I'd just like to add one idea to Steve's great posts on legato. For me, the
foundation of legato is understanding the musical line as a continuous
emotional force from before the piece begins until after the last note is
released. Steve mentioned finding the most important note in a phrase. All
the music must ebb and flow to/from these points but with a feeling of
pulling taffy - it doesn't break, even during rests in the vocal line. This
understanding is more in the gut than the mind. I find that once I have a
feel for the piece and its music and poetry, this emotional force itself
allows my vocal apparatus to accomplish the technical acts involved in
creating legato without my thinking about it so much.
Susan Schneider
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