Bel Canto singing

In Celebration of the Human Voice - The Essential Musical Instrument

Bel Canto Singing

Bel canto (bel-canto) (Italian, "beautiful singing" or "beautiful song"), along with a number of similar constructions ("bellezze del canto"/"bell’arte del canto"), is a term relating to Italian singing. It has several different meanings and is subject to a wide variety of interpretations.

The words were not associated with a "school" of singing until the middle of the 19th century, when writers in the early 1860s used it nostalgically to describe a manner of singing that had begun to wane around 1830. Nonetheless, "neither musical nor general dictionaries saw fit to attempt [a] definition [of bel canto] until after 1900". The term remains vague and ambiguous in the 21st century and is often used to evoke a lost singing tradition.

Musicologists occasionally apply the label bel canto technique to the arsenal of virtuosic vocal accomplishments and concepts imparted by singing teachers to their students during the late 18th century and the early 19th century. Many of these teachers were castrati.

"All [their] pedagogical works follow the same structure, beginning with exercises on single notes and eventually progressing to scales and improvised embellishments" writes Potter[16] who continues, "The really creative ornamentation required for cadenzas, involving models and formulae that could generate newly improvised material, came towards the end of the process."

Today's pervasive idea that singers should refrain from improvising and always adhere strictly to the letter of a composer's published score is a comparatively recent phenomenon, promulgated during the first decades of the 20th century by dictatorial conductors such as Arturo Toscanini [1867–1957], who championed the dramatic operas of Verdi and Wagner and believed in keeping performers on a tight interpretive leash.

Early 19th-century teachers described the voice as being made up of three registers. The chest register was the lowest of the three and the head register the highest, with the passaggio in between. These registers needed to be smoothly blended and fully equalized before a trainee singer could acquire total command of his or her natural instrument, and the surest way to achieve this outcome was for the trainee to practise vocal exercises assiduously. Bel canto-era teachers were great believers in the benefits of vocalise and solfeggio. They strove to strengthen the respiratory muscles of their pupils and equip them with such time-honoured vocal attributes as "purity of tone, perfection of legato, phrasing informed by eloquent portamento, and exquisitely turned ornaments", as noted in the introduction to Volume 2 of Scott's The Record of Singing.

Major refinements occurred to the existing system of voice classification during the 19th century as the international operatic repertoire diversified, split into distinctive nationalist schools and expanded in size. Whole new categories of singers such as mezzo-soprano and Wagnerian bass-baritone arose towards the end of the 19th century, as did such new sub-categories as lyric coloratura soprano, dramatic soprano and spinto soprano, and various grades of tenor, stretching from lyric through spinto to heroic. These classificatory changes have had a lasting effect on the way singing teachers designate voices and the way in which opera house managements cast their productions.

Displaying 1-16 of 16 items.

Karen Bauer : The Essentials of Beautiful Singing: A Three-Step Kinesthetic Approach

Review: Voice research has revealed much about the singing voice, but this valuable information does not necessarily transfer into fine singing. In The Essentials of Beautiful Singing: A Three-Step Kinesthetic Approach, performer and scholar Karen Tillotson Bauer bridges this gap by reframing the complexities of voice science with a cultivated simplicity of style and terminology that speaks directly to the singer's experience of singing.With her three-step approach, Bauer integrates fact and application in a logical order, step by step. With clarity and immediate relevancy, this work takes the mystery out of singing by approaching it as a kinesthetic experience. Through the use of short verbal prompts and guided exercises, The Essentials of Beautiful Singing helps the singer discover good breath management, realize good resonance, and achieve clear enunciation. The focus throughout is on the skillful use of the body as a musical instrument, the source of fine singing.For the experienced voice teacher, choral director and singer at any level, Bauer's three-step approach offers a fresh perspective on the familiar principles of vocal function. Clear explanations of the singing processes replace vague notions, and a relevant terminology makes refined singing more accessible. The Essentials of Beautiful Singing cuts to the heart of vocal technique and challenges some common pedagogical assumptions while defining a dependable foundation for fine singing.

