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VOICE OF  AUSTRALIA

David Miller, Wendy Dixon, Linda Foulsham.

Two Editions

-  medium to high and medium to low  -

Includes vocal CD and backing tracks for all 12 songs

$65.00 plus postage

"We should be delighted with the appearance of this next volume of Australian songs from Wirripang.....As an educator and performer, I would say that it is terribly exciting to come across a volume like this one.  There is just the right amount of detail for each song, the writers providing three brief analyses - for the text, the voice part and the accompaniment."   (Stephen Grant, book review MCA Music Forum February-April 2008)

Voice of Australia is an expression of our passion for art song and especially for the unique relationship between poet, composer, singer and pianist which this genre exemplifies. A composer’s choice of text is neither arbitrary nor insignificant. It is the text that inspires the composer to translate words into music. Our responsibility as performers is to discover the composers’ intention and to share this with the audience. We firmly believe that valid performances of vocal repertoire necessitate a thorough investigation of the text and its meaning, allied with exploring the manner in which musical settings elucidate the text.

Voice of Australia aims to provide an understanding of the fine balance between text, keyboard accompaniment and voice for each song. Singers have the advantage of using text as an expressive tool, but this advantage can only be fully realised by a shared understanding with the pianist. Performance of a well crafted art song demands textual understanding by both performers, as well as an appreciation of the intricacies of each others’ music. For this reason we have placed the Textual Analysis first.

To emphasise and promote the equal partnership of singer and pianist in these songs; we have subdivided our approach under Thoughts for Performers. To further assist performers and teachers we have proposed Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced levels to equate with standard examination grades from 1st to 4th, 5th to 8th, and Associate level and above. We have indicated this for both performers under Levels of Difficulty.

We have chosen composers for this book whom, we believe, epitomise the quintessential Australian voice. We are firmly committed to the exploration and promotion of Australian vocal music. The Australian voice embodies many cultures and has been shaped by many influences. The various voices within our multi-cultural society have found expression in a wide range of musical styles. We have attempted to encompass this diversity in our book.

We note that Voice of Australia has been written from our personal point of view and is in no way a definitive interpretation. We anticipate that our comments will awaken a desire in the reader to investigate the songs further. We also hope that we will have provided a guide for readers in their approach to other vocal music not covered in Voice of Australia.

David Miller, Wendy Dixon, Linda Foulsham.

1    First Person Feminine iii (Cooper)
 Sample audio  First Person Feminine vii

2   Strange Requiem (Sutherland)
 Sample audio

3   Titania's Lullaby (Dixon)
 Sample audio

4   Auguries of Innocence (Peterson)
 Sample audio

5    I am Black (Schultz)
 Sample audio

6   Frogs 1    Frogs 2    Frogs 3 (Butterley)
 Sample audio  Sample audio  Sample audio

7  Quel rosignuol (Brumby)
 Sample audio

8  each thoughtless night (Pearce)
 Sample audio

    where the wind sighs (Pearce)
 Sample audio

9  Night After Bushfire (Kerry)
 Sample audio

10 Balloon Ride (Greenbaum)
 Sample audio

11  Asmaradana (Beath)
 Sample audio

12  Turning Fifty (Paviour)
 Sample audio

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