Power of Performance for Singers – Transcending the Barriers by Shirlee Emmons & Alma Thomas

Power of Performance for Singers – Transcending the Barriers by Shirlee Emmons & Alma Thomas

Power of Performance for Singers – Transcending the Barriers by Shirlee Emmons & Alma Thomas

This is the last ‘official’ book of my books I have carried with me around the world. I’ve decided to keep it, so it holds a special place above the others in that sense. I am sad I did not read this book sooner, but, in a lot of ways, I can say that for all the books I’ve taken the time to read on this trip. Plus, it’s never too late to learn and, at least, I’ve read it now. Take the philosophy of: it was read when I was ready to read it.

This book offers a lot of practical exercises to help with any of the physiological problems which can arise from singing or any performer. The, only chapter, for me, I would give a bit of a wide birth is Chapter 15 – Exploring and Planning “Meaning” for Performance or, as I see it, the singers acting. I done a lot of work on my own acting and this chapter goes against quite a bit of what I have learned to bring a character to life. It’s not wrong in what it says is required, but how you go about it, just gets me into my head, hence, why I went to acting training to get me away from the ‘singing acting’ and into the actor acting.

Otherwise, I believe, anyone with an open mind would gain some insight to dealing with any problems they may face in this industry. It talks about the ideals and the fact that those ideals often don’t exist, but you do the best you can.

My favourite part was the part which explained so well about keeping your goals about performance and not about outcome – loved it!

Voice and Verse – a study in English Song by H.C. Colles

Voice and Verse – a study in English Song by H.C. Colles

Voice & Verse: A Study in English Song by H.C. Colles

This book was written in 1928, almost 100 years ago. I didn’t know that when I decided to take it along on this trip, but it still rings of truths that are endangering todays English Opera/Music, as it did then. In this book, Colles argues how music, all music, comes from the voice and, he presents a very valid argument, one I had not considered. That, even, explains, why some of the modern interpretation of the 20th century didn’t/doesn’t work, as it comes from a pure instrument approach and tries to neglect the vocal influence on music – hence it’s lack of appeal and why, this style of music, often, doesn’t work. He even goes so far to say that instruments evolve purely from the voice.

It’s written from a series of lectures which were given at Glasgow University and, boy, do I wish I could have been there to hear them, as they used singers to sing the examples presented in the book to help emphasize his arguments of why English song and Opera have struggled to ever find a firm footing. When it has, it loses it quickly, due to poor public appreciation. One example he mentions is how the English public does not hold onto that which marries the mastery of words/drama well with musical composition – examples such as Purcell and Sullivan. How sad, that I have to say that this problem, in my mind, still very much exists today for English writing of music. I believe, the Americans have done far better at this than the Brits. The amount of times, since living in Britain, I’ve heard the cynical snort of Sullivan, is far too often. I think it is very sad, that someone who wrote something so engaging and fun is thrown onto a pile of ‘poor music’ because of its subject matter and not for its genius of writing.

I am so glad I read this book, as it has helped me to understand what has eluded my understanding of the British attitude to its own music and its poor support of it. It’s true there have been some great successes, but, really, overseas performers/composers and musicians can often go a lot further, mainly due to the fact, that they are often working in their own languages of birth. The Brits produce some great people, but they have to learn how to do it in a lot of different cultures – this including American culture. British classical music struggles because there is still too little of it written that has gone very far. Hence Colles fears are still the fears of today – almost 100 years on:

“Dramatic expression of words through song is an essential stage through which a nation’s music must pass if it is to maintain its identity. We value French, German, Italian, Russian music because each has maintained its identity and shown itself different from the art of its neighbours. Our neighbours cannot value British music because they cannot find that it has an identity in which it differs from theirs. That is because we have refused to allow it the necessary scope to expand. We have said an emphatic ‘no’ each time it has approached the dramatic phase of its development, have silenced each composer in turn on the plea that opera is an imperfect form of art and that anyhow foreign composers can do it better. The argument has been that we want very little opera, so let us import that little from the best foreign firm. That may seem commercially sound, but in that case it is not commercially sound to go on creating and enlarging institutions for training composers and performers. If we are not going to have English opera, in the end we are not going to have British music. If we are not going to have British music, it is neither fair to the individuals concerned nor a sound policy for the community to encourage an appreciable proportion of the population, whose talents lie in that direction, to devote their lives to the provision of the unwanted commodity. Sooner or later we shall have to choose; we cannot long halt between two opinions.”

Singers of the Century – J.B. Steane

Singers of the Century – J.B. Steane

Singers of the Century

‘It makes one resolve when thinking of the singer, to spare some thought also for the human being.’ – I loved this quote from the book, if really shows J.B. Steane’s devotion to the singers he likes. For me, this book was not so well put together, mainly, in my mind, due to how short the biographies had to be to fit in 50 of them.  At times, they seem to lead down blind allies of non-comprehension.

Over all I liked reading about all these great singers, but the cohesion just wasn’t there, but it was refreshing to see there are all types at the top and they are all very much ‘human beings’.

