http://www.tommanoff.com/articles/1012/song-lied-and-melodie-pg2 The official home of Tom Manoff Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:59:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://www.tommanoff.com/articles/1012/song-lied-and-melodie-pg2/comment-page-1#comment-6 Song, Lied and Mélodie | tommanoff.com Mon, 25 May 2009 13:52:19 +0000 http://tommanoff.com/?p=1012#comment-6 [...] Opportunities   What are the kinds of work other than opera for classically trained singers today? There is concert work, mainly soloists for oratorio and other music for voice and orchestra. But while major orchestras perform this repertoire regularly,they tend to employ soloists whose main career is opera. The singers often are chosen from the conductor’s agent’s roster. Many amateur choral groups put on oratorios, and because these organizations are often supported financially by the singers in the chorus themselves, they will continue to provide opportunities in this period of economic downturn. But think of the numbers. Let’s say that there are 500 hundred potential jobs in the United States each year from “regional” choral organizations. The singers who get these jobs most often have a track record and have sung these pieces many times. It’s not uncommon when an organization is looking for a particular soloist to ask is singer has performed the work. Often the ask other singers about the soloists with whom they’ve sung a particular work. Agents, too, must promote their singers with these amateur groups. So the actual number of singers getting these 500 jobs is a rather small group. However, depending upon the chorus, their location, and their finances, amateur choral groups present an important opportunity for a young soloist. A conductor of an amateur chorus is far more likely to listen to a “demo” or grant an audition than the conductor of a more prestigious organization. Understandably, local groups are anxious to find good singers at a low fee -most likely with someone starting out. And using a local soloist may bring in audiences. Churches are another source of employment. But as the general interest in classical music has declined, the number of churchs that stage oratorio has declined also. But churches represent another opportunity for a young singer. The fee may be small, in fact it may not exist, but it’s a chance to perform with an orchestra (hopefully) and sing a particular piece. Teaching has been an remains an important source of employment. But at the college level, these opportunities are shrinking also, especially as many working singers decide to “hang it up” in a world of fewer jobs and economic insecurity. The phrase “you can always teach,” once reliable, isn’t so today. The Recital No matter what the state of your career and musical life, you can always give a recital ! You may often find a pianist looking for performances also. You’ve both been trained as professionals. You’ll want to keep at it. While all initiative in the world may not be enough to get an opera going, putting together a recital is always possible. I have no objections for the inclusion of operatic arias on a recital. But face it. That performance is not what the composer had in mind. And in the hearts of many singers, the intended goal singing the aria in recital is “someday I’ll be singing this on the operatic stage.” This is not to say that arias can’t have a wonderful place in a carefully planned recital. But we have to honest about the context. The Opportunity for Pianists Song performance is a co-effort. The pianist is an equal partner. Yet few pianists have the interest or spend the time learning how to perform and rehearse with singers. Those who do, and especially those who have the talent and the training to play for singers and also coach them have always found work. I don’t see this changing. Depending on the city, there are usually a number of pianists with good reputations. Except for major cities, that list is often quite small. The good pianists are always busy. Like singers, professionally trained pianists dream of big things : winning prizes and performing concertos with great orchestras. But there’s still the issue of making a living. Assuming that pursuing performance of Song, Lied and Mélodie makes sense to you, I offer some basic principles for study and the also some attitudes to help make a success in its pursuit. Importance of Poetry and Language Study and performance of this literature for both singers and pianists begins with poetry and language. It’s fair to say, also, that if you have no real interest in poetry and language or are unwilling to explore possibilities that you might develop an interest this repertoire may not be for you. It’s no secret that many opera librettos are somewhat lacking on their own. The opposite is true of song literature. Composers have often chosen great poets for their settings such as Goethe and Verlaine.   page 1  PAGE 2 [...]