Songbooks for Female Opera & Classical Singers

Balthazar Lutgen : Vocalises Vol. 1 for High Voices

Review: The aim of these Vocalises is to render the voice sufficiently flexible and mellow to execute easily and elegantly the coloratura and embellishments found in the works of our great composers. Proceeding from the principle, that it is unpractical to practice a variety of difficult passages at the same time, I begin with two, three, and four tones, then advancing progressively to more difficult exercises; leaving it to the teacher to transpose them a semitone higher or lower. However, in order to avoid the monotony and lassitude which are almost inseparable from a strictly methodic in a musical and agreeable form; and have made them very short, to prevent overexertion of the voice. Following its avowed purpose, this work contains no exercises for sustained tones; and it will suffice to sing daily a few long-sustained tones, before taking up these exercises. The results obtained with this method, and its approbation by several of the highest musical authorities, justify my hope, that it will find a favorable reception.

Songlist: 20 Daily Exercises

Voicing: High

Balthazar Lutgen : Vocalises Vol. 1 for Medium Voices

Review: The aim of these Vocalises is to render the voice sufficiently flexible and mellow to execute easily and elegantly the coloratura and embellishments found in the works of our great composers. Proceeding from the principle, that it is unpractical to practice a variety of difficult passages at the same time, I begin with two, three, and four tones, then advancing progressively to more difficult exercises; leaving it to the teacher to transpose them a semitone higher or lower. However, in order to avoid the monotony and lassitude which are almost inseparable from a strictly methodic in a musical and agreeable form; and have made them very short, to prevent overexertion of the voice. Following its avowed purpose, this work contains no exercises for sustained tones; and it will suffice to sing daily a few long-sustained tones, before taking up these exercises. The results obtained with this method, and its approbation by several of the highest musical authorities, justify my hope, that it will find a favorable reception.

Songlist: Preface, Daily Exercises

Voicing: Medium

Claudio Bonoldi : Exercises in Vocalization - Soprano

Review: Multiple excellent classical exercises, in six different chapters, to help flexibility in the Soprano voice.

Songlist: Exercises in two, three and four notes, Exercises in four, fix, six and seven notes, Scales of Octaves and Ninths ascending and descending, Figured Scales ascending and descending, Exercises in Studies of Embellishments, Progressive Exercises on the ascending chromatic Scale

Voicing: Soprano

Estelle Liebling : Vocal Course - Soprano

Review: This book consists of three parts: PART I describes the vocal mechanism and its functions briefly and in simple non-technical language. A general knowledge of the instrument often helps the student to clarify a question of tone production. PART II, forming the major portion of the book, consists of basic, fundamental vocalises carefully selected to develop the specific voices for which the book is written. PART III presents the important elements of diction in the five languages most commonly used in singing: English, Italian, French, German and Spanish.

Songlist: PART I, The Breath System, The Phonating System, The Resonating System, The Articulating System, General Remarks, PART II, Fundamental Exercises, The Turn, The Soprano Registers, Pianissimo Studies, Staccato Studies, Trill Studies, Messa Di Voce, Style, Special Problems, PART III, English, Foreign Language Diction, Italian, French, German, Spanish, Glossary of Musical Terms, Songs for Sopranos, Recordings of Great Singers

Voicing: Soprano

Ferdinand Sieber : Thirty-Six Eight-Measure Vocalises for Mezzo-Soprano

Review: The Sieber Vocalises: It is important to know why Sieber is so good for the voice. He was a Viennese, Italian-trained voice teacher who knew the importance of vowel alteration and its role in keeping the balance of the registers. The Sieber Vocalises are designed to balance the registers using 8 measure melodies based on the Italian syllables da, me, ni, po, to, la, be. The register balance is achieved in the ingenious way Sieber arranges the syllables. Again, his goal it to allow the space of the open vowels in the closed vowels, and the ring of the closed vowels in the open vowels. Lindquest called these vocalises the 'bridge between vocalizing and singing music'. In my 25 years of teaching, I have never found a singer that the Sieber Vocalises did not help tremendously. Thirty-Six Eight Measure Vocalises comes complete with instructions on producing the tone and provides you with the solfege for each note

