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The singer's companion: a guide to improving your voice and performance

2007; Association of College and Research Libraries; Volume: 45; Issue: 01 Linguagem: Inglês

10.5860/choice.45-0202

1943-5975

Debra Greschner,

Diverse Musicological Studies

Brent Monahan, Singer's Companion. A Guide to Improving Your Voice and Performance. Pompton Plains, NJ: Limelight Editions, 2006. Paper, xiii, 169 pp., $14.95. ISBN 1-57467-150-2. www.limelight editions.com In Art of Singing: A Compendium of Thoughts on Singing Published Between 1777 and 1927 (Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1978), Brent Monahan codified over 160 widely used voice pedagogy texts. volume was not a practical guide to singing, however, so Monahan began compiling a resource for his own students comprised of extracts from his earlier book and advice based upon his experience as voice student, singer, and pedagogue. result was Singer's Companion, which Monahan describes as a vade mecum to singing freely. book is designed for both singing teachers and for students who wish to improve their vocal quality and performance; the author directs it to the wide audience of the classical, music theater, and pop singer. Singer's Companion is divided into two asymmetric parts. first section describes the mechanics of singing. Monahan devotes a separate chapter to the topics of stance, breathing, phonation, and resonance; each includes diagrams and brief descriptions of the anatomic, physiologic, and acoustic elements of singing. In the remainder of Part I, the author discusses other topics such as range and timbre. On the issue of registers, Monahan aligns himself with Lilli Lehmann, who maintained that registers are not a phenomenon of nature, but an invention of voice teachers. One chapter is devoted to vocal health, and another proffers counsel on selecting a teacher, and what to expect of voice instruction. section ends with a series of gradated vocal exercises, complete with the objective for each, and general directives for practice. second and shorter part of Singer's Companion, entitled The Artistry of Singing, consists of four abbreviated chapters on musicianship, diction, interpretation, and performance. In regard to musicianship, Monahan recommends that students listen to good musicians as a first step in establishing their own skills; in accordance with the author's intent to address a variety of styles, he cites the early recordings of Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand alongside those of Mirelli Freni and Luciano Pavarotti. Monahan includes an explanation of onset in his discussion of diction, and the chapter on interpretation includes a primer on dynamics and tempo markings. Much of the material in this second section is directed to the neophyte singer. appendixes consist of the vocalises used in the book, two sample songs, an annotated bibliography, and an index. There is also a listing of the tracks for the compact disk that is packaged with the text; the audio recording contains the vocal exercises, sample songs, and fifteen common faults in singing and their fixes. Monahan's pedagogic approach is based upon the empirical methods used before 1900. He asserts that the scientific discoveries spurred by Garcia's development of the laryngoscope merely validated the methods historically espoused by voice teachers. author incorporates maxims and adages (some specific to singing, and some not), metaphors and imagery, information gleaned from teachers and colleagues, and accounts of his own experience. Some of his suggestions are questionable; for instance, the mental picture of committing hari kari to prevent tightening stomach muscles will undoubtedly lack appeal for most students. Nor would the majority of voice teachers deem it necessary for students to wear bare-midriff clothing to practice breathing. Monahan writes in an informal style that is sometimes awkward, and frequently lacks precision. In most instances, it is harmless, as when he describes Indiana University's School of Music as being internationally regarded as the top vocal school in the world before and after [italics added] his attendance. (Is it a careless use of prepositions, or does the author mean to imply that the stature of the institution slipped during his enrollment? …