Kirjahaku

Jane Manning, a leading singer of 20th-century music, has chosen over 70 songs to serve the singer as an introduction to contemporary vocal music. She briefly describes each song and gives advice on its performance, showing where potential problems lie and how best to approach them.

The first volume of New Vocal Repertory identified a genuine need, amongst singers and their teachers, for expert help in choosing contemporary repertoire from the often bewildering volume and variety of music available. It is now in regular use in teaching institutions, and many works featured have found a wider audience. This has prompted Jane Manning to produce a further personal selection of over 60 vocal works, recommended for general repertoire. As before, pieces are graded according to their demands on vocal techniques and musicianship. Each is given detailed treatment from both performing and teaching viewpoints, with music examples, programming suggestions, and practical information. The stylistic range is even wider - composers from Norway and New Zealand are featured, and a strong contingent of British and North American composers, including early pioneers as well as young talents. Works in foreign languages are now included, as are pieces for solo voice, and voice and tape. Jane Manning's persuasive advocacy is reinforced by over 30 year's international experience, and over 300 world premieres. This invaluable guide will be warmly wlecomed by amateurs and professional alike.

Described as the "life and soul of British contemporary music", Jane Manning is an internationally celebrated English concert and opera soprano. In this new follow-up to her highly regarded New Vocal Repertory, Volumes I and II, she provides a seasoned expert's guidance and insight into the vocal genre she calls home. Vocal Repertoire for the Twenty-First Century spans the late middle-20th century through the second decade of the 21st. Manning's comprehensive selection of contemporary art songs ranges from the avant-garde to the more easily accessible, including substantial song cycles, shorter encore pieces, and songs suitable for auditions and competitions. The two-volume guide presents expertly-informed selections tailored to particular voice types. Each of the 160 selections is accompanied by a highly detailed performance guide, music examples, levels of difficulty, and a brief encapsulation of vocal characteristics or challenges contained in the piece. A supplemental companion website provides composer biographies and an up-to-date list of recommended recordings. With a focus on younger composers in addition to prominent figures, Manning encourages singers to refresh and expand their recital repertoire into less familiar territory, and discover the rewards therein. Volume 2 features works written from 2000 onwards, including pieces from contemporary composers Mohammed Fairouz ("Annabel Lee"), Missy Mazzoli ("As Long as We Live"), Judith Weir ("The Voice of Desire"), and Raymond Yiu ("The Earth and Every Common Sight").