Tosi's "Observations on the Florid Song" released today in the Bel Canto Master's Series

Pier Francesco Tosi's Observations on the Florid Song, the first full-length vocal treatise ever published was released today for publication and is now available to order at our store on lulu.com. Stand by for distribution at Amazon.com!

As the first full-length treatise ever to be published on singing, Pier Francesco Tosi’s Opinioni revealed to the world the secret method that accounted for the unworldly vocal abilities of the famous castrati. Living in a Europe alight with the virtuosic Baroque operas of Handel, Scarlatti and Porpora, Tosi revealed that it was extensive training in the “old Italian school” of singing that cultivated the beautiful tone and expression of their voices, as well as the infamous mezza di voce, trills and runs. What’s more, Tosi revealed that the method worked equally well for any voice type, male or female, provided that its principles and techniques were adhered to with exactness and consistency.

Written by one of the most famous singers and voice teachers of the early 18th century, Tosi’s Opinioni has remained an indispensable text on the bel canto singing method, as well as Baroque stylistic techniques.