Singing Schumann: An Interpretive Guide for Performers
Author(s): Richard Miller (Author)
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication Date: April 28, 2005
Edition: Revised ed.
Language: English
Print length: 260 pages
ISBN-10: 0195181972
ISBN-13: 9780195181975
Book Description
To restrict performance of the Schumann Lieder to the “familiar forty” is to deprive the singer and pianist of a major reservoir of superior song. Thus Singing Schumann not only takes an in-depth look at the widely performed middle and late Lieder, it also fully reconsiders the early songs. Offering the same readability and informed insights in this volume that distinguished his acclaimed On the Art of Singing (OUP 1996), Miller presents a practical manual to help singers and pianists bring Robert Schumann’s Lieder to life in performance. He also provides cogent suggestions for interpretation of all of Schumann’s solo and duet songs, useful pointers that are grounded in a thorough understanding of Schumann’s compositional style and its full historical background.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“…he provides both a closely reasoned argument…and a deeply felt diary revealing a mature, intellectual, and passionate performer’s and pedagogue’s life experience with Schubert’s songs….An important wake-up call for students of singing and for scholars who have not explored beyond the obvious masterworks of 1840, this book is a new classic, recommended for all academic and professional collections.”–Choice
“Professor Miller’s knowledge of this field is staggering. . . . I marvel at the author’s ability to write clearly, engagingly, and often with humor.” –William McIver, Professor of Voice, University of North Carolina, Greensboro
“Singing Schumann is a strikingly brilliant and remarkably enlightening work, skillfully conceived and lovingly written. Unquestionably the most important treatise on Schumann Lieder to emerge in nearly two decades, it is a masterful blending of keen insight and strong conviction.” –Gary Arvin, Professor of Vocal Coaching and Repertoire, Indiana University School of Music
“…[an] invaluable study….As a keen-eared musical and literary critic, writing confidently yet undogmatically in lithe prose, Miller will be enjoyed every bit as much by the listener…as by the performer….[a] refreshing, demanding and often compelling study.”–Hilary Finch, BBC Music
Book Description
Offers astute, practical advice for bringing Robert Schumann’s Lieder to life in performance.
About the Author
In addition to his long and distinguished performance career, Richard Miller is internationally known for master classes in systematic vocal technique and artistic interpretation. He is Director and Professor at the Otto B. Schoepfle Vocal Arts Center at Oberlin College, and has written several books and articles.
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