Songs of the British Isles for Solo Singers Cover Image

Songs of the British Isles for Solo Singers: Medium High Voice CD

$16.99 USD
$16.99 USD
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Songs of the British Isles for Solo Singers Cover Image
Songs of the British Isles for Solo Singers: Medium High Voice CD

Songs of the British Isles for Solo Singers: Medium High Voice CD

11 Songs Arranged for Solo Voice and Piano for Recitals, Concerts, and Contests

Arr. Jay Althouse

Item: 00-39748
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Description
The songs of the British Isles---England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales---are among the most expressive and singable in Western music. The 11 songs selected for this collection are ideal for both the beginning soloist and the more skilled singer. Included are ballads, love songs, folk songs, and even two Christmas carols.

Titles: Annie Laurie * The Ash Grove * The Blaydon Races * Danny Boy * Flow Gently, Sweet Afton * Greensleeves * God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen * Scarborough Fair * Skye Boat Song * The Snow Lay on the Ground * The Water Is Wide (O Waly, Waly).

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Additional Details
Series: For Solo Singers
Publisher: Alfred Music
ISBN10: 0-7390-9413-0
ISBN13: 978-0-7390-9413-6
UPC: 038081444093
SKU: 00-39748

More about this title

About the Arranger: Jay Althouse

Jay Althouse

Jay Althouse holds degrees in Music Education and Music from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus. His career spans both publishing and composition; he spent eight years managing rights and licenses for a major educational music publisher and served on the Executive Board of the Music Publishers Association of America. As a composer, he has over 800 choral works in print and is a writer member of ASCAP, a regular recipient of the ASCAP Special Award.

Beyond composition, Althouse has shaped music education through numerous collaborations and publications. He compiled and arranged several respected vocal solo collections, co-wrote children's musicals with his wife Sally K. Albrecht, and authored educational resources including The Complete Choral Warm-up Book, Accent on Composers, and Ready to Read Music. His work extends to folk music scholarship; he serves on the National Advisory Board of the Folk Art Society of America and has contributed articles to the Folk Art Messenger. He resides in North Carolina, where he has been active in the choral community.

Why we love this

Althouse has selected and arranged these British songs with genuine vocal sensibility. The collection balances accessibility for newer singers with enough musical substance to engage more experienced performers, making it an economical choice for voice studios and recital programs where mixed ability levels are the norm.

What to expect

These songs carry the warmth and storytelling quality that define British folk tradition. Ballads of love and longing sit alongside seasonal celebrations and narrative songs, each steeped in the melodic richness that has made these songs endure for generations.

Who it's for

Voice students preparing for recitals or festivals benefit from this collection's variety and accessibility. Whether you are beginning solo repertoire or expanding a competitive festival program, these arrangements suit singers new to solo literature as well as those with prior performance experience.

How to get the most out of it

  • Study the rhythmic specificity of each setting. Althouse's arrangements honor the folk character of these melodies while introducing subtle harmonic and phrasing details that emerge only with close attention to the score.
  • Use the CD accompaniment as a reference for tempo and interpretation rather than a fixed standard. These songs benefit from slight flexibility in pacing that reflects the lyrics and emotional arc of each text.
  • Pay attention to the different regional characters within the collection. "Danny Boy" calls for different vocal pacing and breath management than "The Blaydon Races," and recognizing these distinctions deepens the recital experience.

How to use it

Program selections from this collection to anchor a thematic recital centered on folk traditions or regional song cultures. The variety of song types within the set allows you to shape programs that move between introspection and storytelling, making it ideal for competition programs or studio recitals that need tonal and emotional contrast.

Skills your students will build

  • Interpretation of folk melody and narrative content
  • Breath phrasing in longer, sustained vocal lines
  • Regional dialect and stylistic nuance in English-language song
  • Coordinate vocal line with piano accompaniment across varied tempos and harmonic settings
  • Confidence in solo performance across ballads, love songs, and seasonal repertoire

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