Spending 5 or 6 years working on technique does not
mean 5 or 6 years working on vocalises. I don't
advise repertoire study for the sake of repertoire
study at an early age (let's see how many french
melodies I can get under my belt before I'm 24), but
the vocal lines of Verdi, in particular, are
tremendous studies in how to sing opera.
I'm also not a big fan of giving every 20-year-old who
crosses a teacher's path the -ina arias because
they're "age appropriate" -- another reason I advise
technical study in the studio (you can sing whatever
is right for the voice, not material that would be
appropriate for auditions or recitals). I had better
success learning Gilda and the Countess at that age
than I did trying to scale back for Zerlina and
Heidenroslein.
Perhaps by "technical study" I should better have
written "technical vocal study in the studio, made up
of vocalises and repertoire work without the added
distraction of interpretation, diction, phrasing, et
al, until the student can add in those aspects without
compromising her technical integrity."
Isabelle B. (who loves this debate)
> Sorry - it's a great sales pitch, but I'm not
> buying. Having a singer do nothing but
> vocalese for 5-6 years is no different than having a
> pianist do nothing but play scales
> and exercises for 5-6 years.
=====
Isabelle Bracamonte
San Francisco, CA
ibracamonte@y...
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