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Vocal Technique
Posted by Noah Tunell on May 17, 2024, 5:18 am
As an opera enthusiast, I am curious about vocal techniques of the past for opera singers, as we are in dire straits with modern singers. I am an amateur singer and I have been trying to figure out what has changed with vocal techniques. Since the most likely cause is problems with vocal training, I am hesitant to ask vocal coaches these questions. I think that the most obvious quality lacking from modern male singers is squillo, of the kind that Corelli, del Monaco, or even Melchior had. I think this is what lets singers keep their voices even in dramatic roles, which is why a light voiced singer such as Pavarotti fared so well in big tenor roles. I was curious if anyone here had any ideas of how to vocally train to develop this lost trait, since it seems integral to any opera singer. Thanks for your time and your excellent reviews! -Noah
Re: Vocal Technique
Posted by Ralph Moore on May 18, 2024, 9:15 pm, in reply to "Vocal Technique" Edited by board administrator May 19, 2024, 9:50 am
As you well know, Noah, virtually no subject is more prone to contentious and contradictory assertions than vocal technique and it is really too complicated to be accommodated by a discussion on this forum. I am not a professional singer but I received some sound and useful training from an excellent teacher in my youth and have spent fifty years listening to and thinking about great singing. Your instincts and observations are correct; I would say in brief that the lack of squillo is a feature of the absence of proper pharyngeal resonance, insufficient development of both vocal registers by both male and female singers, self-listening, rushing careers and an inadequate understanding of the physiology of the larynx and phonation, resulting in the propagation of silly ideas like "mask resonance". The best way to learn how to sing well is to imitate the greatest singers; they themselves have often been largely self-taught. I cannot, of course, recommend teachers because it is clear that the conservatories are largely failing to turn out the right voices.
