Customer Reviews

Introduction to the Art of Singing by Johann Friedrich Agricola (Cambridge Musical Texts and Monographs)

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Julianne Baird's "Introduction to the Art of Singing" (1995) is far more than it appears. It is, of course, an English translation of Agricola's German text (1757), which in turn was a translation of the original Italian text by Tosi (1723) -- a monumental and often amusing work in itself. Agricola made his own observations regarding Tosi's work, and Julianne Baird has truly created an entirely new book by virtue of the observations she makes in her footnotes, which are very extensive. Baird is not only a scholar, but also an accomplished performer and so takes a very thorough approach to this treatise. She and Cambridge University Press are careful to delineate what parts of the text are Tosi, Agricola and Baird. It is an invaluable reference work for the serious student of historical vocal practice.

Not one, but two prominent musicians of the Baroque era discussing the finer points of vocal performance practice of that period, plus valuable clarifications and cross-references provided by a modern scholar (Baird). So many aspects of Baroque vocal performance practice were never written down by the composers - it was expected that the performers would improvise ornamentation in the style of the day. Consequently, rare sources like this one provide the modern scholar with some of the only available primary source material on the subject. Well-organized and surprisingly easy to read.