JOHN G. SHANKS

I'm very excited that the Texas All-State Etudes this year are taken from the Rochut/Bordogni Melodious Etudes/Vocalises. Let's first clear up the nomenclature! These are actually vocalises, or vocal studies, written by the great Italian tenor Marco Bordogni. Bordogni was an incredibly accomplished singer, described by Hector Berlioz as the best "singing-master" of that period. He spent the majority of his adult years teaching at the Paris Conservatoire, and in addition t