Isabelle,
I confess that I have a very simplified image in my mind when I describe
these things:
falsetto = no adduction;
head tone = adduction + a narrow focused sound emphasizing resonance of
upper partials;
chest voice = still adduction as one descends +attention to the resonance
of lower partials and even the fundamental pitch. I'm not sure that one
should sing classical solos below the pitch at which adduction becomes
sparse and the sound woofy.
I accept, though it is not really clear, that a woman's upper notes may
involve something else (above G)
At 12:28 AM 5/27/00 -0700, you wrote:
...t it seems to
>> me that amongst female
>> opera singers, some utilize adducted vocal chords
>> and some don't. There is
>> a lot of falsetto going on, maybe since it is
>> perceived as feminine.
>
>John, the technical purists may point out that there
>is (according to current pedagogical thought) no such
>thing as female falsetto.
>
>It is instead referred to as "pure" or "unsupported"
>head voice, with no chest voice mixed in. I call it
>falsetto when I sing it, because that's what it feels
>like -- a flip into another register, that high, soft
>little-girl voice.
This is a very good point for me, since I recently remembered how to sing
properly (I periodically forget, away from the pressure of performing) and
*support* was the missing ingredient. I might almost dare to guess that, if
I could really fine-tune my support, I would have less of a sense of there
being distinct registers.
... >and I
>admire voices of the laser variety, such as Milanov,
>Tebaldi, Behrens, Dessay, Zajick) ...I would say that a
>powerful laser voice has a good deal of chest in it,
>while figuring out how to mix in the higher resonance
>of head voice without sacrificing that squillo
>quality.
I do think that what we are describing here is good old adduction of the
vocal folds, and that my crude definition of 'head-tone' is applicable.
Nilsson has more or less said as much (See J. Hines Great Singers on Great
Singing). My own, possibly related, experience is that one one has
established a head tone approach for high passages, in practice, one can
then allow other elements into the mix: more low resonance for richness; a
little less adduction for softening.
>I haven't heard Eaglen enough to say whether she is
>more head-heavy or chest-supported, but it surprises
>me that a voice can be balanced in favor of the head
>voice (falsetto) and still cut over a Wagnerian
>orchestra.
I should expand on this: Eaglen started out in Die Walkuere with that
'falsetto' sound and as she continued it became somewhat more focused.
Also, in the subsequent nights it was still present, if less so. In terms
of timbre I preferred Deborah Voigt, who was also great in character, and
just as big (both bigs)Having said this, I thought Eaglen was great, and I
wish now that I could have sat in the expensive seats and heard the
singers to better advantage.
>I have heard it said that Caballe's famous high
>pianissimi were actually "cheated" because she flipped
>them into falsetto (unsupported head voice) instead of
>the much more difficult task of whittling down a
>supported tone into a pianissimo. I don't know if
>this assessment of Caballe's technique is correct,
>since I never heard her live.
Also in Hines, I think, I read someone else's approach to high pianissimi
was to start big, but make a sudden diminuendo, which if tastefully
managed, would be not only technically more feasible, but could be very
effective.
john
>Isabelle B.
...
John Blyth
Baritono robusto e lirico
Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
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