* Researching the Song.

* Researching the Song, by Shirlee Emmom and Wilbur Watkin Lewis. Oxford University Press, Inc. (198 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016), 2006. 507 pp. $74.00.

While assisting students as they learn new repertoire, voice teachers are confronted with myriad issues that extend well beyond the realm of vocal technique. Questions related to the understanding and interpretation of song texts arise frequently, and teachers are called upon to provide both information and encouragement as students develop their research skills and interests.

In their new book, Researching the Song, authors Shirlee Emmons and Wilbur Watkin Lewis have developed a major resource for all who study, teach and enjoy the vast art song repertoire. Written in an encyclopedic format, the book offers more than 2,000 entries based on mythological, historical, geographical and literary references found throughout the art song repertoire. It encompasses songs written in the standard singing languages, as well as others, such as Greek, Russian, Spanish, Finnish and Norwegian. Information is provided about a wide-range of poets and supplemented by listings of the composers who have set their texts.

In an effort to explore the scope of Researching the Song, I made a list of references derived from a recent solo voice recital. A great deal of useful information, both general and specific, was found quite literally at my fingertips. Background information about poets such as Aloys Jeitelles (Beethoven's An die ferne Geliebte) and Anne Hunter (who provided texts for many of Haydn's canzonettas) was readily available. Specific references from within individual songs were also easy to investigate. The term "hurly-burly," for example, appears in "Sailor's Song" by Franz Joseph Haydn. Researching the Song provides a definition of the term ("confusion, uproar, tumult"), as well as information about its derivation from Old English and French. According to the book, the character Rosemonde (referred to in Henri Duparc's song "Le Manoir de Rosemonde"), is a "heroine in several legends," with information provided about each of them. Information about the seldom-performed song cycle 6 Monologes aus Jedermann by Frank Martin is offered in the entry under dramatist Hugo von Hofmannsthal, who wrote the text. More general information about pertinent topics, such as the cycle and the melodie, can also be found in this volume.

Researching the Song is an extremely useful volume for singers, voice teachers and other aficionados of the art song repertoire. It provides an abundance of information that would previously have required a much more extensive research effort. This new book by Emmons and Lewis will undoubtedly become a standard reference tool. Robert Barefield, Phoenix, Arizona.