Singing like Callas and Caruso: Belcanto Voice and Body Training

“Behind every weakness hides a talent!“ is Dr. Karin Wettig’s personal experience after the loss of her speaking voice with her divorce. With a broken voice instead of a broken heart, she would not give up looking for answers to her biggest dreams. Once settled in Munich, the adventure journey from her lost speaking voice to her authentic coloratura soprano began.

When logopedics and therapy didn't bring progress, she decided to look for a cure in singing. Mozart Arias excited her passion for Belcanto and she fell in love with opera singing. Maria Callas, Adelina Patti and the divas of Caruso's time became her favourite teachers after she had tried out methods, vocal coaches and singing teachers as well as some opera schools in various European countries with decouraging results. An inspiring master class with Ann Reynolds brought her a new understanding of Italian Belcanto and the original style of Opera Singing. Enthousiastically she wrote her first Singer’s Guide in German.

Recognizing that none of the experts could make her really understand the details of the vocal mechanism behind singing, she gave up on all teachers and started to explore her favourite role model, Maria Callas. Imitating what she saw and heard on videos, opera films and DVDs she discovered how body and voice could develop a balance and more vocal power. Physical therapies like Alexander Technique, Rolfing, Cantieni and even Yoga helped her to find the key to her authentic natural singing voice.
For years her path to her authentic voice was "paved" with lonely nights in dimlit churches, practicing Belcanto repertoire from Farinelli to Mozart, Bellini, Rossini and Verdi. At the same time her musicological curiosity inspired here to research the origins of Belcanto teachings beginning in the Renaissance.

In the end all these theoretical and practical approaches came together in her book – "Singing like Callas and Caruso".
Nevertheless Karin's manual for singers is no dry lecture, but an amusing heartfully written book with episodes from the lives of great singers, divas and the best singing teachers of the last 400 years.

The book is is divided into three parts. The historical part presents a synopsis of the development of singing and classical belcanto pedagogy demonstrated by experiences of famous protagonists from Renaissance to nowadays. The theoretical part discusses all the details needed to form a healthy natural sound for the human singing voice independently of styles and cultures. And the practical part is a synthesis how to find one's personal authentic singing voice with a daily body, voice and breathing training.

Anatomy, vocal functions and remedies how to correct vocal faults are shown in a funny and encouraging way with pictures and exercises. The deep understanding of the human voice, the musicologist, Dr. Karin Wettig, won in decades of personal research is described here in an electrifying way. The author offers not only simple tips and tricks for an autodidactic approach to singing for all vocal styles, but also ideas how to find the best teacher and how to know if the vocal training is correct and really useful.

More details, reviews, videos about Dr. Karin Wettig can be found on her homepage, her Amazon author page, her facebook page and her youtube channel. This manual for singing technique is recommended for students of opera singing, vocal coaches, singing teachers and professionals as well as pop, rock and heavy metal singers. There are also hints for singers who wish to do castings and talent shows.

The vocal technique given here is a daily training program for body and voice with an easy autodidactic method. 298 pages in print, 40 pictures. At the end a bibliography for further reading is given with informative comments for music students.