# Why are there so few concertos for voice?



## ZJovicic (Feb 26, 2017)

Just realized that there are countless concertos for so many instruments, but almost no concertos for voice. (I imagine it as a work for a single vocalist and orchestra)

I think it would be a very attractive genre, probably more attractive than art songs.
Why are so few works like this?

Here's one of rare examples I found:






Though I find it weird that there are no words... she's using her voice as an instrument... that's kind of spooky IMO and a bit dehumanizing. But I wouldn't mind having voice concertos with words.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

There are a few more:

[1] An exotic combination of kemenche, zurnas, ney, and wordless voices - courtesy of a concerto by Kamran Ince.

[2] There is a concerto for mezzo-soprano and orchestra, the Lyra Celtica concerto by John Foulds

[3] Beatboxer concerto. Nicknamed the human percussionist, the beatboxer moved from the hiphop culture straight into classical music when Anna Meredith composed a concerto for this unlikely "instrument".


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

This "dehumanizing" isn't all that rare: the Alfven 4th symphony, the Vaughan Williams 7th and others use the wordless voice as an instrument to a very haunting, or weird, effect. Villa-lobos and Rachmaninoff wrote well-known works like this. Holst used a workless chorus in the Planets. Maybe the reason there aren't more concertos like this is the difficulty in using the voice so long. Even long operas usually give the singers periods of rest.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Not very famous, worth hearing though. 
*Charles Chaynes* : Pour un monde noir , 4 poems for soprano and orchestra sur le thème de la négritude -written for _Christiane Edda -Pierre_
01 - Pour un pays perdu
02 - Pour un rituel oublié
03 - Pour la femme noire
04 - Pour la libération


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## Biffo (Mar 7, 2016)

There are plenty of concert arias, notably by Mozart, if a vocal soloist wants to show off in a concert. Wordless vocalisation can be very haunting (Villa-Lobos et al mentioned above) but, for me, only in small doses.


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

<<This "dehumanizing" isn't all that rare: the Alfven 4th symphony, the Vaughan Williams 7th and others use the wordless voice as an instrument to a very haunting, or weird, effect.>>

Kabelac Symphony 5 is essentially a symphony with voice accompaniment.


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## poconoron (Oct 26, 2011)

Biffo said:


> There are plenty of concert arias, notably by Mozart, if a vocal soloist wants to show off in a concert. Wordless vocalisation can be very haunting (Villa-Lobos et al mentioned above) but, for me, only in small doses.


What he said..............Mozart's concertos for voice are unmatched, IMHO. I have a complete set of his so-called concert arias and they are magnificent.

https://www.amazon.com/Concert-Aria...22507531&sr=1-7&keywords=mozart+concert+arias


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## Genoveva (Nov 9, 2010)

William Schuman (1910-1992) wrote a concerto involving voice: _Concerto on Old English Rounds, for viola, female chorus and orchestra (1973)_.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

Britten wrote three pieces for voice and chamber orchestra and they are among his most popular works. All three set well known and loved poems. They are not called concertos but what's the difference? Schnittke wrote a "Choir Concerto" but I think he used the name to hide his religious intent from the authorities.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Genoveva said:


> William Schuman (1910-1992) wrote a concerto involving voice: _Concerto on Old English Rounds, for viola, female chorus and orchestra (1973)_.


If we include combinations like this, Busoni's piano concerto should be mentioned.


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## ZJovicic (Feb 26, 2017)

Thank you all for recommendation. Definitely gotta check Mozart's concert arias first.

Regarding dehumanizing aspect of wordless voice, I think it's because our voice is intimately connected with what we perceive as our self, a very personal thing, something that usually finds expression through words. Now when you deprive it of words, you're practically using the most expressive part of a human being, an extension of his self, for purely instrumental purposes. I mean, it can certainly sound good, but when you start thinking of it, it feels wrong on some level.

However, concertos with words, that would be quite normal IMO, and I am still wondering why are they rather rare.


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## Genoveva (Nov 9, 2010)

Art Rock said:


> If we include combinations like this, Busoni's piano concerto should be mentioned.


I have a recording of the Schuman concerto that I referred to by The New York Phil conducted by Leonard Beinstein. I had a quick listen to it before posting because I thought it may only contain some background choral music. But no there is a definitely a lead female singer as well as a female chorus. Therefore, I felt it was worth adding to the list. On the other hand I wouldn't recommend anyone to go and buy it. It didn't appeal to me. I just happen to have a copy of this work, as it was probably included on a CD with something else more popular.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Mozart's virtuoso concert arias for female voices are pretty much mini-concertos for voice and orchestral obbligato.


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