Chapter Eleven

Applications

EXERCISES FOR FEMALE VOICES AND COUNTERTENORS

Transposition instructions:

Mezzo-soprano remains as written.

Spinto soprano—begin one half step higher.

Lyric soprano—begin one whole step higher.

Contralto—begin one half step lower. Follow the arrows and move up or down in half step increments.

Tenor countertenor—begin one half step higher.

Baritone countertenor—begin one half step lower.

H = head; W = whistle; V = vowel; X = mixed; M = middle; C = chest; K = Keller.

Exercise 10F. Diatonic Scale to the Ninth

Example 11.1. Diatonic Scale to the Ninth.

This scale has probably been practiced by singers since Guido of Arezzo. Garcia says that legato is “the dominant characteristic of good singing; all the others may be considered as varieties of colouring.”¹ You will be tempted to crescendo while ascending and diminuendo when coming back down. Resist this impulse, unless you intend such changes in dynamics. The voice has a tendency to “groove” (“pipe,” or stay in the same register) unless the singer learns to keep exactly the same vowel space from the bottom. If the top spreads, tune the vowel an octave or fifth below to find the appropriate space and try again.

Exercise 11F. Variation: Melodic Minor Scale to the Ninth

Example 11.2. Variation: Melodic Minor Scale to the Ninth.

Exercise 12F. Arpeggios

Example 11.3. Arpeggios.

Arpeggios are even more difficult than scales to keep even, especially the rise of the interval from the fifth to the octave. After all, the cadence V-I is the stuff from which the climactic note of the typical Italian aria is made!

Exercise 13F. Detached Vocalization

Example 11.4. Detached Vocalization.

The staccato is one of the five articulations mentioned by Garcia. The other four are legato, portamento, martellato, and aspirato. Do not aspirate this exercise (no h’s). The detached staccato exercise is useful to coordinate the breath with the glottal vibration and prevents excess heaviness. Sing this and all other exercises at a healthy mezzo forte unless otherwise indicated. Adelina Patti and Marcella Sembrich excelled at singing staccato high notes, a skill that has largely disappeared today.

Exercise 14F. One-and-One-Half-Octave Arpeggios

Example 11.5. One-and-One-Half-Octave Arpeggios.

Variation 1: Sing the above exercise staccato with two repetitions.

Variation 2: Sing the above exercise staccato with segue to legato on the top of the second repetition.

Exercise 15F. Two-Octave Arpeggios

Example 11.6. Two-Octave Arpeggios.

The two-octave scale is the benchmark exercise for determining the evenness of the voice. The breath should be steady and the tendency to spread in the passaggi resisted. The very highest notes can be accessed by the use of the Whistle Register, which sounds like Head Voice at this altitude. Remember that the evenness of the voice does not mean that it sounds the same on all pitches.

Exercise 16F. Portamento to the Octave

Example 11.7. Portamento to the Octave.

This exercise is intended to blend the register transitions, especially the critical one from the Chest to the Middle. Make a crisp attack with a good glottal pinch. The first note of every phrase is the most important.

Exercise 17F. Vowel Rhyming

Legato is not only a smooth line, but also a fine tuning of the vowel spaces, promoting an equality of resonance between the notes. Coffin called this tuning “vowel rhyming.” In a song, this means a subtle modification of the vowels. For this exercise, after tuning, keep the jaw floating at approximately the same space. Let the other organs—the tongue, the lips, the soft palate, and the larynx—move freely to the correct space for the next vowel. The open throat is the appropriate space for the vowel being sung, not some set concept of space, such as a larynx lowered by pressing the tongue down backwards or attempting to lift the soft palate. “Canta comme si parla!” If you are unable to complete the exercise in one breath, breathe at the indicated point.

Example 11.8. Vowel Rhyming.

When the breath is taken correctly and the vowels are tuned in the appropriate register, you will soon be able to extend your phrases. Please observe the subtle vowel changes on the Head Register in the last three lines.

Exercise 18F. Low Note Development

Example 11.9. Low Note Development.

Create the vowel space, breathe through the nose and mouth simultaneously, and attack the tone smartly. You must keep the space intact down to the low note. Do not “reach” for the tone. If the pitch is too low for you, do not attempt it by forcing the larynx down. The lowest note of the exercise is probably attainable only by deep contraltos. Lilli Lehmann’s statement was: “Through the previous preparation of the larynx and tongue, it [the breath] must reach the resonating surfaces as though passing through a cylinder, and must circulate in the form previously prepared for it, proper for each tone and vowel sound.”²

Exercise 19F. Piping Short Scales—Vowel Register

Example 11.10. Piping Short Scales—Vowel Register.

Piping (resonance tracking) is the most natural maneuver in singing. All the notes are in the same register. Feel the vowel space expand while ascending and diminish while descending. Avoid holding the bottom vowel and suddenly opening into the top vowel. As we ascend the line, the vowel opens naturally to the next vowel in the series. For instance, the first line would read [i] – [I] – [e] – [ε]. This happens too rapidly to control with precision, but the intention of staying in the resonance envelope can help one learn to sing a passage with all the notes in resonance.

Exercise 20F. Sprechstimme

Example 11.11. Sprechstimme.

Sprechstimme (speaking voice) and Sprechgesang (speech-song) are the vocal devices chiefly associated with Expressionist music of Arnold Schoenberg and Alban Berg, for example. Directions for the execution of such music include speaking on approximate pitches indicated by an (x). We can utilize these devices in our work to help in tuning individual vowel spaces preparatory to the attack.

When speaking on pitches outside the normal range of the speaking voice you must employ the appropriate register. Use of the preparatory [n] hum helps to insure that the nasal space is open. Soon you will discover that you can speak on these pitches as easily as you can sing. Those used to forcing may find the speaking easier than singing. The object is to use as little breath as possible and to make firm but not percussive attacks, speaking legato, so as not to lose breath between the syllables.

Exercise 21F. Whistle Voice Portamento

Example 11.12. Whistle Voice Portamento.

The Whistle Register is a unique vibration of the female voice equivalent to the male falsetto. Most women learn to avoid these tones early on because they are not aesthetically pleasing in the lower regions of the register. The lower notes are so closed that they are hard to access at first. Do not sing too loudly on these notes—the pressure is likely to open the vowel, resulting in Head Voice. It is imperative that the nasal passage remains open so we start the phrase with an [n] hum.

The Whistle Voice is useful to overcome the fear of the more closed vowel spaces in the development of the Head Register and to learn to use the edges of the vocal cords for high pianissimo singing. Of course it is an essential tool for the coloratura soprano who must negotiate the high Fs of The Queen of the Night and other fearsome showpieces. Women who operate at these vocal altitudes sometimes report that the voice seems to come out of the top of the head. If the transition to the Whistle Voice is “sticky,” use the aspirato (quick h) transition to the top note.

Exercise 22F. Yodels to the Whistle Voice

Example 11.13. Yodels to the Whistle Voice.

