Re: Reply to Isabelle : Re: Moni Ovadia

[Daniel A. Singer <dasinger...>]

Here's some fine male opera singers, if you're interested in hearing more
open throat operatic singing:

George London,
Alexander Kipnis,
Leonard Warren,
Robert Merrill,
Joseph Schmidt,
Richard Tucker,
Jan Peerce

All of which happen to have been Jewish (I believe Warren and London might
have converted later on in their lives.)  It moves up the fachs from bass
to tenor.  

"Pushing" one's voice is a common mistake in word choice among untrained
singers when referring to reaching a higher tone.  My beginning students
usually refer to that when they tell me what they want to do with their
voice.  They want to "hit" that note, "push" their voices up to that, or
"reach" that note.  All of it is just the wrong way to think of it.  If you
look at the best opera singers, they don't seem to exert much muscular
effort in their faces or throats, relying on many other muscles other than
the throat.

Actually, the male operatic singers don't necessarily go much higher than
untrained male voices.  I've heard many untrained voices that can reach for
a high C (just listen to any pop radio station or crowd singing the
national anthem.)  But not many of them can produce those tones with the
sort of freedom, depth, projection, and excitement a truly fine operatic or
well trained singer can.

Comparing the untrained voice to an operatic singer is like comparing the
tone of the clarinet in klezmer to the clarinet in a symphony.  The klezmer
clarinet is straight toned (not flat toned, which refers to a pitch problem
rather than a tonal problem) and tends to crack and kvetch in the same way
an untrained klezmer singer might approach the music.  The symphonic has
vibrato, legato, chiaro scuro, and all those other italian words that
describe the ideal tone (which was popular and ideal to Europeans, but
largely has been lost to other folky, rocky, and popy styles in the U.S.)

Americans have a fear of opera.  They are very disconnected from their
European heritage and even if they've never heard it, they're willing to
base their assumptions on pizza commercials, characterizations, and other
comic perceptions of opera.  I can't tell you how many students I have met
who come in thinking that because they've heard opera because of pizza
commercials and Phantom of the Opera they've seen the real thing.

I'm sure all of us have heard operatic singing, however, and whether you
like it or not, there's room for every style of voice to perform any type
of music they wish.  Just look at Michael Bolton, who decided to sing a CD
of opera, Andrea Bocchelli, or Pavarotti, who sings pop music with all his
friends.  The world is becoming more worldly with internet and travel.  We
now need to accept more styles being sung by different types of singers.

Whatever floats your boat,

Dan Singer (yea, that's right, I'm a singer.)





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Daniel A. Singer        H: (734) 397-1950  W: (810) 238-1350 ext. 4253
1713 Glenshire Dr.      Flint Institute of Music, Temple Beth El
Canton, MI 48188        Bass Voice, Guitar
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"If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
         If I am for myself alone, who am I?
                           If not now, when?"
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