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Ralph Moore's Survey of Norma
Posted by Noah Tunell on September 11, 2025, 6:28 pm
I was reading your excellent survey of Bellini's Norma, and I came across the statement, "with a tenor who must be a singer of the highest quality; great tenors who have evidently enjoyed displaying their trumpeting tones as Pollione include Martinelli, Del Monaco, Vickers and Corelli, all of whose voices are beefier than what Bellini had in mind, but Pollione’s martial arias and opportunities for grandstanding have proved irresistible to a big-voiced tenors" I think it is interesting that you say Bellini had something lighter in mind, as I actually believe that tenors like Corelli and Del Monaco are almost certainly closest to what Bellini had in mind. I think your preference for those heavier voices comes from the fact that the music was written for a very low, heavy voice. Pollione was written for the singer Domenico Donzelli, who was described as having a huge, strenuous, powerful, and very dark voice. He was known for being incredibly stentorian and declamatory, and struggling with coloratura and ornamentation. Although he would have used to head voice for the highest notes, he was known for bringing chest voice all the way to the G, which most of the role lies below as it was written for him. To me it seems like he was some type of heldentenor voice, and I think trying to cast a lighter, higher-lying voice even like Pavarotti is actually against what Bellini would have wanted. I think it is untrue that voices were mostly very light in the Bel Canto era, and I think this method of casting comes from a lack of heavy dramatic voices in modern day, not informed period practice. Based on my research it seems like there were almost as many vocal categories then as there are now. Norma especially seems to have been written for the largest dramatic voices of the time, and I see no reason to believe that they would not have been comparable in power and darkness to singers we can hear on recordings. Anyway, I just think it is interesting to speculate on what music may have sounded like in the past, thanks for reading! -Noah Tunell
Very interesting observations, Noah, and you may well be right that I should revise my assumption regarding what sort of voice Bellini had in mind. I certainly do not think that a tenor of John Osborn's type is appropriate, as per the Antonini studio recording, and that certainly explains why I instinctively prefer those heavier tenors.
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I was reading your excellent survey of Bellini's Norma, and I came across the statement, "with a tenor who must be a singer of the highest quality; great tenors who have evidently enjoyed displaying their trumpeting tones as Pollione include Martinelli, Del Monaco, Vickers and Corelli, all of whose voices are beefier than what Bellini had in mind, but Pollione’s martial arias and opportunities for grandstanding have proved irresistible to a big-voiced tenors" I think it is interesting that you say Bellini had something lighter in mind, as I actually believe that tenors like Corelli and Del Monaco are almost certainly closest to what Bellini had in mind. I think your preference for those heavier voices comes from the fact that the music was written for a very low, heavy voice. Pollione was written for the singer Domenico Donzelli, who was described as having a huge, strenuous, powerful, and very dark voice. He was known for being incredibly stentorian and declamatory, and struggling with coloratura and ornamentation. Although he would have used to head voice for the highest notes, he was known for bringing chest voice all the way to the G, which most of the role lies below as it was written for him. To me it seems like he was some type of heldentenor voice, and I think trying to cast a lighter, higher-lying voice even like Pavarotti is actually against what Bellini would have wanted. I think it is untrue that voices were mostly very light in the Bel Canto era, and I think this method of casting comes from a lack of heavy dramatic voices in modern day, not informed period practice. Based on my research it seems like there were almost as many vocal categories then as there are now. Norma especially seems to have been written for the largest dramatic voices of the time, and I see no reason to believe that they would not have been comparable in power and darkness to singers we can hear on recordings. Anyway, I just think it is interesting to speculate on what music may have sounded like in the past, thanks for reading! -Noah Tunell
I was wondering if you've heard the not-so-recent recording with Marina Rebeka. I was very curious about it when it was released last spring, but I was put off by how expensive it was. I later found that Marina Rebeka has made the complete recording available on her YouTube channel. Although that's not my preferred method for listening to music, I listened to it at that time. I’ve just heard it for a second time. Although I enjoyed it enough for a second round, I'm pleased that I didn't need to pop out over $60 US for it.
