Review (PDF) Complete Songs For Voice And Piano (Dover Song Collections)
One of the legendary pianists of his day, Serge Rachmaninoff (1873–1943) has taken his place in music history as a composer of distinction — a commanding figure in late Russian Romanticism whose appealing works are known worldwide for their intense lyricism and dynamic vivacity.This complete collection of Rachmaninoff's songs for voice and piano comprises all of the music Opp. 4, 8, 14, 21, 26, 34, and 38 — seventy-one songs in a variety of vocal ranges, containing some of the most hauntingly beautiful passages in the literature. The text underlay for most of the songs is in Russian (Cyrillic) and English; one is given with Russian, German, and French singing texts; and the complete Op. 38 (six songs) is published with singing texts in all four languages.Bold in his broad choice of poems to set to music, Rachmaninoff chose the words of no less than 36 esteemed poets — from his fellow countrymen Chekhov, Pushkin, and Tolstoy to the international works of Goethe, Heine, Hugo, and Shelley. Here, the composer's lyrical gifts are matched and supported by his extraordinary sense of the keyboard as an equal partner in the making of an art song.
Series: Dover Song Collections
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Dover Publications; Unabridged edition (February 17, 1998)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0486401952
ISBN-13: 978-0486401959
Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 0.6 x 12.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #542,521 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #21 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Sheet Music & Scores > Composers > Rachmaninoff #106 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Sheet Music & Scores > Forms & Genres > Ballet & Dance #168 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Sheet Music & Scores > Historical Period > Late Romantic
I generally can't stand Dover editions. The bindings make me crazy! BUT - unlike others, this one actually lays flat on the piano. Only pianists will appreciate how wonderful that is! It's an exact reprint of the Boosey & Hawkes 2 volume set, though significantly cheaper. I have the Boosey & Hawkes, but added this one just to have everything together and because it lays so nicely.
A somewhat carefully made edition, with texts in russian and translated to english and french. Rachmaninoff's songs are of unsurpassed beauty and richness; This "lieds" recquires special skills for the performers; the piano parts are not mere accompanyments, but complex and and difficult in essence. The problem is, although the title of this book says "complete", it is not: some songs, which don't have specific opus numbers, are not in this compilation. The maximum rate is given only because it's... Rachmaninoff.
Rachmaninoff has composed some of the most beautiful songs in existence, but these treasures are largely untouched, save for his Vocalise (Op.34 No.14), and maybe Op.4 No.4 and Op.21. No.7. This is a shame, considering that there are many treasures available in his collection of songs.Interestingly, the "cycles" or groups of songs are not the same cycles that we find in the works of other composers. Rachmaninoff has set up these Opus numbers to contain songs for each of the main voice types, and therefore, the cycles are either meant to be sung by multiple vocalists, or are not intended to be sung in a sequence.Any way that you choose to study and Perform Rachmaninoff song repertoire, you cannot go wrong. The challenges of this series goes beyond the difficulty of the rarely-sung Russian language. The ranges are often astonishingly challenging, with the climax being held for at least a value of a half-note.I would only improve this book by providing IPA or other phonetic aids to the text. And, of course, I always like to see accompaniment provided on CD with repertoire books, since I am a lousy pianist!
Yes, it's a pity that the 14 or so songs without opus-numbers aren't included. Presumably that's because they were published later than the others (after his death) and thus not allowed to be reprinted here (as not being part of the 2-volume Boosey & Hawkes edition printed earlier) - if the copyright period be 75 years after his death (it used to be 50 but has apparently been changed...), that would explain it...Otherwise, it's a thoroughly lovely book: not only is Rakhmáñinov so outstanding as a lieder composer (and the accompaniments are no less gorgeous to play as the vocal-parts to sing!!); to boot, the book not only opens well, it's also a perfect size (too many vocal-scores and songbooks are of a reduced size compared to instrumental-only publications!)! Furthermore, the fonts and layout of the pages (unlike a few of Dover's other offerings, where the original engraving was a bit too ornate or less than pristine) both contribute to a stellar, easy-to-read product. It's an absolute MUST-BUY!!!
Deeper Voice: Get a Deeper voice Quickly, Become a Leader: Proven way to deepen your voice:(Low pitched voice, Attractive Voice, Voice Singers, Manly Voice, Charisma, Power) Complete Songs for Solo Voice and Piano, Series I (Dover Song Collections) Complete Songs for Voice and Piano (Dover Song Collections) Selected Songs for Voice and Piano (Dover Song Collections) Songs for Voice and Piano (Dover Song Collections) Forty-Four Songs for Voice and Piano (Dover Song Collections) Three Song Cycles in Vocal Score: Songs of a Wayfarer, Kindertotenlieder and Das Lied Von Der Erde (Dover Song Collections) The American Song Treasury: 100 Favorites (Dover Song Collections) Art Song in English - 50 Songs by 21 American and British Composers: High Voice (BH Voice) French Art Songs of the Nineteenth Century: 39 Works from Berlioz to Debussy (Dover Song Collections) Songs, 1880-1904 (Dover Song Collections) Thirty Songs (Dover Song Collections) Songs, 1896-1914 (Dover Song Collections) The Schubert Song Transcriptions for Solo Piano/Series I: "Ave Maria," "Erlkonig" and Ten Other Great Songs (Dover Music for Piano) Play A Song Of Christmas - 35 Favorite Christmas Songs and Carols In Easy Arrangements (CD-Rom: includes piano accompaniment, lyrics and pritable PDF of piano sheet music) The Schubert Song Transcriptions for Solo Piano/Series III: The Complete Schwanengesang (Dover Music for Piano) The New Broadway Song Companion: An Annotated Guide to Musical Theatre Literature by Voice Type and Song Style Songs by Victor Mass (1822-1884), Including Chants Bretons (1853), and Songs by Georges Bizet (1838-1875), Including Feuilles d'Album (1867): 004 (Romantic French Song 1830-1870 Series) Anthology of Modern French Song (39 Songs): High Voice (Vocal Collection) Franz Schubert - 15 Selected Songs (High Voice): The Vocal Library - High Voice
