# secular songs?



## betty44 (Oct 20, 2006)

Hi all,

I'm new here and thought I'ld start by asking for some help!

I'ld love to have some live music at my wedding next year. Our preference is for a singer (soprano) but we may well be restricted by who I can find. The second restriction is that the 'songs' must be secular, this rules out most of the things that we would instinctively choose. and the rest are ruled out by inappropriateness, obscurity or unfeasibilty!

My question is, does anyone here have any suggestions of secular songs or arias that I might not have considered?

The ones I would have chosen if I had free rein would have been from:
Laudamus Te or Kyrie (Mozart mass in C minor)
Exsultate Jubilate (Mozart again)
***** Sum (Monteverdi's vespers)
O Namenlose (duet from Fidelio - Beethoven)
something in the vein of L'Arpeggiata/Christine Pluhar

Current possibles on the list are: 
'che puro ciel' or 'che faro senza euridice' (Orfeo et Euridice Gluck) 
ombra ma fui (Handel)
solveig's song (Grieg)

Any other suggestions would be much appreciated!

PS should add that classical music is v important to both of us, its not something we want just for 'tradition' - only our tastes seem to run to the religious or tragic!


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## Topaz (Oct 25, 2006)

Betty44

Hello. I suggest you might have a listen to a couple of "famous duet" CDs from opera. 

I've just had a quick look on Amazon. There is a deal on "The most famous opera duets", and another called "Rapture: opera's most heavenly moments". You can get both together on a deal for $21.97 (USD). You can just listen to samples if you like. You should get some ideas from here, as all the major pieces are there, some 50 altogether.

If you aren't too sure about how to do this, find the Amazon website, click on classical, and type in one of the above CD names. It will all pop up. There may be other CDs you like the look of. Once you have found the CD, scroll down and click on "sample" and you'll get about 20-30 secs each of the main tracks, enough to tell if it's what you want.



Topaz


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## Saturnus (Nov 7, 2006)

I don't know about any particular songs, but religious and tragic would be the exact words to descripe the music of Arvo Pärt. 
He has written two works which might be fitting for what you are looking for:
# Zwei Wiegenlieder for two women’s voices and piano (2002)
# L'Abbé Agathon for soprano, four violas and four celli (2004/2005)

I haven't heard the works themselves but I have heard his music from this period, and I would definately descripe it as both religious and tragic/sad.


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## linz (Oct 5, 2006)

I suppose the work I'm suggesting can be sung in soprano. It is "Liebst du um Schonheit" from '5 Ruckert Lieder' of Gustav Mahler. I think it is the most beautiful yet simple love song ever written. If you wish to listen to my suggestion, I would recommend the Hampson, Bernstein preformance.


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