A century after the birth of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, and to commemorate the 70th birthday of Thomas Hampson, this landmark study traces the origins and evolution of the baritone, and the achievements of its greatest exponents, from the 16th century to the 21st.

Through extensive cross-cultural research and detailed musical analysis, Matthew Boyden navigates the profound effects of social change, religion, philosophy, psychology, socioeconomics, sexuality, race and technology on the sound, techniques and perception of the voice as a musical and cultural phenomenon.  Referencing hundreds of works of music, literature, theatre, painting, and film – and featuring multi-disciplinary surveys of the influence of Satanism and necromancy, the civil rights movement, the rise and fall of recording, and the consequences of voice competitions – The Baritone: A Cultural History is the first book of its kind, in any language.  Boyden reveals how five centuries of cultural and societal experience have shaped the baritone, with detailed monographs on Johann Michael Vogl, Antonio Tamburini, Mattia Battistini, Victor Maurel, Dietrich Fischer-Dieksau, Broadway and Frank Sinatra. It forms the third part of Boyden’s ground-breaking five-volume series on the sung voice. Wildly ambitious, insightful and original, The Baritone: A Cultural History is a fascinating resource for anyone interested in the art, science and history of singing.