Boosey & Hawkes Monodramas
Explore Boosey’s selection of monodramas and dramatic song cycles, written by the most celebrated composers for voice of the last century.
Below is a list of monodramas and dramatic song cycles published by Boosey, which spotlight a single singer onstage accompanied by scaled-down forces—a pianist, small ensemble, or in some cases a sound-designed audio track. These dramatic works with few musicians are simple and effective to produce.
> Listen to our YouTube playlist of monodramas here.
> Click here to view our list of chamber operas.
Michel van der Aa: Blank Out
Chamber opera for soprano and 3D film
Duration: 70 minutes
Michel van der Aa: One
Chamber opera for soprano, video and soundtrack
Duration: 60 minutes
Michel van der Aa: The Book of Disquiet
Music theatre for actor, ensemble and film
Duration: 75 minutes
Louis Andriessen: Anaïs Nin
for singer (amplified), ensemble and film
Duration: 30 minutes
Dominick Argento: Miss Havisham’s Wedding Night
Opera monodrama in one act
Duration: 30 minutes
Dominick Argento: A Water Bird Talk
Opera in one act
Duration: 45 minutes
Jack Beeson: Practice in the Art of Elocution
Operina for soprano and piano
Duration: 30 minutes
David Del Tredici: Dracula
for amplified soprano/narrator and ensemble
Duration: 20 minutes
David Del Tredici: Wondrous the Merge
a melodrama for for narrator-singer (high baritone) and string quartet
Duration: 20 minutes
Carlisle Floyd: Flower and Hawk
monodrama for soprano and orchestra
Duration: 45 minutes
Carlisle Floyd: The Mystery
Songs of Motherhood for soprano and orchestra
Duration: 17 minutes
Carlisle Floyd: Pilgrimage
Cantata for baritone and orchestra
Duration: 20 minutes
Osvaldo Golijov: Ayre
for soprano and chamber ensemble
Duration: 40 minutes
HK Gruber: Frankenstein!!!
A pan-demonium for baritone chansonnier and ensemble after children's rhymes
Duration: 28 minutes
David T. Little: Soldier Songs
for baritone and amplified septet
Duration: 60 minutes
Steven Mackey: Ravenshead
Monodrama in two acts
Duration: 90 minutes
Peter Maxwell Davies: Eight Songs for a Mad King
Music-theatre work for male voice and ensemble
Duration: 33 minutes
Peter Maxwell Davies: Miss Donnithorne’s Maggot
Music-theatre work for mezzo-soprano and ensemble
Duration: 32 minutes
Peter Maxwell Davies: The Medium
Monodrama for mezzo-soprano solo
Duration: 50 minutes
Photo: Keith McMillan
