When Love is Kind

I moved through the books part of my repertoire series extremely quickly, but addressing individual songs will be a slower process.  I promise.  Some of the songs included here will be listed because they are wonderful works of art.  And others will be listed because students like them and the give me opportunities to discuss certain concepts related to technique or theory.

"When Love is Kind" is not on the list of the top 10 songs I'd want on my desert island playlist, but it is a song that I have found quite useful in the studio, and here's why.

• I'm the queen of slow, pretty songs, but many students new to classical music appreciate an occasional up tempo piece, and this song fits that requirement.  
• This is a great song for exploring expression.  The first half of each verse is happy while we sing about how wonderful love it, and then the second half tells just what happens when love is not so wonderful.  
• Once students have a little experience with solfege and sight-reading, I often use this song as a sight-reading exercise even if we don't intend to polish it later.  
• The song begins with Sol Do and each section ends with a Sol La Ti Do, both patterns that I like to point out and reinforce with students since they show up so much in music.  
• The first 6 bars basically create a sequence.  Each part starts on Sol, but the first chunk starts Sol Do and after a few other notes ends on Re. The second starts Sol Re, and ends on Mi.  The third Sol Mi.  Each new start invites the student to remember the pitch they just left.  
• I love this song for working on melismas because the melismas are short and not too difficult.  You only have 4-6 pitches to worry about on one vowel, so it's easier to focus on vowel purity than it might be in one of Handel's 4-6 measure melismas.  
• Sometimes students are a little overwhelmed by seeing the extra little notes.  In those cases, I often just teach that measure by rote using a consonant vowel combination to clarify the pitches.  (Sometimes I use buh-duh or bum buddy dum.)
• If students are ready to show off their high notes and their flexibility, then I have them add Liza Lehmann's cadenza.  It sounds showy, but is not particularly difficult.  
• The second half of the last verse is a great place to talk about non-harmonic tones and help students develop independence.  In all other verses, the melody has been Sol Mi Mi.  At "For aught I care", we get Sol Fa Mi Fa Mi in the voice part with the Fa pitches occurring against the prominent Mi in the piano part.  Although they sing it just fine a cappella, many students have a difficult time here when we add the accompaniment and it does require a little drill.  

"When Love is Kind" is available in these collections (and probably several others).  

• Songs Through the Centuries High Voice (Key of A flat--does not include the Lehmann cadenza)
• Songs Through the Centuries Low Voice (Key of E flat--does not include the Lehmann cadenza)
• Pathways of Song Vol. 3 Low Voice (Key of F)
• Pathways of Song Vol. 3 High Voice (Key of A flat)
• Art Songs for School and Studio First Year Medium Low (Key of F)
• The Best of Pathways of Song Low Voice (Key of F)
• The Best of Pathways of Song High Voice (Key of A flat)
• Lovers, Lasses & Spring (Key of A flat)
• The Young Singer Soprano (Key of A flat)
• The Young Singer Contralto (Key of F)
• Royal Conservatory of Music Songbook Series Voice Repertoire 5, 2nd edition (Key of A flat--does not include the Lehmann cadenza)
• Royal Conservatory of Music Voice Series Voice Repertoire 5, 3rd edition (Key of A flat)
• Something to Sing Medium Voice (Key of F)