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Album
Seven works for solo piano chosen by Sally Mays and
featuring some of Australia's most prominent composers. Each piece conjures up a world of imagination, full of possibilities and subtleties of expression. They are not too demanding technically and are graded to AMEB standard.
1. Solitaire (2008) by John Carmichael, grade 6, c.1'55
2. Uncle Grumpy (1957), Barry Anderson, grade 7, c.1'44
3. Nostalgia (2010), Helen Gifford, grade 8, c.1.'30
4. Insistent Bird (1992), Miriam Hyde, grade 5, c.1'10
5. Blue Sky Through Still Trees (1999), Don Kay, grade 8, c.2'35
6. Stilt Dance (2022), Frank Millward, grade 7, c.2'35
7. Floating (1993), Lawrence Whiffin, grade 7, c.2'40.
A CD of all works performed by Sally Mays accompanies this album. Sally Mays is an Australian pianist of international renown, particularly well-known for her performances of contemporary music of Australian composers. |
Download samples
 Solitaire - sheet msuic - audio sample
Uncle Grumpy - sheet msuic - audio sample
Nostalgia - sheet msuic - audio sample
Insistent Bird - sheet msuic - audio sample
Blue Sky Through Still Trees - sheet msuic - audio sample
Stilt Dance - sheet msuic - audio sample
Floating - sheet msuic - audio sample |
ISMN9790720106922
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Teaching Manual and sheet music
By David Miller, Wendy Dixon, Cathy Aggett, Linda Foulsham.
Songs from Australia has been written as a resource for performers, teachers and students to assist in the development of individual interpretation and performance skills. Pedagogical, musical and performance ideas are discussed for 27 Australian songs. Each entry includes information on the following: textual analysis, performance and vocal techniques, musical concepts, piano accompaniment, phonetics, range and tessitura, pronunciation guide for diction, composition details, composer biography and available recordings and details teaching outcomes. A CD of MIDI accompaniment for each song is included. A glossary provides musical definitions and general explanations. Songs from Australia approaches each song as an entity. The interpretative and technical information provided for each song is offered to assist the teacher and student to build a successful performance.
The Songs from Australia authors believe that a singer cannot perform a song without a thorough understanding of the original poem; this philosophy has been their impetus. For this reason, the book provides the Textual Analysis before exploring how the composer has set the text. (The poems have been presented and vocabulary assistance has been included where deemed necessary). Performance Techniques have been included to encourage individual interpretation. They consider vocal technique, diction, phonetics, style, textual and musical information, pedagogy and exercises. The exercises provided are specific to the song; however, most have a wider application and will be of assistance in different song settings. (The Appendix lists such alternative uses.) The section, Musical Concepts, discusses melody, harmony, tonality, duration and form, (tempo has been considered in the body of the text when it has a direct impact on interpretation).
Songs from Australia is in no way the definitive text; it is anticipated that it will be used as a spring-board for further interpretation and analysis. In their own way, each of the four co-authors have been researching Australian songs; the Trinity College London Singing Syllabus for 2005 was the catalyst for this collaboration.
The selection and grading of songs follows the new Australian component of the 2005 and 2009 Trinity Syllabus. AMEB grading is indicated where appropriate. The Trinity Syllabus Australian selection is comprised mainly of art songs. The art song is characterized by the close relationship of text and music; a song exists because the composer has an emotional reaction to a text. In Songs from Australia, Horace Keats chose the exquisite words of the poet Blake; Carl Vine was inspired by Elizabeth Barrett Browning; Ester Rofe could not disregard the tragic plea of the contemporary Australian poet, Tom Rothfield, and in stark contrast, Mervyn Peake’s witty observations of humanity captivated Stephen Yates. The folk songs, such as Moreton Bay and Waltzing Matilda, evolved from the story-telling tradition and are in a genre of their own.
This is the first time that a book and accompanying MIDI file of this nature has been published on Australian songs. Studio singing teachers, school music teachers, performers and anyone interested in Australian song will appreciate this new concept. Each of the 27 songs has been recorded on CD by soprano Wendy Dixon and pianist David Miller and is also titled Songs from Australia and is availble online.