Songlist: Setting the Stage for the Three-Step Approach, A Precondition to Beautiful Singing, "Open Body" and Breath Management, Exhalation: Controlled Release of Air, "Open Throat" and Resonance, The Kinesthetic Experience, Resonanting on Sung Tones, Posture Preparartion, The Chiaroscuro Balance, Forward Articulation and Enunciation, Refinements toward Greater Skill, Chest Register, Head Register, Messa di Voce, Developing the Upper Range, Legato and Misicality

Mathilde Marchesi : Bel Canto: A Theoretical & Practical Vocal Method

Review: Bel canto (Belcanto, bel canto) (Italian, beautiful singing), an Italian musical term, refers to the art and science of vocal technique which originated in Italy during the late sixteenth century and reached its pinnacle in the early part of the nineteenth century during the Bel Canto opera era. Bel canto singing characteristically focuses on perfect evenness throughout the voice, skillful legato, a light upper register, tremendous agility and flexibility, and a certain lyric, "sweet" timbre. This volume embodies Madame Marchesi's "vocal alphabet," or basic instructions and exercises that formed the voices of her great pupils. An introductory text discusses breathing, attack, registers and similar matters, while the remainder of the book contains many exercises and vocalises that teach voice management and projection. Marchesi's book is today even more important than when it first appeared, for it offers the basis for a construction of the bel canto training system. At the time the book appeared, the bel canto system had gone out of fashion in favor of more modern schools that seemed to offer more rapid maturation, voice volume, and dramatics. Today, a more realistic reevaluation has revealed that the bel canto system gave the singer much longer performing life, a more pleasing voice, and far greater musical ability. As Phillip Miller states in his introduction, "a solidity, a sure technical mastery, an even scale with no register break... strong, even and secure trills, their coloratura masterly." In addition, the resurgence of interest in early 19th century opera renders a work like Marchesi's indispensable to the modern singer.

Songlist: Part One: Elementary and Progressive Exercixes for the Development of the Voice, Chromatic Slur, Diatonic Slur, Portamento, Scales, Exercises for blending the Registers, Exercises on two notes, Exercises on three notes, Exercises on four notes, Exercises on six notes, Exercises on eight notes, Chromatic Scale, Minor Scales, Exercises for Flexibility, Varied Scales, Repeated Notes, Triplets, Arpeggi, Messa di Voce (Swelled Sounds), Apoggiatura - Acciaccatura (Crushed Note) - Mordente, The Turn, The Shake (Trill), Shakes by Thirds, Part Two: Development of the Exercises in the Form of Vocalises, Attack, Portamento, Sostenuto, Diatonic Scale, Dotted Diatonic Scale, Minor Scale, and more

Style: Opera

Robert Toft : Bel Canto - A Performers Guide

Review: Bel canto, or 'beautiful singing,' remains one of the most elusive performance styles vocalists strive to master. During the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, composers routinely left the final shaping of recitatives, arias, and songs to performers, and singers treated scores freely so that inexpressively notated music could be turned into passionate declamation. In other words, vocalists saw their role more as one of re-creation than of simple interpretation. Familiarity with the range of strategies prominent singers of the past employed to unlock the eloquent expression hidden in scores enables modern performers to take a similar re-creative approach to enhancing the texts before them.In this first ever guide to bel canto, author Robert Toft provides singers with the tools they need not only to complete the creative process the composer began but also to bring scores to life in an historically-informed manner. Replete with illustrations based on excerpts from Italianate recitatives and arias by composers ranging from Handel to Rossini, the book offers discussions of the fundamental principles of expressive singing, each section including a practical application of the techniques involved. Drawing on a wealth of documents from the era, including treatises, scores, newspaper reviews, and letters, this book captures the breadth of practices singers used in the bel canto period. Complete with six scores (recitatives and/or arias) for performers to personalize through the old methods, and a companion website offering demonstrations of the principles involved, Bel Canto is an essential resource for any singer or vocal instructor wishing to explore and master historical techniques of interpretation and re-creation from the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

Songlist: The Principles of Bel Canto, Introduction, Phrasing, Altering Rhythm and Tempo, Tonal Contrast, Register, Vibrato, Ornamentation, Dramatic Action, Bel canto in Practice

Esther Salaman : Unlocking Your Voice: Freedom to Sing

Review: Esther Salaman's singing career started in 1940 with regular concerts and broadcasts. For the last 30 years she has been teaching and during this period has evolved a distinctive method which many singers - some now famous - have found invaluable in developing their voices. This book covers every aspect of voice production. Ester Salaman discusses her experience of personality behind the voice and comments on the drive and courage needed for a singing career as well as the fears and inhibitions that assail both professionals and amateurs. She has worked with boys' unbroken voices as well as those of adults and her ideas therefore appeal as much to singers in school choirs as to the operatic stage. She gives a detailed plan for vocal health and technical exercises in the form of musical examples. It should be of use to singers of all ages, their teachers and choir trainers.

Songlist: Unlocking Your Voice, The Start of the Note and Vowel Centering, Freedom and Agility, Vibrancy, Expression: Dynamics, Resonance, 'Covering the Sound" and Registers, Your Daily Voice Limbering, Vowels and Consonants, Tension and Performance, Voice Strain and Other Hazards, More About Bel Canto

Heinrich Panofka : The Art of Singing - Twenty-Four Vocalises for Soprano

Review: Panofka (1807-1887) was one of the great 19th century voice teachers. His background as a choral composer greatly influenced these athletic bel canto vocalise compositions. This work presents 24 studies in The Art Of Singing and is suitable for Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, or Tenor.

