Music of a wonderful world

The magnificent world of vocal artistry: a special feature on popular vocal works from opera to art songs.

Piano-playing singer-songwriter / Executive Committee Member, Special Music Festival in Rinku OsakaHousui Sachiyo
I learned to hit the keys on a toy piano, started Electone lessons at six, and began piano at ten. I loved the piano so much that I declared, “I want to go to a music college!” and from junior high I studied vocal music, ear training, and music theory (though I never even took the entrance exam in the end). In my childhood, my saxophone-playing father introduced me to jazz, and my mother to rockabilly. I was utterly obsessed with classical music in junior high. In high school, my grandmother took me to hear live tango performances, and before I knew it I’d become an eclectic listener. Lately, influenced by my high-school-aged daughter, I’ve been listening to koto music and nagauta. I hold the rather rare qualification of ‘Music Proficiency Test Level 3, Western Music track.’

In vocal music, the singer’s body itself becomes the instrument.

Perhaps many of you haven’t really had the chance to listen to it properly?

Vocal music includes a variety of forms such as opera and art songs, and we’ve gathered some famous pieces we highly recommend even for beginners.

You’ll surely be moved, thinking, “Can such rich expression really come from the human body?”

We also recommend listening while paying attention not only to the melody but also to the lyrics and the story.

The magnificent world of singing: A special feature on popular vocal pieces from opera to art songs (11–20)

E lucevan le stelle from the opera ToscaGiacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini

Placido Domingo- E lucevan le stelle-Tosca

E lucevan le stelle from the opera ToscaGiacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini

Watch “E lucevan le stelle from the opera Tosca Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini” on YouTube

Giacomo Puccini is now acclaimed worldwide, but it’s well known that conductors’ evaluations of him at the time were quite severe.

“E lucevan le stelle” from the opera Tosca is a masterpiece that is the ultimate delight for singers.

He must have understood exactly what kind of melody makes a singer shine.

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Return to SorrentoErnesto De Curtis

Luciano Pavarotti. Torna a Surriento. London 1982.

Return to SorrentoErnesto De Curtis

“Return to Sorrento.” It’s a canzone composed by Ernesto De Curtis.

A canzone here means a Neapolitan folk song, known for its familiarity and accessibility.

You can picture someone cheerfully singing it in a town square.

With expansive, powerful vocals, it’s a lively and stylish piece.

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The Flowers in the GardenAirurando min’yō

Irish folk song: The Last Rose of Summer (The Flowers of the Garden) sop. Yumi Koike pf. Kyoko Nakagawa

The Flowers in the GardenAirurando min'yō

The gentle and tender Irish folk song “The Last Rose of Summer.” It is performed not only as a vocal piece but also on various instruments.

Irish folk songs are very simple and often relaxing to listen to at any time.

Among them, “The Last Rose of Summer” is one of the most popular numbers.

It’s also a familiar tune at Irish music session gatherings.

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The Pearl Fishers: “Your Voice is in My Heart”Georges Bizet

Rolando Villazón sings “Je crois entendre encore”

The Pearl Fishers: "Your Voice is in My Heart"Georges Bizet

Georges Bizet’s masterpiece, “Je crois entendre encore” from the opera The Pearl Fishers.

He is famous as the first composer in the world to cast a mezzo-soprano as the heroine.

This “Je crois entendre encore” from The Pearl Fishers is crafted in a minor key with a deeply immersive melody.

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to be by (someone’s) sideLuigi Mancia

"Satr vicino" Luigi Mancia, "To Be by Your Side" composed by Luigi Mancia; Vocals & Piano: Mari Kozuki (soprano)

to be by (someone's) sideLuigi Mancia

There have always been singer-songwriters in every era.

Luigi Mancia, who composed “Being by Your Side,” was a singer-songwriter from over 300 years ago—something like a go-to artist for what we would now call Christmas songs.

This piece features a Noel-like sound that is very characteristic of Mancia.

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Duet of Papageno and Papagena from the opera The Magic FluteWolfgang Amadeus Mozart

The Papapa Duet (The Magic Flute) Manfred Hemm & Barbara Kilduff

Duet of Papageno and Papagena from the opera The Magic FluteWolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Watch “Duet of Papageno and Papagena from the opera The Magic Flute — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart” on YouTube

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart left behind a vast number of compositions.

Among them, the duet “Papageno and Papagena” from the opera The Magic Flute features a rather unusual melody.

While it isn’t a composition designed to showcase the vocalist, it is a piece that demands a high level of vocal skill.

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The magnificent world of singing. From opera to art songs: a selection of popular vocal pieces (21–30)

Sempre libera from the opera La TraviataGiuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi

Anna Netrebko – Sempre Libera (La Traviata, Verdi)

Sempre libera from the opera La TraviataGiuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi

The renowned soprano Anna Netrebko—one of the world’s foremost in both popularity and artistry—delivers the famous aria “Sempre Libera” from Giuseppe Verdi’s masterpiece La Traviata with exceptional expressiveness.

Carried by the light waltz rhythm, her vibrant, bursting-with-life, beautiful voice is utterly captivating.

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