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friendica (DFRN) - Link to source
#italy #singing #opera #musictheory #nineteenthcentury #lecce #BelCanto #TitoSchipa #alcestegerunda #saveriomercadante #vocalpedigogy

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in reply to Georgiana Brummell

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Cassana 🍻

@petrnuska Just thinking out loud, but @mcmullin, this may perhaps be more your wheelhouse than mine. I’ve been to some operas, and have talked to some singers who were going to study at Trinity College London. It’s a very specific performance and vocal style. In direct response to the post, I’ve also sung in a choir with a female tenor and a male alto, so some people will happily judge purely on vocal range and passagios. That said, true low contraltos can be absolutely amazing.
@David McMullin @Petr Nuska
in reply to Cassana 🍻

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David McMullin

@cassana @petrnuska
I’m afraid this is not my wheelhouse at all! It’s clear that @dandylover1 already knows much more than I do about her area of inquiry. But there are many choral singers and a few opera singers on here who may be able to help. I know almost nothing about classical vocal training except that it is very much an oral tradition, probably not something you can learn from books, and potentially harmful to try without guidance.
@Cassana 🍻 @Georgiana Brummell @Petr Nuska
in reply to David McMullin

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David McMullin

@cassana @petrnuska
So even if it’s just the occasional lesson, it would help to have a teacher at least point you in the right direction and check on your progress. As far as voice types go, it’s not that unusual for women to sing tenor parts especially in choirs, and in the solo repertory you mention, I think pretty much anything goes. So by all means, sing where you sound good and feel right.
@Cassana 🍻 @Petr Nuska
in reply to Cassana 🍻

friendica (DFRN) - Link to source

Georgiana Brummell

@Cassana 🍻 @David McMullin @Petr Nuska Just to clarify. I am absolutely not against finding a teacher, even if I can take only a few lessons. My problem is finding someone who actually has the knowledge that I seek. From what I have read, modern training and pedigogy is quite different, even if people sing the same repertoir. Just listening to the older versus modern recordings demonstrates this. I don't want to learn certain things, only to have to unlearn them later. I also recognise what was said about the voice and working alone. I highly doubt Schipa's exercises will damage my vocal cords. They are extremely simple and don't strain them. My question is, what do I do after that? And of course, having a professional pair of ears to guide me wouldn't hurt either. I wonder if I can, perhaps, upload myself doing the exercises and receive suggestions that way.
@David McMullin @Cassana 🍻 @Petr Nuska
in reply to Georgiana Brummell

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David McMullin

@cassana @petrnuska
It sounds like what you really need is a teacher whose pedagogical lineage preserves the old methods you’re drawn to. I have no idea how to find such a person. But I imagine it’s possible that there are “modern” teachers who do know about this and could guide you in it, even if it’s not what they offer most of their students.
@Cassana 🍻 @Petr Nuska
in reply to David McMullin

friendica (DFRN) - Link to source

Georgiana Brummell

@David McMullin @Cassana 🍻 @Petr Nuska Yes. This is exactly what I am seeking. I am also really hoping that someone at the Bernardini Library responds to me within the next week or two. They may not even be able to help me, but at least I'll know I tried. I also wrote to Seth Riggs, who actually studied with Tito Schipa, but that was a few weeks ago, and he never responded either. That, though, is understandable, given that he's in his nineties and extremely famous.
@David McMullin @Cassana 🍻 @Petr Nuska
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artsyhonker / Kathryn

@andijah @mcmullin @cassana @petrnuska I would add that many good teachers would be happy to have one or two trial lessons with you to find out whether they can meet your needs, and the best would be able to say "I'm not the right person for you, but my colleague so-and-so might know someone."

Another option is finding modern singers whose style you like and asking who they study with.

Two lessons a month might be okay if (and only if) you are diligent in practising on your own.

@David McMullin @Andrea @Cassana 🍻 @Petr Nuska
in reply to Georgiana Brummell

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Pauliina Lievonen

I can’t comment on your spesific question about style, but I recognize the feeling of being most comfortable in the lowest part of my vocal range. I started singing lessons with a new to me teacher last fall, and asked if we could work especially on the lower end, since before, all my teachers had seemed to just to want to push me to sing higher. Turns out that working on the chest register has really helped me feel more comfortable singing higher up as well!

I also recognise how hard it is to find a teacher that you really can trust to guide you in the right direction. But I think you might need to take the risk of learning a few wrong things along the way while you seek your goal. Learning a skill isn’t a linear process anyway.

I know I could have done exercises for ever by myself and not gotten to where I am now after just one school year of lessons. So having a couple try out lessons with different people I think really is a good idea. They may know other people again who they can point you to.

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