Subject: Re: Competition Pieces
From: "jjh"
To: Vocalist
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

On Sat, 11 Dec 1999, Jameson Linville wrote:

>I am a 16 year old bass-baritone and will be auditioning for one of
>six spots as a bass on the Georgia Governors Honors Program in
>February, having passed regional auditions. I know that I would like to do one
>from Alfred's 26 Italian Songs and Arias, but the problem is so many are so
good!

Jameson:

The answer to your question greatly depends on your strengths as a singer.
If runs and melismas are your strong suit, then "Gia il sole dal Gange" and
"Vittoria, vittoria mio core" (you didn't include this on your list, but
it's a nice one) would fit the bill. If legato singing is your strength,
then "Amarilli" or "O del mio dolce ardor" would be good. If you have some
vocal power and dramatic expression to show off, then "Come raggio di sol"
(difficult because of the tempo and phrase lengths; make sure you can make
it to the ends of the phrases before programming this piece) or "Quella
fiamma" would be the ones to look at. If singing "patter-style," quick
Italian words is something that's impressive in your voice, then "Che fiero
costume" would be a good choice.

You want to put your best foot forward in this audition, so I would try to
showcase your strengths.

"Quella fiamma" is my all-time favorite Italian aria for guys. There is
also a good arrangement in the G. Schirmer "24 Italian Songs and Arias."
This edition includes a recitative at the beginning ("Il mio bel foco"), and
a 4-measure coda at the end, which I think is quite nice. I know the Alfred
book is more historically accurate, but when you get right down to it,
people have been adapting and arranging music for centuries; I don't see why
it shouldn't be viable for the Italian Songs and Arias! It's nice to have a
variety of options when looking at these pieces.

A few more pieces of advice: when singing anything from these two Italian
books, make sure you're singing 100% accurately, and make sure your Italian
diction is impeccable. I can't tell you how many auditions and contests
I've heard these pieces at--I've lost count! Any pitch, rhythm or diction
errors will be noticed immediately, and could put you out of the running.
Finally, and most importantly: when singing songs and arias that are
familiar to one and all, the things that really set you apart from the crowd
are musicality and expression. Take a close look at dynamics,
phrasing/line, and articulation. Understand every word that you're singing,
and have the appropriate facial expression, eye focus, and body language.
Trust me, expressive singing will get you noticed!

Your teacher must be so proud of you--good luck with the audition!

Jana
--
Jana Holzmeier
Dept. of Music
Nebraska Wesleyan University
5000 Saint Paul Ave.
Lincoln, NE 68504
jjh-at-nebrwesleyan.edu
402-465-2284