Music Teaching Song Selection (Foreign Art Songs)

Author: Tang Guoqing
Publisher: Henan University Press
Book Description:
Art songs possess a high artistic standard, with lyrics that exhibit strong literary qualities and form a perfect artistic whole with the music. They cover a wide range of subjects and styles, present rich musical expressions, and feature intricate vocal techniques with considerable difficulty. For singers, the practice and exploration of art songs can broaden artistic horizons, refine vocal skills, and enhance the ability to interpret and perform works. Therefore, art songs are an indispensable component of vocal music education. As a vocal music textbook for music majors in higher education institutions, this volume (Foreign Art Songs) is carefully curated with consideration for the characteristics of vocal music education. It emphasizes both the representativeness, classicism, expressiveness, and singability of art songs, as well as the balanced difficulty levels of the works, while taking into account the vocal performance needs of different voice parts. The works are categorized as follows:
Part 1: Italian Classical and Modern Art Songs (1-34)
Due to the relative ease of mastering Italian phonetics, this section includes more Italian songs. These classical pieces are essential for beginners in vocal production and learning the Bel Canto method.
Part 2: German and Austrian Art Songs (35-57)
This section features classic works by German and Austrian composers, including Grieg’s Ariadne auf Naxos, whose lyrics are in German.
Part 3: Art Songs from Other Countries
Due to the difficulty of mastering French and Russian languages, as well as the limited scope of this book, only a few classic and easy-to-sing works are selected. Many of Dvo?ák’s excellent art songs are represented by his most famous work, Mama’s Lullaby (No. 70). Given the widespread proficiency in English among students, a collection of beautiful and lyrical English and American songs (61-69) is included, which are both easy to master and engaging for beginners.
Additionally, each category is arranged chronologically by the composers’ birth years, helping students clearly understand the development of art songs, as well as the historical context and stylistic features of the works.
Table of Contents:
1. Amarilli
2. The Prayer of Orpheus
3. Victory, O Victory!
4. Adored One Around Whom I Wander
5. The Sun Rises on the Ganges
6. How Deeply I Suffer
7. In My Heart
8. Violet
9. No More Torment
10. Tell Me
11. Though You Be Unkind
12. How Happy Am I to Praise You
13. Let Me Weep
14. Greensward
15. If You Love Me
16. Nina
17. With All My Heart
18. No More Love
19. Joy of Love
20. My Dearest
21. The Wandering Moon
22. Ave Maria
23. Serenade
24. Moon of Summer Night
25. Funiculì, Funiculà
26. Dawn
27. Return to Suoriento
28. Don’t Forget Me
29. Serenade of Lament
30. O, My Sun
31. The Unfaithful
32. Mama
33. Santa Lucia
34. La Dolce Vita
35. Longing for Spring
36. Violet
37. Lullaby
38. To Cléo
39. Aria
40. In This Dark Tomb
41. I Love You
42. Lullaby
43. To Music
44. The Vernal Spring
45. The Trout
46. Listen, Listen, Nightingale
47. The Willow Tree
48. The Messenger of Love
49. Flood of Tears
50. Ave Maria
51. Serenade
52. On Wings of Song
53. An Ode
54. The Lotus