Anthony Frisell, a world-renowned voice teacher for singers who wish to pursue careers in the field of international opera, has updated and reissued his three voice manuals: The Tenor Voice, The Soprano Voice, and The Baritone Voice. They are intense, deep and completely receptive to those who want initial and advanced training for a serious career. My review is geared towards the soprano voice, however the basics are the same for all three voices.

Too many people who surround themselves with music, and maybe even learn to imitate some of today’s stars, begin to consider a career as a singer. While reality shows abound that imply there is an easy road to success, this is simply not true. The professional singer must train, practice and learn to protect his new voice!

To find the path to success, Frisell first explains the “Mental Image Approach.” That is, “all vocal exercises must be applied indirectly, through mental concepts.” (p. 7) The beginner then realizes what is expected to achieve professional status. It didn’t surprise me at all that although I had been singing in various groups for most of my life, I had never really learned how to sing properly. Learning and maintaining vocal standards is a lifelong study in a professional setting and by a teacher!

There are fixed rules that form the correct mental image. The great opera began in Italy and the first rule requires that all vowel sounds, to ensure the singer’s communication with his audience, must ensure the purity of the vowels. Specifically, “each of the five classical Italian vowels, u (oo) i (ee), e (eh), o (oh) ya (ah), as pronounced by native Italians, must be mastered in its purest form throughout the entire process. full range of voice.” (p. 8)

The following rule of thumb applies to Control because without control our voices are unreliable. The book covers the dynamics of breath force, range, flexibility, and pitch shading, all results of control.

There is also a requirement for professional singers to be familiar with the rudiments of music and the ability to play a musical instrument, preferably the piano. In addition, it is necessary to learn several foreign languages.

For many of us, we don’t understand how and why we can hit some notes sometimes but not others. This is explained simply by the requirement to identify the vocal registers of the individual. Frisell notes that “to master the art of refined singing, one must know the function of the two vocal registers and fully develop them, so that they function together as a single unit of quality and strength.” (p. 11) This is not easy to do. However, Frisell does take each of the problems in this process, identifies and explains them, and then proceeds to illustrate how the single unit develops.

Using a keyboard illustration, breaks for women are identified. Those of low register are those that come from the “chest voice” while those of high register are those of the “head voice”. A guiding principle is provided because there is a constant antagonism between these registers. “The conflicting muscular responses that occur between the two vocal registers, when attempting to produce a higher, pure vocal tone, represent the natural responses to the driving force energy (breath tension) being applied to the muscles of both registers. “. (p. 16).

For an individual to go from routine to professional singing, there are years of developing muscular control through exercises, practice, and listening to and studying professionals who have already mastered opera. This manual takes you through the mechanics of this study and provides an excellent range of exercises, detailed illustrations of where the sound should be located, how the tongue and throat are affected, etc.

Frisell has provided “a personal guide to acquiring superior singing technique.” Indeed, the only thing missing is for Frisell not to be there, assisting the individual in this effort. This is a must read for serious students of voice. As a final contribution, Frisell has included a copy of a recent article titled “Is There an ‘American School’ of Classical Voice Training? If So, Has It Failed American Singers?”

By the way, the author gives master classes and is located in New York City. In my opinion, only very serious students should apply! This man will accept you as a potential great singer…or you will come to know the answer to the question he poses in the previous article.