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From:  "Tako Oda" <toda@m...>
"Tako Oda" <toda@m...>
Date:  Mon Mar 26, 2001  7:16 pm
Subject:  [vocalist] Re: a tenor who is grumpy with mozart


"Lloyd W. Hanson" <lloyd.hanson@n...> wrote:
"Lloyd W. Hanson" <lloyd.hanson@n...> wrote:
> But only special tenors seem able to make Mozart sound like tenor
> music, with some exceptions. Consequently it is often sung today in
> a half-baked manner with a tone quality that is excessively light
> and without any kind of basic male heft. Yet, his roles are not
> for this kind of personality.

I think the only reason only special tenors can do it is because the
requirements are almost impossible. They must have the "male heft"
which is now almost a requirement for tenors, and yet have the
flexibility to handle Mozart's lines.

We've all heard ad nauseum about the famous William Tell High C... if
tenors were singing with a much lighter High A, B, H, C before William
Tell, then it stands to reason they were singing much more lightly in
the notes leading up to that range to satisfy the bel canto ideal of a
unified voice.

Perhaps our notion of masculinity are skewed? Remember there were a
few castrati still around (early Mozart) - the ultimate hero
characters! You're right that it's easy to do the lighter production
in a half-baked manner, using feigned voice and all, but it is also
possible to do it in a solid, beautiful manner as well.

Tako



  Replies Name/Email Yahoo! ID Date Size
10623 Mozart in falsetto/ how styles change (was: grump Isabelle Bracamonte   Mon  3/26/2001   6 KB
10624 Re: Mozart in falsetto/ how styles change (was: g Tako Oda   Mon  3/26/2001   2 KB
10630 Re: Mozart in falsetto/ how styles change (was: g Lloyd W. Hanson   Tue  3/27/2001   4 KB
10631 Re: Mozart in falsetto/ how styles change (was: g Lloyd W. Hanson   Tue  3/27/2001   4 KB

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