Dear Vocalisters:
On Wed, 11 Oct 2000, Randy wrote:
>This sort of vocal production found with many opera singers reduces the art
>form to complete artifice that requires a very high level of knowledge and
>education to appreciate. This artifice does not reflect the underlying truth
>of the story at this point but the underlying truth of certain vocal
>techniques found in opera in which style rules and dramatic integrity suffers
>at its hand.
COMMENT: Most of the singing I hear from more recently touted opera
singers such as Dawn Upshaw, Cecelia Bartolli, Kathleen Battle, and
many crossover singers such as Audra McDonnald do not display a good
vowel line. The seem more concerned with articulation of consonants
and "accurate" rendition of the language as if spoken. This is
especially true in Upshaw's recording of Barber's "Knoxville, Summer
of 1915" in which vowel line is constantly distorted for the sake of
"clarity". Compare this recording to the one by Leontyne Price.
By vowel line I mean the connection of the vowels (even through the
consonants) such that the musical line is more stressed than the text
itself. For me the result is that the text is more clearly stated
because the intention and direction of the musical line carries the
text. My brain has less to need to put the words back together and I
obtain textual meaning more quickly and easily. The music becomes
the dramatic element even though the text may have been the
motivation for the creation of the music. Libretti (stories)
motivate the creation of opera and, of course, opera tells stories
but not primarily through words. The stories are told as emotions
primarily through the music. Few opera stories are worthy of
consideration beyond the music they inspired. But most opera stories
are very worthy of the emotions they elicit and it is music that
primarily carries this element
I just told mike that I did not plan to discuss this subject further
but here I am once again in up to my neck.
Lloyd W. Hanson, DMA
Professor of Voice, Pedagogy
School of Performing Arts
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ 86011
|
