As the title suggests, More Than Singing concerns not only music and
proper vocal techniques but also life and the transcendent power of art.
Lotte Lehmann was among the most eminent lyric-dramatic sopranos of the
early twentieth century, especially noted for her passionate and
sensitive renderings of lieder. In this guide she distills a lifetime of
work, research, and experience into concise, revealing lessons in the
interpretation of songs by Schubert, Brahms, Schumann, Haydn, Beethoven,
Strauss, Mahler, Debussy, and other masters.
Only that is convincing which is truly felt, declares the author, and
her insightful and inspiring manual illuminates the subtleties of tempo,
phrasing, enunciation--even the proper pose, facial expressions, and
gestures--that enable singers to plumb the true depths of a song and
convey its deepest meanings. Lovers of lieder will particularly
appreciate her inspired interpretations of complete song cycles,
including Schubert's Die Winterreise and Schumann's Dichterlieber.