Self-Accompanied Classical Singing

Lucy Green is Emerita Professor of Music Education at the UCL Institute of Education, London UK. She is internationally known for her work in music education, particularly in relation to gender, popular music, informal learning, new pedagogies, ideology, musical meaning, inclusion and, more generally, the sociology of music.

• AcknowledgementsBiographies of the authorsPrefaceChap 1: Lucy Green – Why does classical self-accompaniment matter?SECTION 1: SELF-ACCOMPANIED CLASSICAL SINGING FROM THE 13TH TO THE 21ST CENTURIESLucy Green – Introduction and overviewChap 2: Beth Garfinkle – Self-accompanied singing from the 12th to the 16th century: the troubadours to the concerti delle donneChap 3: Robin Bier – Self-accompanied singing, vocal pedagogy, and practice in the 17th and 18th centuriesChap 4: Hermione Ruck Keene – Self-accompaniment by women in the 19th century: negotiating the private and the public spheresChap 5: Robin Bier – The decline of professional self-accompaniment in the 20th centuryChap 6: Elizabeth Pearse – The re-emergence of self-accompaniment in contemporary classical musicSECTION 2: THE REVIVAL OF SELF-ACCOMPANIMENT IN CLASSICAL SINGING TODAY? Lucy Green – Introduction and overviewChap 7: David Baker and Lucy Green – Quantitative survey results: Practices and attitudes amongst today’s classical singers concerning self-accompanimentChap 8: Michael Bonshor and Lucy Green – Qualitative survey results: Divided views about self-accompaniment amongst classical singers todayChap 9: Janet Oates – Phenomenological perspectives from novice singer-pianistsChap 10: Lucy Green – The practices of experienced singer-pianists: How does professional self-accompaniment begin, and how can it lead to public performance?Chap 11: Lucy Green – The values of experienced singer-pianists: challenge, fulfilment, feedback, and educationSECTION 3: WHAT COULD COME NEXT?Lucy Green – Introduction and overviewChap 12: Lucy Green – The potential of self-accompaniment for future research, performance practice and educationAPPENDICES AND INTERNET LINKSAppendix A: Some current-day and historical classical self-accompanistsAi) Early music current-day self-accompanists who sing with plucked or bowed strings (generally performing music up to ca. 1750)Aii) Classical current-day self-accompanists who sing with keyboard and bowed strings (generally performing music since ca. 1750)Aiii) Conductors who sing and conduct at the same timeAiv) Self-accompanied songs posted on YouTube by international opera singers during the Covid lockdowns of 2020 to 2022Av) Historical film of self-accompanied performances by singer-pianistsAppendix B: Chapter 9 research participants’ backgrounds and some final performances by novice singer-pianistsAppendix C: Chapters 10 and 11 research participants’ biographies