#titoschipa — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #titoschipa, aggregated by home.social.
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Don Pasquale, 1932
https://www.reddit.com/r/OldOpera/comments/1r548mc/don_pasquale_1932/Tonight, for Valentine's Day, I decided to treat myself to Don Pasquale. I had promised myself I would listen to it, first at Christmas, then New Year, and failed to do so both times. Now, I'm glad I waited. What could be better than my favourite singer in a work by my favourite operatic composer?
Libretto
https://archive.org/details/donizettisoperad00doniWikipedia Link ((since I mentioned it)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_PasqualeRecording
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FeEiRH5ULkUnlike when I first heard the opera, I didn't read the full libretto, just the Wikipedia entry. This is simply because I wanted to enjoy the beautiful voices and music and not be distracted by my screen reader speaking while it was playing, or have to stop occasionaly to read and then listen to more. However, I do remember it, and I love the story itself. It's hilarious, with scheming but no violence or cruelty, just fun. I laughed on a personal note as well, because I myself prefer seniors for partners. I felt sorry for poor Don Pasquale when he saw all of the things being bought and how much money was being spent, but the acting made it extremely comical, and the interaction between him and Norina was priceless.
This was an excellent production, with wonderful sound quality. The only thing that annoyed me was the huge gaps during the record changing. I would expect them when listening to real seventy-eights, not a digital copy. I have never heard this anywhere else, including the 1907 Pagliacci, the much later radio performances of various operas, and even other studio recordings. It was really distracting. The singing, however, was mostly excellent. I say that because although Adelaide Saraceni didn't have an annoying high-pitched, bright voice that gives me a headache (not being mean, it literally does), she didn't really impress me in this role either. I have also heard parts of it sung by Toti Dal Monte and Amelita Galli-Curci, and I wish the latter had been chosen for this recording because she was perfect. I really liked Ernesto Badini and Afro Poli, together and apart. I'm not normally one to gravitate to baritones or basses, but both are worth researching for more recordings. I had definitely heard Afro Poli in the past, so I recognised him, but I had to look up his name. "Cheti, cheti immantinente" made me laugh because it reminded me so strongly of Gilbert and Sullivan's patter songs. Even the plot itself would have been perfect for an operetta. Notice I didn't mention the entire reason for my listening to this opera, namely Tito Schipa! I had forgotten how incredibly small his part was. I'm sure it could easily fit on two seventy-eights. It was, obviously, perfect, but it left me sad and wanting more. It seems that, every time I hear Ferruccio Tagliavini sing something from his repertoir, it's always a big part. I actually heard more of Schipa in Act II of Manon! But, at least it's something, and his arias here were beautiful.
Overall, I would very much recommend this opera for anyone who wants to have fun and laugh. The story, music, and singing are all wonderful.
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Happy birthday to the gratest singer in the world!
Birthday of Tito Schipa
https://www.reddit.com/r/OldOpera/comments/1pxhits/birthday_of_tito_schipa/
On 27 December 1888, Raffaele Attilio Amedeo Schipa, better known to the world by his childhood nickname of Tito, was born. His mark continues to be felt in the world today, by old and young alike. Not only do he and I share the same birth month (my birthday is on the first), but his voice is the one that made me fall in love with opera, and the leggero tenor in general, in February of this year. To this day, I have never heard anyone sing Una Furtiva Lagrima as perfectly as he did (in all his versions), and only he himself knew how on Earth he was able to take over the character of Werther so fully and completely that he practically owned the role, despite it originally being written for a dramatic tenor! Even now, it's usually sung by a leggero. From his incomparable voice that barely changed until he was at least seventy, to his perfect diction, to his incredible messa di voce, to the way he still touches hearts and brings people into the world of the character he is portraying, even when they don't know Italian, it's no wonder Tito Schipa is one of the greatest singers of all time!
Here, then, are a few links for you to enjoy. Most of you are familiar with them, but it should be fun for those new to opera or even fellow fans. If any of you have anecdotes or interviews to share, or have read his autobiography, please let us know. I read, and enjoyed, the biography of him by his son. Likewise, if anyone knows where on Earth the thirty-cd set of his music, or the booklet to his exercises can be found, please tell us.
Tito Schipa (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tito_SchipaTito Schipa sings Una furtiva lagrima- 1929 video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un_3-NIgePATito Schipa - Pourquoi me reveiller. 1939 (Film clip)
(sung in Italian, as Ah! Non mi ridestar)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgdo0uJO4zEAnd yes. He sang it in French, too.
Pourquoi me reveiller (Werther)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq_eQKsaRZ0He also wrote many lovely songs in several languages, including When You're In Love, which is one of my favourites. But this is the one best known in Lecce, where he was born. Part of it is actually played daily in a square at noon there. As a sidenote, he was also the first person to record in Salentino, during his acoustic days, with Cuandu te aai la Faace.
Lecce Mia Tito Schipa with Translation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHptzAZYxTw -
For those who are curious as to my research reguarding Tito Schipa and Alceste Gerunda, here is the full story, along with what I found. I still have to tie up a few loose ends, but mostly, it's to satisfy my own curiosity and learn what else can be found, particularly in anyting unpublished, as I love anecdotes and whatnot. If anyone is in or from Lecce and could help me, that would be great. I am seeking more recordings by Gerunda's students, and anecdotes about him, as well as those about Schipa and his own teaching methods.
https://dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/252932.html
#anecdotes #AlcesteGerunda #BelCanto #history #Lecce #lessons #opera #singing #Schipa #TitoSchipa #VocalPedagogy
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For those who are curious as to my research reguarding Tito Schipa and Alceste Gerunda, here is the full story, along with what I found. I still have to tie up a few loose ends, but mostly, it's to satisfy my own curiosity and learn what else can be found, particularly in anyting unpublished, as I love anecdotes and whatnot. If anyone is in or from Lecce and could help me, that would be great. I am seeking more recordings by Gerunda's students, and anecdotes about him, as well as those about Schipa and his own teaching methods.
https://dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/252932.html
#anecdotes #AlcesteGerunda #BelCanto #history #Lecce #lessons #opera #singing #Schipa #TitoSchipa #VocalPedagogy
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For those who are curious as to my research reguarding Tito Schipa and Alceste Gerunda, here is the full story, along with what I found. I still have to tie up a few loose ends, but mostly, it's to satisfy my own curiosity and learn what else can be found, particularly in anyting unpublished, as I love anecdotes and whatnot. If anyone is in or from Lecce and could help me, that would be great. I am seeking more recordings by Gerunda's students, and anecdotes about him, as well as those about Schipa and his own teaching methods.
https://dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/252932.html
#anecdotes #AlcesteGerunda #BelCanto #history #Lecce #lessons #opera #singing #Schipa #TitoSchipa #VocalPedagogy
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For those who are curious as to my research reguarding Tito Schipa and Alceste Gerunda, here is the full story, along with what I found. I still have to tie up a few loose ends, but mostly, it's to satisfy my own curiosity and learn what else can be found, particularly in anyting unpublished, as I love anecdotes and whatnot. If anyone is in or from Lecce and could help me, that would be great. I am seeking more recordings by Gerunda's students, and anecdotes about him, as well as those about Schipa and his own teaching methods.
https://dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/252932.html
#anecdotes #AlcesteGerunda #BelCanto #history #Lecce #lessons #opera #singing #Schipa #TitoSchipa #VocalPedagogy
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(Note. I am not interested in modern theory or ideas. This is strictly about traditional bel canto. And just to get this out of the way, I am a contralto who is only interested in singing in the tenor range.)
