Par L'ESTRANGE ALEXANDER (Arr.). When Cecil Sharp transcribed O Waly Waly in 1908, it bore this title but did not contain the title words (beginning instead with ‘Down in the meadows’). It has been suggested since that the version we know now may be a composite of three songs: the Scottish ‘Waly waly’ (meaning ‘a cry of woe or grief’), the Cecil Sharp transcript and an American song, The water is …

for Male Voice Choir and Concert Band. Par SPARKE PHILIP. Dans cette œuvre pour chœur masculin et piano, Philip Sparke rend bien le caractère du poème La dernière fleur de l’automne, d’Edith Södergran (1892-1923), une poétesse finlandaise d’expression suédoise. Cette composition solennelle reflète la nature idyllique et romantique du poème, qui peut être vu comme une allégorie de l’existenc…

Par L'ESTRANGE ALEXANDER (Arr.). The Skye Boat Song is perhaps one of the best-known Scottish melodies of all. It refers to the story of Bonnie Prince Charlie who, still only a boy, was smuggled out of Scotland to France after the Scots’ defeat by the English at the Battle of Culloden in 1745. Despite there being a huge reward on his head, not one of his faithful Highlanders would betray him to th…

Par L'ESTRANGE ALEXANDER (Arr.). Love’s Philosophy, a beautiful setting by Alexander L’Estrange, explores the marvellous comparison of couplings in nature – the mountains and the river, the moonbeams kissing the sea – and amongst humans. The music is inspired by composers Gerald Finzi and Roger Quilter, two of the most prominent figures in English song in the first half of the twentieth century, a…

For Tenor, Alto, Three Female Voices et Piano. Par JANACEK LEOS. Janacek's intimate chamber-music drama about the passionate love of a simple farm boy for a beautiful gypsy girl is one of his great vocal masterpieces. This cycle of 22 songs for tenor (an alto and three female voices/female choir SSA are added in three numbers) was composed on a setting of poems that were published anonymously. It …

Instrumentation of Schubert‘s Song Cycle with 7 New Songs after Emily Dickinson. Par STAUD JOHANNES MARIA. At the suggestion of the great Schubert interpreter Christoph Prégardien, I have orchestrated Schubert’s large-scale song cycle “Die Schöne Müllerin” [The Lovely Maid of the Mill] (1823) for a 19-piece ensemble and combined it with seven of my own songs set to poems by Emily Dickinson (1830–1…

This Grammy award winning, romantic ballad by The Beatles features French lyrics inspired by the French bohemian culture of the sixties Michelle also features a unique finger-picking style on the guitar mimicking Nashville guitarist Chet Atkins. This arrangement sees a reimagining of this guitar style onto piano, with the beautiful melody and steady bass movement reflected in the voices. Arranged …

Italian opera was at the centre of Handel's output for over 35 years with solo arias constituting one of the most important elements in Baroque opera. Dramatic roles, with their various moods and reactions, are characterised through arias. A large number of Handel's operas also contain at least one entire scene for two to three voices. These numbers make use not only of similar lyrical or expressi…

Songs by Women Composers. Par . Women composers and their lieder long eked out a shadowy existence in music research and practice, though ever since the early 19th century, the lied had become a central female compositional genre, softening gender-related restrictions and opening up new artistic spheres of action. It is true that names such as Clara Schumann and Fanny Hensel are now far more estab…

Par SIBELIUS JEAN. This collection of Six Part-Songs for Female Voices contains six relatively different pieces that vary both in the language of their texts (Finnish and Swedish) and in length and number of voices. Nevertheless, they form a coherent and interesting set of moderate difficulty throughout, making Sibelius as a composer accessible to smaller female choirs and ensembles. The pieces w…

Welcome is a work composed by Edward Gregson, arranged for Upper Voices and Piano. It was originally composed for boys' voices, Organ, Brass and Percussion in 1996, but ten years later Gregson created a new version especially for the Kinder Children's Choir of the High Peak. This latter version appears here, and lasts around 4 minutes.The text of Welcome consists of the word 'Welcome', repeated nu…

A unique CD and matching folio specially developed for female singers auditioning for shows, revues and bands. The CD gives you full professional backing tracks, each recorded in the most appropriate key for the female voice. The music book features each song in Piano, Voice and Guitar arrangements that are accessible for you or your accompanist. Make a big impression at auditions with the sensati…