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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE History of singing, January 19, 2000
This review is from: The Great Singers: From the Dawn of Opera to Caruso, Callas and Pavarotti (A fireside book) (Paperback)
It is a travesty that this book is now out of print, as Pleasant's first great book, The Agony of Modern Music, has been for a long time. This book creates a window into the past, an idea of how the greatest singers before the advent of recording actually sounded. He brings them to life again, in short, vivid chapters. When you read this book, you get a clearer idea of how Bellini and Donizettis' operas sounded when Rubini and Grisi and Malibran were actually alive and singing them for the first time. Anyone who wants a better appreciation for opera should read this book. Any classical singer who doesn't is missing a critical part of their education. Pleasants covers performance practice from the Baroque through Strauss, from vocalism to ornamentation and the shifts in the balance of power between singer, composer, and conductor (and, now, director). It is an essential book. Henry Pleasants died this month 1/5/2000. We have lost a great man. Maybe the publishers will notice this and reprint his books. Finally.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A basic title for your library, January 10, 2006
This review is from: The Great Singers: From the Dawn of Opera to Caruso, Callas and Pavarotti (A fireside book) (Paperback)
Henry Pleasants writes beautifully and with great understanding about the history of opera, and the singers throughout history. You will get insight about the music they sang as well.
Grab a copy for your library while you can still get hold of one. This is one is a keeper.
Mine is falling apart I consult it so much.
I guess I loved it to pieces.
Roberta Prada, www.vocalimages.com
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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent history, February 2, 2006
This review is from: The Great Singers: From the Dawn of Opera to Caruso, Callas and Pavarotti (A fireside book) (Paperback)
I just finished re-reading this - again. It's really too bad it's out of print, as there are few works that can match its knowledge and analysis. The only drawback for me is the frequent use of rather silly characterizations: emotional singing reflects the singer's "Italian heritage," or reference to the "coldness of Northern European singing," or the many references to "manly" singing/voices. Though written from the perspective of an earlier generation, there really is no excuse for this kind of writing. Get past that, though, and the rest is just great; I find it particularly valuable in helping to assess the current crop of singers.
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