Per pianto la mia carne by Leonora Orsini

• Level: All
• Teaching tools: Middle range singing using whole notes in cut time; sostenuto; possibility for ornamentation
• Suggestions: Learn the original melody first, using vowels, and add some or all of the ornamentation once the melody and harmony are understood as they relate to the meaning of the text. For a beginner, some of the ornamentation before the cadences, at m. 6, 9, or 19, might be added.

Se scior si ved’il laccio a cui dianz’io by Maddalena Casulana

• Level: All
• Teaching tools: phrasing; rhythmic variety; middle range singing
• Suggestions: Casulana uses harmonic interest for text painting in this successful and widely circulated pastoral madrigal. Enjoy the colorful harmonic shift from m. 18 into 19 on the word “fuoco” (fire) and the descending line to express “del mio dolore” (of my suffering).

Non so se quel sorriso by Francesca Caccini

• Level: College age
• Teaching tools: lyrical phrasing; higher range; ornamentation
• Suggestions: The trillo (repetition of a single note), or gruppo (modern day trill of 2 notes) enhance the stressed syllables of important nouns and verbs, using tempi that allow the melody to flow freely to complete the phrases with “grazia.” It would be appropriate to choose a verse or two for the young singer and add an introduction preceding each sung verse.

Chi desia di saper by Francesca Caccini

• Level: All
• Teaching tools: meter change; ascending and descending phrases in declamatory rhythm
• Suggestions: Caccini's canzonetta, in a medium range, changes meter but has an unwavering underlying pulse. The recitativa phrase in measures 7-9 suggests a freer style. Consider choosing only a few verses for a young singer with an introduction between verses.

Dispiegate, guancie amate by Francesca Caccini

• Level: College age
• Teaching tools: Dotted rhythms; changing rhythmic patterns within the melodic phrases; sostenuto work on long notes
• Suggestions: This piece offers good practice singing scale passages. Consider teaching the trill, gruppo, or both on the whole notes that approach the cadences.

Aria: La Pastorella mia by Francesca Caccini

• Level: College age
• Teaching tools: trills, dotted rhythms, and passaggi (scale passages) create a serpentine dramatic effect
• Suggestions: Caccini's aria is most suitable for soprano or tenor in this key. Verses 1 and 3 are possible for most college aged singers; those with good rhythm and flexibility can enjoy the ornamentation in all the verses.

Word corrections: verse 2: rubin instead of rabin; verse 3, m. 2: al granato instead of grato

Further study: Please consider assigning any of the 3 arias in La Liberazione di Ruggiero: 1. Sirena’s aria (Chi nel fior di giovinezza), 2. The aria of the shepherd for tenor (Per la più vaga e bella), and 3. Alcina’s plaintive aria for mezzo-soprano (Ferma, ferma crudele).

Due luci ridenti by Settimia Caccini

• Level: College age
• Teaching tools: higher tessitura; ornamentation; rhythmic variation within 3/2
• Suggestions: Singers are challenged to shape the melody freely with "grazia" using quarter and eighth note ornamentation. Singing a verse or two only is suggested for a younger singer.

Occhi io vissi di voi by Claudia Sessa

• Level: College age
• Teaching tools: Sostenuto; breath control; coloratura; text painting
• Suggestions: Intended for lower voice. To sustain the line, breathing within the long phrases is acceptable. Consider the practice of crescendo & decrescendo (crescere e scemare) on long notes with descriptive words. Notice the winding passaggi for “gioire” (joy as in missing joy) and the descending pattern using accenti, trillo and gruppo to express “martire” (martyrdom).

T’amo mia vita by Vittoria Aleotti

• Level: All
• Teaching tools: Sostenuto; phrasing; breath control; ensemble
• Suggestions: Aleotti's beautiful madrigal is set as a duet for developing melodic independence while practicing ensemble singing. The vocal rests extend the mood and allow the singers to practice calm, quiet breathing. An introduction is recommended for young singers.

S’io ti guardo ti sdegni by Francesca Campana

• Level: College age
• Teaching tools: changing meter between duple and triple for expressive purposes
• Suggestions: Musica recitativa is employed in the common time phrases which are meant to be descriptive and speechlike as in measures 1-3: “If I look at you, you scorn me, If I talk to you, you flee.” Longer phrases in triple meter with longer valued notes extend the textual ideas in a flowing, graceful manner.

Chi brama in amore by Barbara Strozzi

• Level: College age
• Teaching tools: graceful stepwise descending passages (passaggi); a wider range; tempo variations for expressive emphasis
• Suggestions: Chi brama in amore requires agility for precise articulation of the melodic movement. The importance of text dictates the tempi. The descending phrases, melodic skips, and varying tempi add challenges and variety to the expressive music for which Strozzi is so well regarded.

Amore è bandito by Barbara Strozzi

• Level: College age
• Teaching tools: agility; higher range; quick articulation
• Suggestions: Find agility and lightness in Strozzi's descriptive verses. The wide melodic range challenges the singer to remain connected to the breath regardless of pitch. The tempo at the verses, measures 7 and 17, can be sung slightly slower in order to articulate the words clearly. At the ritornello, resume the initial tempo.

