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The Inner Voice: The Making of a Singer Hardcover – November 4, 2004

by Renee Fleming (Author)

194 ratings

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A Grammy Award-winning soprano whose achievements earned her an honorary doctor of music from the Juilliard School describes her struggles to launch her career, the individuals who influenced her life, the challenges she faces with the business side of the music industry, and her philosophies about the heart-throat-mind connection. 75,000 first printing.

Print length

240 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Viking Adult
Publication date

November 4, 2004
Dimensions

6.28 x 0.86 x 9.34 inches
ISBN-10

0670033510
ISBN-13

978-0670033515
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

From Publishers Weekly Calling this candid account "the autobiography of my voice," soprano Fleming details the years of study it took to master the art of vocal production and the discipline that brought her international renown. A former manager deemed her "the single most ambitious singer he has ever known," and given the tenacity with which she faced early setbacks"I have a noble history of being rejected from a lot of places," she writeshis comment is understandable. After her first big break in 1990 (as the Countess in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro with the Houston Grand Opera), Fleming's rise to the top was steady. But she's quick to point out that the life of an opera star is not always glitter and glamour; the business side of singingscheduling performances, arranging interviews and recordings, choosing a repertoire and marketing herselfis arduous. Although Fleming offers glimpses into her personal life, touching on her failed marriage and her loving relationship with her two daughters and concluding with a chapter describing what she experiences backstage during a Metropolitan Opera production, this is not a deeply intimate autobiography full of childhood vignettes, personal anecdotes and behind-the-curtains gossip. Instead, it's a realistic portrait of what it takes to succeed and a volume intriguing for its advice and honesty. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interview with Renee Fleming
Renee Fleming speaks about recent projects, including The Inner Voice and her recent Handel CD, in our interview.

From Publishers Weekly

Calling this candid account "the autobiography of my voice," soprano Fleming details the years of study it took to master the art of vocal production and the discipline that brought her international renown. A former manager deemed her "the single most ambitious singer he has ever known," and given the tenacity with which she faced early setbacks—"I have a noble history of being rejected from a lot of places," she writes—his comment is understandable. After her first big break in 1990 (as the Countess in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro with the Houston Grand Opera), Fleming's rise to the top was steady. But she's quick to point out that the life of an opera star is not always glitter and glamour; the business side of singing—scheduling performances, arranging interviews and recordings, choosing a repertoire and marketing herself—is arduous. Although Fleming offers glimpses into her personal life, touching on her failed marriage and her loving relationship with her two daughters and concluding with a chapter describing what she experiences backstage during a Metropolitan Opera production, this is not a deeply intimate autobiography full of childhood vignettes, personal anecdotes and behind-the-curtains gossip. Instead, it's a realistic portrait of what it takes to succeed and a volume intriguing for its advice and honesty.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From The New Yorker

Classical-music insiders are not the only audience for this book, a kind of professional autobiography that mixes Letters to a Young Singer-style technical advice ("Taking a vague vocal concept from another singer is a little bit like sinking your life's savings into a stock tip you overhear at a cocktail party") with day-in-the-life bits that show how difficult it is to attain—and sustain—the life of a superstar. Occasional touches of writerly flair suggest the hand of Fleming's friend and collaborator Ann Patchett, but some of the best passages (such as a moment-by-moment account of singing the role of Violetta in a performance of Verdi's "La Traviata" at the Met) have a no-nonsense appeal that fits the image of Fleming as an unpretentious but deeply ambitious artist, driven forward by a sense of inadequacy yet buoyed by a keen awareness of her gifts.
Copyright © 2005 The New Yorker