Now that I know how to follow Alceste Gerunda's method, I am beginning with Garcia's exercises. However, the first ones I found on Youtube start with messa di voce.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B\_O2kQz4TIA
Schipa made it very clear that Gerunda focused heavily on this aspect of singing. But I asked Perplexity if, since these are my very first lessons, I should be doing this or not. Yes, I know it's ai. But this is why I am sharing the answer with you and asking if this is correct. It certainly does sound plausable. Note that I do have, if not perfect pitch, than something extremely close to it. I also pay very close attention to subtle details in recordings, so I am aware of what my own voice does. I am totally blind and cannot read braille music. At any rate, this is what Perplexity said. The first part of the answer refers to the exercise in the video.
"Duration of the Exercise
If you perform the sustained note exercise once through on each of the five vowels—repeating the full exercise sequence for “ah,” then “ee,” “eh,” “oh,” and “oo”—it could indeed take approximately twenty-five minutes, assuming each pass is five minutes long and you take minimal breaks. However, it is entirely reasonable to begin with just one or two vowels per session, especially as you are establishing your technique. Quality, ease, and concentration outweigh the mere length of the practice; there is no need to force all five vowels in a single session at the very beginning.
Is This Garcia’s “First Exercise”?
The sustained note (messa di voce) exercise is certainly one of the cornerstone practices in Manuel García II’s Treatise on the Art of Singing (originally “Traité complet de l’Art du Chant”) and is central to his vocal method. He places major emphasis upon the production of a sustained, even tone, gradually increasing and decreasing in intensity—essentially, the classic messa di voce. However, García’s treatise first addresses:
•
Physical preparation, posture, and the mechanics of breathing,
•
Simple emission of a clear tone,
•
And only then moves to messa di voce as the foundation for control and expressive development.
Though messa di voce is central and appears early in his method, García’s very first exercises are even more elemental: sustained straight tones on single vowels, without dynamic change, to establish clarity and freedom of production. The dynamic swell of true messa di voce is introduced shortly after, as skill and stability grow.
Should a Beginner Focus on Messa di Voce?
García himself—and the strictest Italian tradition—would ask absolute beginners to spend a period on:
•
Discovering where the voice is “placed,”
•
Cultivating a pure, unstressed sound on a single pitch and vowel,
•
Establishing breath support and freedom.
Only when these basics are secure does one progress to sustained notes with crescendo and diminuendo (the true messa di voce). Attempting dynamic shaping too early can lead to tension, shaky support, or bad habits if the vocal emission is not yet free and even.
Recommended Approach for Your First Lessons
•
Begin with sustained notes on a comfortable pitch and vowel (“ah” is preferred), simply holding a clear, free sound for several seconds at a soft–moderate volume.
•
Once this feels steady, introduce a gentle crescendo and diminuendo—but keep the motion small at first, avoiding strain or pushing.
•
Practise only as many repetitions as feel comfortable—at the outset, one or two vowels for fifteen minutes may suffice.
•
Alternate days: some days work only on pure, straight tone; others introduce a little dynamic shift.
Table: Progressive Approach
Lesson Stage
Activity
Duration
First week(s)
Simple sustained notes, 1-2 vowels
10–15 min
When stable/comfortable
Add gentle messa di voce, more vowels
15–25 min
Later phase
Full messa di voce on all vowels
25 min+"
Both Schipa and Perplexity mentioned voice placement. Can someone please explain this to me? When should I start Concone's and Schipa's exercises? When will I know that it's time to go to the next phase?
#AlcesteGerunda #BelCanto #ClassicalSinging #Concone #Garcia #Gerunda #ManuelGarcia #opera #learning #lessons #Schipa #TitoSchipa #singing
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(Note. I am not interested in modern theory or ideas. This is strictly about traditional bel canto. And just to get this out of the way, I am a contralto who is only interested in singing in the tenor range.)
Now that I know how to follow Alceste Gerunda's method, I am beginning with Garcia's exercises. However, the first ones I found on Youtube start with messa di voce.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B\_O2kQz4TIA
Schipa made it very clear that Gerunda focused heavily on this aspect of singing. But I asked Perplexity if, since these are my very first lessons, I should be doing this or not. Yes, I know it's ai. But this is why I am sharing the answer with you and asking if this is correct. It certainly does sound plausable. Note that I do have, if not perfect pitch, than something extremely close to it. I also pay very close attention to subtle details in recordings, so I am aware of what my own voice does. I am totally blind and cannot read braille music. At any rate, this is what Perplexity said. The first part of the answer refers to the exercise in the video.
"Duration of the Exercise
If you perform the sustained note exercise once through on each of the five vowels—repeating the full exercise sequence for “ah,” then “ee,” “eh,” “oh,” and “oo”—it could indeed take approximately twenty-five minutes, assuming each pass is five minutes long and you take minimal breaks. However, it is entirely reasonable to begin with just one or two vowels per session, especially as you are establishing your technique. Quality, ease, and concentration outweigh the mere length of the practice; there is no need to force all five vowels in a single session at the very beginning.
Is This Garcia’s “First Exercise”?
The sustained note (messa di voce) exercise is certainly one of the cornerstone practices in Manuel García II’s Treatise on the Art of Singing (originally “Traité complet de l’Art du Chant”) and is central to his vocal method. He places major emphasis upon the production of a sustained, even tone, gradually increasing and decreasing in intensity—essentially, the classic messa di voce. However, García’s treatise first addresses:
•
Physical preparation, posture, and the mechanics of breathing,
•
Simple emission of a clear tone,
•
And only then moves to messa di voce as the foundation for control and expressive development.
Though messa di voce is central and appears early in his method, García’s very first exercises are even more elemental: sustained straight tones on single vowels, without dynamic change, to establish clarity and freedom of production. The dynamic swell of true messa di voce is introduced shortly after, as skill and stability grow.
Should a Beginner Focus on Messa di Voce?
García himself—and the strictest Italian tradition—would ask absolute beginners to spend a period on:
•
Discovering where the voice is “placed,”
•
Cultivating a pure, unstressed sound on a single pitch and vowel,
•
Establishing breath support and freedom.
Only when these basics are secure does one progress to sustained notes with crescendo and diminuendo (the true messa di voce). Attempting dynamic shaping too early can lead to tension, shaky support, or bad habits if the vocal emission is not yet free and even.
