Training Soprano Voices (review)

Training Soprano Voices. By Richard Miller. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. [177 p. ISBN 0-19-513018-9. $20.]

Richard Miller has been an active performer, vocal pedagogue and author for many years. Leafing through the pages of the various journals related to the voice reveal countless advertisements for Miller's masterclasses offered throughout the country on an annual basis. He is equally active as an author and a number of his books on singing reside on the shelves of countless music libraries and vocal studios. Training Soprano Voices is the latest addition to Miller's writing on the subject and it is full of time-tested, practical information and suggested techniques for both the teacher and the student.

In the Introduction, Miller states that "The plan of this book is to identify subdivisions within the general designation of 'soprano' and to offer suggestions and practical vocalises appropriate for the several types" (p. 3). Additionally, the author's intention is to map out a systematic, progressive approach to vocal study (p. 56), ending with a chapter on the discipline of the daily regimen. Miller fulfills his intention admirably. Seasoned voice teachers and young singers alike will benefit from the author's encyclopedic knowledge of vocal science and the history of vocal study as well as from his years of experience as a teacher and singer.

Training Soprano Voices focuses specifically on the careful training and strengthening of each of the nine classifications within the soprano range. Chapter 1 includes descriptions of these nine classifications and some suggested appropriate repertory. Miller also includes descriptions of mezzo-soprano categories and the contralto voice, although they are not treated elsewhere in the book. The vocal exercises he suggests are enhanced by additional vocalises lifted directly from the soprano repertory. This allows an immediate connection for the singer from the initial exercise to a more concrete example.

Although Miller focuses on the soprano voice and its unique challenges, a significant portion of the material in the text is applicable to any voice type. The author includes chapters on breath energy (appoggio), agility, resonance, nasal continuants, sostenuto, vowel modification (aggiustamento), and dynamic control. Any reader, soprano or otherwise, will gain practical insights into the basics of a solid singing technique and many of the exercises transfer well to the other voice types. For example, chapter 4, "Breath Energy in Singing," offers a clearly written, highly detailed description of the workings of the breathing mechanism along with high quality anatomical drawings that will be helpful to any singer.

Miller is a master at stating the basic acoustical and physiological aspects of singing without espousing one teaching style or another. He relies on factual information in the development of a systematic pedagogy rather than imaginative language (p. 80). He does slip in an occasional wry comment, which lightens prose that can, at times, become highly technical and very dry. He also balances the technical text with explanations that are more readily understood by those not so deeply immersed in the realms of vocal science. Once the basic concepts of a chapter are established, Miller addresses the challenges of the various soprano voices as they relate to these concepts. In addition to discussion of breath management, agility, diction and dynamics, particular attention is devoted to vocal registration in female voices, resonance, and vowel modification. Finally, Miller outlines a prescriptive daily regimen for both performance days and for maintenance. The appendix addresses female health and how it affects the singing voice. Like the rest of the book, it offers a "tell it like it is" approach to the importance of maintaining a healthy, efficient instrument.

Those familiar with Miller's books will recognize similarities in the organization of this book with both Training Tenor Voices (New York: Schirmer Books, 1993) and The Structure of Singing: System and Art in Vocal Technique (New York: Schirmer Books, 1986). Like these books, Training Soprano Voices is well organized, clearly written, and full of helpful illustrations and musical examples. Given the fact that there...