1: (Easy) No divisi in voice parts, accompaniment doubles or supports vocal parts, diatonic, symmetrical phrases, textures mostly homophonic, simple rhythms, stepwise voice leading (conjunct), moderate ranges, no extended techniques, and limited sustained singing.
2: (Medium Easy) Limited divisi, voices somewhat independent from accompaniment, some chromatics, phrases may be longer or more fragmented, mostly homophonic, moderate rhythmic complexity, some difficult intervals (disjunct motion), moderate ranges, extended techniques are simple, limited sustained singing.
3. (Medium) Limited divisi, unaccompanied, or with independent accompaniment (voice parts not doubled), many chromatics, phrases of varying lengths, more contrapuntal textures, moderately complex rhythms, some difficult intervals (disjunct motion), moderately difficult/challenging ranges, extended techniques are potentially challenging, and some sustained singing.
4. (Medium Difficult) Abundant divisi, unaccompanied, or accompanying instruments are fully independent from voice parts, many chromatics and/or key changes, long and/or broken phrases, potentially little homophony, complex rhythms, many difficult intervals (disjunct motion), difficult/challenging ranges, potentially difficult extended techniques, and a demand for sustained singing.
5. (Difficult) Adundant divis, unaccompanied, or accompanying instruments are fully independent from voice parts, many chromatics and/or key changes, long and/or broken phrases, potentially little homophony, complex rhythms, extreme ranges, use of challenging or unusual extended vocal techniques, abundant sustained singing.
1 review for Under the Silver and Home Again: Five Walter de la Mare Lyrics
Nathaniel Sullivan –
I absolutely love this set of songs! I’ve gotten to perform them on a couple different occasions, and I’m always keeping my eyes open for opportunities to pull them out for future events. The affect of each of the five poems/songs is so varied and balanced, creating a beautifully self-contained unit. The text setting is masterfully done: the text is always clear, mostly syllabic, but without falling into the trap of monotonous recitation. On top of that, the melodies are absolutely beautiful and extremely well-written for the baritone voice. AND, finally, the harmonic language is so delightful, always keeping the listener guessing with some jazz harmonies and other unexpected events throughout. At my most recent performance of these songs, many audience members came up to me afterward, asking about the songs and where they could find them. It’s a wonderful piece of new music!