Sight Singing: Pitch, Interval, Rhythm

This new and innovative sight-singing text is addressed to the young musician of today who faces a real problem in dealing with a rapidly expanding, exceedingly demanding repertory. The increasing popularity of "old music" requires proficiency in unfamiliar modes and rhythms, and the vast repertoire of twentieth-century works presents grave problems to ears tuned to traditional tonal systems. Therefore, new techniques are needed in order to deal with the practical realities of performance. In the carefully graded exercises, music is reduced to its basic elements: intervals and rhythm. The student learns to sing all intervals without reference to the harmonic implications of the music itself. Similarly, rhythmic skills are introduced in a progression from the simplest to the most complex combinations without reference to common practice patterns. The resulting skills will free both instrumentalist and singer for the performance of music of all periods.