Recommended Approach for Your First Lessons
•
Begin with sustained notes on a comfortable pitch and vowel (“ah” is preferred), simply holding a clear, free sound for several seconds at a soft–moderate volume.
•
Once this feels steady, introduce a gentle crescendo and diminuendo—but keep the motion small at first, avoiding strain or pushing.
•
Practise only as many repetitions as feel comfortable—at the outset, one or two vowels for fifteen minutes may suffice.
•
Alternate days: some days work only on pure, straight tone; others introduce a little dynamic shift.
Table: Progressive Approach
Lesson Stage
Activity
Duration
First week(s)
Simple sustained notes, 1-2 vowels
10–15 min
When stable/comfortable
Add gentle messa di voce, more vowels
15–25 min
Later phase
Full messa di voce on all vowels
25 min+"
Both Schipa and Perplexity mentioned voice placement. Can someone please explain this to me? When should I start Concone's and Schipa's exercises? When will I know that it's time to go to the next phase?
#AlcesteGerunda #BelCanto #ClassicalSinging #Concone #Garcia #Gerunda #ManuelGarcia #opera #learning #lessons #Schipa #TitoSchipa #singing
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Some time ago, I wrote regarding my journey tracing the pedagogical lineage of Tito Schipa, Alceste Gerunda, and Saverio Mercadante, with special emphasis on the first two. Well, I found what I was seeking quite by accident tonight! There is a lot here, so I am only quoting the relevant parts. Please excuse the errors, but this is from ocr text (the "full text" link). I cleaned it up as much as possible. This is not an ai translation. For those who love Schipa, it is worth reading his full interview, as he tells an interesting anecdote and also talks about the first "songs" he was allowed to sing.
https://archive.org/details/EtudeJuly1927
"That I am able to sing such a very great number of engagements, year after year, in opera and in concert, without any breakdown, I attribute very largely to the exhaustive drill of my maestro, Gerunda. When I first went to him, like all boys, I was wasting my voice by shouting. He taught me in the simplest and most natural manner possible, how to place my voice. Then he commenced a series of drills which lasted six and one-half years. Six and one-half years, with nothing but exercises!" He would not permit me under any circumstances to sing a song."
"... every day at every concert and every opera, I realize the enormous benefit that came from this exhaustive training from vocalises and vocal exercises. Sometimes, when my general physical condition is not good, I find that my early training keeps my vocal organs in such shape that I am able to go on with the concert.
“He gave me numerous exercises of his own. He gave me exercises and vocalises of Concone and Garcia. He gave me numerous scales, but he was most persistent upon a beautiful sustained tone, or, as they say in Italian, nota tenuta. In addition to this, I was obliged to practice with the very greatest perseverance, sustained notes, singing them crescendo and diminuendo. Gerunda would make me do this with agonizing care. That is, I would start, for instance, upon C upon the third space of the treble clef, the note becoming gradually fuller and fuller for three and one-half measures and then diminishing in value for another three and one-half measures, until it finally faded away. The importance of the crescendo and diminuendo controlled at the will of the singer is so enormous that I am amazed that more attention is not paid to it regularly. After all, through diminuendo and crescendo, one has one of the most significant elements in expression. How rarely does one hear a good crescendo and a good diminuendo on a sustained tone."
I am going to start by working on individual notes, then progress to scales, then arpegios, and then exercises. Someone actually sent me Garcia's exercises, which do exactly what Schipa was talking about in the interview! Originally, I was avoiding him, since i heard he added science into training, though he didn't dramatically change things. However, if Alceste Gerunda himself used his exercises with his students, I am not going to question that! Plus, this is exactly what Schipa was describing in the interview! It's also for the tenor range, so I feel truly comfortable singing it. Anyway, I was sent the first, but I am including the next two, before "advanced" is added to the titles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_O2kQz4TIA&list=PL-pA3D_qO_cADzuMne5tJyUv_s5wvTutS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzubQvwao60
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZOnhGlp4GI
When can I begin using Schipa's? He taught quite differently, apparently not mentioning single notes, breath, etc. How will I know once I am ready to progress to the next phase? Since I am studying harmony from Prout and must do this by ear (I am blind and cannot read braille music), can I incorporate things such as learning the names of the notes (including changes in different keys and directions of scales) as I do my vocal exercises?
The Reddit links for the above discussions can be found here.
https://www.reddit.com/r/opera/comments/1m3bi3i/update_on_singing_journey_and_research_on_schipa/
#AlcesteGerunda #BelCanto #exercises #Gerunda #opera #Schipa #singing #TitoSchipa #VocalPedagogy
-
Some time ago, I wrote regarding my journey tracing the pedagogical lineage of Tito Schipa, Alceste Gerunda, and Saverio Mercadante, with special emphasis on the first two. Well, I found what I was seeking quite by accident tonight! There is a lot here, so I am only quoting the relevant parts. Please excuse the errors, but this is from ocr text (the "full text" link). I cleaned it up as much as possible. This is not an ai translation. For those who love Schipa, it is worth reading his full interview, as he tells an interesting anecdote and also talks about the first "songs" he was allowed to sing.
https://archive.org/details/EtudeJuly1927
"That I am able to sing such a very great number of engagements, year after year, in opera and in concert, without any breakdown, I attribute very largely to the exhaustive drill of my maestro, Gerunda. When I first went to him, like all boys, I was wasting my voice by shouting. He taught me in the simplest and most natural manner possible, how to place my voice. Then he commenced a series of drills which lasted six and one-half years. Six and one-half years, with nothing but exercises!" He would not permit me under any circumstances to sing a song."
"... every day at every concert and every opera, I realize the enormous benefit that came from this exhaustive training from vocalises and vocal exercises. Sometimes, when my general physical condition is not good, I find that my early training keeps my vocal organs in such shape that I am able to go on with the concert.
“He gave me numerous exercises of his own. He gave me exercises and vocalises of Concone and Garcia. He gave me numerous scales, but he was most persistent upon a beautiful sustained tone, or, as they say in Italian, nota tenuta. In addition to this, I was obliged to practice with the very greatest perseverance, sustained notes, singing them crescendo and diminuendo. Gerunda would make me do this with agonizing care. That is, I would start, for instance, upon C upon the third space of the treble clef, the note becoming gradually fuller and fuller for three and one-half measures and then diminishing in value for another three and one-half measures, until it finally faded away. The importance of the crescendo and diminuendo controlled at the will of the singer is so enormous that I am amazed that more attention is not paid to it regularly. After all, through diminuendo and crescendo, one has one of the most significant elements in expression. How rarely does one hear a good crescendo and a good diminuendo on a sustained tone."