Sample sheet music of most songs can be see under individual titles, also audio extracts. |
Audio samples of the 27 songs included
Monkey and Turtle(Trad./Leek)
Love Me Sweet (Vine)
Come Sleep (Glanville-Hicks)
Morton Bay (Trad./O'Leary)
Dinah’s Song (Rofe)
Bless This House (Brahe)
Waltzing Matilda (Cowan/O’Leary)
Lullaby (Stove)
An Angry Cactus Does No Good (Yates)
The Trouble with Geraniums (Yates)
Dreams at Eventide (Keats)
My Dark-eyed Acushla (Keats)
O Yellow, Yellow Sweet (Tregaskis)
I Will Build my House in the Water (Keats)
The Lamb (Keats)
Love’s Secret (Keats)
Plucking the Rushes (Keats)
Love Song (Stove)
Epigram I,
Epigram II,
Epigram III,
Epigram IV (Yates)
Nature’s Changes (Dixon)
Columbine (Keats)
Sea Wraith (Keats)
The Stars Turn (Sculthorpe)
Evening (Dixon)
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ISMN M720041988 ISBN 1876829095
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Album including CD
High to Medium voice and pianoSongs by 12 composers.
Demonstrates the unique relationship between poet, composer, singer and pianist in the genre of art song
Voice of Australia is an expression of art song and 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. The responsibility of performers is to discover the composer's intention and to share this with the audience.
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.
To assist performers and teachers the authors 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.
Composers chosen for this book epitomise the quintessential Australian voice. 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. The authors have attempted to encompass this diversity in our book.
Backing tracks and vocal CD is included (performed by Wendy Dixon soprano, Tim Collins baritone, David Miller piano).
1 First Person Feminine (Cooper) iii and vii c. 1.20 and 1.15
2 Strange Requiem (Sutherland) c.2.45
3 Titania's Lullaby (Hugh Dixon) c.3.05
4 Auguries of Innocence (Peterson) c.2.25
5 I am Black (Schultz) c.1.35
6 Frogs 1, 2, 3 (Butterley) c.1.00, 1.00, 0.40
7 Quel rosignuol (Brumby) c.3.45
8 each thoughtless day (Pearce) c.2.15
where the wind sighs (Pearce) c.2.0
9 Night After Bushfire (Kerry) c.2.05
10 Balloon Ride (Greenbaum) c.2.50
11 Asmaradana (Beath) c.3.20
12 Turning Fifty (Paviour) c.4.20
Sample sheet music can be found under titles, except 9 and 10.
Also availble in Medium to Low |
Download samples
First Person Feminine - iii - audio
First Person Feminine - iv - audio
Strange Requiem - audio
Titania's Lullaby - audio
Auguries of Innocence - audio
I am Black - audio
Frogs 1- audio
Frogs 2 - audio
Frogs 3 - audio
Quel rosignuol - audio
Each thoughtless day - audio
where the wind sighs- audio
Night After Bushfire- audio
Balloon Ride - audio
Asmaradana - audio
Turning Fifty - audio |
ISMN M720041988, ISBN 9781876829117
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Album including CD
Medium to Low voice and pianoSongs by 12 composers.
Demonstrates the unique relationship between poet, composer, singer and pianist in the genre of art song
Voice of Australia is an expression of art song and 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. The responsibility of performers is to discover the composer's intention and to share this with the audience.
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.
To assist performers and teachers the authors 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.
Composers chosen for this book epitomise the quintessential Australian voice. 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. The authors have attempted to encompass this diversity in our book.
Backing tracks and vocal CD is included.
1 First Person Feminine (Cooper) iii and vii c. 1.20 and 1.15
2 Strange Requiem (Sutherland) c.2.45
3 Titania's Lullaby (Hugh Dixon) c.3.05
4 Auguries of Innocence (Peterson) c.2.25
5 I am Black (Schultz) c.1.35
6 Frogs 1, 2, 3 (Butterley) c.1.00, 1.00, 0.40
7 Quel rosignuol (Brumby) c.3.45
8 each thoughtless day (Pearce) c.2.15
where the wind sighs (Pearce) c.2.0
9 Night After Bushfire (Kerry) c.2.05
10 Balloon Ride (Greenbaum) c.2.50
11 Asmaradana (Beath) c.3.20
12 Turning Fifty (Paviour) c.4.20
Sample sheet music can be found under titles, except 9 and 10.
Also availble in Medium to High
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Download samples
(these sampes are in the HIGH version)
First Person Feminine - iii - audio
First Person Feminine - iv - audio
Strange Requiem - audio
Titania's Lullaby - audio
Auguries of Innocence - audio
I am Black - audio
Frogs 1- audio
Frogs 2 - audio
Frogs 3 - audio
Quel rosignuol - audio
Each thoughtless day - audio
where the wind sighs- audio
Night After Bushfire- audio
Balloon Ride - audio
Asmaradana - audio
Turning Fifty - audio |
ISMN720072302, ISBN 9781876829133
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