Selecting repertoire: It’s a never-ending struggle to find that piece of music that’s just right for you. There’s so much music out there that we, as musicians, love and want to perform. Yet there’s also a thrill in discovering unique vocal repertoire, especially when it’s new to your audience.
I take a special pride in finding music others have not heard before. Although a lot of it tends to be new music, finding the lesser known works of well-known composers can be just as exciting, if not more so. It can also be tricky to discover music that is not only unique, but right for your voice. So, because I want you all to discover that perfect piece for yourselves, and because I love hearing new works myself, here are some suggestions for finding off the beaten path compositions.
#1 Word of Mouth
Okay, this one may seem astoundingly obvious, but it needs to be said. Asking your colleagues and musician friends about hidden gems in the vocal canon has always lead to me striking gold. Be sure not to limit it to people you know though; be sure to have your friends ask friends, ask about new repertoire on social media, and discuss repertoire in professional groups online or at conferences.
#2 Google
Again, perhaps this is pretty obvious, but the key to discovering new repertoire through Google is to be as specific as possible about what you’re looking for. If you simply search “new music” or “new classical music” even, the results will be frustratingly general. However, if you search “unique French art songs for mezzo-soprano”, the results are a little more satisfying.
#3 Other Singer’s Websites
A good Google search will probably lead you to other singer’s websites anyway, but looking at the repertoire lists for singers in your voice type is like asking them about new repertoire without having to speak to them directly.
#4 The YouTube Game
This is my musician version of the Wikipedia game. You know, where you start at a Wikipedia page, and as you’re reading that page you get curious about another page, and then another, so on and so forth. Well, you can do the same thing on YouTube where you start with a song or a singer that you like, then look at the next recommended video, and the next one, and the next. This method works better if you’re just generally looking to discover new music rather than looking for something specific.
#5 Repertoire Books
Although vocal compilations such as the Arias for Soprano book have their merits, this is not what I’m referring to when I suggest repertoire books for new music. I’m referring to books that speak about certain repertoire in depth, such as A French Song Companion. Using these kinds of texts will require a bit more digging, but I believe the result can and will be high reward for you. There are two ways this could be incredibly effective for you: Either start reading about your favorite composer to see if the author discusses their lesser-known works, or go to the index, choose a keyword that interests you, and discover from there.
#6 Libraries and Librarians
I’m going to disclaimer this one by saying that I’ve never actually asked a librarian to help me find unique music, but I think I’m going to the next chance I get. A librarian’s job is to be well-informed about their holdings, so it seems a good music librarian would have some interesting recommendations regarding unique repertoire. At the very least, they should be able to direct you to some books that can guide you, such as though in #5.
#7 Concerts
If you want to get your head out of a book or away from a screen, go see some music live! Going to concerts is a great way to discover new music as you’ll receive information about the works and you’ll get to hear it at the same time. This works especially well if you live near a conservatory or university as there are often numerous free recitals, masterclasses, and festivals you can attend.
As you may have noticed by now, a lot of these recommendations play off of each other. Asking a librarian may lead you to a book which may lead you to Google which may lead you to YouTube… so on and so forth. No matter how you go about it though, I hope you feel more inclined to perform some new music if you were hesitant about it before, and I hope you discovered something new if you didn’t know how to go about it already.
What are your favorite ways to discover new and unique music? What has been your best repertoire find to date? What kind of music would you like to hear more of? Please share any extra tips you may have in the comments!