In a message dated 1/24/2002 4:29:05 AM Pacific Standard Time,
Greypins@a... writes:
> it is my view that female opera singers use 'light mechanism' exclusively
> (with the exception of the occasional mezzo who makes use of the 'reverse
> yodel'), treating
> resonance and phrasing in the same manner as the male opera singer.
As a mezzo, who has to project over an orchestra in the ranges of E, F, G,
and A, I can tell you that that is incorrect. I use my heavy mechanism with
touches of light mechanism, tapering it off by about C. And my bet is that
dramatic sopranos do the same thing. You have to in order to project in
those lower ranges. (Which, your point withstanding, explains why there are
so many mezzos you just can't hear. If they don't do this, you won't hear
them.)
Which brings me to that age old discussion of why people are bemoaning the
lack of dramatic voices today. It isn't that the voices are different, it is
the training that is different. For some reason, there is a ubiquitous and
HUGE misconception these days that opera singing is bringing the lighter
mechanism down to the lower passagio, to the exclusion of the heavy
mechanism. That is not correct. It is as Marilyn Horne (one of the stellar
exponents of the bel canto revival) explained it in "Great Singers on Great
Singing": A fractional lightening of the heavy mechanism as you ascend in
that middle register, until the lighter mechanism is in predominance.
You can't get the monstrous sound you need for the dramatic repertoire
bringing the light mechanism down and excluding the heavy mechanism. You are
out of registration, and that is when you start hearing hollow tones with
wobbles. (A common style of opera singing these days that gives opera singing
a bad name.)
TinaO
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