Singers are always on the lookout for new Sacred Solo pieces and I, for one, am truly grateful to have been introduced to Rémi Bouchard's compositions in this collection. Here are 4 lovely vocal solos with a welcome, personable commentary from Rémi on each one. In his introduction, Rémi states that it may come as a surprise to some, as I am known mostly for piano compositions. These pieces are good for any voice type and the ranges are easy to handle even for novice singers a welcome addition to any singer's library.
In each of the solos, Rémi's piano ripples with arpeggios and broken chords sometimes introducing a fluid vocal line or echoing it. The soloist is never left floundering for the entry note of the next phrase. Rémi gift-wraps it up in elegant accompaniment, which supports a flowing melody line. These pieces are, as in all good solo voice music, duets between the voice and piano. Rémi's experience with piano composition are seen here as the accompaniments lie easily under both hands, a welcome unstressor for the novice and professional accompanist alike.
Mr. Bouchard comments on each of the pieces in a "From the Composer" section, in order chronologically from the dates when he completed each piece. However, the first piece to be printed in the collection was "Alleluia" for Nicholas Urguhart, written in 2008. The melody hovers over an argeggiated accompaniment reminiscent of the bel canto style, requiring solid breath control and smooth line technique. It is an excellent study piece for all voice students, male and female, and a lovely solo for the church.
Following "Alleluia", is "Ave Maria". This was written as Mr. Bouchard's very first vocal composition in 1954, but revised in 2007. The accompaniment with broken triplets in the right hand is reminiscent of Schubert, while the smooth vocal line flows naturally with the beautiful Latin text. Although the range is from middle C to F', the medium tessatura leaves the singer to focus on line and intensity.
"The Lord's Prayer" and "XCVI" have very lovely melodies, with a more contemporary feel than the more formal opening selections. Young singers would enjoy learning these for their easy listening musical phrases and great lyrics. The higher tessatura of "The Lord's Prayer" will invite Soprano and Tenor alike to delve into this piece. Mr. Bouchard states that this particular version of his three settings, "in three different languages... has been sung regularly at music festivals and weddings." I would love to see the other two versions too, Rémi, as this one is gorgeous.
The poem to "XCVI" was written for Annie Baraniuk on her 96th birthday by her great grandson, a student of Mr. Bouchard. When Rémi heard the poem, he felt inspired to compose music for it. Thank goodness, he did; as it has very listenable melodic phrases which fit the text perfectly.
It is rare that a singer can find a collection of songs in which all the songs can be learned and used in performance. This collection will be valuable to all singing teachers, students and performers. I'm glad I have it in my library and I know you will be glad to have it in yours, too.
Thank You, Rémi Bouchard, on behalf of all singers and lovers of beautiful music.
