fach

No tricks here! Here are some Halloween treats hand-selected by our founder & principal author, Bard Suverkrop. Enjoy this selection of Halloween-themed art songs and opera texts, which include fach (voice type), listening links and links to the score.

Art Songs

And’res Maienlied: Hexenlied (perfect for soprano)
as set by Felix Mendelssohn
Listen to Barbara Bonney: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5RLvekBqMs
IPA: https://www.ipasource.com/and-res-maienlied-hexenlied.html
Score: http://imslp.org/wiki/12_Ges%C3%A4nge,_Op.8_(Mendelssohn,_Felix)

Junghexenlied (perfect for soprano)
as set by Richard Strauss
Listen to Edita Gruberová: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj0nXK0_ITA
IPA https://www.ipasource.com/catalog/product/view/id/11717/category/1234/
Score: http://imslp.org/wiki/5_Lieder%2C_Op.39_(Strauss%2C_Richard)

Walpurgisnacht: Die Hexe (perfect for soprano)
as set by Karl Loewe
Listen to Gabriele Rossmanith: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=045mcWwiOlE
IPA: https://www.ipasource.com/walpurgisnacht-die-hexe.html
Score: http://imslp.org/wiki/3_Balladen,_Op.2_(Loewe,_Carl)

For more ghostly ballads by Karl Loewe, check out the collection Geisterballaden und Geschichten, Todes- und Kirchhofs-Bilder.
http://ks.petruccimusiclibrary.org/files/imglnks/usimg/2/29/IMSLP63615-PMLP129687-Loewe_8.pdf

Opera

Hurr, hopp, hopp, hopp – The witch’s aria from Hänsel und Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck (perfect for mezzo)
Listen to Jamie Barton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2QEdEHKYiM
IPA: https://www.ipasource.com/catalog/product/view/id/1284/category/1464/
Score: http://imslp.org/wiki/H%C3%A4nsel_und_Gretel_(Humperdinck%2C_Engelbert)

Schweig! Damit dich niemand warnt (perfect for bass)
Kaspar’s aria from Der Freischütz
Listen to Ludwig Weber: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ALFdAYlZ6w
IPA: https://www.ipasource.com/catalog/product/view/id/1248/category/27/
Score: http://imslp.org/wiki/Der_Freisch%C3%BCtz%2C_Op.77_(Weber%2C_Carl_Maria_von)

Bonus from Bard

I’d forgotten about this great Finnish bass, Kim Borg. Here he is singing the ‘The Song of the Flea‘ (sung in Russian) by Modest Mussorgsky. Unfortunately, we don’t have the IPA for this text, but it’s a great Halloween-themed piece and a marvelous look back on a great performer.

Georges Bizet’s three act opera, Les pêcheurs de perles, was first performed at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris in 1863. Les pêcheurs de perles had 18 performances in its initial run.

Here are nine arias from Les pêcheurs de perles, with perfect for voice type indications, links to the full IPA text, as well as recommended listening links.

Learn more about Les pêcheurs de perles on wikipedia here, and more about Georges Bizet here.

View our complete collection of Georges Bizet texts on IPA Source here.

Au fond du temple saint… Oui, c’est elle!, Duet of Zurga and Nadir from the opera Les pêcheurs de perles

IPA text: https://www.ipasource.com/au-fond-du-temple-saint-oui-c-est-elle.html
Listen to Roberto Alagna & Bryn Terfel – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tLrPVkfCIQ

Perfect for Soprano: Comme autrefois dans la nuit sombre, Lëila’s aria

IPA text: https://www.ipasource.com/comme-autrefois-dans-la-nuit-sombre.html
Listen to Pilar Lorengar – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96_u1E9lx5w

Perfect for Tenor: De mon amie, Nadir’s aria

IPA text: https://www.ipasource.com/de-mon-amie.html
Listen to Giuseppe di Stefano – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtTB2W8IlNc

Perfect for Tenor: Des savanes et des forêts, Nadir’s aria

IPA text: https://www.ipasource.com/catalog/product/view/id/1338/category/1559/
Listen to Ugo Benelli – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFKkmH3A4Ig

Perfect for Tenor: Je crois entendre encore, Nadir’s aria

IPA text: https://www.ipasource.com/je-crois-entendre-encore.html
Listen to Alfredo Kraus – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNwhHwFl_JE