Charles Amable Battaille: Pioneer in Vocal Science and the Teaching of Singing

Students and teachers of vocal science and vocal pedagogy won’t want to be without Charles Amable Battaille. Though his works have been inaccessible in English until now, both Battaille (1822-1872) and his teacher, Manuel Garcia, were important contributors to the early days of vocal science. Charles Amable Battaille is a study of Battaille’s contributions to French vocal science and vocal teaching in the last half of the nineteenth century. Battaille, medical doctor, leading bass of the Opera Comique, and professor at the Paris Conservatory, was in a unique position to conduct vocal scientific research. Joiner compares the teaching methods of Charles Battaille and those of his teacher, Manuel Garcia, who was one of the first singers to approach vocal investigation from an intensive scientific vantage. It explains the system that Battaille devised from his laryngeal dissections and laryngoscopic observations, and includes full translations from the original French version of Battaille’s two books in which he details his discoveries and teaching methods: Nouvelles recherches de la phonation and De la physiologie appliquee a l'etude du mechanisme vocal.
This book is the only study or translation of Battaille’s work, making it an essential addition to the literature of vocal science and vocal pedagogy. It will serve as a valuable resource to singing teachers, students, and scholars in the field.