If necessary, aspirate the ascent to the Whistle Voice slightly so that it can “fly.” The first four notes of the Whistle Register are useless for artistic singing because of the very narrow sound of the vowels. Persevere—we are only using these sounds for technical exercise to strengthen the Head Voice. Most female singers learn to avoid singing the Whistle quality on these pitches very early in their careers. This is one reason why, as I have mentioned earlier, sopranos suffer from the reputation of being unintelligible. However, when a singer masters the art of vowel modification and tuning, she or he can be clearly understood, while preserving the beauty and power of the voice. The middle portion of the Whistle Register can be used for high pianissimo singing. It is the highest order of skill to use both loudness and resonance to control vocal dynamics.

Exercise 23F. Crescendo—Whistle to the Head Register

Example 11.14. Crescendo—Whistle to the Head Register.

Ulrich states that the simple crescendo was in use before Caccini’s Nuove Musiche (1601). Control over the high pp is one of the distinguishing characteristics of the advanced singer, especially among sopranos. Begin the exercise with the flute attack (lightly aspirated). Keep the vowel space collected and gradually add breath pressure. There will not be a great deal of vowel space, especially on the lower pitches. As the tone expands, move smoothly to the second vowel and crescendo as much as possible without forcing. The scale should be sung without a diminuendo, if possible, so as to keep the middle of the voice strong.

Exercise 24F. Garcia’s Exercise for Correcting Veiled Sounds (1841)

Example 11.15. Garcia’s Exercise for Correcting Veiled Sounds (1841).

Most female singers, unlike their male counterparts, can sing high notes with relative ease. The Middle and Mixed Registers, on the other hand, are often veiled and breathy (voce velata). Musical theater singers often attempt to compensate for this deficiency by driving the chest voice up into the middle, sometimes even as high as C⁵ (belting). Apparently the castrati also struggled with this problem. Garcia’s exercise may go all the way back to Bernacchi, who discovered the Middle Register as a cure for the weakness in the middle of his voice. Garcia wrote, “If the sounds in question be particularly weak and veiled, the most efficient method to reinforce and brighten them, is to attack each successively on every Italian vowel, by an energetic and short articulation of the glottis.”³

The coordination between the breath and the closure of the glottis is the central issue in vocal technique. This exercise is dedicated to the use of the reed attack. Before attempting it you must understand that the breath control is done with the muscles of the chest and not with the throat. Breathe, wait, close the glottis (do not press the breath into the closed glottis), then attack the tone. Essentially, this is done by releasing a bit of the inspiratory tension, rather than driving the breath out forcefully. There is a continuity of the closure of the glottis; one must not allow it to gape open between notes or even in short rests during the phrase. The glottis must, however, not be used as the principal agency to hold back the breath. This function belongs to the appoggio, already described. Do not breathe between notes unless you run short of breath.

The tone should be short and crisp. You should not feel much subglottal pressure; if you do, you are surely forcing! Practice this exercise only one or two minutes at a time.

Exercise 25F. Detached Vocalization Segue to Legato

Example 11.16. Detached Vocalization Segue to Legato.

This exercise is designed to “catch” the favorable glottis-breath hookup of the staccato with the free flowing legato. Take your time with the final phrase.

Exercise 26F. Garcia’s Exercises for Uniting the Registers (1841)

Make a strong attack on the Chest Register, then slur firmly to the Middle. Do not aspirate the Middle. Garcia says that the exercises should be done slowly at first, but speeded up later on.

Example 11.17. Garcia’s Exercises for Uniting the Registers (1841).

Exercise 27F. Head Voice and Whistle Voice Glissandi

This is a piping exercise. Sing the first note lightly with a flute attack (an almost imperceptible h) then slide rapidly up to the top note. The tone must float upon the breath. Use the Whistle Voice to reach the very highest notes possible for your voice.

Example 11.18. Head Voice and Whistle Voice Glissandi.

Exercise 28F. Head and Whistle Voice High Pianissimi with Gruppetti

The great sopranos of history have had superb command of the high pianissimo—one thinks of Rosa Ponselle, Zinka Milanov, and Leontyne Price, in recent memory. The high pianissimo projects the idea of feminine vulnerability and is used by the great composers to elicit our sympathy for their tragic heroines.

Begin the exercise ben appoggiata with a reed attack and switch to the flute vibration on the ascent to the high note. This is indicated by the small h, which must be done rapidly. The tone should float on the breath. Do not use the Whistle Voice on the lowest four or five notes of the register in repertoire. These tones are shrill, lacking in resonance, and should only be used in exercises. Women, for reasons cited earlier, must become masters of vowel modification on high notes. Do not attempt to sing literal vowels on high notes in repertoire—lyric diction is what is called for. “Prima la voce!” Strangely enough, when vowel modification is mastered, diction becomes much clearer. Sopranos can be understood as well as other singers if they use the principles of acoustical phonetics and follow the rules.

Example 11.19. Head and Whistle Voice High Pianissimo with Gruppetti.

Exercise 29F. Head Voice—Piping to the Fourth

Attack the bottom note cleanly, but lightly, and allow the top vowel to form by itself. You may repeat as many times as you have breath for.

Example 11.20. Head Voice—Piping to the Fourth.

Exercise 30F. Garcia’s Exercise for Swelled Sounds

Example 11.21. Garcia’s Exercise for Swelled Sounds.

Manuel Garcia stated that the best singing masters used to exemplify a messa di voce by this exercise:

These sounds begin pianissimo and are increased by degrees, till they attain their utmost volume, which occurs when they have reached half their length; after which, they gradually diminish in power untill (sic) all sound at last disappears. These sounds, when first practiced, should be divided—one breath carrying the voice from pianissimo to forte, the next from forte to pianissimo; one study is quite as necessary as the other.

During pianissimo practice, the pharynx will be reduced to its smallest dimensions, and will dilate in proportion to the increasing intensity of the sound; returning afterwards by degrees to its original shape, as the sound becomes weaker. Care must be taken neither to raise nor lower the intonation, while strengthening or diminishing the notes. . . . The vowel must on no account be altered. We again warn singers not to feel for their note by slurring up to it, nor to take with a shock of air from the chest; but to begin it at once with a neat stroke of the glottis. Care should also be taken, after the voice ceases, to avoid sighing out the remaining breath from the lungs; these should never be completely exhausted, but a sufficient reserve of breath kept to terminate a note or passage easily.⁴

This exercise is about control of loudness, which is directly related to control of breath pressure. Garcia, with his statement about not altering the vowel, is not concerned here with altering resonance. Turn to exercise 24F to choose vowels and pitches for this exercise.

Exercise 31F. Laure-Cinti (Cinthie) Damoreau’s Messa di Voce Exercise of 1849

The messa di voce was considered the signature embellishment of Bel Canto. While this grace appears to be simple on paper, it is very difficult to execute. The swelling and diminishing of the tone from a thread of sound to fortissimo and back requires perfect control of the breath and the use of both loudness and resonance. The alteration of resonance should be disguised by a smooth and subtle change of vowel. A firm pinch of the glottis is required on every attack.