I am going to start by working on individual notes, then progress to scales, then arpegios, and then exercises. Someone actually sent me Garcia's exercises, which do exactly what Schipa was talking about in the interview! Originally, I was avoiding him, since i heard he added science into training, though he didn't dramatically change things. However, if Alceste Gerunda himself used his exercises with his students, I am not going to question that! Plus, this is exactly what Schipa was describing in the interview! It's also for the tenor range, so I feel truly comfortable singing it. Anyway, I was sent the first, but I am including the next two, before "advanced" is added to the titles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_O2kQz4TIA&list=PL-pA3D_qO_cADzuMne5tJyUv_s5wvTutS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzubQvwao60
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZOnhGlp4GI
When can I begin using Schipa's? He taught quite differently, apparently not mentioning single notes, breath, etc. How will I know once I am ready to progress to the next phase? Since I am studying harmony from Prout and must do this by ear (I am blind and cannot read braille music), can I incorporate things such as learning the names of the notes (including changes in different keys and directions of scales) as I do my vocal exercises?
The Reddit links for the above discussions can be found here.
https://www.reddit.com/r/opera/comments/1m3bi3i/update_on_singing_journey_and_research_on_schipa/
#AlcesteGerunda #BelCanto #exercises #Gerunda #opera #Schipa #singing #TitoSchipa #VocalPedagogy
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Since I am pinning this to my profile, I am shortening it dramatically. To read the post in its entirety and understand exactly what I am seeking and the research I have done so far, please go here.
https://dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/249903.html
I love opera singers from prior to the 1950's. My favourite is Tito Schipa, and I am attempting to learn what he taught and how he learned. I have his ten vocal exercises but not the booklet that came with them. I wrote to Seth Riggs, who studied under him, but he never responded. I am now researching one of Schipa's most famous teachers, Alceste Gerunda (1847-1917) since he studied with him for six years. Gerunda's teacher was Saverio Mercadante. Gerunda himself taught at the Convitto Palmieri, which now olds the Bernardini Library, prior to opening his own school in his home. I wrote to the library but never heard from them. They have two books that interest me, namely "ALCESTE GERUNDA E LA SCUOLA LECCESE DI CANTO" by Silvia Mandurino (ITES 1969) and "IN MEMORIA DEL MAESTRO ALCESTE GERUNDA NE L'AVVIVERSARIO PRIMO DE LA SUA MORTE" by Giulia) Lucrezi (Palumbo. (I found the first online, and while it is fascinating, it doesn't contain what I need.) What I am seeking is anecdotes regarding his lessons, notes he may have written, books he may have used, the pedagogy he followed, etc. I am totally blind and live in New Jersey, America, so it's not possible for me to travel to Lecce. I posted to their subreddit, but I will leave this here in case anyone in the wider community can help. If you or someone you know teaches real bel canto (no scientific or modern ideas), I would love to hear from you.
#AlcesteGerunda #Apulia #BelCanto #education #Lecce #lessons #Italy #opera #music #pedagogy #Puglia #research #SaverioMercadante #singing #teacher #teaching #TitoSchipa #VocalPedagogy #VoiceLessons
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Since I am pinning this to my profile, I am shortening it dramatically. To read the post in its entirety and understand exactly what I am seeking and the research I have done so far, please go here.
https://dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/249903.html
I love opera singers from prior to the 1950's. My favourite is Tito Schipa, and I am attempting to learn what he taught and how he learned. I have his ten vocal exercises but not the booklet that came with them. I wrote to Seth Riggs, who studied under him, but he never responded. I am now researching one of Schipa's most famous teachers, Alceste Gerunda (1847-1917) since he studied with him for six years. Gerunda's teacher was Saverio Mercadante. Gerunda himself taught at the Convitto Palmieri, which now olds the Bernardini Library, prior to opening his own school in his home. I wrote to the library but never heard from them. They have two books that interest me, namely "ALCESTE GERUNDA E LA SCUOLA LECCESE DI CANTO" by Silvia Mandurino (ITES 1969) and "IN MEMORIA DEL MAESTRO ALCESTE GERUNDA NE L'AVVIVERSARIO PRIMO DE LA SUA MORTE" by Giulia) Lucrezi (Palumbo. (I found the first online, and while it is fascinating, it doesn't contain what I need.) What I am seeking is anecdotes regarding his lessons, notes he may have written, books he may have used, the pedagogy he followed, etc. I am totally blind and live in New Jersey, America, so it's not possible for me to travel to Lecce. I posted to their subreddit, but I will leave this here in case anyone in the wider community can help. If you or someone you know teaches real bel canto (no scientific or modern ideas), I would love to hear from you.
#AlcesteGerunda #Apulia #BelCanto #education #Lecce #lessons #Italy #opera #music #pedagogy #Puglia #research #SaverioMercadante #singing #teacher #teaching #TitoSchipa #VocalPedagogy #VoiceLessons
-
Since I am pinning this to my profile, I am shortening it dramatically. To read the post in its entirety and understand exactly what I am seeking and the research I have done so far, please go here.
https://dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/249903.html
I love opera singers from prior to the 1950's. My favourite is Tito Schipa, and I am attempting to learn what he taught and how he learned. I have his ten vocal exercises but not the booklet that came with them. I wrote to Seth Riggs, who studied under him, but he never responded. I am now researching one of Schipa's most famous teachers, Alceste Gerunda (1847-1917) since he studied with him for six years. Gerunda's teacher was Saverio Mercadante. Gerunda himself taught at the Convitto Palmieri, which now olds the Bernardini Library, prior to opening his own school in his home. I wrote to the library but never heard from them. They have two books that interest me, namely "ALCESTE GERUNDA E LA SCUOLA LECCESE DI CANTO" by Silvia Mandurino (ITES 1969) and "IN MEMORIA DEL MAESTRO ALCESTE GERUNDA NE L'AVVIVERSARIO PRIMO DE LA SUA MORTE" by Giulia) Lucrezi (Palumbo. (I found the first online, and while it is fascinating, it doesn't contain what I need.) What I am seeking is anecdotes regarding his lessons, notes he may have written, books he may have used, the pedagogy he followed, etc. I am totally blind and live in New Jersey, America, so it's not possible for me to travel to Lecce. I posted to their subreddit, but I will leave this here in case anyone in the wider community can help. If you or someone you know teaches real bel canto (no scientific or modern ideas), I would love to hear from you.
