowly and very legato and sustained, with great beauty and expressiveness. A well trained singer can readily fulfill a few of those demands, but it's exceedingly difficult to do it all. Of course, I believe it was written for Sir Peter Pears, who in his prime was abundantly capable of singing it exceeding well. I'm still not convinced I sang it as it deserves, but I did my best. I never want to sing it again.

Argento: I Hate and I Love

so hard to tune and just the parts in general!!!
But such a great piece!

Dominic has a Doll - Vincent Persichetti.
It really isn't too hard, except getting it right is a worry.
The highest note in the piece is a G above the staff (an octave above the G above middle C).
Im a male tenor...well, for that particular choir I was...and boy did I strain. He said we could go falsetto...but uhmm...haha, my falsetto is TOO good...like I sound like a woman. Really. Not even lying. Ill record it one day. But it's like...boy soprano.

Sooo embarrasing. So I just sang that song with strain in my voice. Wasn't the prettiest sound, but I could get it...with a red face.

Are you sure you don't just mean the G above middle C? I don't see why he'd write that an octave up for a choir - it'd be ludicrous.

Originally Posted by Daniel

Are you sure you don't just mean the G above middle C? I don't see why he'd write that an octave up for a choir - it'd be ludicrous.

no, i mean the tenor part sung that high in the last bars of the piece (the climactic end).
it was really centered around middle c for a majority of it...but yes, it climbed up to 2 G's above middle C.

Ill write the lyrics too, its based off an E.Cummings Poem.

Dominc has a doll
Wired to the radiator of his zoom doom
ice coal wood truck

A whistful little clown
who somebody buried,
upside down, in an ash barrel.

So of course
Dominic took him home
and Mrs Dominic washed his sweet dirty face
and mended his bright torn trousers
(quite as if he were really her...and she but.)
and SO thats how Dominic has a doll.

Dominic has a doll
and every now and then
my wonderful friend
dominic de paola
Gives me a most tremendous hug *this is where we got to 2 F's above middle C (top of treble stave).

Knowing, I feel that
(that G i talked about) We and worlds are less alive than dolls
And dream.

so yes.

Tenor parts are written 8va down in treble clef, so that G is only the first G above the "real" middle C.

Originally Posted by Daniel

Tenor parts are written 8va down in treble clef, so that G is only the first G above the "real" middle C.

Thank you for clearing that up, Ive been seeing the descriptions and thinking "WHAAA?"

If you notice, tenor parts have an 8 below the treble clef, which makes it an octave below the written note. As Daniel has explained.

Also, the little 8 often is omitted from the part, leaving just a treble clef. It's still to be sung an octave below written though.

Originally Posted by Daniel

Also, the little 8 often is omitted from the part, leaving just a treble clef. It's still to be sung an octave below written though.

Of course.

Originally Posted by J. Lee Graham

Probably "For The Flowers Are Great Blessings," the tenor aria from "Rejoice In The Lamb" by Benjamin Britten.

It sits rather high and must be sung slowly and very legato and sustained, with great beauty and expressiveness. A well trained singer can readily fulfill a few of those demands, but it's exceedingly difficult to do it all. Of course, I believe it was written for Sir Peter Pears, who in his prime was abundantly capable of singing it exceeding well. I'm still not convinced I sang it as it deserves, but I did my best. I never want to sing it again.

I was working on this last semester - I didn't get to sing it in the concert however. My problem is the amount of air required to complete the phrases. The tessitura is fine, the Gsharps are ok, but the lines are tooooo dammmnnn looonnnnggg!!!

Right now I'm singing Britten's Serenade for Tenor solo, horn and strings. A horn player friend of mine wants to do it for his senior recital next year, and he's asked me to sing it. It's very difficult. In the 4th movement, the Dirge, the tenor sings a 6 measure phrase 9 times in a row. The phrase starts with: G - Ab - G, G - Ab - G, then moves below. It also starts pianissimo, with a gradual crescendo, then decrescendo back to pp for the 9th time. It's a voice KILLER.