From Booklist

Fleming is considered one of the preeminent sopranos gracing today's operatic stage. To hear her in interviews is to appreciate not only her passion and knowledge of vocal music but also her plainspoken eloquence. These traits carry over into her memoir as well, making this recollection of her life and career thus far as personable as she certainly must be in her offstage life and as inviting as one of her at-once astonishing and soothing performances. What most opera lovers--who will make up the majority of readers here--will want to know about is her vocal training, the history of which she spells out in spirited and humanizing detail. She was raised in a musical household in which her parents, who both taught music, made certain singing was as important an element as food and shelter. Fleming retraces her steps in her education and coaching, generously giving credit where credit is due (including to her vocal cords, "two little pieces of cartilage [that] have taken me to unimaginable places"). Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Renée Fleming has been heralded throughout the world by public and press as one of the great voices of our time. An international artist for more than a decade, she is recognized for her compelling artistry, beautiful sound, and interpretive talents.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Viking Adult (November 4, 2004)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0670033510
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0670033515
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.28 x 0.86 x 9.34 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #635,100 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #229 in Classical Musician Biographies
- #633 in Vocal & Singing
- #1,018 in Music Techniques (Books)

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Mr. Larry S. Ledford

A Masterful Masterclass in Life

Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2018

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Fleming's "......Making of a singer" should, and probably will be required reading for students in every music department, school and conservatory everywhere. It is a masterclass for any musician, not just singers' , and a life lesson for anyone else. For fans of Fleming the soprano there are many insights into the woman, not just the diva. Readers will find themselves wanting to take notes. If the intricate details of vocal production are beyond some readers' understanding, they serve as vivid reminders that no great vocal artist simply takes a breath and lets loose a glorious torrent of magical sound. Fleming's writing introduces fans to the "Working Mother" who takes audiences on her magic carpet on stage and jots down her grocery list in her dressing room. Brava Fleming !

6 people found this helpful

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monikerlewinsky

Wow! What a great book!

Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2021

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On top of a stellar career in opera she writes a deeply thoughtful and insightful book. This is a woman who has thought deeply about every aspect of her music, acting, art, her personal struggles, and is so open and generous in sharing it so beautifully with us.

Anyone who has made music their passion will be able to relate to this book, and those who have chosen a life in any of the arts, or who has taken a path in life that's different from what their friends did.
I'm going to read this book again and listen to the arias she talks about - especially the ones she struggled with.

If you've never been a musician, this book will take you deep inside a world you never dreamed existed - a way of living that's completely different from the kind of life you see around you.

I can't recommend this book highly enough!

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Baseball Fan

A Memoir For Those Who Deeply Appreciate the Arts

Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2010

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Renée Fleming is generally acclaimed as the reigning operatic soprano of the day, enjoying a worldwide stature comparable to that afforded only a few divas of the past: e.g., Joan Sutherland, Maria Callas, Beverly Sills, et al. Renée Fleming's "The Inner Voice: The Making of a Singer", is a compelling autobiography that recounts Ms. Fleming's remarkable career as a "three-prong singer" who not only sings opera, but also sings recitals with piano and concerts with orchestras. Without glorifying herself, Ms. Fleming describes how she has achieved success via hard work, tenacity, resilience and luck. As Ms. Fleming states (of her memoir), "What I came up with in the end was not the story of my life, but the autobiography of my voice". Notwithstanding her enormous talent, extraordinary vocal abilities, stature as a world-class musician and opera star (and the associated rewards), Ms. Fleming candidly reveals her ongoing struggles to master her craft, and to combat various obstacles/challenges/failures encountered along the way: e.g., stage fright, rejection, panic attacks, isolation/loneliness, self-doubt, et al. Interestingly, this book is almost devoid of operatic gossip (i.e., the really `juicy stuff'); instead, it might be better described as a `How-To', and `Lessons Learned' manual that aims to mentor/instruct young aspiring operatic singers and help them to deal with challenges, and avoid some of the pitfalls encountered in the difficult and highly competitive world of opera.

Ms. Fleming (today a divorced mother of two girls, Amelia and Sage) introduces the reader to her early family life, growing up in a suburb of Rochester, New York, with her parents, Edwin and Patricia, her younger sister, Rachelle, and her brother, Ted. Both of her parents were music teachers who enjoyed singing in the home. Music was an integral part of her public school education; educators understood, intuitively, that the discipline and joy of music fostered creativity in children, and provided a deepening and broadening experience in their lives.

