Mary Wiegold’s Songbook is a collection of songs for soprano and, usually, an ensemble of two clarinets, viola, cello and double bass which were written at the invitation of the soprano Mary Wiegold and the composer

John Woolrich John Woolrich ( ; born 1954 in Cirencester) is an English composer. Biography Woolrich has founded a group (the Composers Ensemble), a festival (Hoxton New Music Days), and has been composer in association with the Orchestra of St John's and t ...

. Around two hundred songs were collected, mostly written within a ten year period from the late 1980s. The Songbook is ‘like a modern day codex- should nothing survive from the previous decade of British music save this, scholars would be able to form a reliable picture of the diverse compositional activity of those years.’ (Tempo)

Selected list of songs

Thomas Adès Thomas Joseph Edmund Adès (born 1 March 1971) is a British composer, pianist and conductor. Five compositions by Adès received votes in the 2017 Classic Voice poll of the greatest works of art music since 2000: ''The Tempest (opera), The T ...

Life Story (Faber Music) *

Milton Babbitt Milton Byron Babbitt (May 10, 1916 – January 29, 2011) was an American composer, music theorist, mathematician, and teacher. He was a Pulitzer Prize and MacArthur Fellowship recipient, recognized for his serial and electronic music. Biography ...

Quatrains *

Simon Bainbridge Simon Bainbridge (30 August 1952 – 2 April 2021) was a British composer. He was also a professor and head of musical composition, composition at the Royal Academy of Music, London, and visiting professor at the University of Louisville, Kentu ...

A Song from Michelangelo (Musicsales) *

Harrison Birtwistle Sir Harrison Birtwistle (15 July 1934 – 18 April 2022) was an English composer of contemporary classical music best known for his operas, often based on mythological subjects. Among his many compositions, his better known works include '' T ...

Night (UniversalEdition/Boosey) *

Tenebrae (Universal Edition/Boosey) *

White and Light (Universal Edition/Boosey) *

Gavin Bryars Richard Gavin Bryars (; born 16 January 1943) is an English composer and double bassist. He has worked in jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, Musical historicism, historicism, Avant-garde music, avant-garde, and experimental music. Early lif ...

The Adnan Songbook No.5 (Schott) * Niccolo Castiglioni Vallis Clausa (Ricordi) *

Aldo Clementi Aldo Clementi (25 May 1925 – 3 March 2011) was an Italian classical composer. Life Aldo Clementi was born in Catania, Italy. He studied the piano, graduating in 1946 at the Conservatorio Santa Cecilia in Rome. His studies in composition began i ...

Wiegenlied (ESZ) *

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...

The Trouble with Dreams *

Franco Donatoni Franco Donatoni (9 June 1927 – 17 August 2000) was an Italian composer. Biography Born in Verona, Donatoni started studying violin at the age of seven, and frequented the local music academy. Later, he studied at the Milan Conservatory ...

An angel within my heart (Ricordi) *

Detlev Glanert Detlev Glanert (born 6 September 1960) is a Opera in German, German opera composer, who has also composed numerous works for chamber and full orchestra, including three symphonies. Biography Detlev Glanert was born in Hamburg in 1960. He came ...

Contemplated by a Portrait of a Divine (Boosey) *

Vinko Globokar Vinko Globokar (born 7 July 1934) is a French-Slovenian avant-garde composer and trombonist. Globokar's music uses unconventional and extended techniques, places great emphasis on spontaneity and creativity, and often relies on improvisation. H ...

Letters (Ricordi) *

Osvaldo Golijov Osvaldo Noé Golijov (; born December 5, 1960) is an Argentine composer of classical music and music professor, known for his vocal and orchestral work. Biography Osvaldo Golijov was born in and raised in La Plata, Argentina, to a Jewish family ...

Sarajevo *

Lou Harrison Lou Silver Harrison (May 14, 1917 – February 2, 2003) was an American composer, music critic, music theorist, painter, and creator of unique musical instruments. Harrison initially wrote in a dissonant, ultramodernist style similar to his for ...

Vestiunt Silve * Jonathan Harvey You (Faber Music) *

James MacMillan Sir James Loy MacMillan, TOSD (born 16 July 1959) is a Scottish classical composer and conductor. Early life MacMillan was born at Kilwinning, in North Ayrshire, but lived in the East Ayrshire town of Cumnock until 1977. His father is Jam ...

