The Singer's Companion: A Guide to Improving Your Voice and Performance [With CD]

The Singer's Companion combines the author's extensive research on hundreds of professional singers' and singing teachers' books with 30 years of personal teaching experience. The book concentrates on traditional vocal and artistic development, as employed at the most renowned universities and conservatories. At the same time, the presentation is extremely practical and accessible. The language is simple, and minimal space is given to theory. As each aspect of good singing and artistry is explained, enlightening quotations from dozens of the best singers and teachers, such as Enrico Caruso, Luciano Pavarotti, Eileen Farrell, Manuel Garcia, and Emma Seiler, help the singer to grasp the concept. The building of the vocal instrument and the artist is the focus. Topics include stance, breathing, phonation, resonance, range, health, choosing a teacher, vocal exercises, musicianship, pronunciation and diction, interpretation, performance, and selecting material. Many illustrative diagrams appear in the text. The book includes exercise sheets, sample songs, and an illustrative CD. Any singer, from the would-be professional to the diligent choir member, can benefit from this easy-to-use, thorough companion.