Although Ms. Fleming was accepted to Oberlin College (a top-flight conservatory), she was unable to attend due to insufficient financial aid. Instead, she ended up attending the Crane School of Music of the State University of New York, Potsdam. Ms. Fleming points out that this `disappointment' turned out to be the first great break of her career. At the Crane School of Music Ms. Fleming was taught by Patricia Misslin, a `no-nonsense' teacher who provided her with strict vocal training, putting a great deal of emphasis on resonance, focus, and `placing the voice'. Ms. Misslin taught her that a singer has different options for `placing the voice' (i.e., directing air combinations to different parts of the body, and thereby creating different sounds), including: (a) Head - This creates a light child-like sound; (b) Mouth - This creates a different sound; (c) Mask (nose and cheekbones) - This creates a nasal sound; (d) Chest - This creates a very low sound, like Sarah Vaughn. Ms. Misslin taught Ms. Fleming that an opera singer must typically maintain an enormous amount of focus in `the mask' so as to be able to project the voice to the back of the hall without strain. Ms. Misslin taught Ms. Fleming how to practice, and had a great influence on her regarding her repertoire. While at Potsdam, in addition to classical music, Ms. Fleming fell in love with jazz. While still a sophomore she auditioned for, and landed, a job as a big band singer. Singing with the band taught her how to let go of her fears, experiment vocally, and perform.

After graduating from Potsdam, Ms. Fleming moved on to Eastman to study for a master's degree in music. At Eastman she had the opportunity to perform in many operatic roles. Ms. Fleming states, "And while I had some successes at Eastman, I had my share of dismal failures as well."---she failed her Met audition. But, fortunately, her parents had instilled in her the code of "Never Give Up." Ms. Fleming discusses her postgraduate apprenticeship at Julliard in a program called the American Opera Center, and a follow-up Fullbright grant in Germany where she learned to speak German fluently.

Ms. Fleming pays homage to her mentors (e.g., Renata Scotto, Joan Sutherland, Marilyn Horne, Leontyne Price). She shares her experiences after attaining success, her major challenges (e.g., scheduling travelling, work/life balance, traveling with and raising two daughters, etc.), the business aspects of her career (e.g., bookings, interviews, cancellation policies, etc.), and ways to achieve longevity as an opera singer. Ms. Fleming emphasizes the importance of taking charge of one's image on stage, and shares her experience during actual performances before live audiences. She discusses how she prepares for new roles, and shares with the reader what typically goes on backstage during the preparation for a performance.

I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful memoir which took me on a remarkable journey through the eyes of an opera star and recitalist. Ms. Fleming's memoir is, indeed, a portrait of the artist at work. It is a moving story that is well-written, fascinating, vigorous, and fresh---I learned a lot. Ms. Fleming humanizes the `diva', debunking (in a lighthearted manner) many of the stereotypes often associated with the term `diva' (e.g., "prima donna"; "selfish"; "high maintenance"; "hugely demanding"; speak in high voices, à la Julia Child, in a "continental" nonaccent; etc.) by those who are unfamiliar with the world of opera. She exhibits a keen awareness of the connection between the past, present, and future---an understanding that the world of opera did not begin with her, nor is it likely to end with her. More specifically, Ms. Fleming states,
"...there must be at least one note in my range that belonged to my grandmother, and certainly my mother's soprano and my father's deep love for new music have given much of the color and depth to my sound. Their voices are our inheritance, part of the amalgamation of who we are and what we have learned. We are unique, each human voice, not because we are completely self-generated, but because of how we choose to assemble the countless factors that made us. My voice carries in it the generations before me, generations of my family, of brilliant singers I have admired, of dear friends. It goes on in this book, not the sound of my singing but certainly the work and thought and passion of the discipline. Tiny slivers of my voice will be incorporated into a student I teach in a master class or into the young singer who listens carefully, just as little glimmers of Leontyne Price's shining high C and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau's expansive breath came into me. If this is the past of my voice, then I must believe it is the future as well. My voice will go forward in the same way, not only through recordings but through my daughters and through their daughters and sons as far as the line will take us. It doesn't mean that everyone will be a singer, but that every one of us will find a passion in life to drive us ahead, and just maybe part of that passion will rest in the voice. People will hear it even in a word that is spoken: the wealth and wonder of all the music that came before."

