Annotated Bibliography

Laurel Soffer

MUPP 533-101

Shenandoah University
Boston J, Cook R. Breath in Action: the Art of Breath in Vocal and Holistic Practice.

London: Jessica Kingsley; 2009.

Breath in Action looks at the significance of breath to human life - not just the

simple fact that if we stop breathing, we die, but also the more subtle ways in

which our breath interacts with our voice and our being. The book is divided into

four sections: Breath and the Body; Breath and the Mind; Breath and Holistic

Practice; Breath and Performance. It offers the latest theories from a variety of

disciplines on how we can be taught to breathe better so as to communicate better,

act or sing better, feel better, live better. Cook combines theory with practice,

many of the chapters also offer clearly laid out breathing exercises and

techniques. This book specifically adds knowledge to your performance and the

way you use your air. It will be helpful as different techniques are laid out.

Hixon TJ. Respiratory Function in Singing: a Primer for Singers and Singing Teachers.

Tuscon, AZ: Redington Brown; 2006.

Respiratory Function in Singing provides a comprehensive journey into the role

of respiratory function in singing and dispenses with the folklore surrounding this

topic. Topics include: importance of respiratory function in singing, how lung

capacity influences the singing voice, differences between belly-in and belly-out

singing. This book is designed primarily for singers and singing teachers.

Speech-language pathologists who work with singers will also find it of value.

This book provides readers with the best scientific information available on

respiratory function in singing, and presents it in an easy-to-read format. In our

 research, this source will be helpful to compare other ways of teaching breath and

the anatomy of the breath specifically.

Miller KE. Principles of Singing: a Textbook for Voice Class or Studio. Englewood

Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall; 1998.

This book is a comprehensive presentation for vocal training. Explores needed

principles and techniques, and includes exercises, and vocalises. Appropriate for

those who already have some experience with music notation but who wish to

develop their vocal capability. This book provides a chapter dedicated to breath

control and breaks it down anatomically and also gives vocalises to help with

control, vowels, and use of breath. It also brings up chest breathing, costal

breathing, and diaphragmatic breathing.

Miller R. English, French, German, and Italian Techniques of Singing: a Study in

National Tonal Preferences and How They Relate to Functional Efficiency.

Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press; 1977.

Richard Miller’s book starts out with pedagogical controversy in the introduction

and then goes on to talk about tonal ideals, and goes into a thorough discussion of

the attack, the mechanics of breath management, specific breath management

techniques of each school, techniques of vowel formation in singing, techniques

of resonance in singing, laryngeal positioning, vibrato and national tendencies,,

the role of language in national pedagogies, national temperament and vocal

ideals, international tonal ideals, and the North American singer and the nation

schools. This book is going to be extremely helpful when it comes to learning

 different pedagogical techniques for support. French, English, German and

Italian all have different ways of teaching breath, tone, and support.

Miller R. Solutions for Singers: Tools for Performer and Teacher. New York: Oxford

University Press; 2004.

Richard Miller tackles problems raised during hundreds of his master classes and

pedagogy courses. He deliberately avoids abstract generalities, concentrating

instead on specific, recurring questions: What are some good exercises to loosen

or relax tension in the back of the tongue? Do you apply the same principles

regarding breathing to a younger student that you do to older students? The

questions are organized under ten broad topics, which Miller considers from

various points of view. He combines traditional and modern philosophies to

present the most relevant and precise solutions. The result is an invaluable

handbook for singers. This book is extremely helpful, especially for answering

specific questions. The way that Richard Miller formats this book is perfect for

what we need in our research of different pedagogical techniques of breath, tone,

and support. There are some questions that directly correlate to what we’re doing

and it is truly an amazing read.

Miller RC. The Structure of Singing: System and Art in Vocal Technique. Boston:

Schirmer; 2013.

Combining the physical, technical, and artistic aspects of singing, the author

applies current findings in medicine, acoustics, phonetics, and speech therapy to

the singer's needs. The text demonstrates the scientific basis of exercises and

vocalises, covering all major areas of vocal technique. Not only covering tone,

but also the anatomical understanding of the breath and how we can teach it to a

student no matter where that student is in their level of study. This book acts

similarly to “Your Voice: An Inside View”...and is extremely helpful for getting a

deeper knowledge of what the “voice” actually is.

Rose A. The Singer and the Voice: Vocal Physiology and Technique for Singers. London:

Scolar Press; 1978.In the Singer and the Voice, Arnold Rose takes up the problem of

combining musicianship and theory with voice production. Backed by over 20 years

of practical experience, with assistance from leading scientists, he has made a detailed

analysis of vocal production and training techniques. With the aid of original research

he throws new light on the mechanics of singing, and by a new approach to the

problems of resonance he makes a significant contribution towards the possibility of a

singer’s achieving positive control of tone color. This book is a fascinating survey for

those who are interested in singing or how to teach the art of singing. This book will

help those interested in teaching and even those who are students. There are training

techniques that he goes over that are extremely helpful for those trying to learn how to

control their breath and how to sustain well.

Smith WS, Chipman M. The Naked Voice: a Wholistic Approach to Singing. Oxford:

Oxford University Press; 2017.

Stephen Smith invites all singers to improve their vocal technique through his

renowned and time-tested wholistic method. He focuses not only on the most

important technical, but also on the often overlooked psychological and spiritual

elements of learning to sing, his book allows readers to develop their own full and

individual identities as singers. This is extremely important because as teachers

we need to be able to demonstrate this to our students. With philosophies and

techniques drawn from a lifetime of teaching voice, Smith demonstrates how one

can reveal the true unique sound of one's own voice by singing with the whole

self. The clear and easy style of The Naked Voice welcomes the reader into

Smith's teaching studio, and into conversation with Smith himself as he presents

the six simple and elegant exercises that form the core of his method. These

exercises provide a foundation for free singing, and lead singers through the step-

by-step process of mastering the technique. The Naked Voice is a must-read for

singers, and it gives teachers, students, amateurs and professionals, access to the

methods and ideas that have earned Smith his reputation as one of the most

highly-sought-after vocal instructors today.

4. Liszt - Les Preludes
The CTo7 chords in this example appear 6 times. The first two measures of the first three
lines all contain one. They affect the sound of the music! It makes the general melody
descend but only by a half step. Almost “waltzy”.We make a shift in measure 274 to c#
minor on the first beat with a pivot chord, I in A major and VI in c# minor.
THE BIG QUESTION: Analyzing chromatic music is difficult in that it can be so
subjective. I have my undergraduate degree from here at Shenandoah University and we
NEVER labeled CTo7 chords. That was not how they were defined. Which I then pose
roughly the same question, if everyone learns how to label chromatic chords differently,
yet we all know their function, why do we spend time analyzing them? I’d rather listen to
the music and enjoy it then argue if I think the chord is a CTo7 or an augmented chord.