The range of this exercise is from both Laure-Cinti (Cinthie) Damoreau (1801–1863) and Mathilde Marchesi. The principal difference is that it was the very first exercise of Mme. Damoreau but late in the training process for both Garcia and Marchesi. Marchesi’s statement was that, “The messa di voce should not be practised until the voice has acquired a certain degree of supleness and flexibility, and should never be attempted by beginners.”⁵

Example 11.22. Messa di Voce.

EXERCISES FOR MALE VOICES

Transposition instructions:

High Baritone or Heldentenor remains as written.

Lyric Tenor—begin one half step higher.

Baritone—begin one half step lower.

Bass-Baritone—begin one whole step lower.

Bass—begin one and a half steps lower.

Tenor countertenor—begin one half step higher (exercises for female voices).

Baritone countertenor—begin one half step lower (exercises for female voices). Follow the arrows and move up or down in one half step increments.

SB = Strohbass; C = chest; U = upper; X = mixed; V = vowel; F = falsetto.

Exercise 32M. Glissando to the Vowel Register (Voce Finta)

The area of transition in the upper middle part of the voice, called the passaggio, is of critical importance to the male singer. Some attempt to deal with this transition by “covering” the voice. This is generally a crude, indefinite vowel migration such as [a] to []. Once it is understood that there are two registers available in this area (Upper and Mixed), a much greater variety of expression and ease of delivery in the top of the voice is possible. Continual singing in a heavy Chest or Upper Register in the passaggio leads to fatigue and a shortened range. High notes must be sung in either the Vowel Register or the Mixed Voice (voce misto in Italian or voix mixte in French). Please see the section on “The Acoustical Registers of the Individual Voices” in chapter 10. The Mixed Register is composed of a balance between the harmonics of the Vowel and Upper Registers and must be learned by the male singer in order to deal with the demands of modern operatic singing. Generally, the Vowel Register is underdeveloped. This is because only the bottom portion of this register is available to the normal male voice. The vowels are very narrow and are often overlooked by male singers.

Example 11.23. Clissando to the Vowel Register (Voce Finta).

To avoid spreading, the wisest course is to form each vowel in the position of the previous one in the series. For example [ε] is formed in the position of [e], with the fine-tuning done internally. The very highest notes can be accessed by the use of the Vowel Register, which is the best way to extend the top. The Vowel Register becomes the “spine” of the top voice. For this exercise sing the top notes in a coordinated falsetto (voce finta, or Feigned Voice). Try to minimize any break in the glissando. Do not hold the full voice back to blend with the falsetto, but start with a good “pinch of the glottis” and try to keep the dynamic level the same. When the Vowel Register in the voce finta mode is well established, try to crescendo without breaking into full voice. I believe that this strengthens the ligamentous portion of the vocal cords and makes a seamless transition to the full voice possible.

In a master class in Rome in 1990, Alfredo Kraus said, “Volume doesn’t count. The sound must vibrate correctly and carry well, arriving to every listener in an auditorium. As you can see, studying singing becomes a matter of placing the voice in the natural position of the “i.” That is all.”⁶

It seems easy, doesn’t it? Great singers have always arrived at truth by empirical means. The problem is that they often have difficulty explaining to the rest of us what they do. The narrow passaggio is the secret for the upward extension of the voice, and the use of the Vowel Register was probably known to the early haute contre tenors, although they did not call it by that name. Rubini and Garcia were trained by inheritors of the Porpora tradition, so it is likely that the castrati used this technique to reach the Head Register. As I said in the previous chapter, it is a real misnomer and a source of confusion to call the high registers of the normal male voice the Head Voice. I believe that Garcia and his contemporaries used this name to describe the uncoordinated male falsetto. The term Head Voice should be reserved for the next register higher than Vowel Register for female voices and those few countertenors who can comfortably reach these pitches.

Male singers who have trouble with high notes can make use of a coordinated falsetto to help in the development of the Vowel Register. Please note the term coordinated falsetto, also called voce finta (Feigned Voice). There are some schools of singing that use the uncoordinated falsetto in an attempt to strengthen the registers independently. In my opinion, this practice harms the voice rather than helps it. Garcia’s first exercise is designed to unite the registers rather than take them apart.

Do not modify the vowels on the exercises. To identify the coordinated falsetto, try speaking in a “Mickey Mouse” voice on the approximate pitch of the exercise. You do not want a breathy “witch voice” sound. If the voice cracks (or “hiccups” to use Garcia’s term), persevere. Soon you will develop “il ponticello” (the little bridge) spoken of by the Bel Canto teachers. You will then be able to pass back and forth between the coordinated falsetto and the full voice unscathed. Gigli called the voce finta his “fourth” voice.

Exercise 33M. Vowel Register (Voce Finta) to Vowel Register Full Voice

Example 11.24. Vowel Register (Voce Finta) to Vowel Register Full Voice.

Begin the exercise with a firm reed attack, then crescendo to the full Vowel Register sound. Please note that the vowel space is very narrow here. This necessarily limits the resonance available for this register on this pitch, so do not force the voice to make a “fat” sound. As we move steadily upward, the resonance and loudness increase.

Exercise 34M. Diatonic Scale to the Ninth

Example 11.25. Diatonic Scale to the Ninth.

This exercise uses the technique of register switching. Do not modify the vowels in the exercises. As you move up the scale, you will encounter “null” areas that seem less resonant than the preceding notes. These are register transition points and are not apparent to the listener. For every fifth of a scale’s range (retaining the same vowel), there is one transition point. Therefore, the octave has two points, for example. Herbert Witherspoon called these the “lifts of the breath.” Try to gauge the loudness of the beginning note (the most important note of any phrase) and keep the scale even. Note the term “even,” which does not mean that the voice should sound the same from top to bottom. This is a misunderstanding of the Bel Canto ideal of the even scale. It is also important to understand the difference between resonance and loudness. The heavy, fat sound does not carry as well as the compact, well-tuned one. For every transition to the next higher register there will be one less overtone, and the reverse is true when we move to the next lower register. That is why basses rumble and coloratura sopranos sound like flutes. This does not mean that the bass will be heard better than the soprano; indeed, the reverse is often true. Listen to the first scene of Le nozze di Figaro. Susanna is frequently heard better than her burly partner in the duets.

Male singers should not avoid the use of the Vowel Register just because it sounds thin to them. Remember that the Vowel Register is composed of the actual pitches of the lowest formants of the vowels and therefore is not subject to the decay of effort that comes from resonating the vowels with overtones. The Vowel Register is the central register of the female voice and this explains why women’s voices carry so well in the theater. Male singers, who fall in love with thick, heavy sounds are often, in Paola Novikova’s words, “singing for their own royal pleasure.”

Exercise 35M. Yodels to the Mixed Voice

The yodel is the maneuver that most vividly demonstrates the transitions between the registers. It is based upon the principle that vowels on octaves, fourths down, and fifths up have the same resonance in adjacent registers. These yodels do not have the dramatic switching of chest to falsetto of the Swiss Yodels, but are subtle clicks felt by the singer and are imperceptible to all but the most knowledgeable listener. It takes an educated ear to hear the shifting patterns of overtones present in these intervallic skips. It seems to me that Mozart loved these shifts in color, because his music is filled with many leaps and skips.

