What to say about this book?

Jerome Hines, in my view one of the great singers of this century, in his long career as a professional singer, got to work with and meet some of the greatest voices in recent history.

Mr. Hines got responses from these great artists, and collected them in a book as an inestimable resource for the rest of us, and I am truly grateful for having had the chance to share in what they brought to the world of music and vocal performance.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in vocal performance or vocal pedagogy, or anyone who would love to read about some of the great voices of our time having a friendly chat about their lives and art with another great artist.

Singers from other genres should not be deterred by the fact that for this book, Hines interviews singers from the Operatic genre, which is his partcular milieu; good vocal technique is good vocal technique, and I would recommend this book to anyone seriously interested in effective and efficient vocal production.

Hines, at a time when he needed vocal advice himself, asked his operatic peers to tell him just how they sing. Their unguarded answers are greatly revealing, and greatly useful to the aspiring singer; that's why this book has been in demand for decades.

Jerome Hines is a very colorful and engaging writer. Reading this book is like sitting down with an old drama queen, telling you about his glory days and the wisdom he has accumulated, despite the opposition. However, maybe because I am not yet an advanced singer (as his humorous and typical "warning" in the front states I should be before reading this book), I found the advice mostly unhelpful and unclear, and frankly mostly geared toward the male voice, with the female voice as an afterthought. I disagree with his contention that we must think of the voice as many different voices, and that we should "switch gears" when moving between each one. As with much of what he says, I think this is an overcomplication of something that can be much more simple and direct.

It is an entertaining read, and his personality certainly shines through, but as for help with singing, I don't think there is much to be had here for people who already have a technique. And for those looking for one, I hope this is not the one they adapt!

I must say that Mr. Hines has done a fabulous job again. This book is easy to read, especially considering the content. Hines had me glued to the page. However, it is important that if beginning, aspiring, or amateur singers read this book, they do so under the supervision and discretion of a capable voice teacher. This discusses very advanced technical concepts that to a person with the proper background, could easily seem incorrect, even to someone with a moderate amount of classical voice training. Hines brings in aspects of technique that are very moldable, and can apply to a wide range of individual technical and stylistic preferences. I would recommend this book to teachers, and college level classical singers. I also highly suggest reading "Great Singers, on Great Singing" first, as Hines establishes many of his ideas from this book in his first book.

One reviewer commented upon the idea of there not being `four voices' and said Mr. Hines is making the subject too complicated. In one way, the reviewer is correct- it can be a useful method to try and work the `chest' voice as one register. However, it is also my experience that learning how to do this is almost impossible without working the `registers' first- simply to find out what to do with them and find out what they feel like. Trying to hit a high note by using the same `register' as your low notes can be an interesting experience.
It also will likely be excruciating to your ego and to your vocal production.

When one tries to `place' the voice in certain ways, one can find their voice extending its range, depending upon the placement. Listen to recordings of such different singers as Jerome Hines, Nicolai Gedda, and Yma Sumac working the furthest limits of their ranges and tell me there are no such things as registers and different types of voice in one singer. Sumac demonstrated a range of five or more octaves. If you or anyone wants to try and emulate her range while not using registers and head voice, then good luck. Trying to make `one register' out of the voice, without knowing something about how registers feel can cause problems. Eileen Farrell said she never sang with registers, but how many people, including opera singers, have voices approaching hers? And other great singers with great voices have different stories to tell.
How does a singer combine a good top, good middle, and good bottom register in the same voice? It is not easy to do, but Jerome Hines has done it and has been doing it for over fifty years... in front of paying customers. If you bother to listen to him sing, you'll quickly find that he knows what he's talking about. As a student of singing, I've run across reams of good advice... and more reams of horrible advice. One teacher almost destroyed what voice I do have and his `methods' have caused problems for me ever since. On the other hand, Mr. Hines' methods seem to work for me. And know this: he has done extensive research into singing... period! Not just for the bass voice.

Want good examples of his singing? Get Otto Klemperer's wonderful recording of Handel's Messiah, if you can get hold of it. Also, if you can find any of his recordings of sacred music, you will find a resourceful singer, with a great variety of dynamics and tone color. Maybe Jerome Hines has lasted as long as he has because of an iron constitution, but he has outlasted a number of basses with similar voices, and, one would suppose, similar constitutions. I believe he has a lot to say here that is good for the voice. To those who find a book on the technicalities of singing to be too technical... well duhhhhhhh! What the heck do you EXPECT to find? Recipes for fried chicken? Anyone wanting to learn to sing opera who expects to find an easy way to do it had better think again. If Jerome Hines or anybody else puts out a book which claims to do that, then anybody and everybody should take their `wisdom' with a big grain of salt.

If none of Mr. Hines' advice works for you, then you'll have learned something. Maybe you will have to find a different method. Why not?