In a previous post, I demonstrated three voice characters: light coloratura quality, lyric quality and dramatic quality by referring to the lessons in Lucie Manen’s book ‘The Art of Singing’. Manen describes how to achieve the voice characters. She also wrote that Lilli Lehmann performed all three roles in The Tales of Hoffmann. In otherContinue reading “The Lilli Lehmann Project* – Light Coloratura”
Tag Archives: Bel Canto
Nasal Close
Lilli Lehmann writes “[t]he nasal close of itself brings a new color into the singing…the word is much more clearly intelligible…”. Below is a demonstration of a Cancone solfeggio phrase. The first ‘sol la’ is sung without a nasal close and the second is with a nasal close. Can you hear the second ‘sol la’Continue reading “Nasal Close”
Voice Characters
In previous blogs, I have demonstrated starting the note from the larynx mechanism, the pharynx, the nasal and the imposto. Here is a chance to put these ideas together to create three different voice characters. To achieve this, I have followed Lucie Manen’s book ‘The Art of Singing’ and recalled the teachings of the lateContinue reading “Voice Characters”
Cancone
Classical Singing is not just about being able to sing loud and soft. Classical Singing is about being able to sing with different tone colours and shades of intensity. Here is the opening phrase of a Cancone solfeggio. Solfegii and vocalise are vital for training singers. I will be demonstrating a lot of solfegii andContinue reading “Cancone”
Messa di Voce on ‘u’
Today I made a sound file of messa di voce on my favourite vowel ‘u’. There are two attempts in this sound file. The first attempt was uneven and lacked in its intensity but the second attempt was ok. My iPhone compresses my recordings a lot, but I think it is still possible to hearContinue reading “Messa di Voce on ‘u’”
Nasal
Lilli Lehmann laments that nasal resonance is often neglected. Today I made a sound file of ‘ng’. I practice ‘ng’ throughout my vocal range. If I concentrate on my happy surprise breath, onset and support then I feel what Lilli Lehmann calls ‘whirling currents’. Here are a pair of ‘i’ vowels without nasality and aContinue reading “Nasal”
Vibrazione
Esther Salaman, in her book ‘Unlocking Your Voice’, reminds us that the Bel Canto school of singing is about quality over quantity. Ms Salaman says that Vibrazione is an exercise that develops the core of our vowels. In other words, it develops quality. Today I made a sound file of vibrazione. Vibrazione is a momentContinue reading “Vibrazione”
Pronunciation
“He who knows how to breathe and pronounce well, knows how to sing well” Pacchiarotti (quoted in Francesco Lamperti’s book The Art of Singing). I have written quite a few posts about breathing. Today, I decided to write about pronunciation. Pronunciation, as well as breathing exercises, should precede singing lessons. Oskar Guttmann, in his GymnasticsContinue reading “Pronunciation”
Deborah Wai Kapohe 