Simon Rattle – The Making of a Conductor – by Nicholas Kenyon

Simon Rattle – The Making of a Conductor – by Nicholas Kenyon

Simon Rattle – The Making of a Conductor by Nicholas Kenyon

I wish I could say I had a master plan in the order of the books I’ve been reading, but I haven’t, and yet, there seems to be a distinct pattern forward. This book ends at 1987 and while some of the books I’ve read have gone beyond the timing, there is still a movement forward – a way forward. As I’ve read time and time again, in this series of books, the classical music industry is struggling and it has big competition – sports, TV, Film, Gaming, Internet, etc. Who wants to go to an art form, which quite frankly, just seems to constantly stare at its own belly button.

So what has this to do with this book, well, I feel, Simon Rattle has helped in his small way and in this period of time in his life, as I believe things are quite different for him now, that he helped to shack up those belly button starer to start to see what is really going on and how it can be done differently. I am not saying that everything he did at this time is right and accurate and all musicians can do the same, but there is a sense of finding the confidence and strength to work at it, believe in your instincts and judgements – where they work or not.

I enjoyed it, which surprised me, as I knew very little about this man before reading this book, but it’s quite something to read how the pegs all fell into place and he had the courage to stick to what he believed. Unlike the author, I do feel he was lucky too! I am a firm believer that luck or destiny is involved when people, so called, make it and there was a lot of that in this story of Simon Rattle – why not, I believe in the saying ‘we make our own luck’ and I believe we are all lucky in our own ways.

I wanted to find out where Simon Rattle is now, not surprising he went to Germany and has worked there for a long time. Soon, he will move on again, maybe retirement, because he can afford to sit back and enjoy it or maybe, it’ll be America and LA at long last. I don’t feel London will ever hold for him what makes him tick – that city is still a bit too much about the belly button staring. A quote from Simon in the book about this:

Interviewer: “What about the problems like whether to follow the metronome marks?”

Simon: “These things are all just dogmas: the dogma of following the metronome marks, the dogma of the squeezed note, the dogma of borrowing this way or that. They’re too rigid, and if you think those things will provide you with answers about how to do the piece, you’re wrong. But I think if you rehearse a very small part of the piece, as you saw us doing in those early sectionals, and insist on certain things, a certain approach to phrasing and so on, then with intelligent musicians it will spread over the whole piece. So without sounding pretentious the thing is to get a microcosmic approach to detail which actually creates a macro-cosmic approach to the while symphony.

You need gradually to build it up: like running – I used to run, believe it or not – you don’t go first for the full distance, unless you’re an idiot; you build up gradually. That’s what I hate about an orchestra where you’re given an overall view to start with. You can’t unpick it. And in London you rarely have time to unpick it anyway. I believe in building up from the very smallest bricks and making performances like that, and the nearer we get to the performance the more I want to be performing.
I find I am not good at letting things go. I mean, God, as an English conductor you really ought to be, because that’s what you expect from the players: leave it to us, and it will be fine. With the London orchestras you can get a solid level of performance, but it’s so predictable. I find that unless I’ve built it up gradually, and have a certain amount of structural order, then I don’t have enough rigour to give me the freedom I need.”

When the Music Stops: Managers, Maestros and the coporate murder of classical music

When the Music Stops: Managers, Maestros and the corporate murder of classical music

When the Music Stops: Managers, Maestros and the Corporate Murder of Classical Music

I have no idea how I acquired this book, but, I have some vague remembrance of buying it to get a better understanding of the industry today. I have to echo what others have said, this book is not for the faint hearted. If you have delusions of grandeur for a carrier in the Classical Music business, this is likely to kill them, especially if you aren’t a young and up and coming performer, but really, it’s pretty bleak for all artists.

Still, I am glad I read it, even if I had to grip tight at times at the detail of corruption and for how long. I would say, try to take a pinch of salt, but, it really does seem quite accurate, even for today, it was first published in 1996, but it gives a huge legacy of how things are the way they are today. Ironically, it does do some comparisons to sports, which has had a similar corruption done to it. Run by big corporations, with little or no understanding of this incredible style of art and how the big stars have contributed to the current day dearth of any long term relationships with artists, this book exposes the’ what sells’ attitude of the current industry and not what it was more like 100 years ago when there was more of a nurturing of incredible talent that is out there. So if you are a one hit wonder, this book, is likely to give you some great insight, but personally, I’ve always been one for the long game of doing the best I can and working on my art, as best I can.

Plus, as always, its luck, you can be the best at what you do and just not have the opportunity, I’ve seen this over and over; someone who maybe great at promoting themselves, isn’t always great at the art form and vis-versa. It’s just the nature of the beast today and it’s better to accept this and do the art because it’s something you really believe in and hope for the best.

The book does end on a fairly upbeat note, stating some stories of professionals who are doing this because they love it and have managed to eke out a living by creating their own niche. So, as I’ve often heard, if you want to do something, do it yourself, seems to be the catch phrase and even if no great big producer/manager/agent falls in love with your work, at least, you have the personal satisfaction of having done something brilliant and it’s all your own. I know I have done this with my ‘Miss Givings’ one woman show and it has been a wonderful adventure and artistic joy. The reviews have been good as well!