This is the third edition of a book originally
published as English Solo Song and reviewed in its earlier
editions (1997 and 1998) in BMS News 75 (p.86) and News 80 (p.246)
respectively.
There has been a further welcome improvement
in presentation (the Thames imprint is now part of Elkin Publications,
much to its advantage these days), and the reasonable price
rise after five years is well justified (the 1998 edition cost
£17.50). There are now some fifty extra pages included; the format
is larger, making the book more pleasing to handle; and better
quality paper has been used.
Not only have entries been updated and expanded
where necessary (I was particularly pleased to see the Moeran
entry now so comprehensively revised), but there are two additional
Indices: an Index of Poets (useful for devising recital programmes)
and an Index of Translators. In addition, cross-referencing has
been provided in the Title Index between different titles which
refer to the same poem.
Previous editions of this valuable book are now
completely superseded. This is an indispensable purchase for lovers
of the British solo art song.
© John Talbot