Scots Song (Boosey) * Roger Marsh Black Hair (Novello) *

Colin Matthews Colin Matthews, OBE (born 13 February 1946) is an English composer of contemporary classical music. Noted for his large-scale orchestral compositions, Matthews is also a prolific arranger of other composer's music, including works by Berlioz, ...

Cantata on the Death of Antony (Faber Music) *

Nicholas Maw John Nicholas Maw (5 November 1935 – 19 May 2009) was a British composer. Among his works are the operas '' The Rising of the Moon'' (1970) and '' Sophie's Choice'' (2002). Biography Born in Grantham, Lincolnshire, Maw was the son of Clarence ...

The Head of Orpheus (Faber Music) *

Dominic Muldowney Dominic Muldowney (born 19 July 1952 in Southampton) is a British composer. Biography Dominic Muldowney studied at the University of Southampton with Jonathan Harvey, at the University of York (with Bernard Rands and David Blake), and privat ...

On Suicide (Faber Music) *

Olga Neuwirth Olga Neuwirth (; born 4 August 1968) is an Austrian contemporary classical composer, visual artist and author. She is famed especially for her operas and music theater works, many of which have treated sociopolitical themes. She has emphasized an ...

The Cartographer Song (Boosey) *

Michael Nyman Michael Laurence Nyman, Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 23 March 1944) is an English composer, pianist, libretto, librettist, musicologist, and filmmaker. He is known for numerous film soundtrack, scores (many written during his lengthy ...

Polish Love Song (Musicsales) * Tom Phillips Six of Hearts *

Poul Ruders Poul Ruders (born 27 March 1949) is a Danish composer. Life Born in Ringsted, Ruders trained as an organist, and studied orchestration with Karl Aage Rasmussen. Ruders's first compositions date from the mid-1960s. Ruders regards his own composi ...

Alone (Musicsales) *

Kurt Schwertsik Kurt Schwertsik (born 25 June 1935) is an Austrian contemporary composer. He is known for creating the "Third Viennese School" and spreading contemporary classical music. Life Schwertsik was born in Vienna. A pupil of Joseph Marx and Karl Schis ...

Das Herr weis was der wil (Boosey) *

Human Existence (Boosey) *

singt meine schwäne (Boosey) *

Peter Sculthorpe Peter Joshua Sculthorpe (29 April 1929 – 8 August 2014) was an Australian composer. Much of his music resulted from an interest in the music of countries neighbouring Australia as well as from the impulse to bring together aspects of Aborigi ...

From Nourlangie (Faber) *

Salvatore Sciarrino Salvatore Sciarrino (born 4 April 1947) is an Italian composer of contemporary classical music. Described as "the best-known and most performed Italian composer" of the present day, his works include ''Quaderno di strada'' (2003) and ''La porta d ...

Due Risvegli e il Vento (Ricordi) *

John Tavener Sir John Kenneth Tavener (28 January 1944 – 12 November 2013) was an English composer, known for his extensive output of choral religious music, religious works. Among his best known works are ''The Lamb (Tavener), The Lamb'' (1982), ''The ...

The Child Lived (Musicsales) *

The Turkish Mouse (Faber Music)

Discography

Life Story Mary Carewe/Thomas Adès EMI Claron McFadden/Composers Ensemble/Thomas Adès EMI Dora Ohrenstein/Alan Kay/Michael Lowenstern/Jeremy McCoy Koch International *

Quatrains Tony Arnold, Charles Neidich and Ayako Oshima Bridge 9135 *

A Song from Michelangelo Mary Wiegold/Composers Ensemble/Dominic Muldowney NMCD003 *

Sally Beamish Sarah Frances Beamish (born 26 August 1956) is a British composer and violist. Her works include chamber, vocal, choral and orchestral music. She has also worked in the field of music, theatre, film and television, as well as composing for ch ...

Tuscan Lullaby Mary Wiegold/Composers Ensemble/Dominic Muldowney NMCD003 *

David Bedford David Vickerman Bedford (4 August 1937 – 1 October 2011) was an English composer and musician. He wrote and played both popular and classical music. He was the brother of the conductor Steuart Bedford, the grandson of the composer, painter ...

Even Now Mary Wiegold/Composers Ensemble/Dominic Muldowney NMCD003 *

White and Light Claron McFadden/Nash Ensemble/Reinbert de Leeuw Teldec Classics 3984-26867-2 Christine Whittlesey/EIC/

Pierre Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 19255 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war contemporary classical music. Born in Montb ...

