Songs of Dominick Argento and Their Use for the Teaching of Voice at Faculties of Education

Abstract

The study will aim to characterize the songwriting of Dominick Argento (1927−2019), a leading American composer and Pulitzer Prize winner, and to outline the possibilities of its application in the education of solo singers in faculties of education. Argento’s songwriting is rich (he composed cycles for every voice except bass) but not well known and rarely performed in Europe. It may be due to the difficulty of some cycles and the fact that not all sheet music is readily available. Part of the study presents the musical compositions of Dominik Argento with a focus on songwriting, the characteristics of textual aspects of songs, and the composer’s approach to the musical treatment of song cycles. The second part of the study deals with using Dominik Argento’s songwriting in teaching voice at faculties of education. This section includes a short musical and interpretative analysis of selected songs and suggests specific compositions for voice study. The topic’s treatment benefits Central European vocal teachers and the professional public.