The Functional Unity Of The Singing Voice

This expanded edition of Barbara Doscher's seminal vocal pedagogy work includes a new introduction by John Nix as well as a new appendix with reflections and practical insights from singing teachers. This classic text describes the anatomy and physiology of breathing and phonation and examines acoustics for an understanding of resonation.

Describes the anatomy and physiology of breathing and phonation and examines the acoustical laws necessary for an understanding of resonation. Extensive bibliography.

Singing and Teaching Singing: A Holistic Approach to Classical Voice, Third Editioncontinues to be a beloved resource for singers and their teachers, speech-language pathologists, and laryngologists and an adopted text for instructors and students in voice, singing, and performing arts courses. Janice L. Chapman is able to draw on her experiences as a singer with some of the world's leading opera companies to present a teaching technique specifically focusing on voice in the areas of classical and opera singing. Interspersed with the concepts and components of Chapman's methods are vignettes from her life and career, animated by her conversational and vibrant style to guide (and entertain) the reader through the book in a step-by-step fashion. The philosophy of teaching presented combines three main facets: Holistic, Physiological, and Incremental. The Holistic segment emphasizes that the act of singing involves the whole person (i.e., body, mind, spirit, emotion, and voice); the Physiological segment stresses anatomy, muscular function, and effects of muscular interactions so that students and teachers alike can understand and visualize the functional workings of the torso, larynx, and the vocal tract and their impact on good singing practices; and the Incremental section shows that the act of singing can be broken down into manageable components that have a natural hierarchy that eventually interact and interlock. This teaching model provides a framework to master one element at a time, with the resulting effect of a complete and integrated mastery of technique. Chapman recommends this framework for rehabilitative work with the dysfunctional singer, for working with the developing singer, and for the ongoing development and maintenance of the technically able professional singer. Case studies, examples, exercises, and contributions from some of the world's best-known voice professionals further highlight the text. New to this edition: The addition of a completely new chapter: an interview with voice specialist osteopath Jacob Lieberman on the subject of manual therapy and voiceA rewriting of Marilyn McCarthy's chapters on teaching and learning in light of advances in the fields of neuroscience and educationUpdates to Pamela Davis's chapter on voice and the brain, as well as John Rubin's chapter on vocal and respiratory anatomy and physiologyClarifications by Ron Morris on the use of the accent method of breathing as a highly effective remedial and training techniqueRefinements to chapters on breathing and support, phonation, and resonance*Disclaimer: Please note that ancillary content (such as documents, audio, and video, etc.) may not be included as published in the original print version of this book.

During the past decades, "Dynamics of the singing voice" has successfully been established as a reference text for teachers of singing, singers, choral conductors and organists, speech and voice therapists, laryngologists and other health professionals, psychologists and those in linguistics. It discusses the physiological, psychological, musical and emotional aspects of the voice, particularly as they relate to singing but also to speaking. The book provides a greater understanding of how the voice works and the many factors involved in singing as well as an objective discussion of singing without reference to specific techniques. In this fifth edition, the author has now updated and rearranged the content. Furthermore she has added a new chapter on vocal pedagogic aspects in order to meet the requirements of the art of singing of the 21st century. Thus this new book provides the reader with the established concepts in combination with the latest knowledge about modern approaches to the singing voice.

The repertoire files of the late Dr. Barbara Doscher, in which she noted her tips, observations on each particular piece, and notes on how to best teach it, comprise a unique trove of wisdom unmatched by any other source. Laboriously transcribed and annotated by John Nix, one of Doscher's students, the notes are presented here as a companion volume to her best-selling text, The Functional Unity of the Singing Voice. Entries are divided by broad category (art song, arias, folk songs, oratorio, musicals, etc.) and are arranged by song title. Each entry includes author, poet or librettist, key(s) available, ranges (for each key), tessitura, difficulty level, voice types, comments, a summary of the text, and notes as to genre, language, and editions available. Five comprehensive indexes facilitate searching. As a guide to selecting vocal repertoire, this book's practical and sometimes colorful comments on each song or aria will assist the vocal instructor in matching the student's ability and range to the appropriate piece. This distillation of Barbara Doscher's many years of experience in the teaching studio is a necessary addition to any vocal instructor's collection, as well as a valuable resource for the individual singer.

