This Is All Very New to Me: Piano/Vocal/Chords

Hague's catalog offers something genuinely rare: songs that work equally well in audition rooms and performance contexts without feeling diluted or simplified. The collection spans enough theatrical eras and styles that you'll find pieces suitable for nearly any vocal type and personality, and the authoritative historical notes give singers real insight into character and context rather than generic performance advice.

These songs carry the unmistakable warmth of mid-20th-century Broadway craftsmanship. Hague's melodies balance theatrical expressiveness with vocal accessibility, and his harmonies suggest both sophistication and genuine emotional stakes. Singing from this collection feels like stepping into a well-made show where character and music serve each other completely.

Singers preparing for auditions and performances will find exactly what they need in this collection: authentic transcriptions from original vocal scores, paired with audition-specific guidance and historical context. Whether you're a classical voice student exploring theatre repertoire or a working musical theatre performer maintaining a diverse audition book, this library covers substantial theatrical ground across multiple decades.

• Pay close attention to the contextual commentary provided for each song; understanding the character's situation and emotional arc will inform your interpretive choices far more than general stage directions.
• Test the original key first before considering transposition. Hague's melodies are often crafted to work within specific ranges, and moving them can sometimes flatten their theatrical impact.
• Use the 16-bar cut suggestions during initial learning, but revisit the full arc once you're comfortable with the melody and lyrics; discovering where Hague deepens his themes often reveals new performance possibilities.

This collection works particularly well for voice students building their audition and performance repertoire across a full academic year, offering material at various difficulty levels that can be rotated into recitals and juries. Choir and ensemble directors can mine it for solo repertoire assignments or stand-alone concert pieces that maintain theatrical integrity without requiring full production context.

• Interpreting historical and dramatic context to inform performance choices
• Navigating varied harmonic language across multiple theatrical eras
• Preparing material for audition-specific performance formats
• Sustaining character and emotional intention through complete song arcs
• Sight-reading from authentic vocal scores with piano accompaniment