Songlist: Thirty-Six Eight-Measure Vocalises

Voicing: Mezzo-Soprano

Ferdinand Sieber : Vocalises - Alto

Review: The Sieber Vocalises: It is important to know why Sieber is so good for the voice. He was a Viennese, Italian-trained voice teacher who knew the importance of vowel alteration and its role in keeping the balance of the registers. The Sieber Vocalises are designed to balance the registers using 8 measure melodies based on the Italian syllables da, me, ni, po, to, la, be. The register balance is achieved in the ingenious way Sieber arranges the syllables. Again, his goal it to allow the space of the open vowels in the closed vowels, and the ring of the closed vowels in the open vowels. Lindquest called these vocalises the 'bridge between vocalizing and singing music'. In my 25 years of teaching, I have never found a singer that the Sieber Vocalises did not help tremendously. Thirty-Six Eight-Measure vocalises for Altos, complete with solfege.

Songlist: Thirty-six Eight Measure Vocalises For Alto

Voicing: Alto

Ferdinand Sieber : Vocalises - Soprano

Review: The Sieber Vocalises: It is important to know why Sieber is so good for the voice. He was a Viennese, Italian-trained voice teacher who knew the importance of vowel alteration and its role in keeping the balance of the registers. The Sieber Vocalises are designed to balance the registers using 8 measure melodies based on the Italian syllables da, me, ni, po, to, la, be. The register balance is achieved in the ingenious way Sieber arranges the syllables. Again, his goal it to allow the space of the open vowels in the closed vowels, and the ring of the closed vowels in the open vowels. Lindquest called these vocalises the 'bridge between vocalizing and singing music'. In my 25 years of teaching, I have never found a singer that the Sieber Vocalises did not help tremendously. Thirty-Six Eight-Measure vocalises for Sopranos, complete with solfege.

Songlist: Thirty-Six Eight-Measure vocalises for Sopranos

Voicing: Soprano

Giovanni Lamperti : 30 Preparatory Vocalises

Review: Giovanni Battista Lamperti was a highly-regarded Italian singing teacher who was considered to one of the best of his era. Many of Giovanni's students became international opera stars. These vocalises are designed to prepare the soprano voice for performance. "I recommend the daily use of these Exercises, particularly to Soprano and Mezzo-soprano singing a melodramatic repertory; because exercises of this kind promote length of respiration, and delay the deterioration and undue vibration (tremolo) of the voice. Beginners should confine themselves to a regularly limited range, so as not to weaken the medium of the voice and should extend their compass according to individual progress and development." - G.B. Lamperti

Songlist: 30 Preparatory Vocalises

Voicing: Soprano

Giovanni Lamperti : Twenty Nine Preparatory Vocalises

Review: Giovanni Battista Lamperti was a highly-regarded Italian singing teacher who was considered to one of the best of his era. Many of Giovanni's students became international opera stars. These vocalises are designed to prepare the soprano voice for performance. "I recommend the daily use of these Exercises, particularly to Alto singing a melodramatic repertory; because exercises of this kind promote length of respiration, and delay the deterioration and undue vibration (tremolo) of the voice. Beginners should confine themselves to a regularly limited range, so as not to weaken the medium of the voice and should extend their compass according to individual progress and development." - G.B. Lamperti

Songlist: Twenty Nine Preparatory Vocalises

Voicing: Alto

Giuseppe Concone : 15 Vocalises for Sopranos or Mezzo-Sopranos

Review: Giuseppe Concone, the famous Italian Master of Singing and Pianoforte, was born in Turin in the year 1810. His musical education was had in Turin, where he continued to live until he met with discouragement on the failure of his first opera, 'Un episodio di San Michel,' which was performed in 1836. In 1837 he moved to Paris, where he became famous as a teacher of the piano forte, singing, the theory of music and composition. While resident in Paris, Concone became very popular as a composer of Romanzas, Arias and Duettini; but his chief title to fame rests on a Series of Solfeggi which have a world-wide reputation and are everywhere in use - they are eminently practical and melodious, with a flowing accompaniment. Here is a collection of excellent exercises for sopranos.

