Cantabile. A Manual about Beautiful Singing for Singers, Teachers of Singing and Choral Conductors
2011; Routledge; Volume: 67; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
2769-4046
AutoresDebra Greschner, Kimberly G. James,
Tópico(s)Diverse Musicological Studies
ResumoKatharin Rundus, Cantabile. A Manual about Beautiful Singing for Singers, Teachers of Singing and Choral Conductors. San Pedro, CA: Pavane Publishing, 2009. Paper, viii, 189 pp., $59.95. ISBN 978-1-934596-03-6 www.PavanePublishing.com Voice teachers and choral conductors share more common goals than dissimilar aims; how to achieve shared purpose has been the topic of conversation in recent years, as evidenced by a special panel discussion at the 2010 National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) National Conference entitled Solo and Choral Singing: A Symbiotic Relationship. Katharin Rundus, who has experience as both voice teacher and choral conductor, makes a masterful contribution to the dialogue with Cantabile. As the subtitle indicates, the volume is a manual about beautiful singing addressed to singers, teachers of singing, and choral conductors. Rundus states that singing is a skill-based activity that must be fostered, and the volume is a guide to honing those abilities. In the opening pages, she offers a diagram that neatly summarizes the book. The paradigm is a spiral, symbolizing the nonlinear nature of learning. Students revisit the same subject matter again and again, and gain a deeper understanding of the material each time. Nine essential components of singing appear on the spiral. The topics-release of tension and positioning the instrument, opening the vocal tract, breathing for singing, onsets and releases, resonance, registers, focus of the tone, articulation, and musical expression-are explained in corresponding chapters. A tenth chapter is devoted to vocal health. None of the sections is long, and the text is replete with diagrams, illustrations, and musical examples. Rundus also follows another important tenet of successful instruction: material should be presented in different ways. The manual explains concepts in various means: through straightforward scientific expositions, exercises, commonly used images, summaries of each chapter, and suggestions for the choral conductor. Icons represent these different perspectives. For example, the symbol for sections containing exercises is a gardener watering plants, underlining singing as an activity that must be cultivated. The advice directed to the choral conductor runs the gamut from matters of technique (such as how to approach registration issues with each of the voice parts) to dealing with psychology (such as creating a positive environment that makes choir members want to continue singing in the group). …
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