Singers of the Century, Vol. 3 (Hardcover)

by J. B. Steane (Author) "'All'armi!' Manrico's battle-cry, with which Martinelli himself so often rallied the troops on stage in Il trovatore, leaps to his defence whenever the great tenor..." (more)
Key Phrases: light soprano, operatic debut, forza del destino, Covent Garden, New York, Wigmore Hall (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
No one quite puts a face to a voice to a word like the veteran and venerable Steane. -- James Manishen, Winnipeg Free Press , March 6, 2001

Steane…offers critical essays that seek out the singers’ special qualities and relate them to wider concerns in music and life. -- Book News, Inc.

Product Description
With a call to arms on behalf of the great tenor Martinelli and an affectionate tribute to his colleague Lucrezia Bori, John Steane introduces a further collection of vignettes on the life, art, and times of famous singers. The subjects of this third volume range from survivors of the so-called Golden Age of the 1890s, such as the formidable Lotte Lehman, to those whom the 20th century has bequeathed to the 21st, such as Cecilia Bartoli and Ian Bostridge. This is a personal selection that includes many of the great names, including Melchior, Heldentenor of the century, and Gigli, the most popular Italian singer of his generation. Also featured are younger American singers such as Renee Fleming, Ben Heppner, and Samuel Ramey. The entire series (for this is the final volume) ends with a chapter on Caruso, still widely regarded as the greatest of all.

Readers of Steane’s previous writings on singers will know that these are not bland endorsements of performers with well-established reputations but critical essays that seek out the special qualities of each singer and relate them to wider concerns in music and in life. His eloquent descriptions of the nuances of the vocal art are wonderful examples of the best kind of music appreciation.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 275 pages
• Publisher: Amadeus Press; illustrated edition edition (March 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574670573
• ISBN-13: 978-1574670578
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,300,702 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Colourful and heart-warming vignettes of great singers, February 18, 2001

By	Vincent Lau (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

Like its predecessor volumes, in this third (and final) instalment of this wonderful series, vocal connoisseur John B. Steane has once again managed to paint colourful and interesting vignettes for 63 notable singers of the 20th century. Restricting himself to around 1,500 words per chapter (there are altogether 50 of them arranged in random order), Steane goes straight into the heart of the matter and reveals with immense vividness and insight why the voices and images of those featured artistes are so dear to our hearts and why they occupy such exalted places in the annals of classical vocalism.

Given the limited space available, instead of charting the career of each singer in detail, Steane would highlight a few special recordings, performances or even musical phrases and gestures which, in his view, best embody the art, character and aura of these often larger-than-life personalities. These are buttressed by personal recollections and observations by the author himself throughout his many years of music appreciation. Indeed, given the wealth of Steane's experience, his views are often exceptionally illuminating, such as those in the discussion of the art of the French song (chapter for Gerard Souzay), the assessment of Alfredo Kraus's Werther, the almost phrase-by-phrase comparison between the Macbeths of Renato Bruson and Sherrill Milnes, the revelation of the "magic" of Maggie Teyte, the explanation Plancon's greatness and expressivity as a singer (as illustrated by the aria "Vi raviso, o luoghi amen"), the delineation of "Ich" by Ian Bostridge in Schubert's Winterreise, the outlining of the various strengths and weaknesses of Cecilia Bartoli, and the touching re-appraisal of Enrico Caruso, whose chapter brings the entire series to an end.

The actual style of writing is witty, warm and stylish. While an air of authority does seep into every phrase, there is also a sense of charm and intimacy throughout that makes the book hugely readable. Steane also quotes quite a lot from other eminent critics, some in support and some to contradict (e.g. those in the chapter on Claudia Muzio). Nevertheless, whether one agrees with Steane's assessments or not, the voices and images of these featured singers will immediately spring to one's mind when reading these delightful portraits, making one eager to reach for those records which have given one so much pleasure in the past to admire them with renewed interest or from a different (and perhaps more enlightened) perspective.

In the Foreword, Steane once again reiterates that the choice of singers in this series has been personal. Nevertheless, taking the 3 volumes of "Singers of the Century" as a whole, Steane does seem to favour those who possess a more traditionally beautiful voice (or a smoother vocal production) and those who have recorded well in the studio. And there are many glaring omissions: Astrid Varnay, Fritz Wunderlich, Gwyneth Jones, Jose van Dam, Anja Silja, Wolfgang Windgassen, Fedora Barbieri, Alessandro Bonci, Ebe Stignani, Piero Cappuccilli, Giulietta Simionato, Pierre Bernac, Helen Traubel, James King, Claire Croiza, Leo Nucci, Johanna Gadski, Mark Reizan, Agnes Baltsa, Cesare Siepi, Fiorenza Cossotto, Ramon Vinay, Ileana Cotrubas, Charles Santley, Teresa Berganza, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Anna Moffo, Geraint Evans, Beverly Sills, Leo Slezak, Magda Olivero, Ludwig Weber, Ferruccio Tagliavini, Maria Reining, Julius Patzak, Suzanne Danco, Gottlob Frick, Bidu Sayao, Maurice Renaud, Teresa Stratas, Erich Kunz, Lisa Della Casa, Leopold Simoneau, Rita Streich, Walter Berry, Leonie Rysanek, Kurt Bohme, Maria Muller, Paul Schoffler, Lilian Nordica etc.. Even when restricted to singers of the older generation, this reviewer can still easily name 50 other celebrated artistes which have not been featured in this three-volume series.

Can we have some more, please?