Twentieth-Century Flemish Art Song: A Compendium for Singers. (Volumes I and II).

Although much has been written concerning the vocal music of the great Flemish composers of the Renaissance, very little information is available about the Flemish composers of art song since the establishment of the Kingdom of Belgium in 1830. This unique country is half French-speaking and half Flemish-speaking. With this division has come a constant battle of language and culture. Initially, the composers of art song set French texts. Flemish composers, however, wanted to establish a truly Flemish music. They began to unite the people of Flanders through songs setting Flemish texts, eventually helping to raise the Flemish language and culture to an equal position in their divided land. This was the beginning of what has developed into a rich and abundant source of twentieth-century art song. As eclectic as the language they speak, composers of Flemish art song were inspired and influenced by both German and French composers. In recent years, they have been at the forefront of new compositional techniques as well, continuing to explore and expand the Flemish spirit and style. This monograph is written with a desire to introduce this virtually unknown body of song to other singers. Although a purely Flemish compositional style is difficult to define, the origin and development of the art song in Flanders is outlined, as well as a more specific introduction to several of the more important and distinctive composers. As the language would be a barrier to most singers, a complete diction guide using the International Phonetic Alphabet is included so as to make this difficult language more accessible. Finally, the main portion of the monograph is a catalog of the songs found through various sources. The catalog is organized by composer, with the following information entered as available: song title, poet, specified vocal range, collaborative instruments, date of publication, and location where a copy of the music is deposited. This monograph is a complete source for any singer interested in studying and/or singing Flemish art song of the twentieth century