Suggested Repertoire for Undergraduate Voices

'Tis the season! As the semester proceeds in full swing at Manhattan School of Music, I thought I'd compile some rep lists to help voice teachers and coaches assign French mélodies to their students, beyond the usual suspects (I'm looking at you, Fauré) 😏

Let's start with a non-exhaustive list of songs for undergrads. When assigning music to students that age, we're looking for musically straight-forward pieces, not too wordy in order to have the space to study the diction and solidify the sounds in the muscle memory, and vocally reasonable lines 😇

Some, if not most, of the songs in the attached one-pager are suitable for multiple voice types (some even can be found in different keys), and you will find some of the suggested recordings are by a performer with a different voice type than the one the song is suggested for. That is to say I rather hear some of the songs by a specific voice type but it is not a hard line.

I hope this helps widen the French mélodie horizon in our conservatories and universities, and promotes songs and composers that are otherwise widely disregarded. I may also act in complete self-interest, as there is a chance, however mild, that I may commit an act of terror if I hear "Ici-bas" or "À Chloris" one more time 😬

Next I'll work on a list for Masters students, stay tuned! 🤓

NON-EXHAUSTIVE LIST OF FRENCH SONG REPERTOIRE

FOR YOUNG VOICES

Soprano

“Chanson d’automne” by Reynaldo Hahn Listen Here

“Le dépit de la bergère” by Hector Berlioz Listen Here

“Que l’heure est donc brève” or “Blanche et Rose” by Léo Delibes Listen Here #1 and Listen Here #2

“Le bonheur est chose légère” by Camille Saint-Saëns Listen Here

“Les couronnes” by Ernest Chausson Listen Here

Mezzo-Soprano

“Absence” by Charles Gounod Listen Here

“Lamento” by Henri Duparc Listen Here

“Clair de lune” by Camille Saint-Saëns Listen Here

“Le corbeau et le renard” by Charles Lecocq Listen Here

“Après l’hiver” by Georges Bizet Listen Here

Tenor

“L’énamourée” by Reynaldo Hahn Listen Here

“L’absent” by Gabriel Fauré Listen Here

“À des oiseaux” by Georges Hüe Listen Here

“L’âme des oiseaux” by Jules Massenet Listen Here

“Chanson de l’oiseleur” by Léo Delibes Listen Here

Baritone - Bass

“Envoi de fleurs” by Charles Gounod Listen Here

“L’enfant” by Maurice Delage Listen Here

“L’esclave” by Édouard Lalo Listen Here

“Élégie” by Jules Massenet Listen Here

“La mer” by Guy Ropartz Listen Here