Try to keep the vowel space the same from note to note and do not crescendo from the fifth to the upper octave just because the pitch is higher.

Example 11.26. Yodels to the Mixed Voice.

Exercise 36M. Low Note Development

Create the vowel space, breathe through the nose and mouth simultaneously, and make a smart attack. You must keep the space intact down to the low note. Do not “reach” for the tone. If the pitch is too low for you, do not attempt it by forcing the larynx down. The lowest notes of this exercise are probably attainable only by basso profondos. Lilli Lehmann’s statement was: “Through the previous preparation of the larynx and tongue it [the breath] must reach the resonating surfaces as though passing through a cylinder, and must circulate in the form previously prepared for it, proper for each tone and vowel sound.”⁷ Coffin says that “there must be contractions in the vocal organ for low notes—they are not gained by relaxation.”⁸ Voice teachers and coaches talk about relaxation far too much. Relaxation of interfering musculature is possible only when the appropriate muscular systems are functioning well.

Example 11.27. Low Note Development.

Exercise 37M. Correcting Veiled Sounds (Voce Finta)

Example 11.28. Correcting Veiled Sounds (Voce Finta).

Garcia’s exercise was designed for the female middle voice. Frequently the male falsetto voice, which uses only the ligamentous portion of the vocal cords, is also weak and breathy. Today, music of the Baroque era is often performed by male falsettists who must sing parts written for the castrati. They are always at a disadvantage, because the falsetto cannot handle the pressure of fortissimo singing. One often hears constriction in the singing of countertenors who are struggling with this inherent weakness. However, working on the closing muscles of the larynx, as opposed to the tensors, is very helpful in compensating for this deficiency. This is important, because stiffness in the vocal mechanism interferes with the flexibility of the voice, which is the countertenor’s coin of the realm. Strengthening this closure is also beneficial for basses, baritones, and tenors who need to extend the voice upward. The coordinated falsetto can be used to develop the Vowel Register, which in turn should play a dominant role in the Mixed Voice.

Exercise 38M. Detached Vocalization.

Example 11.29. Detached Vocalization.

The staccato is one of the five articulations mentioned by Garcia. The other four are legato, portamento, martellato, and aspirato. Do not aspirate this exercise (no h’s). The detached staccato exercise is useful to coordinate the breath with the glottal vibration and prevents excess heaviness. Sing this and all other exercises at a healthy mezzo forte unless otherwise indicated.

Exercise 39M. Detached Vocalization Segue to Legato

This exercise is designed to “catch” the favorable glottis-breath hookup of the staccato with the free-flowing legato. Take your time with the final phrase.

Example 11.30. Detached Vocalization Segue to Legato.

Exercise 40M. Mezza Voce with Gruppetto

Enrico Caruso was known for the dramatic quality of his voice, but he was also a master of the mezza voce.

The mezza voce, said Caruso, may be defined simply as the natural voice produced softly, but with an extra strength of breath. It is this breathy quality, however—which one must be careful never to exaggerate or the tone will not carry—that gives that velvety effect to the tone which is so delightful. Mezza voce is just a concentration of the full voice, and it requres, after all, as much breath support. A soft note which is taken with the “head voice” without being supported by a breath taken from the diaphragm is a helpless sort of thing. It does not carry and is inaudible at any distance, whereas the soft note which does possess the deep breath support is penetrating, concentrated, and most expressive.

Example 11.31. Mezza Voce with Gruppetto.

Another important point is that, with a “piano” note properly taken in the register which is proper to it, there is no danger of having to change the position of the throat and consequently the real character of the note when making a crescendo and again diminishing it. It will be the same note continuing to sound.⁹

I presume that Mr. Caruso is referring to the uncoordinated falsetto with the term “head voice.” For this exercise, make a firm attack on the first note, then close the vowel space for the top note. Do not modify the vowel spaces. Take a tempo that allows the turns to be sung gracefully, then gradually increase the speed as the voice becomes more supple.

Exercise 41M. Sprechstimme

Example 11.32. Sprechstimme.

Sprechstimme (speaking voice) or Sprechgesang (speech-song) are the vocal devices chiefly associated with Expressionist music of Arnold Schoenberg and Alban Berg, for example. Directions for the execution of such music include speaking on approximate pitches indicated by an (x). We can use these devices in our work to help in tuning individual vowel spaces preparatory to the attack. This is also a quick way to find the appropriate sound of the top of the male voice, namely the Mixed Register.

When speaking on pitches outside the normal range of the speaking voice, you must employ the appropriate register. It often takes a few minutes to hear the pitch of the speaking voice and to cease trying to reach the indicated pitches with the normal speaking (chest) voice. You will probably notice that, at first, you will drive the breath much more on the sung portion of the exercise than on the spoken part. I hope that this will persuade you that it is possible to use much less breath when the balance between the breath and the glottal closure is well established.

Use of the preparatory [n] hum helps to ensure that the nasal space is open. The ease of the production of the speaking voice, versus more effortful singing on the same pitches, often indicates too much tension of the abdominal muscles. I have included a few lines of Vowel Register on the very top of the exercise. Do not force these pitches, as they are less resonant than the parallel Mixed Register. There can be a feeling of falsetto here.

Exercise 42M. Chromatic Scale with Vowel Migration

Example 11.33. Chromatic Scale with Vowel Migration.

Chromatic scales are very helpful in training the ear. The training system of the castrati was established before the advent of the tempered scale, and they were able to hear the minutest intervals, such as minor-major and major-minor seconds. This exercise can be practiced a capella to help sharpen the ear. Start the exercise firmly. The first interval tends to be pushed sharp on chromatic scales, and irregular rhythm also tends to distort the scale. Starting the exercise on the fifth helps to establish the “target” destination of the scale.

Exercise 43M. Crescendo—Voce Finta to Mixed Voice

Example 11.34. Crescendo—Voce Finta to Mixed Voice.

Start with a reed attack. To pass from the voce finta through the Vowel Register to Mixed Register smoothly, stay in the Vowel Register position and crescendo slightly into the second vowel. Of course, this is a useful fiction, but the movement from the closed vowel to the more open one is very small, most of the movement being internal. Be sure that you use your nasal resonance. Those who attempt to artificially enlarge the throat will find this exercise difficult. Enrico Caruso had a very large oral pharynx—he could put an egg into his mouth and close it without breaking the egg! However, Caruso understood that the point of exit for the tone is relatively small. His statement was: “It must not be imagined that to open the mouth wide will do the same for the throat. If one is well versed in the art, one can open the throat perfectly without a perceptible opening of the mouth, merely by the power of respiration.”¹⁰

The human voice is an acoustical instrument, the same as any other. It has an infinitely flexible resonator only six-and-a-half inches long that must be tuned to amplify the tone. Consider another acoustical instrument—the guitar. The exit point for the tone is very small relative to the overall volume of the resonator. What would happen to the tone if we greatly enlarged the hole? You’re right. The instrument would be much less resonant. Observe other instruments—the F hole in a violin, for example. We cannot repeal the laws of nature. We must learn to cooperate with them.

