what guides us?
there is alot of discussion in forums and eslwhere on what is good or "bel canto" singing,and alot of discussion is on what is good "technique" and bad,focussing on aspects like the mask and breathing techniques.however,there seems to be little or no discussion on what aspects are the foundations of good singing,or what fundamentals or guide lines are used to reach our goals?
through my studies of voice,literature, and recordings as well as some anatomical knowledge i have found there are some obvious thoughts and ideas that can be used to guide ones singing, foundational ideas that are pivitol to correct singing.
1st is an obvious point, but seems to be more and more pushed aside by "methods" of "control".Vocal and physical freedom is paramount to all good singing,without it the vocal mechanism cannot perform to its potential, the resonator will not be able to freely amplify correct and unconstricted sound.this may sound easy enough but an understanding of what is and isnt freedom is needed.i might describe freedom in singing as the ability of the parts to function free from constrictions,inhibitions and tensions,i clasify these as being part of the "vocal condition".the major problem is that all singers have different vocal conditions ranging from good to very poor,and working out and solving these conditions are the main focus to achieving vocal success.
i use the analogy of a piece of string,a completely straight piece of string is what we desire to achieve whereas a piece of string with multiple knots represents poor conditions,and it is the painful process of slowly unravelling the knots that help reach the goal.
some tenions can be easily adressed, like tension in the jaw or lips,others are more difficult and can only be addressed by constant searching and vigilance by the student.
some poor conditions are created by the teacher,by the use of physical manipulation. Physical manipulation of any kind is antifreedom and can have permanent effects on the overall production of sound,for example some teacher get their students to open their throats in various ways,this however will certainly tense the walls of the pharynx and change the way the pharynx resonates.i cant remember where the quote is but i remember william vennard writing that when the pharynx is constricted, the walls of the throat instead of absorbing, resonates hard and metallic sounds, which is not agreeable to good singing, and when the pharynx is supple the sound resonated is soft and mellow and the hard and metallis sounds absorbed.
in the end the mechanism is the only part of the body that creates the initial spark, and lifting leaning,opening or posture isnt really going to improve on this,the mechanim cannot be physically manipulated,it is below our conscious minds it is an involuntary mechanism and can only be manipulated indirectly,which bring me to my next point.
2nd,one of the most neglected part of singing is the use of the mind,this point is often brushed aside by many as obvious,but like so many aspect of singing it is misundertood and badly neglected for other aspect like control and sensations.only one author on the voice seems to have placed so much importance on this aspect,he was Herbert Caesari,he talks about this in all of his 5 books but gives the most detail in his book The Voice of the Mind.In his book he qoutes his classmate and friend Beniamino Gigli and their teacher the great baritone Antonio Cotogno.
beniamini gigli;pg20
"inversely,the very fact of mentally conceiving, and mentally shaping and colouring each vowel sound to be sung(in pure or shaping and colouring each vowel sound to be sung(in pure or modified form according to what one has to express)before producing it,induces simple and spontaneous(natural) movements of the parts concerned.This is what i have always done myself, and this is what i advise every singer to do.And if he or she is not used to this mental work of preparation,not having been taught it,i would sincerely advise him to start right away to cultivate this vitally important habit.It merely demands concentrated vigilence over a certain period of time.With patient and persevering practice the thinking and doing merge as one,a flash split-second action."
Antonio Cotogni telling herbert caesari;
"Remember that always you must mentally shape each vowel and impart to it the right colour,timbre and expression before actually producing it.""And when,somewhat astounded and very much impressed(not having heard of such a thing before)i almost demurred:"What, always,and every vowel sound?""Cotogni answered,""Yes,every vowel and always,for as long as you are a singer and sing;the habit is soon acquired,and such thinking before becomes really quite an easy matter."..."We have always stressed this point with excellent results to pupils,adding,"think more and do less."
i think the above quotes are explanatory enough,i however always have come to the conclusion that mentally creating and carrying the voice is most efficient when we have the most amount of freedom,hence the need to develop the goal for complete freedom.
i think these two points can help guide all singers and teachers to reach their goals,if these points are taken into account each time a decision is made.
Original Poster,
Could I trouble you to use capital letters, type a space after periods and commas, and put an apostrophe in your contractions? You write well otherwise, but it's hard to read your squished, uncapitalized sentences.
Caesari is not the only pedagogue to emphasize the importance of the mind. Cornelius Reid constantly stressed the importance of the "concept". He often stated that there must be a clear intention in order to give the voice something to respond to. Changes in vocal behavior must be preceded by changes in the originating concept. Reid's book "Voice - Psyche and Soma" addressed this specifically. There is also a good revisiting of these ideas in his "Essays on the Nature of Singing".
I have also read Caesari's book and there is much wisdom in it. Some of his assertions about the mechanics of singing are incorrect, but that is almost unimportant compared to his excellent writing about the mental aspect of singing.
The mind is the only real control we have, as the physical goings-on are largely hidden from us. We must give ourselves an idea to respond to, and see what happens. In order to make desired changes, we need to change our ideas.
I agree and I disagree with the OP...
First of all, I think we can all agree in some form that you have to conceive of a note and it's coloring before you sing it... preferably you conceive of it as a part of the phrase, but no question you have to be thinking before you sing. This is not unique to Cotogni, but is a regular part of all historic Italian pedagogy. Most of the historic documents in the library can verify this... even Lamperti advises that every exercise be imbued with some emotional content, because the ability to communicate emotion through music is, after all, what we are striving for!
On the other hand, the OP stresses how important absolute "freedom" is to the vocal apparatus. I think this can be directly opposed to the above, if your listener doesn't get precisely what you mean. The best way I've heard it described:
The problem with freedom in technique is that it is an absence of sensation. I can't tell you what freedom feels like, because it feels like nothing. And a non-entity is very hard to teach! It is just as hard to hang on to. Pianists seek the same thing in their technique: total freedom. Some people seem to be born with it, but me, every time I play I seem to latch onto a different "sensation of playing." I know that the sensations are bad, but dammit I've trained for hours and hours and hours and I need to be able to latch onto SOMETHING as "correct."
Here is where I start to disagree. Vocal control is, in the end, what we seek. We seek the control to be able to sing high notes that are just the right kind of thrilling, and low notes with just the right kind of coloration. We seek the control to be able to color our notes as Gigli and Cotogni would like. Learning mastery of the breath, "placement", or whatever technique you subscribe to is all an equivalent means of gaining this kind of control. Personally, I'm confident that the most EFFECTIVE kind of control is the kind I am learning... but if I didn't have that confidence I wouldn't be studying this kind of control. The OP values a particular kind of freedom and a particular kind of control. It would be more useful to engage in discussion about WHY that kind of freedom and control is optimal.
I've read Caesari. Interesting material.
My experience has been that singing with the mind is really about active listening, which is something altogether different that passive hearing. In the former the body is in a heightening state of readiness- a readiness that is closely aligned with joy. As my teacher used to say, "Singing is like running to meet your lover!" Passive listening? It all too often involves judgment. And by that I mean a negative/discoursive state of mind. Nothing is good enough. So indeed nothing can be good.
Sounds like the Zen of Singing, doesn't it?
One has to start where one is going! :)