In a message dated 10/19/00 12:41:22 PM Central Daylight Time, lloyd.hanson@n... writes: lloyd.hanson@n... writes:
<< Classical singing does tend to emphasize the vowel line. A common device to encourage students studying classical singing is to sing a phrase using only the vowels from the words in order to obtain the idea of the musical phrase being continuous, that is, continuous vowels. Consonants are then sometimes described as clothes pins on a clothes line; they are attached but they do not cut the line nor detach the elements between the clothes pins. >>
I do not believe it is the "de-emphasization" of the consonants that makes the words difficult to understand in opera but the muddying of the vowels. Many consonant sound can be inferred by the context, but when the vowels all tend to migrate towards "uh" throughout the whole voice, including the bottom where they should resemble speech, you end up with mush.
If any of you are familiar with Caballe's and Freddie Mercury's song "Barcelona," where she alternates between Spanish and English, it is downright impossible to discern what she is singing because all sounds are sacrificed in an attempt to make "pear shaped tones." This is not atypical in operatic singing. It's this sort of production that made it necessary to have subtitles when Flemming sang Streetcar on PBS. Pure vowels mean understandable vowels. If they are not understandable, there is in a sense a communication disorder, and the vowels cease to be phonemes and/or morphemes because they carry no meaning.
I do think you should understand the text (within reason) in operatic singing. Otherwise everything should be a vocalise.
Randy Buescher
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