Aria from Vuò cercando by Rosa Giacinta Badalla

• Level: All
• Teaching tools: shaping melodic phrases; sostenuto work
• Suggestions: Badalla's aria is part of a secular cantata for low voice with a vocal range of a ninth in 6/8. The aria without recitative could be assigned to the young singer. The recitative is a good study for singers who can manage the melodic phrasing required.

Povero cor tu palpiti by Isabella Colbran

• Level: College age
• Teaching tools: wider range for higher voice; dynamic changes; larger melodic skips for dramatic purposes
• Suggestions: The text for Povero cor tu palpiti is attributed to the famous poet, Metastasio (Pietro Antonio Domenico Bonaventura Trapassi). As a dramatic soprano, Colbran’s vocal writing includes dramatic effects such as singing through ties, fermati, and text repetition for emphasis. Note on the final page the use of short and long phrases in a higher register before descending to the final cadence.

Già la notte s’avvicina by Isabella Colbran

• Level: All
• Teaching tools: higher tessitura with passaggio singing; phrase length variation
• Suggestions: The colla voce with fermata and dynamic changes gives dramatic effect. A stepwise ornament on zeffiretto (breezes) paints the text beautifully and understanding the meaning of barcarola can inform the singer of the tempo for this song. A short introduction can be helpful for the younger singer.

La speranza al cor mi dice by Isabella Colbran

• Level: College age
• Teaching tools: 2 against 3 singing; dynamic changes; mezza di voce
• Suggestions: In measure 16, changing to “saro,” in brackets, can add more flexibility for better breath energy on the descending line. For more uniformity, in measure 17, consider tying the second beat to the pitch C on the 3rd beat triplet and then the “ce” of felice can elide with “ancor” on the final note of the triplet as it does in measures 32 and 34.

Giusto amor by Louise Reichardt

• Level: College age
• Teaching tools: higher tessitura; faster tempo; short and long phrase sections
• Suggestions: The eighth note movement toward the quarter & dotted quarter notes emphasizes the dissonant pitch and syllable on the first beat of the measure in measures 1-8 (this repeats again in m. 20-27.) Setting the first 2 lines of the 2nd stanza in the major key, Reichardt completes the mood with extended phrases that rise and crescendo. For consistency, choose your preferred text after reading Metastasio’s original poem on page 51.

Vanne felice rio by Louise Reichardt

• Level: All (high & low keys)
• Teaching tools: turns; phrasing; larger intervallic skips; scale passages; trills
• Suggestions: Vanne felice rio is a short, lyrical song with graceful phrases and the challenge of practicing the turn during the long half note. This piece is offered in 2 keys.

*Note: Please correct the error in measure 19 of the lower key which should be a B natural starting on the 3rd beat.

Se non piange un infelice by Louise Reichardt

• Level: College age
• Teaching tools: dotted rhythms; octave leaps (both ascending and descending); agitated tempo with repeated chords in the piano
• Notes: Se non piange un infelice is a noticeable contrast in songwriting to Vanne felice, also by Reichardt. As a teacher of young singers, she wrote this for lower voices using melodic skips to add dramatic effects with steady piano support.

Se spiegar by Maria Szymanowska

• Level: Upper level undergraduate or graduate student
• Teaching tools: variations in phrase lengths; accented notes for dramatic purposes; skips; varying dynamics
• Suggestions: Se spiegar is a more challenging piece containing short phrases followed by longer ones and the use of accents on stressed syllables. The addition of tied notes with wide skips, a fermata, and varying dynamics add to its technical challenges. Consider relaxing the tempo from measures 47-55 before resuming the tempo primo for the dramatic crescendo to the end of the song.

Il Silfo by Maria Malibran

• Level: Upper level college and beyond (high voice)
• Teaching tools: mezza di voce; expanded wide range, dramatic repetition of text
• Suggestions: Il Silfo is a challenging song and should be sung by those with more vocal experience. It contains a combination of long, held notes for mezza di voce work, fioratura, and ornamentation. The piece encompasses a wide range, not unlike the opera arias Malibran would have performed during her own singing career.

Povera me by Pauline Viardot-García

• Level: Undergraduate (high & low keys)
• Teaching tools: text painting; arpeggiated melodic phrases; varying half and whole steps
• Notes: Povera me offers a direct, deeply emotional connection to the text using accented syllables for emphasis, and melodic and dynamic contrast. The continuous rhythmic pulse in the piano is supportive to the singer and can be relaxed for melodic expression.

L’innamorata by Pauline Viardot-García

• Level: Undergraduate
• Teaching tools: rhythm; agile articulation of the diction; accented syllables
• Suggestions: Changing rhythmic patterns of 2 and 3 convey a flexible, dance-like quality. The first beat of the phrase is accented, followed by eighth and sixteenth notes offering a light, playful texture to the song. The range is wider, encompassing an octave and a fifth. A new rhythmic pattern of repeated notes moving to accented syllables may need to be sung a little slower before returning to the first tempo.

Apri, apri by Pauline Viardot-García

• Level: All
• Teaching tools: word emphasis in phrasing; sostenuto; 1 pitch in the upper register
• Suggestions: Apri, apri is a very short, accessible song for a higher voice in the bright key of A major. The long note held for 8 counts offers a vocal challenge.