# Looking for more vocal music



## amclassicallistener (Oct 30, 2014)

I'm looking for classical pieces where the focus in on vocals but not opera as I find that too story driven and acted out - when I just want to listen, it doesn't sound as good. I'm fairly new to classical music so I'm unaware of most of the terms but the fourth movement from Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 is the epitome of vocal music in my opinion and I know that's a choral symphony although the list of those is fairly small.

Can you give me examples of the other vocal-centred genres (besides lieder as I've just found that out by browser here though again the list seems small)?


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## Chordalrock (Jan 21, 2014)

Lieder is pretty much the classical music song - one singer and one pianist (or in some cases orchestra).

Then there's choral music, all the way from Medieval times (Machaut, Ciconia), through Renaissance (Dufay, Ockeghem, Josquin, Gombert, Lassus, Palestrina, Victoria, etc.) and Baroque and Classical and Romantic to modernist and contemporary pieces.

I think in some cases Renaissance chansons and maybe some other pieces are performed with instruments and one singer. More typical is choral type of performance though, I think, although the genre is rather unfamiliar to me, as I'm more interested in the sacred music of the time.

Here's my favorite Renaissance choral piece:


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

amclassicallistener said:


> I'm fairly new to classical music so I'm unaware of most of the terms but the fourth movement from Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 is the epitome of vocal music in my opinion and I know that's a choral symphony although the list of those is fairly small.


The best known choral symphonies outside of the Ninth are:
Mendelssohn's Second
Mahler's Second (finale only) and Eighth
Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony
Shostakovich's Thirteenth "Babi Yar" (very dark, in that way the opposite of Beethoven's Ninth, and only for male voices)


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## amclassicallistener (Oct 30, 2014)

Thanks guys. I'll check out the suggestions and definitely go as far back as the medieval times.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

I don't know what you already have in your collection, but I would recommend the Lieder of Hugo Wolf.


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## Figleaf (Jun 10, 2014)

The Hugo Wolf Society edition from the 30s:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Hugo-Wolf.../tracks/B000009OQC/ref=dp_tracks_all_1#disc_1

It's worth it just for John McCormack's contributions- although they have been reissued by Symposium.

John McCormack sings Ganymede:


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Vivaldi ~ _Gloria_

Haydn ~ _The Creation_

Guiseppi Verdi ~ _Requiem_

Gabriel Fauré ~ _Requiem_

Mozart: 
_Mass in c Minor_




_Requiem_





Beethoven:
_Missa Solemnis_ (it seems you just should not miss this one




_Meeresstille und Glückliche Fahrt_ "Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage"




Choral Fantasy (starts with long piano solo, then orchestra & chorus enter -- very dramatic and fun Beethoven) 





Felix Mendelssohn ~ _Elijah_

Brahms ~ _Ein Deutsches Requiem_

Gustav Mahler ~ _Symphony No.8_ Symphony of a Thousand





Camille Saint-Saëns ~ _Requiem_





Elgar ~ _The Dream of Gerontius_

Benjamin Britten ~ _War Requiem_

Francis Poulenc ~ Gloria





Maurice Ravel ~ Daphnis et Chloe, _complete._ very large orchestra with wordless full chorus. (The two concert suites are _without_ the chorus)





Claude Debussy ~ _Sirènes_, the last of his three _Nocturnes_ for orchestra, uses a wordless female chorus.





Sergei Prokofiev ~ Cantata, _Alexander Nevsky_





Béla Bartók ~ _Cantata Profana_





Ralph Vaughan Williams ~ _Serenade to music_





Carl Orff ~ _Carmina Burana_


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Here's an interesting collection of vocal works.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Some good stuff listed so far - I would add Janacek's orchestral song-cycle 'The Diary of One Who Disappeared' and Zemlinsky's 'Lyrische Symphonie'.


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## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

Hi amclassicallistener,

On the TalkClassical website itself there are two member generated lists which might interest you:

The TC Top 100 Recommended Choral Works (page 1 on the link below)

The TC Top 100 Recommended Art Songs (page two)

Both can be found at:

http://www.talkclassical.com/17996-compilation-tc-top-recommended.html


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

I can for sure recommend Anna Prohoska's latest disc of wartime-related songs called "Behind the Lines"... exquisite vocalization and great selection.


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## Buddha (Dec 8, 2014)

A fairly recent vocal album I've loved since it was published is Winter Morning Walks by *Maria Schneide*r (ArtistShare, 2013). *Dawn Upshaw* is the soprano, and the music is performed by the *Australian and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestras*, with several guest performers including pianist *Frank Kimbroug*h. I really like Schneider's compositions, which are normally performed by her jazz-style big band.

There's a quick, three-minute overview of Winter Morning Walks on YouTube.


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