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The Great Singers: From the Dawn of Opera to Our Own Time
Book by Henry Pleasants
- GenresMusic
382 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
3 people are currently reading
38 people want to read
About the author
Henry Pleasants
24 books6 followersHe studied voice, piano and composition at the Curtis Institute of Music, receiving an honorary doctorate in 1977.
In 1930 he became a music critic for the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. He became their music editor from 1934 to 1942.
In 1948-49, he served as the army's liaison officer with the Austrian government. He served as an intelligence officer in Munich, Bern and Bonn for the Foreign Service beginnin in 1950. In 1964 he retired from the Foreign Service. He settled in London with his wife, Virginia Pleasants, a harpsichordist and fortepianist.
For 3 decades he gave lectures and conducted seminars on singing at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria.
From 1945 to 1955, he wrote articles on European musical events for The New York Times. He wrote regularly for Opera Quarterly, was London editor for the magazine Stereo Review, and for 30 years, beginning in 1967, he was the London music critic for the International Herald Tribune.
He was best known for his 1955 book "The Agony of Modern Music," an attack on 20th-century serious music, and an argument in favor of jazz and other vernacular styles as the true music of the time. He followed this with "Death of a Music?: The Decline of the European Tradition and the Rise of Jazz" (1961) and "Serious Music — and All That Jazz!" (1969).
His major enthusiasm was the human voice. His "The Great Singers" (1966) became a standard reference work. He also wrote "The Great American Popular Singers" and "Opera in Crisis."
His last book, published in 1995, was "The Great Tenor Tragedy: The Last Days of Adolphe Nourrit."
In 1930 he became a music critic for the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. He became their music editor from 1934 to 1942.
In 1948-49, he served as the army's liaison officer with the Austrian government. He served as an intelligence officer in Munich, Bern and Bonn for the Foreign Service beginnin in 1950. In 1964 he retired from the Foreign Service. He settled in London with his wife, Virginia Pleasants, a harpsichordist and fortepianist.
For 3 decades he gave lectures and conducted seminars on singing at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria.
From 1945 to 1955, he wrote articles on European musical events for The New York Times. He wrote regularly for Opera Quarterly, was London editor for the magazine Stereo Review, and for 30 years, beginning in 1967, he was the London music critic for the International Herald Tribune.
He was best known for his 1955 book "The Agony of Modern Music," an attack on 20th-century serious music, and an argument in favor of jazz and other vernacular styles as the true music of the time. He followed this with "Death of a Music?: The Decline of the European Tradition and the Rise of Jazz" (1961) and "Serious Music — and All That Jazz!" (1969).
His major enthusiasm was the human voice. His "The Great Singers" (1966) became a standard reference work. He also wrote "The Great American Popular Singers" and "Opera in Crisis."
His last book, published in 1995, was "The Great Tenor Tragedy: The Last Days of Adolphe Nourrit."
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November 30, 2023
I've touched upon some of the great singers in my reading of music history, especially that of the piano and pianists; Farinelli, Catalani, Nourrit, Malibran, Lind, Patti, Caruso, etc. I've also known rare record dealers and collectors where the emphasis of the collections was on voice recordings, both lieder and opera as well as some popular music. It was interesting to get more historical background on many of the singers I was somewhat familiar with as well as of course becoming acquainted with still other singers that I did not know of.
The author also illustrates how the relationship between the composers and singers evolved. Composers such as Mozart would collaborate with the singers in the composition of a work to accommodate a particular singer's voice. With Beethoven forward, the composer dictated the composition of the vocal works and were not amenable to making any compositional adjustments.
The mechanics of the human voice is also discussed, especially the challenges of singing in higher registers and the toll it takes. Most mezzos and baritones will want or be impelled to sing as sopranos and tenors which takes a toll. A further challenge for the voice is that the scales have shifted a full tone higher. Singers are noticeably past their prime by their 50s while instrumentalists can play brilliantly into old age.
The challenge in reading about singers prior to the age of recording is that critics and listeners have to resort to rather florid and metaphorical prose to attempt describe the singing leaving me not really sure how the singers really sounded other than their vocal range.
I had decades ago read Pleasant's "The Agony of Modern Music" and repeats the major point of that book, that composers are no longer performers and do not have the audience feedback on their compositions. This has affected the modern vocal repertory where like modern 'serious' music has no popular following.
The author also illustrates how the relationship between the composers and singers evolved. Composers such as Mozart would collaborate with the singers in the composition of a work to accommodate a particular singer's voice. With Beethoven forward, the composer dictated the composition of the vocal works and were not amenable to making any compositional adjustments.
The mechanics of the human voice is also discussed, especially the challenges of singing in higher registers and the toll it takes. Most mezzos and baritones will want or be impelled to sing as sopranos and tenors which takes a toll. A further challenge for the voice is that the scales have shifted a full tone higher. Singers are noticeably past their prime by their 50s while instrumentalists can play brilliantly into old age.
The challenge in reading about singers prior to the age of recording is that critics and listeners have to resort to rather florid and metaphorical prose to attempt describe the singing leaving me not really sure how the singers really sounded other than their vocal range.
I had decades ago read Pleasant's "The Agony of Modern Music" and repeats the major point of that book, that composers are no longer performers and do not have the audience feedback on their compositions. This has affected the modern vocal repertory where like modern 'serious' music has no popular following.
Displaying 1 of 1 review