#AlcesteGerunda #Apulia #BelCanto #education #Lecce #lessons #Italy #opera #music #pedagogy #Puglia #research #SaverioMercadante #singing #teacher #teaching #TitoSchipa #VocalPedagogy #VoiceLessons
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Since I am pinning this to my profile, I am shortening it dramatically. To read the post in its entirety and understand exactly what I am seeking and the research I have done so far, please go here.
https://dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/249903.html
I love opera singers from prior to the 1950's. My favourite is Tito Schipa, and I am attempting to learn what he taught and how he learned. I have his ten vocal exercises but not the booklet that came with them. I wrote to Seth Riggs, who studied under him, but he never responded. I am now researching one of Schipa's most famous teachers, Alceste Gerunda (1847-1917) since he studied with him for six years. Gerunda's teacher was Saverio Mercadante. Gerunda himself taught at the Convitto Palmieri, which now olds the Bernardini Library, prior to opening his own school in his home. I wrote to the library but never heard from them. They have two books that interest me, namely "ALCESTE GERUNDA E LA SCUOLA LECCESE DI CANTO" by Silvia Mandurino (ITES 1969) and "IN MEMORIA DEL MAESTRO ALCESTE GERUNDA NE L'AVVIVERSARIO PRIMO DE LA SUA MORTE" by Giulia) Lucrezi (Palumbo. (I found the first online, and while it is fascinating, it doesn't contain what I need.) What I am seeking is anecdotes regarding his lessons, notes he may have written, books he may have used, the pedagogy he followed, etc. I am totally blind and live in New Jersey, America, so it's not possible for me to travel to Lecce. I posted to their subreddit, but I will leave this here in case anyone in the wider community can help. If you or someone you know teaches real bel canto (no scientific or modern ideas), I would love to hear from you.
#AlcesteGerunda #Apulia #BelCanto #education #Lecce #lessons #Italy #opera #music #pedagogy #Puglia #research #SaverioMercadante #singing #teacher #teaching #TitoSchipa #VocalPedagogy #VoiceLessons
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To make a very long story short, I am forty-one and became interested in opera in February of this year. I had been listening to operetta for several years by this point, with special attention to the works of Ivor Novello and Franz Lehar, always preferring original cast recordings, or at least older ones, when possible. Even now, all of the opera singers I like were born prior to 1923. I am interested in learning how to sing for pleasure, and possibly for performance, though not in full operas, as I am totally blind and I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that. I would most likely be singing Neapolitan songs, Italian art songs, a few English parlour songs, and some arias that I enjoy. I am untrained and my voice type has not yet been designated. However, , this is a post that I made reguarding my own discoveries about my vocal range. To summarise, I am a woman, but I feel most comfortable singing in the tenor range and would prefer to stay there. I don't like how high composers force contraltos to sing.
reddit.com/r/opera/comments/1k…
I adore the tenore di grazia voice type and also enjoy lyric tenors. My favourite singer is Tito Schipa, and I wish to learn what he taught, or at least, what he learned. I have the ten exercises that he recorded, including short narrations for each. I wrote about them here, with a transcription of the Italian and an English translation. This way, you will know the school of thought that I am attempting to follow. The one thing I cannot find is the booklet that came with said exercises, which offers more guidance than the record.
reddit.com/r/opera/comments/1k…
Since Schipa left little behind, I began researching his teacher, Alceste Gerunda. It is true that he technically started with Giovanni Albani, but hardly anything is written about him at all in Schipa's biography, and it seems that Gerunda was the one who gave him all of the exercises in any case.
reddit.com/r/opera/comments/1k…
reddit.com/r/opera/comments/1k…
I learned that Gerunda was born in 1847, and that his teacher was Saverio Mercadante. Neither left books, exercises, or published notes. But I found the school where Gerunda taught prior to opening a private one in his home. It has since become a library. They have two books on him that I want and that may shed light on some of his teaching practices. These are "ALCESTE GERUNDA E LA SCUOLA LECCESE DI CANTO" by Silvia Mandurino (ITES 1969) and "IN MEMORIA DEL MAESTRO ALCESTE GERUNDA NE L'AVVIVERSARIO PRIMO DE LA SUA MORTE" by Giulia) Lucrezi (Palumbo.
biblioteche.regione.puglia.it/…
Perhaps, there are anecdotes within them that can help me. They may also have the books that he used to teach, assuming he used any. I have written to them asking if they could assist me, but haven't yet received a response.
In the meantime, I am trying to find information about the pedigogs of his time, so that I can at least learn the ideas and methods that he may have passed down to Schipa. But, of course, there were as many schools of thought as there were teachers. To make matters worse, Gerunda and Schipa themselves appeared to differ in their teaching style. While the former would tell the latter when he made mistakes in exercises, Schipa seemed to just give them and play the piano without giving much commentary. Ironically, Mercadante is said to have taught like that. From what I understand, if I did follow the regular bel canto style, I would need to work on notes, then scales and arpegios, then ornamentation, then songs/arias, all of this taking many years. It seems that Schipa didn't work on breath control, individual notes, tone, tamber, and so on with his students but went straight to vowels and scales. I don't know if this is from his own teacher or if it was his personal philosophy. I have definitely heard of the breath-first and larynx-first schools of thought, so it could stem from there.
People keep saying that i need to see a teacher, but most charge $100 or more per lesson, and at that rate, I can't afford more than two lessons per month. Plus, I want to find someone who knows the old ways, not modern ideas and terminology that I will need to unlearn. As it is, I am already studying harmony from "Harmony its theory and practice" by Ebenezer Prout, and Italian from "An Italian conversation grammar" by N Perini. It's just voice that is giving me a problem.
#AlcesteGerunda #BelCanto #Italy #Lecce #MusicTheory #NineteenthCentury #opera #SaverioMercadante #singing #TitoSchipa #VocalPedigogy
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To make a very long story short, I am forty-one and became interested in opera in February of this year. I had been listening to operetta for several years by this point, with special attention to the works of Ivor Novello and Franz Lehar, always preferring original cast recordings, or at least older ones, when possible. Even now, all of the opera singers I like were born prior to 1923. I am interested in learning how to sing for pleasure, and possibly for performance, though not in full operas, as I am totally blind and I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that. I would most likely be singing Neapolitan songs, Italian art songs, a few English parlour songs, and some arias that I enjoy. I am untrained and my voice type has not yet been designated. However, , this is a post that I made reguarding my own discoveries about my vocal range. To summarise, I am a woman, but I feel most comfortable singing in the tenor range and would prefer to stay there. I don't like how high composers force contraltos to sing.
reddit.com/r/opera/comments/1k…
I adore the tenore di grazia voice type and also enjoy lyric tenors. My favourite singer is Tito Schipa, and I wish to learn what he taught, or at least, what he learned. I have the ten exercises that he recorded, including short narrations for each. I wrote about them here, with a transcription of the Italian and an English translation. This way, you will know the school of thought that I am attempting to follow. The one thing I cannot find is the booklet that came with said exercises, which offers more guidance than the record.
reddit.com/r/opera/comments/1k…
Since Schipa left little behind, I began researching his teacher, Alceste Gerunda. It is true that he technically started with Giovanni Albani, but hardly anything is written about him at all in Schipa's biography, and it seems that Gerunda was the one who gave him all of the exercises in any case.
reddit.com/r/opera/comments/1k…
reddit.com/r/opera/comments/1k…
I learned that Gerunda was born in 1847, and that his teacher was Saverio Mercadante. Neither left books, exercises, or published notes. But I found the school where Gerunda taught prior to opening a private one in his home. It has since become a library. They have two books on him that I want and that may shed light on some of his teaching practices. These are "ALCESTE GERUNDA E LA SCUOLA LECCESE DI CANTO" by Silvia Mandurino (ITES 1969) and "IN MEMORIA DEL MAESTRO ALCESTE GERUNDA NE L'AVVIVERSARIO PRIMO DE LA SUA MORTE" by Giulia) Lucrezi (Palumbo.
biblioteche.regione.puglia.it/…
Perhaps, there are anecdotes within them that can help me. They may also have the books that he used to teach, assuming he used any. I have written to them asking if they could assist me, but haven't yet received a response.
