Advice to Singers

Crowest, Frederick James, 1850-1927Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 186K words
Chapters: 19

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Advice to Singers by Frederick James CrowestAuthor: Crowest, Frederick James, 1850-1927,Language: English, Class: MT: Music: Musical instruction and study, Composition, Release Date: Oct 10, 2012

Editor's review

Advice to Singers is an advisory work by Frederick James Crowest written for singing students, belonging to the category of music education and vocal instruction texts, and reissued in electronic form through Project Gutenberg. The book does not present itself as a systematic course but offers counsel around study and singing practice, touching on attitudes toward practice, use of the voice, and professional cultivation. Its value lies in presenting vocal pedagogy concepts from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century: it emphasizes gradual progress, avoiding overuse of the voice, and respecting teachers' guidance, principles that still have reference value today. It is suitable as supplementary reading for vocal students and for enthusiasts of music education history observing older training discourse. When reading, one should draw on it according to one's current stage of study and need not treat its period-specific statements as modern vocal science conclusions.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Amateur singers currently studying voice who need reminders about practice attitudes
Readers of music education history interested in early vocal pedagogy concepts
Music majors who want to broaden their range of English-language music reading

Not a good fit for

Readers looking for modern voice medicine and scientific vocal training
Those hoping for systematic vocal exercise scores and step-by-step technical tutorials
Complete beginners with no musical background who need an introductory textbook

Reading tips

First read through the table of contents and the main point of each chapter, then closely read the advice relevant to your current stage of study.
When reading specific practice requirements, compare them with the content of your own voice lessons before deciding whether to adopt them.
Practice only one or two pieces of advice for a week at a time, record your impressions, and then read the book again.
It can be read alongside modern vocal textbooks to distinguish period-specific statements from principles that still apply.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Can this book replace a voice teacher?

No. It offers advice and guidance at the level of attitude, but lacks specific diagnosis and immediate correction tailored to an individual's vocal conditions; one should still study under a teacher's guidance and treat this book as auxiliary reference.

Are the methods in the book still effective now?

Some principles, such as emphasizing gradual progress, protecting the voice, and respecting teachers, still have reference value, but the book was written quite early, and specific statements about vocal mechanisms should be judged in light of modern vocal and voice science knowledge.

Do I need to understand music theory to read it?

Most of the advice can be understood without a systematic foundation in music theory, but some experience in vocal study makes it easier to grasp the practice situations and terminology discussed.

Comments

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About the author

Crowest, Frederick James, 1850-1927 Author · British · 1850–1927

Frederick James Crowest (1850–1927) was a British music critic and writer. Public information about his life is limited, and the available records centre mainly on his writings on music. He wrote biographies of composers, works on music history, and popular books on opera. Two of his works are held in this collection: Verdi: Man and Musician and Advice to Singers. The former presents Verdi's life and creative work in a biographical manner, while the latter offers practical guidance to students of singing. His writing thus combines a scholarly footing with accessibility, serving both professional readers and ordinary music lovers. Clear and attentive to historical fact, his books played a useful part in introducing opera and vocal practice to a wider public and remain a reference for understanding nineteenth-century musicians and the art of singing.