Damoreau: CLASSIC BEL CANTO TECHNIQUE

The singing style called bel canto (“beautiful song”) emphasizes absolute breath control, vocal sheen, evenness of tone, agility, and elegance. In this superb guide by a bel canto master, today’s singers will find a rare resource for attaining the glorious sound of the 18th-century Italian vocal technique, considered the only proper preparation for Mozart’s operas and the pre-Romantic Italian operas of Donizetti, Bellini, Rossini and others.

At the height of bel canto’s popularity during the early and middle 19th century, renowned teachers and singers compiled invaluable teaching materials that have since slipped into obscurity. This volume represents a gem from this lost treasury of bel canto training manuals—a renowned publi-cation by French soprano Laure-Cinthie Damoreau (1801—1863), who played leading roles in operas by Rossini, Auber, Spontini, and Meyerbeer, and taught at the Paris Conservatoire for 22 years.

An indispensable guide for modern singers, this volume provides an in-depth insight into authentic 19th-century vocal instrnction. In her thorough treatment of the subject, Mine. Damoreau offers numerous exercises with instructions for their effective use. Studies for scales, turns and trills, vocalises, solfeggio studies, and other exercises assist in training the voice, teaching sight-reading, and ensuring a clear and firm articulation of vowels and consonants without displacing the voice. The book concludes with an array of virtuoso passages, cadenzas and embellished passages from the author’s own operatic repertoire.

Unabridged Dover (1998) republication of Metodo di canto / Composto ad uso delle allieve del Con-servatorio di Parigi da Madama L. C. Damoreau / Traduzione Italiana di P Casati, G. Ricordi & C., Milano, n.d., itself a translation of the original French publication Méthode de chant, 1849. Introduction. Preface. Instructions with extensive music examples. New English translation by Victor Rangel-Ribeiro. 128pp. 9 3/8 x 12 1/4. Paperbound.

ISBN 0-486-29984-8