This book introduces a practical approach to freer and morejoyful singing. Drawing its strength and inspiration fromGracia Ricardo's work with Rudolf Steiner, it presents anyonewho wishes to sing, as well as professional singers, with a spiritualalternative to the mechanical and physical methods of voice trainingusually available today.The Ricardo method is based on the word. The first chapter dealswith the onset of the tone, its focus, the separation of word and tone,and listening for the word. The relation between vowels, consonants,words, and phrases is also dealt with. The second chapter goes on toconsider the voice, how to build and extend its range. The third chapterdevelops the idea of blending the vocal registers, placement,embellishments, resonance, and diction. Professional tips follow: onchoosing a program, stage fright, mood, and presence. Esoteric aspectsof music and singing are then dealt with in a special section."It is important that we sing. It is especially important for our children tosing. Singing frees the soul, makes it flexible, and helps it soar and expand.Singing lets the sun in-gives warmth to our lives and wings to ourspirit. Those who sing know this. To sing at all requires a certain degree offreedom. Learning to sing in the way described here means finding evergreater degrees of freedom in ourselves. When we sing with this freedom,we find ourselves anew. When we sing with others, we find one another.Singing music that lifts our souls in freedom, we open ourselves to worldsthat fructify the spirit in us. We make our souls flexible and receptive tospiritual worlds-open to what the spiritual worlds can tell us."- Dina Soresi Winter