Verismo opera: how bel canto technique protected the voices of its singers

<p>Verismo is a style of opera composition that was influenced by a significant movement in Italian literature from the end of the nineteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth century. It is characterised by the true-to-life portrayal of rural or urban poverty, often showing a robust regional lifestyle as well as serving as the introduction to the region's representative songs and dances. Historically, the singing of verismo opera posed some problems for singers in regards to their stamina and the longevity of their career. As a student, I attempted to sing this type of music, but I felt unable to sing it well; my difficulties and the problems associated with the performance of verismo, therefore, fascinated me. Rationalising that proper vocal technique was the answer to these problems, I then concentrated on long-term systematic bel canto training in China and New Zealand. In most cases, the study of bel canto technique is a fundamental part of the process of learning vocal music for classical singers. In addition to laying out the background of verismo and bel canto, my exegesis demonstrates how singers can learn to sing verismo opera well without damaging their voices, which will help them extend their stamina and the length of their career. I especially investigate the differing use of the body needed for singing each type of music. Researching bel canto, I have listened to different singers' recordings and have written short critiques of their voices, focusing on how they developed bel canto to sing verismo. I have focused on bel canto and verismo works for my repertoire and can apply the techniques safely based on bel canto training. To articulate this knowledge, I take three different arias (one bel canto aria, two verismo arias) as case studies to analyse, to demonstrate the points I want to make. In addition, as a native Mandarin Chinese speaker, I focus on how Mandarin native speakers deal with singing Italian, and I articulate techniques to help other Mandarin speakers learn bel canto. Overall, my research will have practical and artistic value for younger students in helping them to understand the challenges of singing verismo opera.</p>

Verismo opera: how bel canto technique protected the voices of its singers

<p>Verismo is a style of opera composition that was influenced by a significant movement in Italian literature from the end of the nineteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth century. It is characterised by the true-to-life portrayal of rural or urban poverty, often showing a robust regional lifestyle as well as serving as the introduction to the region's representative songs and dances. Historically, the singing of verismo opera posed some problems for singers in regards to their stamina and the longevity of their career. As a student, I attempted to sing this type of music, but I felt unable to sing it well; my difficulties and the problems associated with the performance of verismo, therefore, fascinated me. Rationalising that proper vocal technique was the answer to these problems, I then concentrated on long-term systematic bel canto training in China and New Zealand. In most cases, the study of bel canto technique is a fundamental part of the process of learning vocal music for classical singers. In addition to laying out the background of verismo and bel canto, my exegesis demonstrates how singers can learn to sing verismo opera well without damaging their voices, which will help them extend their stamina and the length of their career. I especially investigate the differing use of the body needed for singing each type of music. Researching bel canto, I have listened to different singers' recordings and have written short critiques of their voices, focusing on how they developed bel canto to sing verismo. I have focused on bel canto and verismo works for my repertoire and can apply the techniques safely based on bel canto training. To articulate this knowledge, I take three different arias (one bel canto aria, two verismo arias) as case studies to analyse, to demonstrate the points I want to make. In addition, as a native Mandarin Chinese speaker, I focus on how Mandarin native speakers deal with singing Italian, and I articulate techniques to help other Mandarin speakers learn bel canto. Overall, my research will have practical and artistic value for younger students in helping them to understand the challenges of singing verismo opera.</p>

The Changing Aesthetics of Vocal Registration in the Age Of ‘Verismo’

The idea that classical singers should join the notes of the vocal line by maintaining a consistent vocal colour is a relatively recent historical construct. In the last decades of the nineteenth century, singers in the Italian tradition were loyal to a very different vocal aesthetic, which valued the distinct differences in timbre between different vocal registers, as this article shows through a comparative analysis of pedagogical writing and pre-1925 recordings. The latter reveal that, in the early twentieth century, old and new techniques for uniting the vocal registers coexisted, and reflected an aesthetic transition towards a more gendered quality of the operatic voice. This process was intertwined with profound transformations in Italian operatic culture. The demands of a new realistic idiom known as verismo required a new type of vocalism, which prompted singers to re-conceive the ‘art of vocal registration’.

An Overview of Premenstrual Voice Syndrome: Definition, Treatment, and Future Trajectories

For classical singers, performing in peak condition is optimal at all times in an industry which demands excellence. The slightest variability in a singer’s physiology can influence sound quality and production; in severe instances, a singer’s career longevity may be compromised. Researchers have observed an effect of menstrual cycle hormone variability on the voice, compromising tone quality, agility, and stamina. For a subset of these singers, the effect of hormone variability on voice production is especially severe. This phenomenon has been termed premenstrual voice syndrome (PMVS) among singers, although there has been little empirical research on PMVS, which complicates matters related to defining, taxonomizing, and treating the condition. This article offers an overview of existing research related to PMVS, identifies gaps in definitional and categorical boundaries between PMVS and premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), and offers recommendations for symptom management as well as suggestions for pedagogues and teachers to better educate themselves and their students about PMVS.

A comparative study of phonetogram parameters among female trained Hindustani classical singers, untrained singers and non-singers

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Vocal sound is based on the complex yet co-ordinated interaction of phonatory system, resonatory system and respiratory system. Phonetography is a practicable and readily accessible method to investigate and map the quantitative potentialities of vocal output. The objectives of the present study were to determine the phonetogram of trained (Hindustani classical) singers, untrained singer sand non-singers elicited from singing as well as speech task to see if statistically significant differences were present which may indicate an effect of training.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> 90 female subjects between the ages 20-45 (mean age 34.2 years for trained subjects, 26.3 years for untrained subjects and 25.8 years for non-singers) divided into three groups each group consisting of 30 subjects. For the singing task, the individuals had to phonate |a| at habitual level by traversing through eight musical scales. In the speech task, the subjects were asked to count from one to twenty in Bengali at habitat level and at Sustainable cohorts of intensity. This was recorded using phonetogram software Dr. Speech (version 4). The parameters considered were fundamental frequency, intensity, semitones and area. </p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> The study revealed that in both tasks singing and non-singing task for all three groups in all the four parameters of phonetogram significant differences were seen (p=0.000) at 95% level of confidence.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> The present study depicted the phonetographic profile of a genre of trained singers and tracked out the parameters on which differences are pronounced between a trained and untrained singer and non-singer.</p>