SINGING AS AN ART 1 



BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE 



[William Shakespeare, Professor of Singing at the Royal Academy of Music, 

 London; b. in 1849 at Corydon, London, where he became choir boy and 

 organist at an early age at St. Andrew's; studied at Royal Academy of 

 Music, 1860-65, where he won the King's scholarship in 1866; and the 

 Mendelssohn scholarship in 1871; studied composition at Leipzig Conserva- 

 tory, 1871-72; took course of singing instruction under Lamperti, in Milan, 

 1872-75; returned to London, 1875, and became famous as a teacher of the 

 Art of Singing; has frequently delivered lectures in England, and lectured 

 in 1900, in the United States. His compositions comprise music for orchestra, 

 pianoforte, concertos, string quartets and songs. For five years con- 

 ducted concerts of Royal Academy of Music. Author of The Art of Singing. 



The limited time at my disposal compels me to be brief in my 

 lecture on " Singing as an Art." 



I must preface what I have to say with a few words on the historical 

 development of the art, recalling to your memories the names of some 

 of the most eminent of the writers for a single voice. 



We know that Henry Lawes, born 1595, wrote capital songs, de- 

 manding some sustaining power, and that Purcell, born 1658, com- 

 posed his touching and sustained air, " Dido's Lament," as well as 

 songs demanding the execution of scale passages, such as " Let the 

 mighty engines." Alessandro Scarlatti, born 1659, wrote such airs 

 as " Toglietemi la vita ancor," and "0 cessate di piagarmi." Lotti, 

 born 1667, who used modern harmonies with freedom and grace, com- 

 posed "Pur dicesti," and Caldara (1678) wrote the air " Selve 

 Amiche," which is a splendid specimen of the sostenuto or sustained 

 style. These and many other composers wrote splendidly for the 

 voice. All goes to prove that at this period there existed already a 

 school of singing. 



Bernacchi, born 1690, was equally celebrated both as a singer and 

 as a singing master. He received instruction from Pistocchi, then the 

 first singing-master in Italy, where, we read, there were not a few 

 of such at that time. Bernacchi was engaged by Handel in 1717 to 

 sing in his opera " Rinaldo." 



Porpora, a pupil of Scarlatti, teacher of singing and composer, was 

 born at Naples in 1686. He wrote many operas and established a 

 school for singing, whence issued those wonderful pupils who made his 

 name so famous. He was the greatest singing master who ever lived, 

 and from his pupils have been handed down to us the relics of a grand 

 style. 



1 Lecture, originally delivered in London, presented here to supplement the 

 lectures originally prepared for the International Congress of Arts and Science. 



