The History Of Voice Pedagogy

A history of vocal pedagogy from the beginning of the bel canto tradition of solo singing in the late 16th century and dealing extensively with such topics as the emergence of virtuoso singing, national singing styles, and the 'secrets' of bel canto.

This ambitious publication draws from the knowledge and expertise of leading international figures in voice training in order to examine the history of the voice from an interdisciplinary perspective. The book explores the historical arc of various voice training disciplines and highlights significant people and events within the field. It is written by voice specialists from a variety of backgrounds, including singing, actor training, public speaking, and voice science. These contributors explore how voice pedagogy came to be, how it has organized itself as a profession, how it has dealt with challenges, and how it can develop still. Covering a variety of voice training disciplines, this book will be of interest to those studying voice and speech, as well as researchers from the fields of rhetoric, music and performance. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Voice and Speech Review journal.

This paperbound reprint of a 1989 work for teachers of singing, performing singers, and vocal pedagogy students presents the insights of great teachers from the past--insights that have been lost or diluted over the years and which the author believes to be important to the art of teaching. In 18 chapters, Berton (emeritus, music, Colorado College) discusses the writings of Tosi, Garcia, Stockhausen, Sedie, Seiler, Lamperti, Shakespeare, Witherspoon, Lilli Lehmann, Byers, and Johnstone-Douglas. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

In this well documented and highly readable book, James Stark provides a history of vocal pedagogy from the beginning of the bel canto tradition of solo singing in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries to the present. Using a nineteenth-century treatise by Manuel Garcia as his point of reference, Stark analyses the many sources that discuss singing techniques and selects a number of primary vocal 'problems' for detailed investigation. He also presents data from a series of laboratory experiments carried out to demonstrate the techniques of bel canto. The discussion deals extensively with such topics as the emergence of virtuoso singing, the castrato phenomenon, national differences in singing styles, controversies regarding the perennial decline in the art of singing, and the so-called secrets of bel canto. Stark offers a new definition of bel canto which reconciles historical and scientific descriptions of good singing. His is a refreshing and profound discussion of issues important to all singers and voice teachers.

Beginning in 1564, with the first physiological treatise of Giovanni Camillo Maffei and ending with the remarkable development of solo singing, the Italian dictum 'chi sa respirare e pronunciare sa cantare' (He who knows how to breathe and pronounce knows how to sing) has been transformed by science into the most sophisticated and complete vocal paradigm in vocal history. In this ground-breaking work, noted tenor, teacher, researcher, and operatic director, Joseph Talia, takes us on an inspiring journey through 450 years of history tracing such important topics as the development of voice production and vocal science, the transition from the sostegno system of breath management to the appoggio system, the debate on vocal registers as a purely a glottal phenomenon, and the importance of vocal elements such as posture, messa di voce, portamento, trills, and many other coloratura techniques and ornaments. All of these are analyzed through the overarching framework of human emotions and impeccable aesthetic appeal, remembering always Tosi’s dictum that 'the heart is the greatest of teachers'. Within these pages you will find a wealth of knowledge accumulated by the great singing masters of the past such as Bernacchi, Porpora, Tosi, Mancini, the Garcías, the Lampertis, and the Marchesis, as well as the tremendous and assiduous work performed by vocal scientists throughout history by such scientists as Janwillem van den Berg, Vennard, Hirano, Fant, Ingo Titze, and Sundberg to name just a few. This book is a vital resource for voice teachers, vocal researchers, serious vocal students, and vocal connoisseurs.

If classical singers and vocal pedagogues are to be prepared adequately for performance, teaching and co-operation in inter-professional relations, then an holistic education entailing multi-disciplinary study is essential. In this important new book, Karen Sell examines the disciplines pertinent to vocal pedagogy, tracing the lineage of views from the ancient world to the present day. In the process important diverse roots are exposed, yielding differing and even conflicting tonal ideals which have a bearing on the consideration of different singing methods and the interpretation of songs and arias. Ethics and psychology are identified as central to the entire pedagogical process along with the scientific basis of singing: encompassing acoustics, anatomy and physiology, with special reference to the bearing of the latter two upon vocal health and hygiene. A detailed consideration of singing technique is the centrepiece of the book, and an understanding of good technique and scientific awareness is shown to be fundamental to good vocal pedagogical practice. This leads to a discussion on performance and aesthetics, contributing to the education of the fully equipped singer. No study to date has demonstrated the inter-relationships between all these individual disciplines and the ways in which they influence singing pedagogy. Sells holistic, multi-disciplinary approach will be of particular benefit to singers and voice teachers, and will also appeal to music educationalists and professionals in cognate disciplines.

The New Voice Pedagogy provides instruction and exercises for various aspects of singing based on the physiology of the voice and the concepts of voice therapy, laryngology, and voice science. This second edition includes new and expanded chapters on Ethics, The Singer Outside the Studio, and When the Voice is Sick.