Voce Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 I've been looking for some modern vocal music (not necessarily contemporary, but from like 1920-ish up to the present day) and haven't found a whole lot for just voice and piano in the style of a song cycle or anything like that. I know there's Schoenberg and Webern's song sets, and Hindemith's "Das Marienleben"...but that's about all I know of. Any help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackballoons Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 I believe William Bolcom had some songs, as did John Corigliano and Jennifer Higdon. Definitely look into Ned Rorem, who I hear writes great art songs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoon284 Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Dutilleux has some vocal music, but most of it is for soloist and orchestra. According to wikipedia there is a version of the Deux Sonnets de Jean Cassou for baritone and piano though. Messiaen also wrote a few song cycles for vocalist and piano - Harawi, Po Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YC26 Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Jacob Druckman also wrote a set of songs for soprano and orchestra... I think. He does have some good soprano and orchestral pieces for sure though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charliep123 Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Lets not forget Ives' songs. ...Or Marilyn Manson's. And while we're on Americans, Ruth Crawford Seeger, Carl Ruggles, and Henry Cowell all wrote some songs (not cycles, but still songs). So did Cage and Carter. Even Harry Partch. And what about Crumb's cycles? Getting away from America, Berio has some, Satie has some (weired right?), Stravinsky I believe has some, Varese has a song, and Ligeti has a few. I also have some... ;) And going along with Webern and Schoenberg (who wrote some great songs), lets not forget about Berg's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belborn Sarge Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 How about Shostakovich's late song sets? The Captain Lebyadkin songs and the settings of Michelangelo Buonarroti are with piano accompaniment. I think the Lebyadkin was his last work and it's pretty grim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardener Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Yes! Those Shostakovich song cycles are great! I've performed the Michelangelo Buonarotti songs with a singer a couple of years ago, and they were amongst the most fascinating songs we performed together (and I had been accompanying this singer for quite a while). I also really love Kurtag's songs, some of which have similarities to the Shostakovich ones (there are quite a few cycles by him). And there are of course lots of songs by Wolfgang Rihm, if you're into his music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charliep123 Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Yes! Those Shostakovich song cycles are great! I've performed the Michelangelo Buonarotti songs with a singer a couple of years ago, and they were amongst the most fascinating songs we performed together (and I had been accompanying this singer for quite a while).I also really love Kurtag's songs, some of which have similarities to the Shostakovich ones (there are quite a few cycles by him). And there are of course lots of songs by Wolfgang Rihm, if you're into his music. Dang! I completely forgot about Kurtag's vocal music! Funny, considering I saw the premiere of one of his latest song-cycles about 5 months ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicdecomposed Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Another wonderful American songwriter (in my opinion) is Ricky Ian Gordon. I don't know if he writes exactly what you would call song cycles, but his songs based on Langston Hughes poems are pretty fantastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morivou Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Another wonderful American songwriter (in my opinion) is Ricky Ian Gordon. I don't know if he writes exactly what you would call song cycles, but his songs based on Langston Hughes poems are pretty fantastic. I will have to agree! His modern is some of the BEST and high quality out there. His books are easily accessible through Amazon.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Dunn-Rankin Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Shoenberg's got some nifty cabaret songs. Weill, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voce Posted July 18, 2009 Author Share Posted July 18, 2009 How about Shostakovich's late song sets? The Captain Lebyadkin songs and the settings of Michelangelo Buonarroti are with piano accompaniment. I think the Lebyadkin was his last work and it's pretty grim. Wow, I had never heard of Shostakovich's songs (I didn't even know he had written any, besides the ones in Symphony No. 14.) They're pretty great (as for the last comment, I think his viola sonata was his very last work.) Anyway I guess I really don't mean "song cycles"- I just used that term to differentiate from more "avant-garde" vocal music like Cage's Aria and Berio's Sequenza III, because I already know a great deal of that repertoire. Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathaniel Near Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 Thomas Ades - Elliot Landscapes??? Schoenberg - Book of the Hanging Gardens Barber - Hermit Songs Britten - Winter Words, The Holy Sonnets of John Donne, Michelangelo Sonnets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavin Gorrick Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 Copland and Ives did some good stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinjessome Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 While it's not specifically for piano/vox dig into Michael Mantler's use of voice. Michael Mantler - composer, musician Scores available free online. Songs & One Symphony Many Have No Speech Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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