Rebeka is at her best from "In mia man" through the finale. Unfortunately, the declamatory tone of "Sediziose voci" is carried over into "Casta diva." I thought the rest of the cast are good, if not remarkable. I found no reason to prefer this over many of the other recordings of “Norma” in my collection.
Although the recording uses the new critical edition published by Ricordi, it makes no pretentions to an attempt at “historical accuracy” in casting. Adalgisa is sung by a mezzo, Karine Deshayes, and the repertory of the tenor who sings Pollione, Luciano Ganci, tends towards verismo and late Verdi. The sung text in the critical edition is remarkably similar to what you'd hear in the first Sutherland recording:
"Casta diva" sung in G rather than F (Sills recorded it in this key, too)
A strophe for Adalgisa in the first movement of the first act trio finale (Sutherland does sing Adalgisa's music here where the line lies higher than Norma's)
The "maggiore" section from the overture repeated as the conclusion of the "Guerra! Guerra!" chorus. This can be heard on many other recordings.
These are the parts of the critical edition that are specifically called out in the booklet. However, there's another variation that can be heard only in this recording and Sutherland's first: Norma has a repeat of her verse in "Ah, si fa core" after Adalgisa has sung her verse.
I make no comparisons to the Bartoli version of "Normina" because it's so mannered and bizarre.
I'll still go to Callas’s second or Sutherland’s first when I want to hear "Norma."
I have listened to excerpts on YouTube, Stephen, and find little about Marina Rebeka's voice to make me alter comments I made about her "La vestale":"Marina Rebeka is entirely competent but as I remarked in my reviews of her recital albums Spirito and Amor fatale, there is to her singing a certain faceless quality, both tonally and interpretatively, especially compared with her illustrious predecessors. When all is said and done, she does not have a particularly beautiful voice, especially when it is under pressure." I find her top notes especially very squally in the "Norma" arias and feel no desire to listen to more - sorry. Like you, I'll stick with Callas and Sutherland.
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Ralph,
I was wondering if you've heard the not-so-recent recording with Marina Rebeka. I was very curious about it when it was released last spring, but I was put off by how expensive it was. I later found that Marina Rebeka has made the complete recording available on her YouTube channel. Although that's not my preferred method for listening to music, I listened to it at that time. I’ve just heard it for a second time. Although I enjoyed it enough for a second round, I'm pleased that I didn't need to pop out over $60 US for it.
Rebeka is at her best from "In mia man" through the finale. Unfortunately, the declamatory tone of "Sediziose voci" is carried over into "Casta diva." I thought the rest of the cast are good, if not remarkable. I found no reason to prefer this over many of the other recordings of “Norma” in my collection.
Although the recording uses the new critical edition published by Ricordi, it makes no pretentions to an attempt at “historical accuracy” in casting. Adalgisa is sung by a mezzo, Karine Deshayes, and the repertory of the tenor who sings Pollione, Luciano Ganci, tends towards verismo and late Verdi. The sung text in the critical edition is remarkably similar to what you'd hear in the first Sutherland recording:
"Casta diva" sung in G rather than F (Sills recorded it in this key, too)
A strophe for Adalgisa in the first movement of the first act trio finale (Sutherland does sing Adalgisa's music here where the line lies higher than Norma's)
The "maggiore" section from the overture repeated as the conclusion of the "Guerra! Guerra!" chorus. This can be heard on many other recordings.
These are the parts of the critical edition that are specifically called out in the booklet. However, there's another variation that can be heard only in this recording and Sutherland's first: Norma has a repeat of her verse in "Ah, si fa core" after Adalgisa has sung her verse.
I make no comparisons to the Bartoli version of "Normina" because it's so mannered and bizarre.
I'll still go to Callas’s second or Sutherland’s first when I want to hear "Norma."
Noah, I have been thinking more about what Bellini had in mind. As he would not yet have heard a tenor sing a top C in lower register as per Duprez' "breakthrough" achievement and Donzelli's top was limited,I guess I am right that he did not expect to hear a Corelli or Del Monaco type tenor as Pollione - but he would surely have welcomed it, especially as Donzelli had a dark, baritonal voice but not those top notes. So preference for a heroic "tenore di forza" with a full voiced top C seems legitimate.