Every discipline tends to develop its own particular language and ways of communicating. This is true also about the various disciplines that talk about and describe the human voice - particularly as it relates to singing. The aim of this book is to bridge any gaps in communication, foster better understanding of the singing voice and encourage collaboration between those involved in performance, teaching, therapy and medicine. Because there is increasing interest in research in all these disciplines, creating a "common ground" for communication about the singing voice is essential for mutual understanding and for effective prevention and treatment of disorders in singers. One object for the artistic and scientific professions is to understand each other better by finding a vocabulary and terminology which they can share and use effectively. Difficulty in communication often arises when a singer or teacher of singing attempts to describe something sensory in nature by use of imagery and sign-language to non-singers, including the health and medical profes sions; and, in the same way, the use of obscure and sometimes frightening terminology by those in the medical sciences when offering explanations to singers. Teaching and simple language was and is needed from both sides. A number of advances are helping to create rapid change in bridging gaps in communication and in adding new information: 1. The formation of Associations for Performing Arts Medicine on a na tional and international scale are bringing new awareness to those who work with singers and other artists.

Every discipline tends to develop its own particular language and ways of communicating. This is true also about the various disciplines that talk about and describe the human voice - particularly as it relates to singing. The aim of this book is to bridge any gaps in communication, foster better understanding of the singing voice and encourage collaboration between those involved in performance, teaching, therapy and medicine. Because there is increasing interest in research in all these disciplines, creating a "common ground" for communication about the singing voice is essential for mutual understanding and for effective prevention and treatment of disorders in singers. One object for the artistic and scientific professions is to understand each other better by finding a vocabulary and terminology which they can share and use effectively. Difficulty in communication often arises when a singer or teacher of singing attempts to describe something sensory in nature by use of imagery and sign-language to non-singers, including the health and medical profes sions; and, in the same way, the use of obscure and sometimes frightening terminology by those in the medical sciences when offering explanations to singers. Teaching and simple language was and is needed from both sides. A number of advances are helping to create rapid change in bridging gaps in communication and in adding new information: 1. The formation of Associations for Performing Arts Medicine on a na tional and international scale are bringing new awareness to those who work with singers and other artists.

This book is written in the belief that the essential basic principles underlying good singing are in themselves rather few, and very simple, but that their application is amazingly varied in light of the individual's needs. It is not intended as a manual of voice production, and does notconcern itself with medical matters, nor directly with anatomy, physiology, and acoustics. While not belittling the value of appropriate scientific investigation, Hemsley believes that modern methods of training have gone too far in the direction of the materialistic approach; that singing in all its aspects and at all times should be guided by the imagination, the feelings, and theintuition; that we have become so pre-occupied by voice per se and the vocal function since the advent of vocal science, that we too easily forget that singing is not voice, but modification of voice - `not only a language through which we understand the emotions of others, but also a means ofexciting our sympathy with such emotions.' (H. Spencer). This book can be seen as an attempt to redress the balance. Quote from reader's report by Professor David Galliver: "Here is a comprehensive and well-ordered philosophy of the art of singing; one which integrates both technical and interpretative aspects. While the technical principles of the classical tradition of singing as expounded by the late Lucie Manen lie at its basis, what is put forward here is verymuch an extension and development, illumined by Thomas Hemsley's long and exceptionally wide experience as a professional singer and teacher, as well as by a wealth of historical evidence. The second part of the book applies these principles, emphasising the fundamental role played by artisticimagination aund understanding. The picture which emerges is essentially comprehensive, and offers a holistic approach to the art of singing. "The book is addressed to those `with a gift for singing who would like to understand better how to approach putting that gift to use'. It will appeal to a wide range of singers, professional and others, and will challenge those pedagogues who rely heavily on the so-called `scientific' approach atthe expense of fundamental human and artistic considerations. Hemsley's own scientific qualifications give additional authority to his hard-hitting arguments. The book is engagingly written, with many personal examples and anecdotes; it certainly makes good reading."