Dear Margaret and Vocalisters:
Although vowels themselves are of importance in the sense that they
are necessary for word understanding I was speaking more to the idea
of a musical line which is the essence of the singing line. That
musical line will not be noticed (or heard) as easily if the
individual vowels are not connected so that the musical line is not
broken.
Consonants can be the vehicle that tends to break up this "vowel
line" but if they are done correctly, they will not. But consonants
do not make up the musical line. The musical line is produced by a
series of connected vowels, not by a series of connected consonants,
regardless of how liquid or phonated those consonants might be
produced.
You wrote:
I love good diction, and the
color and taste of great consonants, and I love it when the singer
uses the voice to get
at the meaning of the text (and subtext), and uses the words to give
a phrase shape and
motion. But I want the singer to do this AND maintain the legato and the line.
COMMENT: Yes, the singer can make the words clear AND maintain the
legato line or whatever line is required. But the musical meaning is
in the LINE not in the words. This is a difficult concept and often
rejected by many but it is truly the only quality of singing that
conveys the MUSICAL meaning. Often, because musical meaning cannot
be expressed in words (if it could we would not need the music) it is
thought not to exist. But, like a dream which we cannot explain or
even describe to others, musical meaning is there and it can only be
conveyed as musical meaning by the singer if the musical line is
there. The singer cannot create harmony and has a limited
opportunity to create texture so the musical line has to be his/her
forte.
Thanks for your perceptive note.
--
Lloyd W. Hanson, DMA
Professor of Voice, Pedagogy
School of Performing Arts
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ 86011
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