Vocal Authority Singing Style and Ideology [Hardcover]

A fascinating history of singing styles from the ancient world to the present.Vocal Authority is about how singing styles develop and change, why classical singing is different from pop singing, and what singers actually mean when they sing. It takes an historical perspective, beginning with the ancient world, looking at changes in style up to the present day and explains why, for example, Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe could sing together.Vocal Authority is about how singing styles develop and change, why classical singing is different from pop singing, and what singers actually mean when they sing. It takes an historical perspective, beginning with the ancient world, looking at changes in style up to the present day and explains why, for example, Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe could sing together.Vocal Authority is about how singing styles develop and change, why classical singing is different from pop singing, and what singers actually mean when they sing. It takes a historical perspective, beginning with the ancient world, looking at changes in style up to the present day and why, for example, Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe could sing together.Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. Classical ideology and the pre-history of singing; 2. The medieval period: religion, literacy and control; 3. The Italian baroque revolution; 4. The development of the modern voice; 5. Concerts, choirs and music halls; 6. Armstrong to Sinatra: swing and sub-text; 7. Early music and the avant garde: twentieth-century fragmentation; 8. Elvis Presley to rap: moments of change since the forties; 9. Singing and social processes; 10. Towards a theory of vocal style; Notes; List of references; Index.'& immensely stimulating & This book should encourage us, and also make us take more seriously the need for a very different type of voice.' Early Music Review'The book brings enlightenment of some kind on each page &' Musical Times