composers

Ask IPA Source: Why are double consonants not indicated in the IPA for Die Forelle?

An IPA Source customer asks: It seems double consonants are not indicated in the IPA for Die Forelle.  Am I missing something?  Please clarify. Bard answers: Unlike Italian, German (like French) does not stress double consonants except for expressive reasons. In French, doubles are not pronounced excepted for words like immense where both mm’s are… Read More

Ask IPA Source: Question regarding A Spirit Flower by Louis Campbell-Tipton

An IPA Source customer asks: A Spirit Flower by Louis Campbell-Tipton (First Book of Soprano Solos Pt. 2, Page 128) has German lyrics under the English. Would like to see an IPA version of the German, but curious about why there is a German alternate text.  B. Martin Stanton was presumably an Anglophone.  Jussi Björling recorded it… Read More

Texts about love, just in time for Valentine’s Day

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, here are a selection of texts about love. Some texts also include listening links, notations on ideal voice type, and comments from IPA Source Founder & Principal Author, Bard Suverkrop. Droop Not, Young Lover as set by Georg Friedrich Händel This is important song, perfect for bass, is from… Read More

February composer birthdays

We’re celebrating 9 composer birthdays during the month of February. Each composer has a link to our entire collection of texts for that individual. Jacob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, born 2/03/1809 Our collection: https://www.ipasource.com/composer/m/mendelssohn-bartholdy-felix-1809-1847.html Fernando Sor, born 2/13/1778 Our collection: https://www.ipasource.com/composer/s/sor-fernando-1778-1839.html Johann Wenzel Kalliwoda, born 2/21/1801 Our collection: https://www.ipasource.com/composer/k/kalliwoda-johann-wenzeslaus-1801-1866.html Clement-Philibert-Leo Delibes, born 2/21/1836 Our collection: https://www.ipasource.com/composer/d/delibes-leo-1836-1891.html Charles-Marie-Jean-Albert Widor, born 2/21/1844 Our… Read More

Celebrating the birthday of Joaquín Rodrigo, born November 22

Joaquín Rodrigo (born on November 22, 1901) was blind from the age of three but went on to become one of the most popular composers of the 20th century known especially for his contribution to guitar music, an instrument he never mastered. Rodrigo has left us some 70 songs for voice and piano, 10 songs… Read More

Celebrating the birthday of Fanny Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Hensel, born November 14

Fanny Hensel (née Fanny Mendelssohn-Bartholdy) born November 14, 1805, was a German composer and pianist, and the sister of composer Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy. As a child, her parents kept her performances limited to periodic Sonntagsmusik salons that she and her brother Felix delivered at the Mendelssohn-Bartholdy home, to a selected group of family friends. Her brother… Read More

Perfect for voice – 8 arias as set by Camille Saint-Saëns

Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (10/9/1835 – 12/16/1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic era. He was also a poet and playwright. In his younger years, he was enthusiastic for music of the modern day, including Schumann, Wagner, and Liszt. However, he remained a traditionalist committed to musical structures by earlier French composers.… Read More

Celebrating the birthday of Vincenzo Bellini, born November 3

Vincenzo Bellini (born in Sicily on November 3, 1801) is perhaps best known for his 11 operas but was also an important composer of a small but influential set of art songs. Bellini’s bel canto style, with melodic elements of the music of Chopin and Liszt and clarity of form found in Haydn and Mozart,… Read More