Love Songs for Solo Singers: Medium Low Voice Book & CD

These arrangements honor the golden age of American song while remaining deeply playable for today's singers. Althouse has a rare gift for preserving the emotional core of each standard while crafting writing that sits naturally in the medium-low voice, never forcing the music into an unnatural range or overcomplicating the accompaniment.

Stepping into these arrangements feels like entering a sophisticated supper club or a concert hall from another era, yet the music speaks to contemporary singers with directness and warmth. Each song carries the romantic idealism and harmonic richness of the standards themselves, supported by piano writing that is both elegant and deeply supportive.

This collection serves intermediate-to-advanced solo singers performing in recitals, competitions, or studio settings. It works equally well for voice students building a repertoire of standards and for performers who want to explore the American Songbook in keys and arrangements suited to their voice.

• Listen to the included recordings to hear how the arrangements breathe; use them as interpretation guides rather than rigid templates, especially in the rubato passages.
• Pay close attention to the harmonic language in songs like 'My Funny Valentine' and 'Night and Day.' The sophistication of these chords rewards slow, intentional singing that lets each change register.
• Balance your vibrato carefully in the softer moments. These standards thrive on intimacy, and too much vibrato too early can mask the vulnerability the lyrics demand.
• Invest in understanding the lyrical content and the historical context of each song. The Great American Songbook carries decades of interpretive tradition, and your choices will deepen when you know what came before.

Feature this collection in a recital devoted to American standards, or weave individual selections throughout a season to anchor programs that blend classical, contemporary, and popular repertoire. The included CD offers both recorded performances and accompaniment tracks, making it valuable for practice between lessons and for studio work.

• Interpretation of jazz and popular song idioms within a classical vocal framework
• Legit singing and proper breath placement in longer lyrical phrases
• Understanding of harmonic sophistication in early-20th-century songwriting
• Emotional communication and vulnerability through sustained vocal tone
• Phrasing and rubato in American standard repertoire