Nicola Harrison Publishes 'The Wordsmith's Guide to English Song: Poetry, Music & Imagination' Vol I and II 

Retained Lecturer in Singing and Interpretation at Pembroke, Nicola Harrison, has published two books that offer imaginative and practical guidance to interpreting and performing art song.

Published by Compton, the two volumes of 'The Wordsmith's Guide to English Song: Poetry, Music & Imagination' explore poetry and music and are aimed at singers and accompanists.

Both Vol 1 The Songs of Roger Quilter' and 'Vol 2: The Songs of Ivor Gurney' were published in April 2016.

Nicola commented on her approach to teaching singers: “The really vital thing, when singing any words, is to connect the singer - and accompanist - to the meaning of the text and the wider context of the poem. Such interpretation galvanises performance.”

By looking at the background to the texts, settings, biographical details of poets and composers and digging deep into the poetry and the relationship between the words and the music, the books are a fascinating and strikingly original guide to singers, accompanists, composers and choral directors towards understanding, interpreting and performing English Song.

In addition to her role at Pembroke, Nicola is a Lecturer in Teacher’s Voice at Westminster College of Education, and a Visiting Lecturer at Oxford Brookes University.

She has also set up an elite vocal scholarship programme at Pembroke for 'Vocal Scholars', who can be undergraduates or graduates reading for any subject and are selected each year based on their vocal skills.