One of the main reasons why this memoir is so effective is that it is focused; Ms. Fleming does not `bite of more than she can chew'. In writing this memoir Ms. Fleming evidently followed the adage that it is better to do a `high quality' job on a focused topic, than to do a `mediocre' job on a topic that is too broad. I would highly recommend this book for aspiring opera singers, opera-buffs and, in general, anyone who has a deep appreciation for the arts.

8 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

An Insiders Look At A Little Known World

Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2006

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Often celebrity memoirs(especially those involving singers) are light gossipy and fun. Sure there's a chapter or two about the drug addiction and rehab, but for the most part the genre deals in champagne parties and red carpet fashions. As Renee Fleming warns us in her introduction, this is not your average celebrity memoir and Fleming is not your average celebrity. Rather, "the Inner Voice" is very much a portrait of an artist at work, as well as an introduction to the artistic and the commercial aspects of the career of an opera singer. Yes, Fleming does mention what it's like to do interviews and choose gowns for gala performances. But these are mere mentions.

The bulk of the book deals with Fleming's preparation of her roles as an actress and as a singer, from going through the score pre-performance, to interpreting the emotions of a character. She deals with the creative side of her work with more vigour than almost any other- how does an actress approach a role like Juliet or Ophilia that's been played by hundreds of predecessors? The question we learn is the same for an opera singer with one addition: how does one add something unique and individual to the music while still remaining true to what's written?

To answer this question Fleming takes us though her education from her early childhood music classes, through college, grad school, and her early career, introducing us to her teachers and mentors and sharing their advice. Other issues that are central to Fleming's memoir is balanceing her professional life and personal life (primarily as a mother), avoiding inadvertant damage to her vocal chords and living with the knowledge that if her voice goes, her career is over in a snap of the fingers.

Many people listen to opera and are unable to "get it"- to understand why it's beloved by so many. Fleming makes that love clear in her passion for her work and her description of the painstaking labor that goes into each and every element. First and foremost you come away with the impression that the human voice is an instrument just as much as the violin or the cello and that opera singers are masters of their individual instruments- a mastery that comes from decades of hard work. Even if you don't love opera after reading this, it's very hard not to respect it.

Nothing Fleming discusses in inaccessable to the layman, nor is it condescending to the professional or the connaiseur . It's simply a depiction of an art, and a profession which few people glimpse

7 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Andrew Buckle

Superb

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 2, 2020

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Love her singing and her performances, the book is just as first rate. It has a lot of information about her career but also it covers a lot of her ideas about singing

Caramella

Review of The Inner Voice:The Making of a Singer. Renee Fleming.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 7, 2014

Verified Purchase

Very educational for singers and non singers. Fleming is very down to Earth about her extraordinary talent. The book is a very realistic account of what it's like to be a professional classical soprano. The book is sometimes sad, very interesting and at times downright hilarious. This book is a must for people interested in the lives of classical singers.

2 people found this helpful

sophie

fascinating insight

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 22, 2012

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This book is divided into sections covering different aspects of the singer's life such as training, business, longevity - that makes it sound dry but it's a fascinating biographical read and a real insight into the world of a modern opera singer covering areas that the opera going punter doesn't necessarily consider. Renee writes well, and her sense of humour comes through - it's a great read, very entertaining and difficult to put down. Thoroughly recommended. (And volume 2 is eagerly anticipated!)

An Mak

I so much wanted to learn more about her . . .

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 23, 2021

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. . . that I am so glad this book exists

LUSINE YEGHOYAN

pleasant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 16, 2021

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Written in interesting manner. interesting book for any beginning singers, that want to learn that success comes with struggles and hard work.

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