Giovanni Battista Rubini and the Bel Canto Tenors: History and Technique
Drawing on a distinguished career as an educator, writer, and most notably, a principal tenor at numerous major opera houses, Malek has authored the definitive biography of Giovanni Battista Rubini, the legendary nineteenth-century tenor who gained international fame as the first non-castrati romantic lead in Italian operas. In addition, Malek provides an exceptional historical overview of the singing style known as bel canto as well as an examination of the vocal techniques employed by Rubini and his contemporary bel canto tenors. . . .Giovanni Battista Rubini and the Bel Canto Tenors: History & Techniquestands as a testament to Malek’s personal and professional devotion to the world of music. While vocal coaches, students, and opera historians will find Malek’s opus indispensable, the casual reader will also enjoy the wealth of information that documents the fascinating evolution of the fine high voice, which has been admired throughout history. This wonderful publication, the only English-language text on high tessitura for tenor and soprano singing, is a must for all libraries.(American Reference Books Annual)There are many passages in this book that fill one with reverie for what the bel canto era must have been like, overflowing with the musical luminaries who were all in close contact in Naples, Paris, London or Vienna: Schubert, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Balfe, Thalberg, Schumann, Paganini and Liszt, just to name a few. ... This book is filled with many exercises for the aspiring singer.(Newsletter of the Donizetti Society)I have no doubt that Dan H. Marek'sGiovanni Battista Rubini and the Bel Canto Tenors: History and Techniquewill become one of the great works on that period and beyond. There is nothing out there that is even comparable. What an incredible amount of work he has put into it... quite an amazing accomplishment with wonderful content!(Basil Walsh, author of Catherine Hayes: The Hibernian Prima Donna)Dan Marek is a tenor. As such he is not supposed also to be an intellectual—we all know tenor jokes of every sort—but life plays funny tricks on us. Having studied and taught singing at length, Marek grew fascinated with the exploits of tenors from the nineteenth century.Giovanni Battista Rubini and the Bel Canto Tenors: History and Techniqueis only the first of several projects Marek has developed to help young singers today by making them more aware of nineteenth-century practice. We should all welcome contributions from singers of his calibre, whose direct acquaintance with the art of performance assists them greatly as they face the challenges of helping today's young singers come to grips with a performance style that does more than merely duplicate the recorded legacy of twentieth- and twenty-first-century singers.(Philip Gossett, professor emeritus, University of Chicago)If you are looking for rare and fascinating reading about early operatic tenors,Giovanni Battista Rubini and the Bel Canto Tenors: History and Techniqueis for you. Past information about these tenors has been sadly neglected, and how they laid the foundation for all singing. Dan Marek skillfully pulls back the curtains of time and cleverly explains the techniques of tenors from the baroque era onward; he then reveals how the great castrati were slowly replaced as the nineteenth-century composers Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini started writing their operas for tenors who could encompass the high tessitura bel canto roles written for them.To that end, Marek brings us the most exceptional and enlightened biography ever written in English about the legendary Giovanni Battista Rubini, remembered then as "The King of Tenors." Included in this book are 60 pages of exercises written by Rubini himself before 1840. Marek also devotes several chapters to the art of singing. A highly experienced professional tenor and teacher himself, he reveals important information that will be of great assistance to professional singers, teachers and students. This large beautiful book should be in every library.(Clarissa Lablache Cheer, author, artist, scholar and archivist)Just this morning I brought a copy of your book to the Rubini Foundation. It isreally an important workand it will be shown to the board of directors.(Antonio Maltempi, The Rubini Foundation)The Rubini Foundation can only express pride in your great interest in our countryman Giovan Battista Rubini, who was without an equal as the greatest tenor of his epoch and would be one of the greatest today considering the well-documented vocal ability, which made him so great an artist on the European stage. The book that you have published is, in our opinion, the best representation of his artistic life and of great cultural interest.(Alessandro Esposito, president, Fondazione Opere Pie Riunite Giovan Battista Rubini)