A new anthology from Oxford University Press includes new solos from favorite choral composers and lesser-known composers.
In the November/December 2021 issue of Classical Singer, I offered a review of Oxford Solo Songs: Christmas, a new anthology of seasonal songs published by Oxford University Press. For this issue, I have examined another recently published anthology, Oxford Solo Songs: Secular. Considering these two volumes alongside of one another reveals their complementary nature. These anthologies, presumably compiled by the same editorial team, were clearly conceived to parallel one another, offering singers secular alternatives when exploring art songs written in a similar style by many of the same composers.
Like its complement, Oxford Solo Songs: Secular collects 14 songs predominantly by some of Britain’s most accomplished composers. Household names like John Rutter, Bob Chilcott, and Alan Bullard appear once again, with Rutter and Chilcott represented by two selections each. Becky McGlade and Toby Young can also be found here, this time joined by four new composers: Oliver Tarney, the celebrated American newcomers Joel Thompson and Marques L. A. Garrett, and the established Canadian composer Eleanor Daley. Another Canadian, Sarah Quartel, reappears in this volume, this time with three selections: “All the Way Home,” “Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind,” and “In Time of Silver Rain.” Cecilia MacDowell and Will Todd, both of whom contributed to Oxford Solo Songs: Christmas, are absent from this volume.
Like Christmas, the contents of this anthology are not geared toward specific voice types but rather published in high and low keys with the same selections for each volume, which provides considerable flexibility for performers. Unlike many secular songs, the texts are also somewhat generic and accessible across various ages, types, and genders. Piano accompaniments are likewise accessible, although Joel Thompson’s “Supplication” adds a welcome splash of virtuosity to one of the volume’s strongest selections.
The absence of editorial remarks makes it difficult to discern the degree to which composers wrote new material for this volume or recycled preexisting melodies of theirs. At first glance, I noticed that both of Rutter’s songs, “A Flower Remembered” and “My True Love Hath My Heart,” are merely solo arrangements of his popular choral octavos. I then googled Chilcott’s two selections, “All for Love of One” and “The Lily and the Rose,” and noticed the same. The derivative nature of at least some of these selections is disappointing and repeats what was perhaps the weakest aspect of this volume’s close cousin.
When working my way through Oxford Solo Songs: Secular, a question began nagging me. Who, exactly, is the target audience for this anthology? The answer to this question was clear with Oxford Solo Songs: Christmas—i.e. church musicians who are looking for solos outside of the standard oratorio repertoire for use in liturgical worship. Here, however, the answer is considerably less clear. Churches have little use for secular music, and it is hard to see this small smattering of songs by a diverse array of composers making inroads into private voice studios, particularly at colleges and universities. While many of these composers are well known to choral conductors, it is far less likely that studio voice teachers will recognize these names.
Further, while new additions to the art song repertory are always welcome, the aesthetic of this anthology departs significantly from much of the contemporary piano-accompanied song repertoire. Rutter and Chilcott especially compose in a populist and quasi-sentimental style that has become standard fare among church choirs and at high school choral festivals but would sound (at best) out of place and (at worst) inappropriate in common art song venues like university recitals or NATS auditions.
The fame of some of these melodies within the choral repertoire is also likely to make solo arrangements of the same songs sound derivative and strange. Finally, as art song groupings often comprise a set of songs by the same composer, there does not seem to be enough material published here to structure a recital program (with the possible exception of Quartel’s three offerings).
Despite these shortcomings, however, Oxford Solo Songs: Secular at the very least provides interesting additions to the art song repertory by composers who have been largely unexplored by soloists. While not as practical or utilitarian in nature as Oxford Solo Songs: Christmas, it is nevertheless a welcome addition to the soloist’s or voice teacher’s library.
