The Cambridge Companion to Singing

by John Potter (Editor)

Overview

Ranging from medieval music to Madonna and beyond, this book covers in detail the many aspects of the voice. The volume is divided into four broad areas. Popular Traditions begins with an overview of singing traditions in world music and continues with aspects of rock, rap and jazz. The Voice in the Theatre includes both opera singing from the beginnings to the present day and twentieth-century stage and screen entertainers. Choral Music and Song features a history of the art song, essential hints on singing in a larger choir, the English cathedral tradition and a history of the choral movement in the United States. The final substantial section on performance practices ranges from the voice in the Middle Ages and the interpretation of early singing treatises to contemporary vocal techniques, ensemble singing, the teaching of singing, children's choirs, and a comprehensive exposition of vocal acoustics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781139815819
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	04/13/2000
Series:	Cambridge Companions to Music
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

John Potter is the author of Vocal Authority (Cambridge University Press, 1998) and Tenor: History of a Voice (Cambridge University Press, 2009). He has contributed articles to many academic journals and chapters to other books, including The Cambridge History of Medieval Music (forthcoming) and The Cambridge History of Musical Performance (2012). He is Reader Emeritus in Music at the University of York, having stepped down from his lectureship in 2010 to focus on his portfolio of freelance projects. His most recent book, published by Cambridge University Press in 2012, is A History of Singing (jointly authored with ethnomusicologist Neil Sorrell). As a singer, John has partnerships with instrumentalists in various parts of the world, notably the Argentinian lutenist and vihuelist Ariel Abramovich, the American medieval harpist Jan Walters and the British electro-acoustic composer Ambrose Field. He also sings with Red Byrd, The Dowland Project, the Gavin Bryars Ensemble and German group The Sound and the Fury. His most recent venture is Cantum Pulcriorum Invenire, a research project at the University of Southampton, which will see the release of three CDs of twelfth-century music on Hyperion, and a multimedia live version with tenor Christopher O'Gorman and video artist Michael Lynch. John spent eighteen years with the Hilliard Ensemble and his complete discography runs to some 150 titles. He also coaches vocal ensembles all over the world and chairs the ensemble contest jury at the Tampere Vocal Festival (Finland).

Table of Contents

List of illustrations; Notes on contributors; Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction: singing at the turn of the century John Potter; Part I. Popular Traditions: 2. 'Songlines': vocal traditions in world music John Schaefer; 3. Rock singing Richard Middleton; 4. The evolving language of rap David Toop; 5. Jazz singing: the first hundred years John Potter; Part II. The Voice in the Theatre: 6. Stage and screen entertainers in the twentieth century Stephen Banfield; 7. Song into theatre: the beginnings of opera John Rosselli; 8. Grand opera: nineteenth-century revolution and twentieth-century tradition John Rosselli; Part III. Choral Music and Song: 9. European art song Stephen Varcoe; 10. English cathedral choirs in the twentieth century Timothy Day; 11. Sacred choral music in the United States: an overview Neely Bruce; Part IV. Performance Practices: 12. Some notes on choral singing Heikki Liimola; 13. Ensemble singing John Potter; 14. The voice in the Middle Ages Joseph Dyer; 15. Reconstructing pre-Romantic singing technique Richard Wistreich; 16. Alternative voices: contemporary vocal techniques Linda Hirst and David Wright; 17. The teaching (and learning) of singing David Mason; 18. Children's singing Felicity Laurence; 19. Where does the sound come from? Johan Sundberg; Notes; Select bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

This excellent, single-volume resource aspires to be a comprehensive study of singing throughout history. That it succeeds as well as it does is a remarkable accomplishment. Potter (music, Univ. of York, U.K.) has gathered essays from a wide variety of (mostly British) performers, teachers, and musicologists. Rather than attempting a chronological arrangement, the chapters have been grouped into four loosely connected areas. Popular Traditions looks at vocal styles seldom covered in books on vocal history: an essay by David Troop on the origins and development of rap, chapters on singing in jazz and rock music, and an intriguing look at vocal traditions in world music. The Voice in the Theater and Choral Music and Song cover more familiar territory but do it succinctly and thoroughly. The final section, Performance Practice, again broadens the scope, with chapters on vocal pedagogy; the training and use of children s voices; vocal acoustics; Alternative Voices: Contemporary Vocal Techniques, which reveals the new demands placed on singers by 20th-century composers; and the use of electronic enhancement as an expressive device. This unique volume is highly recommended for its depth of coverage, uniformly accessible writing, and very reasonable price. Kate McCaffrey, Onondaga Cty. P.L., NY Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

"This unique volume is highly recommended for its depth of coverage, uniformly accessible writing, and very reasonable price." Library Journal, August 2000

"With such distinguished authorities as Stephen Banfield, John Rosselli, Stephen Varcoe, and David Mason contributing, the guide covers its wide range of topics accessibly as well as thoroughly for a one-volume work. Those for whom singing is a joyous activity will treasure the book and learn much about the vocal arts that might otherwise take years of personal research." Alan Hirsch, Booklist

"The volume is full of valuable knowledge, transmitted with warmth and enthusiasm..." Annabella Bankhouse, The Times Literary Supplement

"...this book appeals to a wide audience with one thing in common: a love of singing." Chamber Music

"This companion constitutes a general summary of 'where we have come from' at the turn of the century/millennium and suggests that future generations will have to take popular and world culture much more seriously...will interest singers, voice teachers, music theater teachers and practitioners, musicologists, and those who pursue studies in popular culture and interdisciplinary studies involving music." Choice

From the Publisher