Songlist: 15 Vocalises

Voicing: Mezzo-Soprano Soprano
Style: Opera

Giuseppe Concone : Fifty Lessons - High Voice

Review: The sterling value and great usefulness of Concone's lessons have been so long recognized, that their extensive adoption caused the issue of numerous editions in almost every country where the study of the Art of Singing is cultivated. No edition, however, is as thorough and complete as his 'Fifty Lessons' series. The purpose of these lessons, in the author's own words, are 'to place and fix the voice accurately,' and 'to develop taste while singing broad, elegant and rhythmical melodies.' This is a vocal training series not to be missed!

Songlist: 50 exercises

Voicing: High
Style: Classical

Giuseppe Concone : Fifty Lessons - Low Voice

Review: The sterling value and great usefulness of Concone's lessons have been so long recognized, that their extensive adoption caused the issue of numerous editions in almost every country where the study of the Art of Singing is cultivated. No edition, however, is as thorough and complete as his 'Fifty Lessons' series. The purpose of these lessons, in the author's own words, are 'to place and fix the voice accurately,' and 'to develop taste while singing broad, elegant and rhythmical melodies.' This is a vocal training series not to be missed!

Songlist: 50 exercises

Voicing: Low
Style: Classical

Giuseppe Concone : Fifty Lessons - Medium Voice

Review: The sterling value and great usefulness of Concone's lessons have been so long recognized, that their extensive adoption caused the issue of numerous editions in almost every country where the study of the Art of Singing is cultivated. No edition, however, is as thorough and complete as his 'Fifty Lessons' series. The purpose of these lessons, in the author's own words, are 'to place and fix the voice accurately,' and 'to develop taste while singing broad, elegant and rhythmical melodies.' This is a vocal training series not to be missed!

Songlist: 50 exercises

Voicing: Medium
Style: Classical

Giuseppe Concone : Thirty Daily Exercises for High Voice

Review: These Exercises For a Transition from the Grand Style to the Extreme Difficulties of Vocalisation. This collection comes complete with 30 daily exercises as well as instruction and tips on how to execute them properly.

Songlist: 30 Daily Exercises for High Voice

Voicing: High
Style: Classical

Heinrich Panofka : The Art of Singing - Twenty-Four Vocalises for Soprano

Review: Panofka (1807-1887) was one of the great 19th century voice teachers. His background as a choral composer greatly influenced these athletic bel canto vocalise compositions. This work presents 24 studies in The Art Of Singing and is suitable for Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, or Tenor.

Songlist: Major Scales, Minor Scales, Agility, Triplets, Groups of 2 Slurred Notes, Portamento, Dotted Notes, Syncopation, Legato, Appoggitura, Gruppetto, Turn and Mordent, Preparatory Study for the Trill, Agility, Trills, Arpeggios, Chromatic Scales, Study on Chromatics, Intervals

Voicing: Soprano
Style: Opera

Judy Clark : Vaccai Vocal Exercises - Vol. 2

Review: This book and CD package consists of 12 vocal exercises that help train the voice using various intervals, octaves, syncopation, appoggiatura, mordent, gruppetto and more. Expand your vocal experience as well as your musical vocabulary. The 24-page booklet includes printed sheet music and a training practice log to help the artist/student stay focused. A total of 48 exercises are included on the CD (12 exercises recorded in 4 vocal ranges). All these exercises were used by the late Maestro David Kyle in his vocal training regimen. Maestro Kyle has trained thousands of artists, many who are nationally famous. All of the exercises in this set have been adapted from the original versions to be in a more usable format for this training program, and also in an effort to accommodate various singing levels. The set consists of English words only, not the Italian version. All vocalists can benefit greatly from these exercises, no matter what their experience or training level!

Songlist: About the Author, Exercise Listing and Practice Tips, Special Notes and Enunciation Tips, Vaccai Exercises 13-21, The Mordent, Different Ways of Executing the Mordent, Introduction to the Gruppetto or Turn, The Gruppetto or Turn, Introduction to the Trill or Shake, Runs and Scale Passages, The Portamento, The Portamento - Second Method, Comprehensive Study, Theory 1, Theory 2, Practice Log, Contact info and Products Page

Mathilde Marchesi : Elementary Progressive Exercises for the Voice - Soprano

Review: This book is a collection of elementary exercises of progressive difficulty. 102 exervises for the mechanism of the Soprano and Mezzo Soprano voice and 12 for the execution. It comes complete with instruction and tips on how to execute them properly.