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I was reading your excellent survey of Bellini's Norma, and I came across the statement, "with a tenor who must be a singer of the highest quality; great tenors who have evidently enjoyed displaying their trumpeting tones as Pollione include Martinelli, Del Monaco, Vickers and Corelli, all of whose voices are beefier than what Bellini had in mind, but Pollione’s martial arias and opportunities for grandstanding have proved irresistible to a big-voiced tenors" I think it is interesting that you say Bellini had something lighter in mind, as I actually believe that tenors like Corelli and Del Monaco are almost certainly closest to what Bellini had in mind. I think your preference for those heavier voices comes from the fact that the music was written for a very low, heavy voice. Pollione was written for the singer Domenico Donzelli, who was described as having a huge, strenuous, powerful, and very dark voice. He was known for being incredibly stentorian and declamatory, and struggling with coloratura and ornamentation. Although he would have used to head voice for the highest notes, he was known for bringing chest voice all the way to the G, which most of the role lies below as it was written for him. To me it seems like he was some type of heldentenor voice, and I think trying to cast a lighter, higher-lying voice even like Pavarotti is actually against what Bellini would have wanted. I think it is untrue that voices were mostly very light in the Bel Canto era, and I think this method of casting comes from a lack of heavy dramatic voices in modern day, not informed period practice. Based on my research it seems like there were almost as many vocal categories then as there are now. Norma especially seems to have been written for the largest dramatic voices of the time, and I see no reason to believe that they would not have been comparable in power and darkness to singers we can hear on recordings. Anyway, I just think it is interesting to speculate on what music may have sounded like in the past, thanks for reading! -Noah Tunell
I agree with you here. As far as I know Donzelli was essentially the originator of the strongly lowered larynx technique in tenors, and Duprez was an evolution of his art (although Duprez was almost certainly a much higher voice than Donzelli.) Anyway, I always think it is interesting to speculate on singing styles before the time of recordings, and I would like to think voices back then also had a lot more variety than just light lyric coloratura singing.
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Noah, I have been thinking more about what Bellini had in mind. As he would not yet have heard a tenor sing a top C in lower register as per Duprez' "breakthrough" achievement and Donzelli's top was limited,I guess I am right that he did not expect to hear a Corelli or Del Monaco type tenor as Pollione - but he would surely have welcomed it, especially as Donzelli had a dark, baritonal voice but not those top notes. So preference for a heroic "tenore di forza" with a full voiced top C seems legitimate.
Previous Message
I was reading your excellent survey of Bellini's Norma, and I came across the statement, "with a tenor who must be a singer of the highest quality; great tenors who have evidently enjoyed displaying their trumpeting tones as Pollione include Martinelli, Del Monaco, Vickers and Corelli, all of whose voices are beefier than what Bellini had in mind, but Pollione’s martial arias and opportunities for grandstanding have proved irresistible to a big-voiced tenors" I think it is interesting that you say Bellini had something lighter in mind, as I actually believe that tenors like Corelli and Del Monaco are almost certainly closest to what Bellini had in mind. I think your preference for those heavier voices comes from the fact that the music was written for a very low, heavy voice. Pollione was written for the singer Domenico Donzelli, who was described as having a huge, strenuous, powerful, and very dark voice. He was known for being incredibly stentorian and declamatory, and struggling with coloratura and ornamentation. Although he would have used to head voice for the highest notes, he was known for bringing chest voice all the way to the G, which most of the role lies below as it was written for him. To me it seems like he was some type of heldentenor voice, and I think trying to cast a lighter, higher-lying voice even like Pavarotti is actually against what Bellini would have wanted. I think it is untrue that voices were mostly very light in the Bel Canto era, and I think this method of casting comes from a lack of heavy dramatic voices in modern day, not informed period practice. Based on my research it seems like there were almost as many vocal categories then as there are now. Norma especially seems to have been written for the largest dramatic voices of the time, and I see no reason to believe that they would not have been comparable in power and darkness to singers we can hear on recordings. Anyway, I just think it is interesting to speculate on what music may have sounded like in the past, thanks for reading! -Noah Tunell
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