This is the third and final installment of the “Essentials for the Classical Vocal Library” series. This seems to be a catch all of topics, moving from style and reference resources to performance preparation and finally career development. This installment is particularly useful for the teacher who has budding students interested in doing more serious auditioning and making a go of the music world. Some resources are not books, in particular the career resources, which are online databases for audition searches. If you have used any of these references and have found them helpful, please blog about your experience with them. If you have found another reference equally if not more helpful in any one arena, please list the title below. Thanks for following the series- if you are interested in a series of other singing topics, please list that below as well.
Style and Reference
Singing in Style: A Guide to Vocal Performance Practices by Martha Elliott
The first historical overview of vocal performance practice and style ever published, this book provides an introduction to how such issues as ornamentation, vibrato, rubato, portamento, articulation, tempo, language, and accompaniment with period instruments have been handled since the seventeenth century. Each chapter presents a historical period and gives background information on the singers and composers, the vocal repertoire, and the stylistic conventions of that time. Specific repertoire examples are discussed as well, to show how to use the music itself as a context for making stylistic choices. Each chapter also has an extensive reference list arranged by topic, so the interested reader can pursue a particular subject in more depth.
An Interpretive Guide to Operatic Arias by Martial Singher
Singher gets right to the heart of operatic interpretation. His guide leads the singer through aria after aria like a personal coach, including literal translations of the lyrics, background information about the scene and the opera that it comes from, followed by an almost line-by-line instruction. Each singer should always be encouraged to bring his or her own inspiration and interpretation of the music; Singher’s book offers a wonderful and insightful “standard” guide for the performer without overpowering individuality.
The Metropolitan Opera Stories of the Great Operas by John W. Freeman
The definitive opera story collection, written by John W. Freeman, associate editor of Opera News magazine. This includes complete plots of 150 different operas with lists of roles, biographical information on all composers represented, as well as historical background material on each opera. This is well organized, and is an excellent reference for students working on operatic repertoire.
Song: A Guide to Style and Literature by Carol Kimball
This is an excellent survey of the literature in the major European languages with well-organized, thorough, and wonderful bibliographies. Start with this book, check out the references listed, and read the title recommendations because there are many hidden musical gems in here. This is certainly a splendid service to those who want to know more about classical song literature and its background.
The Art of the Song Recital by Shirlee Emmons and Stanley Sonntag
This text has continually stood out as the definitive work on the song recital. The book presents imaginative advice and practical techniques for producing successful recitals and kindling audience excitement. Every aspect of the recital is covered, from building programs and the use of acting skills to the relationship between the singer and the accompanist. Singers of all levels and backgrounds will benefit from the authors’ vast experience in the performance of song recitals as a singer/accompanist team. The comprehensive repertoire lists, now organized by voice and instrumentation as well as by composer, appeal to both students and professional musicians.
Interpretation
Singing and Imagination by Thomas Hemsley
This is an excellent book for beginning students of voice, as well as for more experienced singers. After a review of basic voice mechanics, like attack, breath control, vibrato, and falsetto, the author makes his own unique and interesting contributions to the art of singing. He talks about using the powers of your imagination, through imagery, to produce the most beautiful and meaningful music. The book is well written, and is easy to read and understand.
Singing, Acting, and Movement in Opera: A guide to Singer-getics by Mark Ross Clark
This practical guide to the integration of voice, acting, and movement in opera performance is especially designed for use in opera and musical theater workshops on the university level, and by beginning professional singers. Drawing on years of research, teaching, and performing, Mark Ross Clark provides an overview of dramatic methodology for the singing actor that encourages the student’s active participation, with practical exercises and applications to well-known opera excerpts.
Performance Preparation
Power Performance for Singers: Transcending the Barriers by Shirlee Emmons and Alma Thomas
To perform well in today’s highly competitive world where technical skills have been advanced to an unprecedented degree, a singer must be able to handle incredible pressure within the performing arena; his or her ability to deal with this stress will often determine whether he or she will succeed. The best performances result from a combination of mental attitude, concrete performing skills, and excellent technical skills in that order. Yet most singers have never had the opportunity to acquire the essential skills that make for a successful career. Written as a self-help manual for singers at all levels of expertise, Power Performance for Singers is designed to teach performing artists, and especially singers, how to experience elite performance at their level.
The Performer Prepares by Robert Caldwell
Written to help performers overcome their performance jitters. It works to help the performer become more aware of what he/she really wants to do on stage, enabling them to achieve the desired state. The imagery and exercises can help even the worst case of nerves!
Fight your Fear and Win by Don Greene
Based on his notion that performance outcome is influenced by seven sets of factors (determination, energy, perspective, courage, focus, poise, resilience), the author, assistant professor at the Julliard School, elaborates on how we can arm ourselves with mastery in the above seven areas to undertake challenge in any field. That’s quite the normal setting in any self-help book. However, I do like the author’s clear, logical and straight to the point writing, without the excessive and tedious examples anonymous commonly found in most self help books. The five page Chapter Eight, so named a synthesis: putting it altogether, (the seven set of factors were grouped into seven individual chapters), simply tells how “to the point” the author had been. In a word, a very good read.
A Soprano on Her Head by Eloise Ristad
Eloise Ristad discusses complex problems that torment and cripple so many of our most creative and talented people, and she does so with compassion, wisdom, and wit. The problem of stage fright, for instance, is a suffering of epidemic proportions in our society, and involves modalities of thought and projections that rob spontaneity and enthusiasm in artistic performance. This book supplies answers and methods for overcoming these universal psychological blocks–methods that have not only been proven in her own studio, but which trace back through history to the oldest and wisest systems of understanding the integration of mind and body.
Career Information
YAP Tracker at www.yaptracker.com
This is the ultimate resource for young students starting to audition, and even for the teacher who wants to notify students of every opportunity. It is an online audition manager that keeps you up-to-date on programs, competitions, workshops and main stage auditions to help you get ahead in the competitive classical performance market. The tracking system will keep you apprised of upcoming applications and auditions so you will never again miss a deadline or opportunity. This service lists over 1900 listings, comprising of summer programs, pay-to-sing programs, competitions and main stage auditions. For the year, it costs $50 for daily e-mail reminders and full access to the database. If you refer a friend, they and you get $5 off your subscription.
Career Guide for Singers from Opera America
The popular Career Guide for Singers has been transformed to a searchable online database called Opera Source, available to OPERA America members. Subscribe now for the latest information on upcoming auditions and opportunities, along with access to details about hundreds of programs for aspiring artists, including producing organizations, training programs, degree-granting educational institutions, competitions, grants, artist managers, and choruses. For $45 a year, this is similar to YAP Tracker, but without the daily e-mails and expense tracking on the website.
Making Music in Looking Glass Land by Ellen Highstein
Ellen Highstein, longtime director of Concert Artists’ Guild and now head of the summer study programs at Tanglewood, offers a concisely written, comprehensive career guide for the aspiring classical musician. Culled from and in part overlapping with material covered at CAGs live career workshops, there is much useful advice offered on everything from creating the best publicity materials, to making phone contacts, to finding venues in which to perform, to obtaining management. Highstein’s remarks are backed up with authority as well as plenty of real-life anecdotes. She cannot disguise the fact that the career picture for classical music these days is essentially bleak–however, she offers the best practical tools for the artist who nevertheless wishes to make a go of it. This third edition is somewhat expanded but essentially unchanged from previous incarnations. The only drawback is that, dating from 1997, not enough is made of the rapidly expanding role of the Internet and various software in promoting oneself and one’s material.
by Beverley Hissam — Sun Mar 23, 2008 @ 10:11 am