Voicing: Soprano

Mathilde Marchesi : Elementary Progressive Vocalises - Low Voice

Review: Mathilde Marchesi was a mezzo-soprano, teacher of singing, and exponent of the bel canto technique. She was an advocate of a naturalistic style of singing: she called for a fairly instinctive method of breathing and was particularly concerned with vocal registration, calling it "the Alpha and Omega of the formation and development of the female voice, the touchstone of all singing methods". These 20 vocalises are perfect for your daily vocal practice and having been used by some of the great singers of the past 100 years.

Voicing: Low
Style: Classical

Mathilde Marchesi : Thirty Vocalises for High or Medium Voice

Review: 30 excellent vocal exercises that will help develop, strengthen and warm up your voice. Specifically men or women with high or medium vocal ranges.

Songlist: Portamento, Sustained Legato, Diatonic Scale, Dotted Notes, Major and Minor Scales, Minor Scale, Chromatic Scale, Figures in Four Notes, Repeated Notes, Triplets, Arpeggios, Appoggiatura and Acciaccutura, Gruppetti, Syncopation, Wide Intervals, Staccato, Flautato and Sforzato, Trill

Voicing: High Medium
Style: Classical

Mathilde Marchesi : Twenty-Four Vocalises for Soprano or Mezzo-Soprano

Review: Mathilde Marchesi was a mezzo-soprano, teacher of singing, and exponent of the bel canto technique. She was an advocate of a naturalistic style of singing: she called for a fairly instinctive method of breathing and was particularly concerned with vocal registration, calling it "the Alpha and Omega of the formation and development of the female voice, the touchstone of all singing methods". 24 excellent vocal exercises that will help develop, strengthen and warm up your voice. Specifically for Sopranos and Mezzo-Sopranos and have been used by some of the great singers of the past 100 years.

Songlist: Swelling and diminishing upon a tone - Larghetto, Portamento - Andante e molto legato, Portamento - Sostenuto molto, Smooth, even singing - Moderato, Smooth, even singing - Larghetto, Diatonic Scale - Andantino, Diatonic Scale - Allegretto, Diatonic Scale - Moderato, Diatonic Scale with dotted notes Andantino, Quatrains - Allegro giusto, Chromatic Scale - Andante, Chromatic Scale - Andantino, Theme with variations - Andantino, Minor Scales - Andante, Repeated Notes - Andantino, Triplets - Allegretto, Arpeggios - Allegro giusto, The long and short appoggiatura - Moderato, Gruppetto and Mordente - Andantino, Syncopation - Allegro giusto, Detached and accented notes - Moderato, Large Skips - Deciso, Shake - Andantino, 1st Recapitulation - Andante, 2nd Recapitulation - Allegro

Voicing: Mezzo-Soprano Soprano
Style: Classical

Nicola Vaccai : Practical Vocal Method for Mezzo-Soprano or Baritone

Review: Vaccai's masterly Method won increasing popularity with time, and was eventually used in conservatories all over the world. Even today it is often used by singing teachers, who consider it a collection of attractive Ariettas, each serving a particular function. And it is quite easy material, perfect for the beginning student.

Songlist: The Scale, Intervals of a Third, Intervals of a Fourth, Intervals of a Fifth, Intervals of a Sixth, Intervals of a Seventh, Intervals of an Octave, Semitones, Syncopated Mode, Introduction to Roulades, Ascending and Descending Appoggiaturas, The Acciaccatura, Intro to the Mordent, Different Types of Mordent, Intro to the Turn, The Turn, Intro to the Trill, Roulades, The Vocal Portamento, The Second Type of Poratamento, The Recitative, Epilogue

Voicing: Baritone Mezzo-Soprano

Ralph Vaughan Williams : Three Vocalises

Review:

Voicing: Soprano

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Solfeggios and Vocal Exercises

Review: Here is a collection of vocal exercises written my the master himself. The Solfeggi are to be sung on all vowels with and without the supporting consonants. The execution should be legato throughout except when they are staccato dots. The editor has added breath marks and slurs which are to be taken to indicate the breathing. Challenging but highly rewarding and effective.

Songlist: Solfeggio 1, Solfeggio 2, Solfeggio 3, Solfeggio (Fragment), Esercisio per il Canto

Style: Classical