The Mixed Voice is the register of choice for the top voice of the modern male singer. However, if the pitch rises higher than B⁵ for the tenor or A⁵ for the baritone, the singer should use the Vowel Register. Mathilde Marchesi stated that the singer should abandon any register two semi-steps from the top note of that register. This is good advice. Occasionally tenors will sing the high C or even C# in Mixed Register, but this does not occur often in an opera. Björling, Gigli, and Caruso also went to G⁴ in Upper Register on rare occasions. Gigli declared that the only reason that he could do this was because he was a master of the breath.

In Pavarotti’s younger years he was known as the “King of the High Cs.” Listen to his recording of the same name. In the aria “Corriam, voliam!” from Rossini’s William Tell, he can be clearly heard switching to the Vowel Register, especially on the chromatic scales. Lauritz Melchior and Giovanni Martinelli, identified with the German and Italian dramatic repertoire respectively, were very chary about spreading the voice in the passaggio. There are numerous other examples in every male vocal category. A good rule to follow is: the higher the tessitura, the lower the passaggio.

Exercise 44M. Vowel Rhyming

Example 11.35. Vowel Rhyming.

Legato is not only a smooth line but also a fine tuning of the vowel spaces, promoting an equality of resonance between the notes. Coffin called this tuning “vowel rhyming.” In a song this often means a subtle modification of the vowels. For this exercise, after tuning, keep the jaw floating at approximately the same space. Let the other organs—the tongue, the lips, the soft palate, and the larynx—move freely to the correct space for the next vowel. I think that the singer’s art of pronunciation is similar to that of the ventriloquist. One must learn to move only the appropriate organ, such as the tongue or lips, without disturbing other parts of the resonance system. It is helpful to speak the vowels of the exercise, observing the least amount of movement necessary to pass from one vowel to another.

The “open throat” is a concept often advocated by singers and teachers of voice. I would say that the open throat is the appropriate space for the vowel being sung, not some preconceived concept of space, such as a larynx lowered by pressing the tongue down backwards or attempting to lift the soft palate. “Canta comme si parla!” If you are unable to complete the exercise in one breath, breathe at the indicated point. When the breath is taken correctly and the vowels are tuned in the appropriate register, you will soon be able to extend your phrases.

Exercise 45M. One-and-One-Half-Octave Arpeggios

Example 11.36. One-and-One-Half-Octave Arpeggios.

Exercise 46M. Two-Octave Arpeggios

The two-octave scale is the benchmark exercise for determining the evenness of the voice. The breath should be steady, and the tendency to spread in the passaggio resisted. The very highest notes are accessed by the use of the Vowel Register. Remember that the evenness of the voice does not mean that it sounds the same on all pitches. Sing only those pitches that are comfortable for your voice.

Example 11.37. Two-Octave Arpeggios.

Exercise 47M. Piping Short Scales—Upper and Mixed Registers

Example 11.38. Piping Short Scales—Upper and Mixed Registers.

Piping (resonance tracking) is the most natural maneuver in singing. All of the notes are in the same register. Feel the vowel space expand while ascending and diminish while descending. Avoid holding the bottom vowel position and suddenly opening into the top vowel. As we ascend the line the vowel opens naturally to the next vowel in the series. For instance, the first line would read [i] – [I] – [e] – [ε]. This happens too rapidly to control with precision, but the intention of staying in the resonance envelope can help us learn to sing a passage with all the notes in resonance.

Exercise 48M. Garcia’s Exercise for Correcting Veiled Sounds (1841)

Example 11.39. Garcia’s Exercise for Correcting Veiled Sounds (1841).

The normal classical male singer, whose voice is dominated by the chest voice, does not usually have as much difficulty with weak and breathy sounds in the middle as does the female. However, all can benefit from the development of the ringing sound called squillo by the Bel Canto masters. Garcia’s exercise may go all the way back to Bernacchi (a castrato), who discovered the Middle Register as a cure for the weakness in the middle of his voice. Garcia wrote, “If the sounds in question be particularly weak and veiled, the most efficient method to reinforce and brighten them, is to attack each successively on every Italian vowel, by an energetic and short articulation of the glottis.”¹¹

This is, of course, a description of the dreaded coup de la glotte, or glottal stroke, an unfortunate term coined by Garcia to describe the onset of the tone. Some teachers and singers have confused this term with a plosive. Under no circumstances is the glottis to be struck or hit. The attack (reed) is to be made with the glottis closed and then opened suddenly into vibration. The coordination between the breath and the closure of the glottis is the central issue in vocal technique.

This exercise is dedicated to the use of the reed attack. Before attempting it, you must understand that the control of the breath is done with the muscles of the chest and not with the throat. Please review chapter 7 on appoggio. Breathe, wait, close the glottis (do not press the breath into the closed glottis), then attack the tone. Essentially, this is done by releasing a bit of the inspiratory tension, rather than driving the breath out forcefully. Do not breathe between notes unless you run short of breath. The tone should be short and crisp. You should not feel much pressure; if you do, you are surely forcing! The telltale grunt after the tone is an indication of too much subglottal pressure. Practice this exercise only one or two minutes at a time. It is helpful to speak in rhythm before attempting to sing the exercise.

Exercise 49M. Esclamazione

Caccini has been credited with the invention of the messa di voce, but only claimed responsibility for the esclamazione. He wrote:

“Because I have never been satisfied with the goals already reached by others, I have set out to find the newest means, so far as they effectively portray the goal to which the musician aspires, namely to gladden the soul and mind, to stimulate and affect them deeply. I find that the opposite of the crescendo, that is, starting the voice strong and loud and then letting it get softer, the esclamazione or , as the chief means of promoting the effect.”¹²

Example 11.40. Esclamazione.

This effect was also called vibrazione della voce in Italian, or vibration in French. During the A Capella period (1474–1640) the training of singers in mastery of all levels of volume was highly developed. Mersenne stated that the voice has just as many levels of volume as the octave has intervals, so he divided volume into eight stages. Garcia says that pianissimo sounds, like pianissimo passages, can be sung with the mouth nearly shut.

For this exercise, breathe through the nose and mouth simultaneously through the vowel position and attack the first note forte with a firm pinch of the glottis. Gradually diminish the tone, allowing the resonators to close slightly as you blend in the second vowel, then sing the scale down evenly. In this exercise, we learn to use loudness and resonance simultaneously to control dynamics. The movement to the more closed vowel should be done imperceptibly.

Garcia says that each day’s study must begin with the emission of sustained notes of the voice. Lamperti concurs, and both state that the steady forte tone must be mastered before the crescendo, the esclamazione, or the messa di voce, (called note filate by Lamperti) are attempted. Both say that practicing these dynamics too soon will only tire the voice and the student “may acquire a cramped manner of singing.”

