| | To: "'VOCALIST'" <vocalist>
Subject: RE: Arias Transposed?
Date sent: Tue, 8 Feb 2000 16:45:32 +0100
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>
Nnnno... I don't think that Karen's point was that these things should only
be done the 'correct way', but that the 'correct way' is itself variable.
I've already drawn fire for suggesting that some art-songs work well when
transposed, and others don't so I won't spend to long on that. I think
Karen's rule of thumb is reasonable. When a composer specifies a voice type,
that should be respected; when he doesn't it's reasonable to consider
transposition. My own (admittedly humble) experience as a composer supports
this view. Most of the time I don't mind who sings what song in what key,
where I do think it matters, I'll mark it in. And one writes differently for
the voice in opera. If Corelli himself offered to record Josef's aria from
'The Bridge', I honestly think I'd say no. Also if Siepi offered, and I know
he'd make a magnificent job of it. It's a baritone piece, dammit. I made it
that way.
It is probably true that transposing an aria for a different voice doesn't
destroy the piece, but it does often weaken it. Anybody heard the
tranposition of Figaro's sortita in A lately? All the basses I know seem to
have a copy, so why don't they perform it? Because they realise pretty
quickly that they sound dumb doing it, that's why. About as dumb as I'd
sound doing 'Donna non vidi mai' down a fourth. I'd have all the notes, but
can I made my baritone shine on 'simile a quella' the way that tenors do
naturally? Of course not. Nor can any other baritone. Bb and C just don't
'shine' in the baritone voice the way that F and G do naturally in the tenor
voice.
I'd listen to the Vickers. Once. Out of curiosity. Unless it turned out to
be very good. This does happen occasionally. I find the Mario del Monaco
prologue to Pagliacci laughable, but the Largo al Factotum he did on German
television, was really rather good. Not ideal, but a lot better than many
I've heard. There are exceptions to every rule. But the point about
exceptions is that they are ...well...exceptional. One soprano making a good
and enjoyable fist of 'O Isis und Osiris' in no way invalidates the point,
that as a general rule, the part should be left to basses, who are endowed
naturally with what can only be a freak in others.
Fischer-Dieskau is an interesting example. He'd never get away with Sachs in
the theatre, although I think he tried once. Which brings us on to the
interesting discussion of whether artists should ever record roles in which
no self-respecting theatre would hire them, but that's a future
discussion.....
Happy Singing.
Regards / vriendelijke groeten
Laurie Kubiak
Commercial Analyst - Europe & Africa SMMS
Sales and Contract Support, Shell Services International
Shell Centre, London SE1 7NA
Telephone: +44 171 934 3853; Fax: +44 171 934 6674
Mobile: 07771 971 921: E.mail: Laurence.l.Kubiak-at-is.shell.com
Office: LON-SC 631
-----Original Message-----
From: RALUCOB-at-aol.com [mailto:RALUCOB-at-aol.com]
Sent: 08 February 2000 15:09
To: vocalist
Subject: Re: Arias Transposed?
no, karen's point is that it must only be done the 'correct way' and my
point
is not that it should be done in transpostition. i think you are absolutely
right. i think verdi is a genius just for writing 'come dal ciel precipito'
for a bass. what i am saying is that transposing an aria to another fach
does
not destroy the piece. it can still be done in the original key by the
original facher.
suppose you heard that jon vickers had recorded 'come dal ciel
precipito' in g min. would you listen out of curiosity? would you
refuse to listen on principal (as if that would actually have an effect on
anything)? what if you heard it and liked it to some degree, would that mean
you stopped liking it the right way? can you not like both with a preference
for one or the other? if i have hotter singing sachs on a cd and
fischer-dieskau singing sachs on another, can't i enjoy both (yes, i know
they are in the same key)?
transposing an aria out of fach is not an insult to a composer. if
anything, it may be a great compliment to a composer, as if to say 'i love
this piece so much, i would give anything to be that voice type just so i
could sing it'.
to suggest that it is fine to do art songs in transposition while
singing arias in transposition is 'unacceptable', is unacceptable.
mike
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