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From:  "Michael Mayer" <mjmayer@h...>
Date:  Wed Aug 9, 2000  4:40 am
Subject:  Re: [vocalist-temporary] learning acting



I'm excited to learn of this "tidbit". I constantly am saying to my students
to be natural in what they do. I think in one way acting is easier than we
tend to make it out to be. It is imperative that you have an intimate
understanding of the meaning of the words, and then think about their
relationship to the music. We have to remember that the composer was
thinking of the meaning of the words when they set them to music. Hence the
two should make some sense together, and if they don't it is up to the
performer to figure out some way so they do.

Another thought I had in reading this thread is even though we are singers,
I don't think we use our voices enough to convey the meaning of the
emotional content behind the words and music. IMO acting needs to start in
the voice, whether you are singing or speaking. For me a great example is
Jussi Björling. Many said he was not much to look at and not a great actor,
but he said everything with his voice first. And often that was enough. He
was known to be quite explosive in Pagliacci, second act of Tosca,
Cavalleria, or Manon Lescaut. In these scenes it has been said by witnesses
that he was more physically involved than anyone they had seen. I guess the
point I 'm trying to make is acting needs to grow out of the expression of
the words through music by the voice. The voice is what speaks to the soul
of an audience, not what you do with your hands.

One more observation I had when reading the posts is we tend to separate
vocal technique from expression or acting. The more advanced I get
technically the more I realize how bound our voice is to our emotions. As
far as the comments about Callas, I think she got into trouble because she
crossed the line of emotion. This can be abusive to the voice. The old
Italian School would say "keep a cool head and a warm heart". Which to me
means don't go overboard when expressing the emotion of the drama. As far as
technique goes, for me the automatic functioning of the voice comes from
thinking of the words you are saying as clearly as possible so the idea can
be transmitted from the brain to the vocal nerve, which stimulates the vocal
folds to approximate naturally and speak the word that is being thought of.
I have had faster results with this idea than with all kinds of fancy
technical jargon. Trust your instincts, the voice has a mind of its own, if
you don't interfere with it.

Michael

>Incidentally, one interesting tidbit I learned in Theater History class was
>the adjective applied to every single one of the great actors, from Thespis
>to Gielgud: "natural." No matter what style of acting was in vogue at the
>time, the wildly popular star or respected artist was honored with the
>compliment, "natural." Suggests that there's something going on in the
>heart, as well as in the face hands and voice.
>
>Elizabeth Finkler
>half-baked and only slightly neurotic music theater actor
>http://home.earthlink.net/~mightymezzo/
>mightymezzo@h...
>

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  Replies Name/Email Yahoo! ID Date Size
3365 Re: learning acting Reg Boyle   Wed  8/9/2000   4 KB

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