In this age of instant gratification, do we have teachers and students willing to master such tedious subjects as this primary coordination? One has to wonder at the authoritarian control of the Italian singing schools of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries whose pupils went through up to ten years of such rigorous training. If we were able to look over Porpora’s shoulder, we would probably see these elementary exercises inscribed among the first on young Cafarelli’s cartella. William Shakespeare stated that he had taken daily lessons with Francesco Lamperti in Milan for several years. He quotes Bontempi’s 1624 account of the rigors of daily study in the singing schools of Rome.¹³ (See also Heriot’s description of the daily routine of Caffarelli.)¹⁴ Contrast this with the impatience of the typical conservatory student of today with his weekly hour-long lesson! Even in the early nineteenth century, passers-by in Paris expressed concern about screams of anguish issuing from an apartment window. “It’s nothing,” said the composer Paër to a friend, “it’s just Garcia teaching his daughter to sing.”

The next step is to alternate between singing the phrase and intoning when we feel the subglottal pressure build up too much. Of course, we must use the proper breathing technique before each attack. The result will be a fine coordination between the breath and the onset of the tone. We often hear great artists use this technique during actual performance. Fedor Chaliapin was a master who passed effortlessly from speech to song. His recordings, especially Boris Godounov, are towering monuments to the dramatic art. Chaliapin wrote, “in opera, the performer must not only sing, he must also play the role, as it is played in drama. In opera one must sing as one speaks. I noticed subsequently that singers who wanted to imitate me did not understand me. They were not singing as one speaks but speaking as one sings.”¹⁵

Exercise 50M. Uniting the Voce Finta with the Full Voice (Mixed Register)

The object of this exercise is to meld the voce finta with the Full Voice Mixed Register so as to make a seamless transition between the two. We will use the front vowels because the vocal cords approximate more easily with them. Start with a good pinch of the glottis on the attack. The voice may want to break between the two adjustments, but perseverance will pay off. As the feigned voice becomes stronger, you will be able to cross “the little bridge” without a “hiccup,” to use Garcia’s terminology. If you want to become a master of dynamics, you should develop a readily accessible feigned voice.

Example 11.41. Uniting the Voce Finta with the Full Voice (Mixed Register).

Exercise 51M. Garcia’s Exercise for Swelled Sounds

Manuel Garcia stated that the best singing masters used to exemplify a messa di voce by this exercise:

These sounds begin pianissimo and are increased by degrees, till they attain their utmost volume, which occurs when they have reached half their length; after which, they gradually diminish in power untill [sic] all sound at last disappears. These sounds, when first practiced, should be divided—one breath carrying the voice from pianissimo to forte, the next from forte to pianissimo; one study is quite as necessary as the other.

During pianissimo practice, the pharynx will be reduced to its smallest dimensions, and will dilate in proportion to the increasing intensity of the sound; returning afterwards by degrees to its original shape, as the sound becomes weaker. Care must be taken neither to raise nor lower the intonation, while strengthening or diminishing the notes. The vowel must on no account be altered. We again warn singers not to feel for their note by slurring up to it, nor to take with a shock of air from the chest; but to begin it at once with a neat stroke of the glottis. Care should also be taken, after the voice ceases, to avoid sighing out the remaining breath from the lungs; these should never be completely exhausted, but a sufficient reserve of breath kept to terminate a note or passage easily.¹⁶

Example 11.42. Garcia’s Exercise for Swelled Sounds.

This exercise is about control of loudness, which is directly related to control of breath pressure. Garcia, with his statement about not altering the vowel, is not concerned here with altering resonance. He also remarked that tenor voices have great difficulty in swelling the same sounds through both (mechanical) registers in the passaggio from D to F#. He wrote that:

The latter [tenors] should commence the piano sound in falsetto [voce finta] and in the closed timbre; for, by this plan, the larynx will be fixed and the pharynx tightened. This done, without varying the position, and consequently the timbre, the pupil will pass on to the chest register, fixing the larynx more and more, so as to prevent it from making the sudden and rapid movement which produces the hiccup, at the moment of leaving one register for another. To extinguish the sound, the reverse must be done.¹⁷

Turn to exercise 48M to choose vowels and pitches for this exercise.

Exercise 52M. Messa di Voce

This exercise was adapted from Garcia’s 1841 treatise and probably went back all the way to Porpora’s exercises for the castrati. I have arranged it for the normal male voice, but the range is probably excessive for most singers. Garcia remarked that this exercise was useless below Do and above La. Sing only on pitches comfortable for you and remember to transpose for your voice as in the previous exercises.

Example 11.43. Messa di Voce.

SPEECH AND SINGING

Exercise 53 (M&F). Transitions from Speech to Singing

Sing a song of moderate difficulty and pass from speaking to singing and back again within the individual phrases. This can be quite confusing at first as the brain may not recognize the similarities of the two modes of delivery, but soon the mental connections will be made and the transitions between speech and singing will be effortless. While speaking, it is not necessary to speak the actual pitches, but only to stay in the approximate tessitura of the phrase. Try to switch back and forth spontaneously, without planning when you are going to move from speech to song and back again. You may have noticed that this technique is very similar to the Sprechstimme (speech song) of Arnold Schoenberg and Alban Berg. It also offers clues as to how to sing the declamatory music of Wagner without unnecessary force.

Exercise 54M. Falsetto (Voce Finta) Speaking Voice

Another effective technique is to use a “Mickey Mouse” speaking sound to teach males to find the coordinated falsetto or voce finta. This is done with a firm closure of the glottis and a minimum use of the breath. The breathy sound many males use to imitate women for a comic effect is not correct for our purposes. When the clear sound is found, it is very useful in developing a true mixed voice for high notes.

THE TRILL IS GONE

Forgive the pun, but when is the last time you heard a real trill—one with two distinct separate notes vibrating alternately? Along with the messa di voce, the trill (or shake) seems to have gone the way of the dinosaur—totally extinct. The trill was supposedly first used by Giovanni Luca Conforti (c.1560–1608) and was called the vibrare (vibration) by the ancients. This ornament was once considered an indispensable part of the accomplished singer’s tool kit. Pier Francesco Tosi says, “Whoever has a fine shake, although wanting every other grace, always enjoys the advantage of conducting himself without giving distaste to the end of the cadence where for the most part it is very essential; and who wants it, or has it imperfectly, will never be a great singer, let his knowledge be ever so great.”¹⁸

He goes on to enumerate eight different types of shakes and admits that in former times the use of the ornament became excessive. Bassini and Garcia both mention that the trill can be learned. They both disagree with the erroneous perception that only one endowed with a natural trill should attempt its use:

The shake is obtained by a curious mechanism. It consists in a rapid, free, and regular oscillation of the vocal ligaments, corresponding with a visible oscillation of the larynx, up and down, outside the neck. A factitious sort of trill may be obtained by shaking the outside of the throat with the fingers. This fact we adduce as a proof of the accuracy of our description. It may be remarked, also, that the succession of the trill is the most rapid kind of vocalization; so rapid, indeed, that between 152 = , of Maazel’s metronome (the greatest degree of velocity obtained by the human voice,) and that of the shake 200 = , there is a great gap. This sort of convulsive, tremulous movement, therefore, may be considered as the extreme limit of vocal rapidity. Old men, whose voices are unsteady, furnish an example of an involuntary shake; with them it is irregular, owing to weakness; in younger persons it should become quite regular, (as) free, and unfettered (as) these movements are, the more correct and regular becomes the shake. The trill is sometimes accomplished at once; and a few months’ study ought to suffice for any pupil of ordinary abilities.

