Bel Canto Principles and Practices

by Cornelius L. Reid

Bel Canto Principles and Practices stirrers a renewal of interest in the teaching technique upon which the Golden Age of Singing was founded.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

211 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1972

Reviews

[DivaDiane SM · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had just met and begun working with Cornelius Reid when I read this book. I'm very glad I was exposed to the work on my person before reading this book. The principles are sound, but in my opinion there is too much ranting against the voice establishment. I recommend it nonetheless. It is a good foundation and introduction to Bel Canto (or Functional Voice Training) as (re-)developed by the master.

[Steve Wales]

An interesting examination of bel canto singing, explaining how the principles used in teaching singing technique have changed from concentrating on vowel purity to perfect intonation, to modern attempts to 'place' sounds, etc., via misunderstandings of old techniques and terminology. Reid explains the two registers of the voice according to bel canto ('chest' voice and 'head' or falsetto) and the painstaking efforts students were expected to make to perfect each register and only then combine them to eliminate the break in between. He also examines how new scientific methods have been able to determine how sounds are produced, but that these only tell us about vocal organs which are not under conscious control, and thus the information is of no practical pedagogical use (since nobody can 'produce a vibration of the vocal chords of 7 cycles per second' or similar on command).

Reid does go on a bit - reiterating and repeating the same points again and again, but the basic ideas are interesting and useful for vocalists.

[Oliver Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the earliest articulations of the functional approach to singing.

[Alison Stephenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this a very satisfying book - moving inextricably from the potential violence of the invasion through to the fragile relationships that began developing in that enclosed shared world, and then inevitably back to the violence... and it always seemed emotionally authentic. It was only the ending that to me seemed unlikely and unsatisfactory.