J.F. Botume was perhaps the first published vocal pedagogue to bridge the substantial gap between the "old Italian" and "modern" schools of voice training. Examining the strengths and weaknesses of the various modern "methods" of singing, Botume shows how scientifically-backed understanding and techniques can be integrated with the traditional bel canto method to prepare professional singers for today's unique vocal challenges. In this groundbreaking work, Botume also reveals the core principles upon which the "old Italian school" method rested and how their reintroduction today could...

As the last of the great master-teachers of the "old Italian school" of singing, Giovanni Battista Lamperti taught his students virtuosic vocal techniques handed down from the great castrati of the 17th century: exquisitely rich chiaroscuro tone, seamless flowing legato phrasing, undetectable passaggi register transitions and the delicately poised appoggio breath technique that allowed the astonishingly rapid coloratura typical of baroque music. In the only treatise he ever wrote, Lamperti the younger shares with all students, teachers and enthusiasts of singing, the techniques and skills...

As the first full-length treatise ever to be published on singing, Tosi revealed to the world the secret method that accounted for the unworldly vocal abilities of the famous castrati. Living in a Europe alight with the virtuosic Baroque operas of Handel, Scarlatti and Porpora, Tosi revealed that it was extensive training in the "old Italian school" of singing that cultivated the beautiful tone and expression of their voices, as well as the infamous "mezza di voce," trills and runs. What's more, Tosi revealed that the method worked equally well for any voice type, male or female, provided...