# Chamber music featuring voice



## Aramis

Another thread from "Chamber music featuring (...)" family. 

Generally there are two kind of songs: songs with solo piano and orchestral songs. Is there nothing between them?

I've heard couple of transcriptions of songs, mainly exchanging piano for string quartet but it doesn't count. Also, some may consider baroque and pre-baroque music with non-symphonic orchestra as such. But it's not really what I mean. 

Wait! I recall! Schoenberg's SQ!  But it's only work originally scored for chamber ensamble and voice that I know about.

Can you think of vocal chamber music, especially where voice gets unusual accompaniament of manually picked ensamble, not trite (standard SQs)?


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## norman bates

try Schoeck's Notturno
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/notebook/2010/01/11/100111gonb_GOAT_notebook_platt

i was forgetting about The curlew, the Peter Warlock masterpiece, one of my favorite pieces of music ever.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Curlew


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## joen_cph

There´s a lot of French stuff:

- Ravel, of course - Chansons Madecasses, 3 Melodies Populaires etc.
- Satie: Socrate
- Debussy: Chansons Bilitis, chamber version
- Delage: Poemes Hindous
- Caplet: Viens, une flute invisible
- Poulenc: Rhapsodie Negre
- Boulez of course - Le Marteau sans Maitre
- Honegger: Poesies de Cocteau

Also some Arthur Bliss that I can recall:
- Bliss:"Madam Noy"; "Rhapsody"; "Rout".
- Maconchy: My Dark Heart

Russian:
- Stravinsky: Pribautki, 3 Petites Chansons, Pastorale, 2 Poemes de Verlaine, 2 Poemes de Balmont, 3 
Japanese Lyrics, Berceuses du Chat, Tilimbon, L´Histoire du Soldat
- Artyomov: Moonlight Dreams

German:
- Hans Erich Apostel: 5 Lieder op.22
- Webern, many of course
- Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire
- Hindemith: Melancholie

USA:
- Crumb: Night Music; Madrigals Book I-IV etc.

and others ...


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## Meaghan

English composer Rebecca Clarke played violin and viola and composed a lot of vocal chamber music featuring those instruments, including two short folk-inspired song cycles and a number of independent songs. She often makes quite poignant use of the simple combination of soprano and violin, as in the second of her _Three Irish Country Songs_ (beginning at 2:00) Unfortunately, the violin gets a bit drowned out in this video.






John Corigliano also did a set of three Irish folk songs in a somewhat similar style, his with flute and soprano.






There's also Copland's early "As it fell upon a day" for soprano, flute, and clarinet, which is kind of a cool piece. Unfortunately, in the only video I could find of it on youtube, the clarinetist is pretty inconsistent and the soprano is "acting" (running around like a ninny). Which makes me not want to post it.


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## toucan

joen_cph said:


> There´s a lot of French stuff


Including a little gem by Andre Caplet, the _Septet for Vocal and Instrumental Chords_, in a spirit rather similar to the thirsd of Debussy's *Nocturnes*, Szymanowski's Third Symphony and his *Stabat Mater*, or Bela Bartok's *Cantata Profane* - impressionist choir at it's most seductive.

The Harmonia Mundi recording by _Ensemble Musique Oblique_ (just like the words inside the _ suggest!) also features a nice rendition of *Les Prieres* for Voice, Harp and String Quartet.

_____________

P.S. Come to think of it, those who like Caplet and Ravel's Mallarme songs might also like Philippe Hersant's *Lebenslauf*, also available on Harmonia Mundi, paired with the finer one of his two cello concertos._


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## norman bates

another interesting chamber work with vocals is the serial Time cycle by Lukas Foss, i appreciate it moderately but it's considered an important work


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## jurianbai

David Del Tredici - I Hear An Army for Soprano and string quartet









http://www.daviddeltredici.com/worksbycat.php?cat=4


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## Quartetfore

Ill Tramonto based on a poem by Shelley for Mezzo-Soprano and string quartet, and composed in 1934 by Respighi.


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## Olias

Arnold Cooke wrote a set of "Nocturnes" for Soprano, Horn, and Piano. It sets five poems about night to music. Very lovely and modern sounding. I played the horn part on my senior university recital (many moons ago).


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## Operadowney

I realize this is a late reply but I've spent all night looking for music that fits this designation for voice, piano and "x instrument."

I'm putting together a recital programme and here's what I found tonight! I'm a baritone!

Johannes Brahms Opus 91 for voice, viola and piano (~10 mins)


1. Gestillte Sehnsucht
2. Geistliches Wiegenlied

Charles Ives Sunrise for baritone, violin and piano (~5.5 mins)


Alexander Borodin Songs for voice, cello and piano (~10 mins)


Razlyubila krasna devitsa (The Pretty Girl No Longer Loves Me)
Krasavitsa-ribachka (The Beautiful Fisher Maiden)
Slushayte, podruzhen'ki, pesenku moyu (Listen to My Song, Little Friend)

Camille Saint-Saens Violons dans le soir for voice, violin and piano (~5 mins)


All great pieces!! They make me so happy that I put in the time today (although you'd be surprised at how few composers wrote with this idea in mind...)


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## elgar's ghost

To accompany Edith Sitwell's swooping recitation of her own texts through a megaphone Walton's 'Facade' was originally scored for flute (or piccolo), clarinet (or bass clarinet), alto saxophone, trumpet, (1x) percussion and cello. 

Pierrot Lunaire was namechecked earlier - Schoenberg scored it for similar forces to 'Facade' some ten years previously...hmmm...


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## Sid James

My reply to your other post HERE has some things not yet mentioned, *operadowney.*


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## EarthBoundRules

Schubert's _Der Hirt auf dem Felsen_ is a diologue between a clarinet and a soprano, with a piano playing the accomponiment. It's very beautiful, you should give it a listen! 

Here's a great performance of the piece on YouTube:


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## Sator

Despite the OPs sniffiness towards it, I find the Schoenberg 2nd String Quartet _deeply and profoundly_ moving. I was coincidentally just listening to it yesterday. Adorno thought it was the best thing Schoenberg ever wrote, and he wasn't far wrong. It's a desert island composition for me.


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## Operadowney

Schubert also wrote a piece for tenor voice, horn and piano called Auf Dem Strom. Beautiful work...if only I had another fifth of range to my voice. 





Auf Dem Strom D 943


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## waldvogel

Benjamin Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings is usually set for a small string orchestra of 15-20 players. It's a beautiful setting of six poems, by various poets.


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## waldvogel

There's also the famous Bachianas Brasilieras #5 by Heitor Villa-Lobos. It's a song for soprano, accompanied by a group of cellos.


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## jalex




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## humanbean

Haydn did several piano trio arrangements of folk songs. There is a pretty good disc available (with previews) here:

http://www.classicalm.com/en/composition/12965/CD-70---Welsh-Songs-for-George-Thomson-III


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## peeyaj

@Operadowney

I am going to post that!  Auf Dem Strom is one of his most beautiful works.. ^_^


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## Operadowney

peeyaj said:


> @Operadowney
> 
> I am going to post that!  Auf Dem Strom is one of his most beautiful works.. ^_^


If only I was a tenor...


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## aleazk

Ravel's Trois Poemes de Stephane Mallarme:


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