Singing and Imagination

Alan Blyth, Opera This is one of the best (if not the best) books to be written about singing in recent times. Hemsley talks so much common sense, touches on so many truths about singers, singing and performance, and writes it all in such well-proportioned, unencumbered prose that active singers and aspiring students alike can and should benefit from reading his many wise and enlightening words. The public who attend opera and song recitals would also profit from reading the volume ... With so much wisdom imparted it is no wonder Janet Baker writes in praise of 'the extraordinary wisdom and truth' within the book's pages.

Dame Janet Baker I couldn't put it down. Hemsley treats the subject seriously; everyone who is genuinely serious about singing, teacher, pupil, or listener, will find, as I did, extraordinary wisdom and truth within its pages ... His ideas should have far-reaching influence on the teaching of singing and the criteria used for accepting pupils into a vastly over-crowded profession'

<br>As a concert singer, Thomas Hemsley has performed a very extensive repertoire and has appeared as a soloist with symphony orchestras throughout Europe. He has sung under some of the greatest conductors of our time, and for such composers as Vaughan Williams, Hindemith, Stravinsky, Britten, Walton, Tippett, and Henze. He was Professor at Guildhall School of Music and Drama (1987-96) and Trinity College of Music (1988-92), and guest Professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Music.<br>

Introduction; I: THE BASIC PRINCIPLES; Readiness to sing - The Raw Material; Posture; Posture - Hints; The Impulse; The Intention; Intention - Hints; The Anacrusis; Colour; Falsetto; The Importance of Good Diction; The Singer's Ear; The Pitch-Intensity Effect; Breath; II: WORDS AND MUSIC; The Works of the Imagination - Words and Music; Legato and Tessitura; The Pulse; III: PERFORMANCE; Performance; Bibliography; Index