Embodying voice : singing Verdi, singing Wagner /

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New Zealand author.Includes index.The singer's ineffability. Introduction; The wildness, the ineffable and the uncanny of voice ; Philosophy of embodiment : the metaphysical versus the physical ; Musicology and vocality ; The performer's perspective and feminist musicology ; Verdi and Wagner ; The diva ; Listener ecstasy ; Embodiment in singing -- Deconstructing operatic embodiment. Mind and body interaction ; Model of embodiment ; The breath ; Other aspects important to embodiment ; End of chapter activities -- Verdi, Wagner, and the lowered larynx. Overview of singing technique ; Longevity ; Verdi's vocalità ; Implementing Verdi's requirements ; Wagner's Wörter ; Implementing Wagner's requirements ; Verdi versus Wagner ; End of chapter activities -- Verdi, Il trovatore : Prima la voce, or the imperative of passion. Learning a role ; Some technical considerations ; Il trovatore ; Leonora : La prima donna ; Performing the role of Leonora ; Azucena : La zingara ; Performing the role of Azucena ; Leonora and Azucena ; End of chapter activities -- Wagner's body : Wagner, the singer, and Sieglinde ; Wagner's body ; The singer's body ; Sieglinde's body ; Performing the role of Sieglinde ; End of chapter activities -- Kundry : The apotheosis of embodiment ; Body ; Kundry ; Metamorphosis ; Performing the role of Kundry ; End of chapter activities -- Conclusion : Voice unleashed.Embodying Voice: Singing Verdi, Singing Wagner articulates the process of developing an operatic voice, explaining how and why the training of such a voice is as complex and sophisticated as it is mysterious. This book illustrates how putting together a voice, embodying a sound, and creating a character are vital to an audience's emotional involvement and enjoyment. Moreover, it addresses an imbalance of power between the opera director and the orchestra conductor - ultimately, it is the communicative power of the singer's voice that brings life to an opera, a fact well known by Verdi and Wagner. Embodying Voice highlights the singer's creative agency to be co-creator of the composer's music. It explores the ways in which vocal performance is constructed and controlled, connecting layers of mind and bodily engagement that allow operatic singers to achieve expression beyond the text itself. Further reading, listening, and performance lists are provided at the end of each chapter, complemented by musical examples throughout [Publisher description]