1.) Two Voices, Two Journeys: Netrebko and Kaufmann. 5/25/18. The vocal pathways of these two stars. 2.) Before the First Lesson #5: Microphone Eye, Microphone Ear, Microphone Voice. 10/12/18. The effect of the microphone on the singer’s perceptions. 3) The Nezet-Seguin Vocal Technique Kerfuffle. 10/11/19. The debate over the Met’s Music Director’s vocal preferences, as revealed in master classes. 4). The Thirty-Three Tenors. 1/20/20. Detailed discussion of the 31 British tenors presented on a Marston release, plus further on Richard Tauber and Jussi Björling. Includes technical analysis of the singers, and notes on the Italian teaching tradition in the UK. 5). The Lost One: Searching for a Standard for La Traviata. 10/8/22. The technical demands of the title role, with consideration of several prominent interpreters. 6). Callas: An Assessment. Part 1, 3/2/24; Part 2, 3/12/24. An extensive examination of the singing of this great artist and the fate of her voice. 7). And finally, in the booklet accompanying Marston 50102-2: A detailed recounting of the life and singing of the great American baritone Lawrence Tibbett, including much discussion of technique and vocal health.

To materials relating to Armin and German pedagogy:

1.) Joshua J. Whitener: A Compendium of German Treatises 1848-1965. This thesis is the best English-language overview of the topic, written by a scholar who is also a professional operatic tenor. It embraces the theories of Bruno Müller-Brunow, with his notion of a “Primary Tone” as a foundational building-block for the voice; the Stimmbildner Friedrich Schmitt;  Armin himself, with his Stauprinzip; Paul Bruns and his diametrically opposed concept of “Minimum Air,” and many others more distantly related to Armin. One teacher unmentioned is the Danish Heldentenor Christian Törsleff, who was evidently the teaching go-between for Müller-Brunow and Armin. Among Törsleff’s students, collectors of vocal records will recognize the name of the bass Paul Knüpfer. A good summary of Whitener’s thesis by Kimberly Broadwater was published in The Journal of Singing, May/June 2019, and is probably enough for many readers. 2) Kathrin Herold: Gesangspädagogik und Gesangsstile. Dresden, 2001. A second overview thesis, even more wide-ranging, with attention to the same line of theory and practice, which I have not yet had occasion to examine closely. 3). George Armin: Das Stauprinzip. Leipzig, 1909. As noted in the main text, above. A complete bibliography, which would include Armin’s analysis of Caruso’s voice and his Urkraft der Stimme, is too extensive for inclusion here.  4). Bruno Müller-Brunow: Tonbildung oder Gesangunterricht? Verlag Friedrich Hofmeister, Leipzig, 1890. The author’s setting-forth of his theory of the “Primary Tone,” published shortly before his death. 5). Gunnar Brandt: Minimalluft versus Stauprinzip (Carl Merseburger, Leipzig, 1904). A thorough presentation of the opposition between the theories of breath of Armin and Bruns, the latter more inclined to Italian methods, with a much lighter intake of air and much less buildup of compression. 6). Otto Iro: Die Stimmbildung, Diagnostik der Stimme, Nr. 5/6, Vienna, 1928. An issue of Iro’s journal, largely devoted to anti-Armin argument. Articles by Iro, Bruns, and Karl A. Gisiger.

NEXT TIME: Under consideration will be the Met’s new production of Tristan und Isolde, directed by Yuval Sharon, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and with Lise Davidsen and Michael Spyres in the title roles. I’ll be seeing it on March 25, so the target publication date will be Friday, April 10.

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