In almost every treatise on singing, it is recommended, in practising the shake, to point the principal note; a practice totally inconsistent with the nature of the trill, or with its execution, by all good singers; and hence we must express our opinion, that such a method is radically bad. Pupils are therefore recommended to commence a trill rapidly by the spontaneous vibration of the glottis, and not by the progressive articulation of two notes.¹⁹

Fair enough; but the question remains—why has the trill become so elusive to modern generations, even allowing for the reluctance of many to tackle anything that requires a great effort over a long period of time? I believe that the solution lies in the study of acoustic phonetics. Berton Coffin only hinted at the secret of the trill in Coffin’s Sounds of Singing by quoting Lilli Lehmann. He never again approached the subject, as far as I know. Coffin ventured the opinion that perhaps the trill was related to the tongue trill of brass instruments, where the alternate forming of vowels brings about a trill. The Lehmann statement, as quoted by Coffin, follows:

There still remains the trill, which is best practiced in the beginning as follows: always from the upper note to the lower one. [a] and [e] are placed very closely against each other, nearly pinching and held tight; the larynx kept as stiff as possible and held high. Both tones are connected as closely, as heavily as possible, upward nasally, downward on the larynx, for which the [y] is admirably suited. They must be attacked as high as possible, and very strongly connected to the chest, The trill exercise must be practiced almost as a scream. The upper note must always be strongly accented. The exercise is practiced with even strength, without decrescendo to the end; the breath pressure acts more and more strongly, uninterruptedly to the finish.

Trill exercises must be performed with great energy, on the whole compass of the voice. They form an exception to the rule in so far that in them more is given to the throat to do always, however, under the control of the chest—than in other exercises. That relates, however, to the muscles.

The breath vibrates above the larynx, but does not stick in it; consequently this is not dangerous. It is really a gymnastic exercise for the muscles. The exercise is practiced first on two half, then on two whole tones of the same key (as given above), advancing by semi-tones, twice a day on the entire compass of the voice. It is exhausting because it requires great energy; but for the same reason it gives strength. Practice it first as slowly and vigorously as the strength allows, then faster and faster, till one day the trill appears.²⁰

Lilli Lehmann’s statement appears to contradict Garcia in at least two respects. She advises the singer to accent the auxiliary note and to practice slowly, increasing the speed gradually. Lehmann’s iron will and attempts to strictly control the laryngeal position and tongue are perhaps more Germanic than Italian. The statement on the trill ends this way: “If the larynx has acquired the habit properly, the trill can be carried on into a piano and pianissimo and prolonged almost without end with crescendi and decrescendi, as the old Italians used to do, and as all Germans do who have learned anything.”²¹

This is all the more curious because of her previous statement that the exercises should be done almost as a scream, but there are sound reasons for all of this. It is of critical importance that the primary vibration is of a high quality. This has to do with breathing and the attack.²² A breathy tone will never trill. The vocal cords must close smartly, and the breath must be under complete control. This is easier to accomplish when sung at forte levels of dynamic. In my opinion, this is the reason for Lehmann’s advice about screaming, but it should be taken with a grain of salt.

The most important part of Lilli Lehmann’s exercise and Coffin’s hint is the instruction to use two separate vowels. If we attempt to alternate pitches in the identical vowel space, one or both of the pitches will be out of resonance. However, if we sing two tuned adjacent vowels, the vocal organs will begin to vibrate sympathetically and cycle back and forth between the two notes, thereby generating the trill. The two vowels should be connected by an imperceptible glide, such as [j] or [y] for front and umlaut vowels and [w] for back and neutral vowels. To the listener, the minute difference will be indiscernible, and the tone will sound as one vowel. We are only moving one or two degrees of opening, so the movements must be very precise. Usually we are just moving the position of the tongue, but sometimes it is the jaw or lips. It depends upon which vowels we are using. The wonderful thing is that, with Coffin’s vowel chart, we don’t have to guess which vowels to use. Simply decide which register you wish to use (governed by the desired dynamic), choose the vowels nearest that of the text, and trill. It is probably best to choose a vowel space that is above the fourth degree of opening, so as to have sufficient space for the organs to move freely. We begin the trill on the prime or auxiliary, depending on the style of the music. Generally, for music up to the end of the eighteenth century, the trill begins on the upper or auxiliary note; for music after the beginning of the nineteenth century, the trill begins on the principal or prime note. We will investigate musical matters more thoroughly later, but what we are concerned with here are the mechanical means of producing the vocal effect.

Example 11.44. Lilli Lehmann’s Trill.

Exercise 55F. Trill with Gruppetto

Sometimes the vowel symbols will be the same, but the space will be different.

Example 11.45 Trill with Gruppetto.

Exercise 56M. Trill with Gruppetto

Example 11.46. Trill with Gruppetto.

Exercise 57 (M & F). Variation

Sing the above exercises utilizing the half-step trill. Trills are usually quitted by a graceful turn or other ornament:

All good singers prepare and terminate a long shake (such, for instance, as occurs at a pause,) by the tone or semi-tone below. A trill thus prepared is to be developed according to the rules for sustained sounds (Messa di voce), and ended softly. In its preparation as in its termination, the voice must descend to the tone or semi-tone below the principal note, before finally terminating on the latter; for example:

Example 11.47. Garcia Examples of Trill Terminations.

These preparations and terminations may be also infinitively varied. Pupils should accustom themselves to terminate a shake at will, and always on the principal note; as, without particular attention, the oscillation impressed on the throat cannot be instantly arrested.²³

Musical Examples from the Literature—The Trill

This is an example of the half-step trill. Manrico is not often thought of as a Bel Canto part, but Il Trovatore, La Traviata, and Rigoletto were all written from 1851 to 1853, at the height of the popularity of Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti.

Example 11.48. “Ah, si, ben mio col essere,” from Il trovatore (1853) by Giuseppe Verdi.

Example 11.49 “Sempre Libra,” from La travita (1853) by Guiseppe Verdi.

Please note that the trill is distinctly different from irregular tonal movements that are caused by vocal faults. The tremolo is a fast, unsteady trembling of the tone, sometimes found in lyric sopranos. The cause of the tremolo is usually constriction of the throat and the suspensory network of the larynx caused by bad breathing and impure vowel formation. The wobble is a slow, irregular movement, often a characteristic of older male singers who have abused the voice for a long time by forcing the tone. An irregular breath pressure is usually the culprit here.

