1920s - 1930s ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT NOTEBOOK OF VOICE AND VOCALS HAND WRITTEN BY A RENOWNED AMERICAN COMPOSER, EDUCATOR, AUTHOR AND THEORIST

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On offer is an outstanding manuscript for a book on vocal pedagogy. The volume contains approximately 300 pages and is about 75% complete. It measures 8 inches by 5.5 inches. Altho ugh the cover shows some wear, it is in fair condition and all pages are intact. The handwriting is legible. There are a number of loose pages inserted into the notebook, Bainbridge Crist was a noted American composer, conductor and educator. He was born in 1883 and died in 1969. He studied piano and flute. He earned a law degree from George Washington University However, music and vocals were his great love and that is where his career took him. He went to Europe to complete his musical training. He studied under Paul Juon in Berlin and there is a reference to him attending lectures by the great Lilli Lehmann in Berlin in 1927. He taught singing in Boston (1915-21) and Washington, D.C. (1922-23); returned to Europe (1923) and spent four years in Florence, Paris, Lucerne, and Berlin; then settled in Washington, D.C. Crist devoted much time to teaching. He was the author of The Art of Setting Words to Music (N.Y., 1944) - in all some 186 works in 3 languages. The notebook is a manuscript for a book on vocal 'production' and relies heavily on studies of physiology and physics. Crist is clearly knowledgeable on the subject. He quotes some of the leading voice theorists of the time - Francesco Lamperti and Manuel Garcia. In fact, the author has attached newspaper clipping from stories about each of these men's teachings. The manuscript is organized into 9 chapters: A) Jaw, B) Lips, C) Tongue, D) Soft Palate, E) The Nasal Passage, F) The Vowels, G) The Diphthongs, H) The Consonants and I) Combinations of Consonants [p 43]. This book is meant for teachers and very serious students of voice and voice production. The following is a passage on the topic of Consonants, specifically the consonant 'M': "M is a voiced consonant. The rapid movement of the lower jaw should be no greater than is necessary to enable the lips comfortably to meet. The corners of the mouth and any portion of the tongue must be in the position of the vowel to follow; also the thyroid cartilage must hold the pitch height required of the vowel which it commences or terminates. When the articulation of M is completed, the jaw must move rapidly down to the normal position, which, as I stated, is uniform for all vowel sounds." [pp. 129, 131]. The manuscript goes into great detail on the formation and projection of sounds. Crist refers at length to the aforementioned Lilli Lehman who had an international reputation as an opera singer. The International Mozarteum Foundation awards the Lilli Lehmann Medal annually. This is an excellent example of the science behind voice production, as understood in the mid-20th century by a highly accomplished musician. Crist is at pains to provide an underlying theory to the methods that he advocates for voice and music teachers. Music teachers and music historians and vocal specialists would find it to be an outstanding resource for its actual content as well as a comparison to voice coaching methods today. These would be similar theories and methods as used by Lionel George Logue, CVO who successfully treated King George VI for his stammer. Much of Crist's works are now archived by the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY.; Manuscript; 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall; KEYWORDS: HISTORY OF, UNITED STATES, EARLY 20TH CENTURY, MUSIC EDUCATION, VOICE TRAINING, BAINBRIDGE CRIST (1883 - 1969); AMERICAN COMPOSERS, 20TH CENTURY MUSIC, 20TH CENTURY COMPOSERS, MUSIC EDUCATORS, MUSIC TEACHERS, VOCAL PRODUCTION; VOICE TRAINING; VOICE COACH, VOICE ANATOMY, VOICE PHYSIOLOGY, VOCAL PEDAGOGY, DICTION FOR SINGERS, ARTICULATION, EARLY 20TH CENTURY MANUSCRIPT ON VOICE TRAINING; LILLI LEHMANN; FRANCESCO LAMPERTI; MANUEL GARCIA; PAUL JUON; LILLI LEHMANN MEDAL; MOZARTEUM UNIVERSITY SALZBURG ; WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART; THE KING'S SPEECH; LIONEL GEORGE LOGUE, CVO, AMERICANA, HANDWRITTEN, MANUSCRIPT, DOCUMENT, LETTER, AUTOGRAPH, WRITER, HAND WRITTEN, DOCUMENTS, SIGNED, LETTERS, MANUSCRIPTS, DIARY, DIARIES, JOURNALS, PERSONAL HISTORY, SOCIAL HISTORY, HISTORICAL, HOLOGRAPH, WRITERS, AUTOGRAPHS, PERSONAL, MEMOIR, MEMORIAL, ANTIQUITÉ, CONTRAT, VÉLIN, DOCUMENT, MANUSCRIT, PAPIER ANTIKE, BRIEF, PERGAMENT, DOKUMENT, MANUSKRIPT, PAPIER OGGETTO D'ANTIQUARIATO, ATTO, VELINA, DOCUMENTO, MANOSCRITTO, CARTA ANTIGÜEDAD, HECHO, VITELA, DOCUMENTO, MANUSCRITO, PAPEL Show more