Hello Randy and Lloyd and Everyone,
I’ve been reading the back and forth discussion about the woman’s middle
voice and Randy’s assertion that the main reason that classically
trained women’s voices don’t use more chest voice is because the sound
is considered “not feminine”.
I thought the reason was that chest voice does not have enough “ring” to
carry over an opera orchestra. A well trained female singer singing in
the middle/low register in head voice can really ring, does chest voice
ring as well? I’ve always had a very easy time singing in my chest
voice. Because this ability came to me so naturally a teacher I had in
college gave up on trying to teach me how to sing in the middle passage
in only head voice and encouraged me to sing big mezzo arias in the
mixed head/chest voice. I didn’t think this was right. I didn’t sound
like the mezzos singing these arias (O Don Fatale’, for example) in
recordings.
I finally sang for a teacher who told me “your voice will not carry 2
feet past an orchestra singing this way.” Finally I learned how to sing
in my head voice through the middle register correctly, in the classical
style. (and no more big mezzo arias!) Still, I wonder about the chest
voice and if the production is clear, without neck, jaw, tounge, largnx,
etc… tensions, fully supported … it doesn’t sound like pops singers, it
doesn’t sound heavy and belty like Ethel Merman… there must be a proper
use for this type of resonance in classical singing.
I’m guessing the answer is about mixing chest and head. Still, I’m
wondering if what I’ve read that is called the “singer’s format” is the
reason why classical music is sung exclusively in the head voice for
women through the middle register.
deanna
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