Songlist: Major Scales, Minor Scales, Agility, Triplets, Groups of 2 Slurred Notes, Portamento, Dotted Notes, Syncopation, Legato, Appoggitura, Gruppetto, Turn and Mordent, Preparatory Study for the Trill, Agility, Trills, Arpeggios, Chromatic Scales, Study on Chromatics, Intervals

Voicing: Soprano
Style: Opera

Heinrich Panofka : The Art of Singing; 24 Vocalises, Op. 81

Review: Panofka was one of the great 19th century voice teachers. His background as a violinist and composer greatly informed these athletic bel canto vocalise compositions. Op. 81 is for Alto, Baritone, or Bass.

Songlist: 24 Vocalises

Voicing: Alto, Baritone, Bass

Heinrich Panofka : The Art of Singing; 24 Vocalises, Op. 81

Songlist: 24 Vocalises

Voicing: Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, T

Heinrich Panofka : Twenty-four Progressive Vocalises, Op. 85, Volume I

Songlist: Twenty-four Progressive Vocalises

Voicing: Alto Tenor

Mathilde Marchesi : Elementary Progressive Vocalises - Low Voice

Review: Mathilde Marchesi was a mezzo-soprano, teacher of singing, and exponent of the bel canto technique. She was an advocate of a naturalistic style of singing: she called for a fairly instinctive method of breathing and was particularly concerned with vocal registration, calling it "the Alpha and Omega of the formation and development of the female voice, the touchstone of all singing methods". These 20 vocalises are perfect for your daily vocal practice and having been used by some of the great singers of the past 100 years.

Voicing: Low
Style: Classical

Mathilde Marchesi : Twenty Elementary and Progressive Vocalises - Med. Voice

Voicing: Medium
Style: Opera

Mathilde Marchesi : Twenty Elementary and Progressive Vocalises, Op. 15

Voicing: Alto

Mathilde Marchesi : Twenty Elementary and Progressive Vocalises, Op. 15

Songlist: Twenty Elementary and Progressive Vocalises

Voicing: Medium

Mathilde Marchesi : Twenty-Four Vocalises for Soprano or Mezzo-Soprano

Review: Mathilde Marchesi was a mezzo-soprano, teacher of singing, and exponent of the bel canto technique. She was an advocate of a naturalistic style of singing: she called for a fairly instinctive method of breathing and was particularly concerned with vocal registration, calling it "the Alpha and Omega of the formation and development of the female voice, the touchstone of all singing methods". 24 excellent vocal exercises that will help develop, strengthen and warm up your voice. Specifically for Sopranos and Mezzo-Sopranos and have been used by some of the great singers of the past 100 years.

Songlist: Swelling and diminishing upon a tone - Larghetto, Portamento - Andante e molto legato, Portamento - Sostenuto molto, Smooth, even singing - Moderato, Smooth, even singing - Larghetto, Diatonic Scale - Andantino, Diatonic Scale - Allegretto, Diatonic Scale - Moderato, Diatonic Scale with dotted notes Andantino, Quatrains - Allegro giusto, Chromatic Scale - Andante, Chromatic Scale - Andantino, Theme with variations - Andantino, Minor Scales - Andante, Repeated Notes - Andantino, Triplets - Allegretto, Arpeggios - Allegro giusto, The long and short appoggiatura - Moderato, Gruppetto and Mordente - Andantino, Syncopation - Allegro giusto, Detached and accented notes - Moderato, Large Skips - Deciso, Shake - Andantino, 1st Recapitulation - Andante, 2nd Recapitulation - Allegro

Voicing: Mezzo-Soprano Soprano
Style: Classical

Mathilde Marchesi : Twenty-four Vocalises for Soprano or Mezzo-Soprano, Op. 2

Songlist: Twenty-four Vocalises

Voicing: Mezzo-Soprano

Mathilde Marchesi : Twenty-four Vocalises for Soprano, Op. 3

Songlist: Twenty-four Vocalises

Voicing: Soprano

Various Composers : Cantolopera - Belcanto Arias for Soprano

Review: This edition includes vocal scores and a CD containing a complete version as well as an accompaniment-only version. It includes the lyrics and background notes in Italian and English and information on the Compagnia d'Opera Italiana.

Songlist: Bel raggio lusinghier (Semiramide), Der Holle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen (Die Zauberflote), Regnava nel silenzio (Lucia di Lammermoor), Al dolce guidami castel natio and Piangete voi? (Anna Bolena), E strano! e strano! and Ah fors' e lui che l'anima (La traviata)

Voicing: Soprano
Style: Opera