In the meantime, I am trying to find information about the pedigogs of his time, so that I can at least learn the ideas and methods that he may have passed down to Schipa. But, of course, there were as many schools of thought as there were teachers. To make matters worse, Gerunda and Schipa themselves appeared to differ in their teaching style. While the former would tell the latter when he made mistakes in exercises, Schipa seemed to just give them and play the piano without giving much commentary. Ironically, Mercadante is said to have taught like that. From what I understand, if I did follow the regular bel canto style, I would need to work on notes, then scales and arpegios, then ornamentation, then songs/arias, all of this taking many years. It seems that Schipa didn't work on breath control, individual notes, tone, tamber, and so on with his students but went straight to vowels and scales. I don't know if this is from his own teacher or if it was his personal philosophy. I have definitely heard of the breath-first and larynx-first schools of thought, so it could stem from there.
People keep saying that i need to see a teacher, but most charge $100 or more per lesson, and at that rate, I can't afford more than two lessons per month. Plus, I want to find someone who knows the old ways, not modern ideas and terminology that I will need to unlearn. As it is, I am already studying harmony from "Harmony its theory and practice" by Ebenezer Prout, and Italian from "An Italian conversation grammar" by N Perini. It's just voice that is giving me a problem.
#AlcesteGerunda #BelCanto #Italy #Lecce #MusicTheory #NineteenthCentury #opera #SaverioMercadante #singing #TitoSchipa #VocalPedigogy
-
To make a very long story short, I am forty-one and became interested in opera in February of this year. I had been listening to operetta for several years by this point, with special attention to the works of Ivor Novello and Franz Lehar, always preferring original cast recordings, or at least older ones, when possible. Even now, all of the opera singers I like were born prior to 1923. I am interested in learning how to sing for pleasure, and possibly for performance, though not in full operas, as I am totally blind and I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that. I would most likely be singing Neapolitan songs, Italian art songs, a few English parlour songs, and some arias that I enjoy. I am untrained and my voice type has not yet been designated. However, , this is a post that I made reguarding my own discoveries about my vocal range. To summarise, I am a woman, but I feel most comfortable singing in the tenor range and would prefer to stay there. I don't like how high composers force contraltos to sing.
reddit.com/r/opera/comments/1k…
I adore the tenore di grazia voice type and also enjoy lyric tenors. My favourite singer is Tito Schipa, and I wish to learn what he taught, or at least, what he learned. I have the ten exercises that he recorded, including short narrations for each. I wrote about them here, with a transcription of the Italian and an English translation. This way, you will know the school of thought that I am attempting to follow. The one thing I cannot find is the booklet that came with said exercises, which offers more guidance than the record.
reddit.com/r/opera/comments/1k…
Since Schipa left little behind, I began researching his teacher, Alceste Gerunda. It is true that he technically started with Giovanni Albani, but hardly anything is written about him at all in Schipa's biography, and it seems that Gerunda was the one who gave him all of the exercises in any case.
reddit.com/r/opera/comments/1k…
reddit.com/r/opera/comments/1k…
I learned that Gerunda was born in 1847, and that his teacher was Saverio Mercadante. Neither left books, exercises, or published notes. But I found the school where Gerunda taught prior to opening a private one in his home. It has since become a library. They have two books on him that I want and that may shed light on some of his teaching practices. These are "ALCESTE GERUNDA E LA SCUOLA LECCESE DI CANTO" by Silvia Mandurino (ITES 1969) and "IN MEMORIA DEL MAESTRO ALCESTE GERUNDA NE L'AVVIVERSARIO PRIMO DE LA SUA MORTE" by Giulia) Lucrezi (Palumbo.
biblioteche.regione.puglia.it/…
Perhaps, there are anecdotes within them that can help me. They may also have the books that he used to teach, assuming he used any. I have written to them asking if they could assist me, but haven't yet received a response.
In the meantime, I am trying to find information about the pedigogs of his time, so that I can at least learn the ideas and methods that he may have passed down to Schipa. But, of course, there were as many schools of thought as there were teachers. To make matters worse, Gerunda and Schipa themselves appeared to differ in their teaching style. While the former would tell the latter when he made mistakes in exercises, Schipa seemed to just give them and play the piano without giving much commentary. Ironically, Mercadante is said to have taught like that. From what I understand, if I did follow the regular bel canto style, I would need to work on notes, then scales and arpegios, then ornamentation, then songs/arias, all of this taking many years. It seems that Schipa didn't work on breath control, individual notes, tone, tamber, and so on with his students but went straight to vowels and scales. I don't know if this is from his own teacher or if it was his personal philosophy. I have definitely heard of the breath-first and larynx-first schools of thought, so it could stem from there.
People keep saying that i need to see a teacher, but most charge $100 or more per lesson, and at that rate, I can't afford more than two lessons per month. Plus, I want to find someone who knows the old ways, not modern ideas and terminology that I will need to unlearn. As it is, I am already studying harmony from "Harmony its theory and practice" by Ebenezer Prout, and Italian from "An Italian conversation grammar" by N Perini. It's just voice that is giving me a problem.
#AlcesteGerunda #BelCanto #Italy #Lecce #MusicTheory #NineteenthCentury #opera #SaverioMercadante #singing #TitoSchipa #VocalPedigogy
-
To make a very long story short, I am forty-one and became interested in opera in February of this year. I had been listening to operetta for several years by this point, with special attention to the works of Ivor Novello and Franz Lehar, always preferring original cast recordings, or at least older ones, when possible. Even now, all of the opera singers I like were born prior to 1923. I am interested in learning how to sing for pleasure, and possibly for performance, though not in full operas, as I am totally blind and I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that. I would most likely be singing Neapolitan songs, Italian art songs, a few English parlour songs, and some arias that I enjoy. I am untrained and my voice type has not yet been designated. However, , this is a post that I made reguarding my own discoveries about my vocal range. To summarise, I am a woman, but I feel most comfortable singing in the tenor range and would prefer to stay there. I don't like how high composers force contraltos to sing.
reddit.com/r/opera/comments/1k…
I adore the tenore di grazia voice type and also enjoy lyric tenors. My favourite singer is Tito Schipa, and I wish to learn what he taught, or at least, what he learned. I have the ten exercises that he recorded, including short narrations for each. I wrote about them here, with a transcription of the Italian and an English translation. This way, you will know the school of thought that I am attempting to follow. The one thing I cannot find is the booklet that came with said exercises, which offers more guidance than the record.