Example 11.50. “Laudamus te,” from Mass in C Minor (1782–1783) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

This excerpt from Mozart’s Mass in C Minor is an example of a continuous trill that changes pitch. It can be executed easily if the singer keeps the vowels tuned. The acciaccaturas or grace notes should be executed with a light aspirate. Please observe the alternating vowels on the trills.

VELOCITY EXERCISES BY CARLO BASSINI

Carlo Bassini was born in Cuneo, Piedmont Italy in 1812. He was trained as a violinist and claimed to be a vocal pupil of Zingarelli and Crescentini. He became director of a Genoese opera company on a trip to South America. He then moved to New York City, where he became a respected voice teacher. These exercises are from his Art of Singing published in 1857. Bassini’s book was based upon Garcia’s works. His other works are Melodic Exercises (1865), Method for the Tenor (1866), Method for the Baritone (1868), and New Method (1870). He died in Irvington, New Jersey in 1870.

Please remember to adjust the beginning pitches for your voice type as outlined in the other exercises.

Exercise 58. Bassini’s Flexibility Exercises on Thirds

Example 11.51 Bassini’s Flexibility Exercises on Thirds.

Exercise 59. Exercise upon Varied Thirds

Example 11.52 Exercise upon Varied Thirds.

Exercise 60. Exercises on Sixteenths and Varied Thirds

Example 11.53. Exercises on Sixteenths and Varied Thirds.

Exercise 61. Exercise on Thirty-Seconds

The accentuation of the following group of exercises are entirely different from the triplet, and the only note marked must be the first of each group.

Example 11.54. Exercise on Thirty-Seconds.

EXERCISES OF MANUEL GARCIA I

Prior to 1850, no singer was considered finished until he or she was the master of velocity and improvisation. Since that time, the declamatory aspect of singing has been predominant to the extent that we seem to be content with less and less skill in execution. Most young singers are unable to sing a trill or execute florid passages cleanly. If they are attractive and are able to sing high notes loudly, they can have a career for as long as their voices last. Of course, we cannot turn the clock back but we can aspire to sing with as much skill as our talents allow. Therefore, even when we have solved most of the problems of emission, we should embark on a life-long study of velocity and other aspects of singing that lead to the Parnassus of the vocal art. All great artists agree that daily vocal gymnastics are absolutely essential to keep the voice in prime condition. The exercises of Manuel Garcia I are perhaps not as familiar to singers and teachers as those of his illustrious son, but Garcia I was an outstanding teacher as well as a famous artist. He numbered among his pupils Adolphe Nourrit and his two daughters, Maria Malibran and Pauline Viardot, all of whom must be counted among the greatest artists of the nineteenth century. I am including three exercises from Manuel Garcia I for your perusal. Since Garcia was also a prolific composer, these exercises are more in the nature of études than vocalises. As you look over all the graces that were features of this style of singing, notice the playful exuberance that characterizes these exercises. Effortless beauty should be the goal in all our singing. Nevertheless, these exercises are very difficult. Pauline Viardot, Garcia’s youngest daughter, accompanied many of her father’s students from the time she was eight. She remarked that his exercises were more difficult than anything she had to sing during her illustrious career. Since the exercises of the great Bel Canto masters do not contain vowels, I assume that they were vocalizing on the [a] vowel with appropriate modifications. It also seems to me that the extreme range of these exercises was designed to fit Malibran and Viardot, both of whom were mezzo-sopranos with brilliant high voices, who often sang soprano parts. Garcia I himself was a high tenor of the type called haute contre and could probably sing at these altitudes comfortably.

The vowels given are chosen from Coffin’s vowel chart and mostly represent the middle openings (green). I am avoiding [a], [i], or [u] in these exercises. Remember to keep the [] vowel bright with the tongue up and close to a front position. We use this vowel to substitute for the sometimes dangerous [a] and it must sound like [a] or []. I am not notating register events in these exercises. By now you should have a pretty good grasp of where register transitions are. Adjust the starting pitches according to the instructions on the other exercises.

Exercise 62. Garcia, number 338

Example 11.55. Garcia, Number 338.

Exercise 63. Garcia, Number 339

Example 11.56 Garcia, Number 339.

Exercise 64. Garcia Number 340

Example 11.57. Gracia, Number 340.

Notes

1. Manuel Garcia II, Hints on Singing (London: Ascherberg; New York: Schuberth, 1894) 20.

2. Lilli Lehmann, How To Sing (Northbrook, IL: Whitehall, 1972) 53–54.

3. Manuel Garcia II, The Art of Singing, Part I (Boston: Ditson, c.1855) 11.

4. Garcia, The Art of Singing, Part I 33.

5. Mathilde Marchesi, Bel Canto: A Theoretical and Practical Vocal Method (New York: Dover, 1970) 39.

6. This statement was transcribed from a two-hour master class by Mr. Kraus held in Rome at the Brancaccio Theater on May 22, 1990.

7. Lehmann, How to Sing 53–54.

8. Berton Coffin, Overtones of Bel Canto (Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1980) 114.

9. Enrico Caruso and Luisa Tetrazzini, Caruso and Tetrazzini on The Art of Singing (New York: Dover, 1975) 56. Caruso may not have written this book; however, the point is well taken.

10. Caruso and Tetrazzini on the Art of Singing 52.

11. Garcia, The Art of Singing, Part I 11.

12. Bernhard Ulrich, Concerning the Principles of Vocal Training during the A Capella Period and until the Beginning of Opera (1474–1640) (Minneapolis: Pro Musica, 1973) 89–90.

13. William Shakespeare, Plain Words on Singing (London: Putnam, 1924) 90. “Singing in class, the pupils practiced for one hour daily, intervals of special difficulty for the acquirement of richness of tone. A second hour they practiced the trill. For a third hour different rapid passages; and, finally one in the cultivation of taste and expression. . . . In the afternoon the pupils often went through the Porta Angelica, not far from Monte Mario, in order to sing against the echo; thus becoming acquainted with their own failings through listening to its answers.” Giovanni Camilo Maffei da Solofra advises: “The echo directs the voice in the right path. . . . Let one practice in resonant valleys, rocky areas, caves, etc., because there one can easily test the effectiveness of his coloratura.” Today we have tape and video recorders.

14. Angus Heriot, The Castrati in Opera (New York: Da Capo, 1975) 48.

15. Victor Borovsky, Chaliapin, A Critical Biography (New York: Knopf, 1988) 222.

16. Garcia, The Art of Singing, Part I 33.

17. Garcia, The Art of Singing, Part I 38.

18. Pier Francesco Tosi, Observations on The Florid Song, trans. M. Galliard, ed. Michael Pilkington (London: Stainer & Bell, 1987) 14.

19. Garcia, The Art of Singing, Part I 38.

20. Berton Coffin, Coffin’s Sounds of Singing, 2nd ed. (Metuchen, NJ: 1989) 266–67.

21. Lehmann, How to Sing 254–55.

22. See chapter 7 on “Appoggio: The Historical Bel Canto Method of Breathing.”

23. Garcia, The Art of Singing, Part I 38.