I think that smaller voices have tigher vibratos
naturally (and larger voices are the opposite - which
is why lots of non-opera people don't like the sound
of "those big fat people with the wobble" when they
hear dramatics).
I think there's also something called a French
tremolo, which is a particularly French sound, a
slightly nasal tonal quality with a fast beat. It's
liked and appreciated in France, and even cultivated.
A voice teacher (not mine) once told me that a natural
tremolo could be advantageous to a singer, because it
would give a voice shimmer on stage. If you heard Sumi
Jo's Gilda broadcast from the Met last season, the
radio taping equipment picked up a fast, regular
bleating vibrato in her voice -- I hated it (but then,
I dislike her production in general), but people who
saw Rigoletto live (the same matinee) said that it
didn't come through in the house.
On the other hand, there's a young tenor in my
teacher's studio who came in with a bleating (VERY
Billy Goatish) vibrato, very irritating, and now he is
producing normal-sounding notes with a vibrato that's
a bit quick, but not noticeable any more. So surely
an unpleasant tremolo might be caused by tension.
What if you took a voice with a naturally fast tremolo
and taught them to sing straight-toned? Would it even
out? Is it possible to produce a healthy straight
tone in the first place, or would you just be adding
injury to insult?
Sorry, no answers here -- just some random thoughts.
Isabelle B.
=====
Isabelle Bracamonte
San Francisco, CA
ibracamonte@y...
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