DG 439 910-2 Mary Wiegold/Composers Ensemble/Dominic Muldowney NMCD003 *Harrison Birtwistle Tenebrae Claron McFadden/Nash Ensemble/Reinbert de Leeuw Teldec Classics 3984-26867-2 Christine Whittlesey/EIC/Pierre Boulez DG 439 910-2 *Harrison Birtwistle Night Claron McFadden/Nash Ensemble/Reinbert de Leeuw Teldec Classics 3984-26867-2 Christine Whittlesey/EIC/Pierre Boulez DG 439 910-2 *

The Adnan Songbook No.5 Valdine Anderson/Gavin Bryars Ensemble Philips *

Vestiunt Silve Patrice Maginnis/The California Parallèlle Ensemble/Nicole Paiement Mode 122 *

Scots Song Alison Smart/Katharine Durran Metier MSVCD92025 *

Cantata on the Death of Antony Mary Wiegold/Composers Ensemble/Dominic Muldowney NMCD003 *Colin Matthews Strugnell's Haiku Mary Wiegold/Composers Ensemble/Dominic Muldowney NMCD003 *

On Suicide Mary Wiegold/Composers Ensemble/Dominic Muldowney NMCD003 *

Bayan Northcott Bayan Peter Northcott (24 April 1940 – 13 December 2022) was an English music critic and composer. Biography Born in Harrow on the Hill, London to Roy and Cecilia Northcott (née Venning) on 24 April 1940 he was educated at Latymer Upper Scho ...

The maidens came Mary Wiegold/Composers Ensemble/Dominic Muldowney NMCD003 *

Polish Song Mary Wiegold/Composers Ensemble/Dominic Muldowney NMCD003 * Tom Phillips Six of Hearts Mary Wiegold/Composers Ensemble/John Woolrich Largo 5138 * Tom Phillips Mine is the Life Song Mary Wiegold/ Mark van de Wiel Largo 5138 *

From Nourlangie Margaret Schindler/Perihelion Artworks CD (AW032) *

Howard Skempton Howard While Skempton (born 31 October 1947) is an English composer, pianist, and accordionist. Since the late 1960s, when he helped to organise the Scratch Orchestra, he has been associated with the English school of experimental music. Skempt ...

How Slow the Wind Mary Wiegold/Composers Ensemble/Dominic Muldowney NMCD003 *Milan Slavicky Veni, Sancte Spiritus Lenka Skornickova/Mondschein Matous MK 0051-2 931 *

The Child Lived

Felicity Lott Dame Felicity Ann Emwhyla Lott, (born 8 May 1947) is an English soprano. Education Lott was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. From her earliest years she was musical, having started studying piano at age 5. She also played violin and bega ...

Steven Isserlis Steven John Isserlis (born 19 December 1958) is a British cellist. An acclaimed soloist, chamber musician, educator, writer and broadcaster, he is widely regarded as one of the leading musicians of his generation. He is also noted for his div ...

RCA Victor 09026 68928 2 *

Keith Tippett Keith Graham Tippetts (25 August 1947 – 14 June 2020), known professionally as Keith Tippett, was a British jazz pianist and composer. According to AllMusic, Tippett's career "...spanned jazz-rock, progressive rock, improvised and contemporar ...

Sun- the Living Son Mary Wiegold/Composers Ensemble/

NMCD003 *Jane Wells One to Another Mary Wiegold/Composers Ensemble/Peter Wiegold Metier: MSVCD92043 *

Judith Weir Dame Judith Weir (born 11 May 1954) is a British composer. She served as Master of the King's Music from 2014 to 2024. Appointed by Queen Elizabeth II, Weir was the first woman to hold this office. Early life Weir was born in Cambridge, Englan ...

The Romance of Count Arnaldos Mary Wiegold/Composers Ensemble/Dominic Muldowney NMCD003 *Philip Wilby Easter Wings Mary Wiegold/Composers Ensemble/Dominic Muldowney NMCD003 *

The Turkish Mouse Mary Wiegold/Composers Ensemble/Dominic Muldowney NMCD003

References

Bibliography

*Robert Adlington The Music of Harrison Birtwistle (Cambridge University Press 2006) *Jean-Yves Bosseur Tom Phillips- Sound of My Life (Delatour 2015) *Jonathan Cross Harrison Birtwistle: Man, Mind, Music (Faber 2000) *Michael Hall Harrison Birtwistle in Recent Years (Robson Books 1998) *Jane Manning The New Vocal Repertoire 2 (OUP Oxford 1998) {{Authority control Song books