This discussion came up during my DMA orals as well. The term "Bel Canto", of course, is used to describe the music of early 19th- century Italian opera: Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti. It was not used during the time, but was applied later to contrast it with "Verismo" or "Realism" in opera.
So, at the most basic, "Bel Canto" is florid, legato, less dramatic, singing. I, too, have found the term to be virtually meaningless when used to describe vocal technique. Many people believe that all Italian teachers and singers "understand bel canto" and that non- Italians don't. This, too, is rubbish.
A friend of mine and I joke that what we teach is "Mal canto."
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