Top Ten Book Recommendations For Singers
- Beatnik Baritone
- Oct 6, 2024
- 4 min read
Since we're always students of singers I thought it would be fun to list my top 10 favorite books for classical singers! From collections of interviews by major artists to mandatory reads for all of our shelves, here are my top ten book recommendations for singers.
10. Living Opera by Joshua Lampol (2010)
My first read after being bit by the opera bug I stumbled on this book and continue to re-read it 14 years later. Journalist Joshua Lampol interviews the greatest singers, conductors, stage directors, and music directors from around the world, giving a 360º view of the classical music industry. Hear from legendary conductors like Kent Nagano or Seiji Ozawa and star singers like Renee Fleming and Samuel Ramey; then from singers who were, at the time, rising to star status like Rolando Villazón, Natalie Dessay, and Joyce DiDonato.
9. The Impossible Art: Adventures in Opera by Matthew Aucoin (2021)
This book is ultimately a love letter to the artform by examining how one story evolved over 400 years in the operatic canon and what impacts we still feel today. What I loved most about this book is an analogy Aucoin uses in the introduction by naming the Three Opera Laws of Gravity.
Opera Law of Gravity I: the external is the internal
Opera Law of Gravity II: all speech is ‘dream speech’
Opera Law of Gravity III: opera transforms pain into pleasure
From there is a thrilling journey through opera history using the Orpheus story
8. A Short History of Opera by Grout & Williams (2003)
There are multiple editions of this book but what was originally a required textbook for a graduate opera history class has turned out to be one of my most used resources as a professional. Ironically titled, this tome spans the earliest days of classical performance art through modernity making it a thorough and reliable research tool. Considering Donald Jay Grout is the Bathilda Bagshot of Western music history, it wouldn’t have been right not to include him on this list.
7. Song: A Guide to Song Style & Literature by Carol Kimball (2006)
Kimball’s incredible collection is the only book on this list where you don’t have to read cover-to-cover. Instead, I find myself constantly using this as a research resource to find composers who have fallen into obscurity or to add an extra layer to your interpretation. The context and selections provided are great if you need an endless rabbit hole to tumble into.
6. The Art of the Song Recital by Emmons & Sonntag (2002, revised)
While this book also functions as a resource like number 7, I do highly recommend reading this one cover-to-cover. With tons of sample recital program examples and detailed explanations of performance practice, my favorite theme throughout the book is the pure love of the craft. The authors take readers through the entirety of the process beginning with research and programming through rehearsal and performance. Every time I re-read I’m reminded of how much I do, and should, relish in the research as much as I do the performance.
5. Tales & Tips From the Pit by Kurt Hennings (2015)
A self-published, short read; this guide for new music directors in community theater was full of insights for me as a performer. I originally bought it in preparation for a community musical I was conducting but have referred to be several times since. As singers, we never get enough time with the conductors we’re working with so it’s important to be able anticipate their needs as well as our own.
4. Great Singers on Great Singing by Jerome Hines (1984)
Similar to Living Opera, we return to a collection of interviews from the greatest voices of the 20th century. Venerated artists like Franco Corelli, Placido Domingo, Marilyn Horne, Beverly Sills, Joan Sutherland, Sherill Milnes, and others discuss all aspects of singing and opera life. It’s easy for us to forget that our doors are open only because of every musician who preceded us - from church singers to international artists - we’re all standing on the shoulders of greats who came before us. This book is a window into the Golden Age of singing from the primary sources themselves.
3. The Don Giovanni Moment edited by Lydia Goethe & Daniel Herwitz (2006)
Subtitled Essays on the Legacy of An Opera, this book is not about Mozart, Da Ponte, or their masterpiece(s). Rather, this book is a collection of academic papers, articles, and essays reflecting on the evolution of the Don Juan character and the cultural impact the opera had on the arts after its premiere in 1787. It leans on the academic side of things on this list so if that interests you them this one is for you. Harking back to loving the research from number 6
2. The Naked Voice: A Wholistic Approach to Singing by W. Stephen Smith (2002)
One of the most reputable voice pedagogues in the United States, Stephen Smith wrote a deconstructionist guide to singing. After an excellent review of the fundamentals, Smith breaks phonating down further to lightly speaking and builds the voice through its fullest potential and brings the entire body along for the ride. His students are some of the most famous in opera today and this book alone has done wonders for my technique.
1. The Music Teaching Artist's Bible: Becoming A Virtuoso Educator by Eric Booth (2009)
I love being a teaching artist. It fuels me and makes my work as an artist better. I have Prof. Kyle Spraker of Boston, MA for introducing me to the incredible work of Eric Booth and his techniques of bringing our musical art to students everywhere. While his work is not for the music educator or classroom teaching, his work easily applies to any group settings. His multiple books are great for all teaching artists but his bible is the perfect starting place.
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