reddit.com/r/opera/comments/1k…
Since Schipa left little behind, I began researching his teacher, Alceste Gerunda. It is true that he technically started with Giovanni Albani, but hardly anything is written about him at all in Schipa's biography, and it seems that Gerunda was the one who gave him all of the exercises in any case.
reddit.com/r/opera/comments/1k…
reddit.com/r/opera/comments/1k…
I learned that Gerunda was born in 1847, and that his teacher was Saverio Mercadante. Neither left books, exercises, or published notes. But I found the school where Gerunda taught prior to opening a private one in his home. It has since become a library. They have two books on him that I want and that may shed light on some of his teaching practices. These are "ALCESTE GERUNDA E LA SCUOLA LECCESE DI CANTO" by Silvia Mandurino (ITES 1969) and "IN MEMORIA DEL MAESTRO ALCESTE GERUNDA NE L'AVVIVERSARIO PRIMO DE LA SUA MORTE" by Giulia) Lucrezi (Palumbo.
biblioteche.regione.puglia.it/…
Perhaps, there are anecdotes within them that can help me. They may also have the books that he used to teach, assuming he used any. I have written to them asking if they could assist me, but haven't yet received a response.
In the meantime, I am trying to find information about the pedigogs of his time, so that I can at least learn the ideas and methods that he may have passed down to Schipa. But, of course, there were as many schools of thought as there were teachers. To make matters worse, Gerunda and Schipa themselves appeared to differ in their teaching style. While the former would tell the latter when he made mistakes in exercises, Schipa seemed to just give them and play the piano without giving much commentary. Ironically, Mercadante is said to have taught like that. From what I understand, if I did follow the regular bel canto style, I would need to work on notes, then scales and arpegios, then ornamentation, then songs/arias, all of this taking many years. It seems that Schipa didn't work on breath control, individual notes, tone, tamber, and so on with his students but went straight to vowels and scales. I don't know if this is from his own teacher or if it was his personal philosophy. I have definitely heard of the breath-first and larynx-first schools of thought, so it could stem from there.
People keep saying that i need to see a teacher, but most charge $100 or more per lesson, and at that rate, I can't afford more than two lessons per month. Plus, I want to find someone who knows the old ways, not modern ideas and terminology that I will need to unlearn. As it is, I am already studying harmony from "Harmony its theory and practice" by Ebenezer Prout, and Italian from "An Italian conversation grammar" by N Perini. It's just voice that is giving me a problem.
#AlcesteGerunda #BelCanto #Italy #Lecce #MusicTheory #NineteenthCentury #opera #SaverioMercadante #singing #TitoSchipa #VocalPedigogy
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To make a very long story short, I am forty-one and became interested in opera in February of this year. I had been listening to operetta for several years by this point, with special attention to the works of Ivor Novello and Franz Lehar, always preferring original cast recordings, or at least older ones, when possible. Even now, all of the opera singers I like were born prior to 1923. I am interested in learning how to sing for pleasure, and possibly for performance, though not in full operas, as I am totally blind and I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that. I would most likely be singing Neapolitan songs, Italian art songs, a few English parlour songs, and some arias that I enjoy. I am untrained and my voice type has not yet been designated. However, , this is a post that I made reguarding my own discoveries about my vocal range. To summarise, I am a woman, but I feel most comfortable singing in the tenor range and would prefer to stay there. I don't like how high composers force contraltos to sing.
reddit.com/r/opera/comments/1k…
I adore the tenore di grazia voice type and also enjoy lyric tenors. My favourite singer is Tito Schipa, and I wish to learn what he taught, or at least, what he learned. I have the ten exercises that he recorded, including short narrations for each. I wrote about them here, with a transcription of the Italian and an English translation. This way, you will know the school of thought that I am attempting to follow. The one thing I cannot find is the booklet that came with said exercises, which offers more guidance than the record.
reddit.com/r/opera/comments/1k…
Since Schipa left little behind, I began researching his teacher, Alceste Gerunda. It is true that he technically started with Giovanni Albani, but hardly anything is written about him at all in Schipa's biography, and it seems that Gerunda was the one who gave him all of the exercises in any case.
reddit.com/r/opera/comments/1k…
reddit.com/r/opera/comments/1k…
I learned that Gerunda was born in 1847, and that his teacher was Saverio Mercadante. Neither left books, exercises, or published notes. But I found the school where Gerunda taught prior to opening a private one in his home. It has since become a library. They have two books on him that I want and that may shed light on some of his teaching practices. These are "ALCESTE GERUNDA E LA SCUOLA LECCESE DI CANTO" by Silvia Mandurino (ITES 1969) and "IN MEMORIA DEL MAESTRO ALCESTE GERUNDA NE L'AVVIVERSARIO PRIMO DE LA SUA MORTE" by Giulia) Lucrezi (Palumbo.
biblioteche.regione.puglia.it/…
Perhaps, there are anecdotes within them that can help me. They may also have the books that he used to teach, assuming he used any. I have written to them asking if they could assist me, but haven't yet received a response.
In the meantime, I am trying to find information about the pedigogs of his time, so that I can at least learn the ideas and methods that he may have passed down to Schipa. But, of course, there were as many schools of thought as there were teachers. To make matters worse, Gerunda and Schipa themselves appeared to differ in their teaching style. While the former would tell the latter when he made mistakes in exercises, Schipa seemed to just give them and play the piano without giving much commentary. Ironically, Mercadante is said to have taught like that. From what I understand, if I did follow the regular bel canto style, I would need to work on notes, then scales and arpegios, then ornamentation, then songs/arias, all of this taking many years. It seems that Schipa didn't work on breath control, individual notes, tone, tamber, and so on with his students but went straight to vowels and scales. I don't know if this is from his own teacher or if it was his personal philosophy. I have definitely heard of the breath-first and larynx-first schools of thought, so it could stem from there.
People keep saying that i need to see a teacher, but most charge $100 or more per lesson, and at that rate, I can't afford more than two lessons per month. Plus, I want to find someone who knows the old ways, not modern ideas and terminology that I will need to unlearn. As it is, I am already studying harmony from "Harmony its theory and practice" by Ebenezer Prout, and Italian from "An Italian conversation grammar" by N Perini. It's just voice that is giving me a problem.
#AlcesteGerunda #BelCanto #Italy #Lecce #MusicTheory #NineteenthCentury #opera #SaverioMercadante #singing #TitoSchipa #VocalPedigogy
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(Note. The bit about watching/listening and Tagliavini refers to a Reddit post in which I asked about four different versions of La Boheme that I have in my large list of opera links. Also, Schipa is still my favourite singer of all time. But Gigli is second, Tagliavini is third, and Battistini is fourth.)
