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From:  Cathy Ardrey <cardrey@j...>
Date:  Thu Jun 8, 2000  2:22 am
Subject:  Opinions solicited: long and somewhat self-absorbed :)


Hello, vocalists!

It is clear that you are all people whose opinions I value, even though I do
not know you. Your wisdom and ideas on this list have been valuable to me
as a singer and a teacher of singing.

I need your advice and opinions. When I was 25, I enrolled in a Master's
Degree program in vocal pedagogy which I enjoyed enormously. At the time my
voice was alot like Isabelle described hers to be (carrying head voice only
down to a middle c, with that "Deh Vieni" low note being very hard to
project or even reach.) I began learning light soprano opera repertoire
(Marriage of Figaro's Susannah, Gianni Schicchi's "Oh mio Babbino Caro,"
etc.) I loved the repertoire, but it did stretch my limited range---my
highest publicly acceptable note was a B a half-step below soprano high C.
It was thought that I would probably develop more top range over time. That
did not happen, but a wonderful thing did happen--my voice grew to be much
larger in volume, resonance, and became darker in color. Absolutely no
range increased on the top. I began learning more lyric/dramatic arias
(Hoffman's "Elle Fui," Menotti's "Steal Me, Sweet Thief," Mozart's "Porgi
Amor," Bizet's "Je dis que rien ne m'epouvante," etc.) I truly loved this
literature.

Fast forward... now I'm 39, and voice teachers I've had since my Master's
degree studies have continued in a similar vein just because (I think) this
is the literature I have studied in the past.

My concerns are this: I have never developed any extended upper range but
have developed good chest and mixed voice down to the f below middle c, and
I can sing lightly or in full chest voice down to d or c an octave below
middle c. I did have physical vocal trouble soon after completing my
Master's studies
(small nodules), so I'm now (after the fact) considering that I was probably
singing literature with a tessiatura that was too high for me.

What do you think? Should I concentrate on mezzo literature and develop
that nice mix in my lower voice, or is that just a lazy soprano cop out?
Even when I am in excellent vocal shape these days a Bb a whole step below
soprano high c is the highest note I can produce beautifully. The nodules
are tiny, my ENT says they should not be affecting my range at all, and I've
not had any audible or noticeable trouble with them in at least 10 years.

Any suggestions for literature that might straddle the soprano/mezzo fence?
The countess' arias in Marriage of Figaro work well for me, and seem to sit
in the right place in my voice.
Or should I forget this soprano stuff altogether?

Opinions are welcome. Teachers in this area are good, but mostly want to
know what literature I want to work on (I think they may be a little
intimidated because I often have as many vocal pedagogy studies under my
belt as they do). I keep telling them that what I really need is just
another pair of knowledgeable ears listening to me.

Sorry this is such a self-absorbed ramble. I've been so busy listening to
my students for the past several years, that I've forgotten to listen
critically to myself until recently.

Thanks!
Catherine Ardrey
Charleston, SC



  Replies Name/Email Yahoo! ID Date Size
2252 Re: Opinions solicited: long and somewhat self-ab DIANE M. CLARK (MUSIC DEPARTM   Thu  6/8/2000   2 KB
2266 Re: Opinions solicited: long and somewhat self-ab John Alexander Blyth   Thu  6/8/2000   5 KB
2270 Re: Opinions solicited: long and somewhat self-ab Elizabeth Finkler   Thu  6/8/2000   3 KB
2272 Re: Opinions solicited: long and somewhat self-ab Mezzoid@a...   Thu  6/8/2000   2 KB
2276 Re: Opinions solicited: long and somewhat self-ab John Alexander Blyth   Thu  6/8/2000   3 KB

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