Rating: 
Summary: A Great Singer interviews Opera Stars on the Art of Song
Review: The classical music world lost an outstanding bass when Jerome Hines died. Hines holds the record for most performances at the venerable Metropolitan Opera House and was an outstanding Christian artist.
In this book he interviews 40 opera stars (the likes of Pavarotti, Milnes, Domingo, Milanova, Horne, Sutherland and
many others) about the technical vocal aspects of their difficult
art. He also includes two interviews with throat specialists and a good interview with a music critic.
The book is good for aspiring singers but the biographical data on the stars is kept to a minimum. This is because Hines wants the book to deal with the art of singing rather than delve into the careers of the artists whom he talked with over several years.
As a non-singer but opera fan I thought he did a fine job in explaining the way an opera singer has to prepare for the stage. One comes away knowing that opera singers have to be smart, have
great stamina and remain in top physical condition to practice their craft. Well done.
Rating: 
Summary: Read and Reread with Great Enjoyment and Benefit!
Review: Getting a copy of this book from my vocal coach was like getting a blue ribbon, because she said that I had reached the point in my singing skills that I could benefit from it. Since then, I've read and reread it many times, and like to pick it up and reread a chapter or a page or two for inspiration and advice from the great singers who are interviewed... especially when it's performance time or when I'm having some trouble with some aspect of singing. Jerome Hines "gets inside the heads" of those talented hard working people and tells us how they do it + he brings it all to us in an interesting, entertaining and educational way.
Rating:
Summary: A must read for any young singer
Review: Hines interviews with character and intrigue. He asks the artists to explain to us, the best they can about many important aspects of singing. He is persistent and entertaining. Read this book!
Rating:
Summary: Full of intimate, unguarded, practical advice
Review: Hines, at a time when he needed vocal advice himself, asked his operatic peers to tell him just how they sing. Their unguarded answers are greatly revealing, and greatly useful to the aspiring singer; that's why this book has been in demand for decades.
Rating:
Summary: A fantasy of mine come true!
Review: I have always fantasized of sitting down with the world's great singers to find out what their personal philosophies of vocal production were. When this book was published I was astonished and delighted. Simply wonderful reading for the more advanced singer, definitely not for the beginner. Enjoy, enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful man, a wonderful book.
Review: I have had the great pleasure of knowing the great Jerome Hines for a number of years, and have been a student of his as well. This book will stand as one of the greatest resources for any professional singer or fan of opera. I can't tell you how many times I've turned to the pages of this book to gain a little insight into a particular artist and their voice. But no one should ever consider a book like this as a replacement for a good teacher. As the opening sentence of the book states "This book may be dangerous to your health". Use it only as a guide into the minds of some of the worlds greatest singers, not as a blueprint to singing success. I will guard my copy of this book jealously for as long as there is a song in my heart.P.S. Maureen Cote, his first book is more of an autobiography, and is, indeed, very inspirational. It also deals with many of his personal religious experiences in an uninhibited and straightforward manner (much like Jerome himself). He can be reached through the foundation he established in Newark, New Jersey called the Opera Music Theater International.(OMTI)
Rating:
Summary: Very informative and educational
Review: If you're looking for a book that will give practical advice for an advanced singer, your search is over. Jerome Hines has interviewed some of the Metropolitan Opera's brightest stars, and each one shares their vocal techniques, solutions for common problems, and musical background. If you are serious about studying voice, this book is an invaluable resource to you.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful insights by accomplished vocal artists
Review: Proving once again that there is no "just follow these simple steps and you'll be a great performing vocalist" recipe to greatness. Through many interviews with accomplished singers, this book proves that each artist must struggle (even with great talent in hand) to find their own unique way to vocal greatness. Many of the interviews confirm the universal vocal truths we all know too well. But there are also some unique pearls of wisdom and insight from highly accomplished vocalists which makes this book well worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful insights by accomplished vocal artists
Review: Proving once again that there is no "just follow these simple steps and you'll be a great performing vocalist" recipe to greatness. Through many interviews with accomplished singers, this book proves that each artist must struggle (even with great talent in hand) to find their own unique way to vocal greatness. Many of the interviews confirm the universal vocal truths we all know too well. But there are also some unique pearls of wisdom and insight from highly accomplished vocalists which makes this book well worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: Not Just for Opera Singers
Review: Singers from other genres should not be deterred by the fact that for this book, Hines interviews singers from the Operatic genre, which is his partcular milieu; good vocal technique is good vocal technique, and I would recommend this book to anyone seriously interested in effective and efficient vocal production.
|
