The Boosey Voice Coach is an entirely new concept in vocal training. Not a self-teaching manual, and not filled with off-putting diagrams, this series is a wholly practical guide to singing - learning about technique and interpretation through the repertoire itself. Each volume is devoted to singing in one particular language or to singing in a specific context, such as musical theatre or oratorio.

In each volume of the series, works from the vocal canon have been selected specifically by Mary King for their technical and musical challenges. Each piece is discussed at length, starting with the words ('Text' - including a literal translation as appropriate), moving to general advice about how the song might be approached ('Notes'), and then addressing the technical difficulties the music presents ('Skills'). Expressed in clear language, Mary King's approach is direct, practical and not limited to one particular teaching method. Any student will find that these books enrich and complement their vocal studies.

Singing in English: Even for native speakers, the English language presents singers with particular difficulties. How do you manage diphthongs, for example? How do you make consonants clear without spoiling the vocal line? How do you make sense of the story-telling in a strophic folksong? These issues and more are covered in this book, which contains songs with texts in the English language, from Britain and elsewhere. Contents: Introduction - Purcell/Britten: Music for a while - Purcell/Britten: Man if for the woman made - Purcell/Britten: Sweeter than rose - Handel: O sleep, why dost thou leave me? - Handel: Where'er you walk - Haydn: The mermaid's song - Haydn: The spirit's song - Haydn: My mother bids me bind my hair - Warlock: The countryman - Warlock: The baylyn berith the bell away - Warlock: There is a lady sweet and kind - Finzi: Rollicum rorum - Finzi: Fear no more the heat o' the sun - Traditional (arr. Britten): Oliver Cromwell - Traditional (arr. Britten): The salley gardens - Traditional (arr. Britten): The trees they grow so high - Copland: Why do they shut me out of heaven? - Copland: Heart we will forget him - Rorem: Orchids - Rorem: The serpent - Pronunciation guide