A New Approach to Sight Singing (Fourth Edition) [Plastic Comb]

Sol Berkowitz (Author), Gabriel Fontrier (Author), Leo Kraft (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0393969088 | ISBN-13: 978-0393969085 | Publication Date: January 17, 1997 | Edition: 4th

A New Approach to Sight Singing continues to lead the pack with its innovative and class-tested method of teaching the four-semester sight singing sequence.

The authors "new approach" places the act of singing melodies at sight within the context of musicianship as a whole.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Perry Goldstein is Professor of Music at Stony Brook University, where he is responsible for all aspects of the undergraduate and graduate musicianship programs and also teaches music composition, theory, and analysis. His teaching has been recognized by Stony Brook University’s President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and by the State University of New York's Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. He is the author of Rudiments of Music: A Concise Guide to Music Theory, and has written about music for the New York Times and the Library of Congress, among many other publications. He is an active composer with fifteen recordings to his credit and performances worldwide.

Edward Smaldone is Professor of Music and Director of the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. He is the recipient of the Goddard Lieberson Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, as well as grants and awards from ASCAP, The Macdowell Colony, Yaddo Corporation, The Charles Ives Center for the Arts and the American Music Center. Smaldone’s music has been performed by the Munich Radio Orchestra, the Denver Chamber Orchestra, The Memphis Symphony and many other ensembles throughout the United States, Canada and Europe and is recorded on the CRI, New World Records and Capstone labels. Smaldone has more than 30 years of college teaching experience in the areas of music theory and musicianship. --This text refers to the Spiral-bound edition.

Product Details

• Plastic Comb: 352 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 4th edition (January 17, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393969088
• ISBN-13: 978-0393969085
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #124,139 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review of "A New Approach to Sight Singing", April 5, 2000

By 

Steven Wowk (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A New Approach to Sight Singing (Fourth Edition) (Plastic Comb)

The authors of this book are simply incredible! It is the greatest tool for sight-reading I have ever seen. There are many things to work on in this book besides reading melodies. This book contains melodies for sight singing, duets, a sing and play section that incorporates piano playing into the sight singing. There is also a glossary of terms and an appendix of frequently used musical signs that can help the beginner or the forgetful musician in training. There are exercises of every variety in this book. Exercises are written in all the major and minor keys, including the harmonic and melodic scales, in the treble, alto, and bass clefs, and there are even exercises that revert to the Greek modes. This book is perfect for all sight singers, from the beginner to the most accomplished musician.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book, but older editions better, December 3, 2004

By 

SamBK (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A New Approach to Sight Singing (Fourth Edition) (Plastic Comb)

I bought this book mainly because I was using an older
edition of the book I borrowed from library. Comparing
that to the available literature, I found it extremely
educational and well organized. It is a great book
that takes you slowly through different skills of
sight singing, with plenty of exercises for each one.
The exercises are sorted from easy to more complex
ones. The book is fit for people both singing in
chorus or solo. The rest of the book are exercises
that are more like music pieces (rather than
exercises) and come with piano accompaniment and one
chapter is dedicated to duos.

However to me it seems that this edition is a little
more simplified and less serious than the previous
ones. Also I think for the price you pay, you deserve
a more decent cover than plastic comb (the earlier
editions are hardcover).

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For the serious singer, August 23, 2004

By 

M.A. Malloy (Virginia Beach, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A New Approach to Sight Singing (Fourth Edition) (Plastic Comb)

This is a fabulous, progressive book of sight-singing exercises for the serious vocalist. It should be noted that this book will NOT teach you HOW TO sight-sing...it is not a tutorial in that sense. You have to know the basics already, such as recognizing music notation and key signatures. However, the exercises are the best I've found yet as "raw material" for reinforcing the solfege and rhythm aspects of sight-singing. It includes both "contrived" exercises by the authors as well as excerpts from well-known songs and classic literature. Be aware that the site has multiple listings for this book...when purchasing, especially used, make sure you get the 4th edition, because it includes revisions and additional exercises that were not part of previous editions. New, it is pricey, but I purchased a beautiful, used copy here and saved a bundle off the list price. Worth every penny!