Listening to Learn

New Zealand Listener, Volume 12, Issue 300, 23 March 1945, Page 8

Listening to Learn

‘THE Boosey Song Books are not, as you might imagine, collections of topers’ ditties improvised when looking upon the wine at its reddest. No, they are albums of songs for students of sing(continued on next page)

' (eontinued from previous page) ing, and are arranged for the different voices, with bold ballads for the basses and many « top B Flat for the sopranos. Listening to 4YA one evening I heard two singers in items from these collections, and thought what a golden opportunity it was for any young singer to discover just how such songs ought to sound, From the studio Mary Pratt sang, in her usual flawless and effortless style, a group ‘which included the graceful Gluck air "Vieni che poi sereno." Later we heard a less classical group in records of Peter Dawson, one of his items being "Vulcan’s Song" (Gounod), which dozens of aspiring baritones must have attempted to sing. It occurred to me, in this’ connection, that one of the stations might assemble, say, half-an-hour’s programme of songs for one particular voice, and under some such title as "For the Would-be Basso,’ the student of singing could hear the songs he is likely to be studying performed as he may some day perform them himself.