I'm trying to choose my songs for Grade 8. I've got a large range and can sing from Alto songs to some high Soprano songs. I was wondering with the new ABRSM syllabus out, which songs on it would you suggest. My current teacher says i'm a Lyrical Soprano but other teachers i've talked to have discribed me as a belter...So as you can guess i'm slightly confused!

Any help would be great!
Thanks

I'd like to help, but, quite honestly, without meeting you and hearing you, it's nigh on impossible to make suggestions for a high grade exam. You can do lots of stuff for fun, but for exam or concert purposes, the tessitura of the songs needs to be matched to your voice, as does your personality, age, and ability or otherwse to perform music theatre, and the weight of your voice would dertemine which classical pieces you would go for. Already you have teachers who have heard you disagreeing, so to make suggestions blind would be foolish.
Sorry.

I can't really suggest anything either. If I had to choose favourites, mine would be:

A8: Weep you no more (Dowland)
A12: Come and Trip It (Handel)
C1: Sure on this Shining Night (Barber)
C5: If Thou Wilt Ease Thine Heart (Britten)
C9-12: All the Dring ones!
C15: Rolicum Rorum (Finzi)
C20: Spring (Gurney)
C23: Sea Fever (Ireland)
C29: Love's Philosophy (Quilter)
C30: Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal (Quilter)
C34: A Hymn to the Virgin (Rubbra)
C41: A Turtle Dove (arr. RVW)
D11: Someone to Watch Over Me (Gershwin)
D16: Poor Wandering One (G&S)
D26: Vilja (Lehar)
D32: Waltz of My Heart (Novello)
D33: So in Love (Porter)

As I say though, not suggestions, but favourites for me!

David

Isn't Dring WONDERFUL... am doing Blow Blow with my son...it is quite amazing

Yes, they're wonderful. They usually appeal to teenagers because they are slightly jazzy, though still classical at the same time.

I never liked the Dring in the lower grades much... are the G8 ones better?

I don't think I recognise more than one title on the whole syllabus, so I have no clue what I'll want to even try singing!

This is the position I am in too. Songs fit individual people. Sure things like Copland "Simple Gifts" get used widely, but not exclusively for lower grade students, and the number of teenage students who sing "Non lo diro con labro" is quite high too.

My students tend to do quite a bit of Purcell and Handel. If you have a good lyrical tone then either of the Dowland, the Gluck, Mozart Ridente la Calma and Agnus Dei,Purcell Music for a Whileand Oft She Visits, Handel Heart the Seat of Soft Delight are worth more than a glance from list A.

Berlioz L'absence, Debussy Beau Soir, Any of the Duparc, Faure Le Rose D'Ispahan and Notre Amour, Schubert Du Bist Die Ruh, Schumann, Mit Myrten und Rosen and Widmung are a good selection from List B, but the Berlioz may need an older voice.

S. Barber Sure on this shining night, Gurney Spring, Ireland Sea Fever, Quilter Love’s Philosophy are all worth a look from list C. Of these (and I have sung all of them) my absolute favourite is the Barber, and again as with the Berlioz I'd take care with the Quilter as it requires a large lyrical voice so you may need to wait a few years before singing it.

Both By Strauss and Someone to Watch over me by the Gershwins are fun, however list D also contains: Gilbert & Sullivan Oh, Goddess Wise: from Princess Ida. and Poor wand’ring one: from The Pirates of Penzance. (Soprano) if your coloratura technique is up to it. (It's the type of song that if you can naturally carry off you can knock'em dead with), Kern & Hammerstein Can’t help lovin’ dat man: from Show Boat,Lehár Vilja (omitting repeat): from Die lustige Witwe, C. Porter So in Love: from Kiss Me, Kate, Rodgers & Hammerstein If I loved you: from Carousel, Stephen Sondheim Green finch and linnet bird: from Sweeney Todd.

I'm sorry I haven't narrowed it down that far! My suggestion to you is to go onto youtube and type in some of those song titles yourself and see which ones you want to pursue further and bring that list to your singing teacher.

If you have a Schubertline Subscription, you can obtain just about all of the a and b list songs from them and hear them played on their midi player, you can even use it as a rather Heath-Robinson backing track facility to see how the song lies on your voice.

Many of these songs will be worthwhile adding to your repertoire whether you use them for your grade 8 or not.