Mehr Du: Mezzo-Soprano Voice

Babbitt's vocal music represents a serious engagement with the mezzo-soprano voice in the context of twelve-tone composition. Performing his work builds interpretive maturity and exposes singers to the full range of twentieth-century compositional thinking.

Mehr Du unfolds with intellectual rigor and expressive constraint. The mezzo-soprano voice navigates a landscape of calculated intervals and carefully ordered pitch relationships, creating a soundworld that is both austere and compelling.

Advanced mezzo-sopranos studying contemporary vocal literature and singers preparing for advanced degrees or professional ensembles specializing in twentieth-century music. This work is appropriate for performers comfortable with extended vocal techniques and non-traditional pitch organization.

• Study the score multiple times before attempting to sing; Babbitt's notation is precise and requires that you understand the pitch organization before addressing phrasing and expression.
• Pay particular attention to the relationship between the vocal line and any instrumental accompaniment, as harmonic context shapes how individual pitches should be perceived and sung.
• Approach intonation with care in passages that include wide intervallic leaps; the serial structure means that each pitch has specific harmonic significance.

Include this work on recitals devoted to twentieth-century art song or on concerts pairing multiple twentieth-century vocal works. Babbitt's music pairs effectively with other serial and modernist composers, creating a focused exploration of advanced compositional techniques.

• Reading and intonation in serial twelve-tone contexts
• Navigating wide intervallic leaps with precision
• Interpreting contemporary notation and performance markings
• Understanding harmonic function in post-tonal music