Vocalist.org archive


Date sent: Tue, 8 Feb 2000 10:08:41 EST
Subject: Re: Arias Transposed?
To: vocalist
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

no, karen's point is that it must only be done the 'correct way' and my point
is not that it should be done in transpostition. i think you are absolutely
right. i think verdi is a genius just for writing 'come dal ciel precipito'
for a bass. what i am saying is that transposing an aria to another fach does
not destroy the piece. it can still be done in the original key by the
original facher.
suppose you heard that jon vickers had recorded 'come dal ciel
precipito' in g min. would you listen out of curiosity? would you
refuse to listen on principal (as if that would actually have an effect on
anything)? what if you heard it and liked it to some degree, would that mean
you stopped liking it the right way? can you not like both with a preference
for one or the other? if i have hotter singing sachs on a cd and
fischer-dieskau singing sachs on another, can't i enjoy both (yes, i know
they are in the same key)?
transposing an aria out of fach is not an insult to a composer. if
anything, it may be a great compliment to a composer, as if to say 'i love
this piece so much, i would give anything to be that voice type just so i
could sing it'.
to suggest that it is fine to do art songs in transposition while
singing arias in transposition is 'unacceptable', is unacceptable.

mike