"I just finished listening to La Boheme from 1938. I say "listening" because several people mentioned that I said "watching" in the post where I was trying to decide on a version. I am totally blind, so it's all listening for me, whether there is a video or not. But I'm accustomed to saying "watch" when referring to things that I find on Youtube, which is odd, as I usually download them as mp3s, but anyway. This is the full opera.youtube.com/watch?v=mE5vRfD7uC…
This is the libretto that I used.
opera-arias.com/puccini/la-boh…
The first act basically told the story of the characters themselves. The second made me laugh in several places. Marcello and (Musetta were quite funny, in general. Poor Alcindoro) kept trying to calm Musetta and was ultimately stuck with the bill, but that was clever. The third, of course, was more serious, and forshaddowed things to come. I'm glad the fourth act had some comedy in it, because the ending was heart-breaking. Even though I knew what would happen, it was played so well that it brought me to tears, and I had to calm down before writing this review! Even Schipa himself couldn't do that, and I have the last scene with him in it! Gigli was an absolute master of this role, and while complaining about his sobs in other instances may be justified, he used them expertly in this performance, and truly brought the character of Rodolfo to life. What really surprised me is how much I liked Licia Albanese. I am usually not a fan of high-pitched female voices, but for some reason, I liked her, and the chemistry between her and Gigli's characters could be felt. I am really glad that I chose this version and would highly recommend it to anyone."
"Since I mentioned being caught between Gigli and Tagliavini in my other post, here is Che Gelida Manina by both of them.
Gigli
youtube.com/watch?v=b5Ba_MSygG…Tagliavini
(I am providing two versions because he sings them quite differently. The first is extremely sweet and the second less so, but it still sounds like it's before the voice change. I have always loved his version, but I don't know how he would handle the rest, particularly the really dramatic parts.)
1
youtube.com/watch?v=ux1QuTbQsc…2
youtube.com/watch?v=2DdPoNsTRD…Now for Schipa.
youtube.com/watch?v=gqcuAAA_2m…
And this is the final scene that I mentioned in my review. Naturally, it is played well, as Schipa always sang everything beautifully. But Gigli added his own elements to it.
youtube.com/watch?v=IMTQ7gGyuw… "
Since I mentioned it, here is my large list of operas.
dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/242…
#BeniaminoGigli #FerruccioTagliavini #Gigli #LaBoheme #opera #Puccini #review #Tagliavini #TitoSchipa #Schipa
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(Note. The bit about watching/listening and Tagliavini refers to a Reddit post in which I asked about four different versions of La Boheme that I have in my large list of opera links. Also, Schipa is still my favourite singer of all time. But Gigli is second, Tagliavini is third, and Battistini is fourth.)
"I just finished listening to La Boheme from 1938. I say "listening" because several people mentioned that I said "watching" in the post where I was trying to decide on a version. I am totally blind, so it's all listening for me, whether there is a video or not. But I'm accustomed to saying "watch" when referring to things that I find on Youtube, which is odd, as I usually download them as mp3s, but anyway. This is the full opera.youtube.com/watch?v=mE5vRfD7uC…
This is the libretto that I used.
opera-arias.com/puccini/la-boh…
The first act basically told the story of the characters themselves. The second made me laugh in several places. Marcello and (Musetta were quite funny, in general. Poor Alcindoro) kept trying to calm Musetta and was ultimately stuck with the bill, but that was clever. The third, of course, was more serious, and forshaddowed things to come. I'm glad the fourth act had some comedy in it, because the ending was heart-breaking. Even though I knew what would happen, it was played so well that it brought me to tears, and I had to calm down before writing this review! Even Schipa himself couldn't do that, and I have the last scene with him in it! Gigli was an absolute master of this role, and while complaining about his sobs in other instances may be justified, he used them expertly in this performance, and truly brought the character of Rodolfo to life. What really surprised me is how much I liked Licia Albanese. I am usually not a fan of high-pitched female voices, but for some reason, I liked her, and the chemistry between her and Gigli's characters could be felt. I am really glad that I chose this version and would highly recommend it to anyone."
"Since I mentioned being caught between Gigli and Tagliavini in my other post, here is Che Gelida Manina by both of them.
Gigli
youtube.com/watch?v=b5Ba_MSygG…Tagliavini
(I am providing two versions because he sings them quite differently. The first is extremely sweet and the second less so, but it still sounds like it's before the voice change. I have always loved his version, but I don't know how he would handle the rest, particularly the really dramatic parts.)
1
youtube.com/watch?v=ux1QuTbQsc…2
youtube.com/watch?v=2DdPoNsTRD…Now for Schipa.
youtube.com/watch?v=gqcuAAA_2m…
And this is the final scene that I mentioned in my review. Naturally, it is played well, as Schipa always sang everything beautifully. But Gigli added his own elements to it.
youtube.com/watch?v=IMTQ7gGyuw… "
Since I mentioned it, here is my large list of operas.
dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/242…
#BeniaminoGigli #FerruccioTagliavini #Gigli #LaBoheme #opera #Puccini #review #Tagliavini #TitoSchipa #Schipa
-
(Note. The bit about watching/listening and Tagliavini refers to a Reddit post in which I asked about four different versions of La Boheme that I have in my large list of opera links. Also, Schipa is still my favourite singer of all time. But Gigli is second, Tagliavini is third, and Battistini is fourth.)
"I just finished listening to La Boheme from 1938. I say "listening" because several people mentioned that I said "watching" in the post where I was trying to decide on a version. I am totally blind, so it's all listening for me, whether there is a video or not. But I'm accustomed to saying "watch" when referring to things that I find on Youtube, which is odd, as I usually download them as mp3s, but anyway. This is the full opera.youtube.com/watch?v=mE5vRfD7uC…
This is the libretto that I used.
opera-arias.com/puccini/la-boh…
The first act basically told the story of the characters themselves. The second made me laugh in several places. Marcello and (Musetta were quite funny, in general. Poor Alcindoro) kept trying to calm Musetta and was ultimately stuck with the bill, but that was clever. The third, of course, was more serious, and forshaddowed things to come. I'm glad the fourth act had some comedy in it, because the ending was heart-breaking. Even though I knew what would happen, it was played so well that it brought me to tears, and I had to calm down before writing this review! Even Schipa himself couldn't do that, and I have the last scene with him in it! Gigli was an absolute master of this role, and while complaining about his sobs in other instances may be justified, he used them expertly in this performance, and truly brought the character of Rodolfo to life. What really surprised me is how much I liked Licia Albanese. I am usually not a fan of high-pitched female voices, but for some reason, I liked her, and the chemistry between her and Gigli's characters could be felt. I am really glad that I chose this version and would highly recommend it to anyone."
"Since I mentioned being caught between Gigli and Tagliavini in my other post, here is Che Gelida Manina by both of them.
Gigli
youtube.com/watch?v=b5Ba_MSygG…Tagliavini
(I am providing two versions because he sings them quite differently. The first is extremely sweet and the second less so, but it still sounds like it's before the voice change. I have always loved his version, but I don't know how he would handle the rest, particularly the really dramatic parts.)
1
youtube.com/watch?v=ux1QuTbQsc…2
youtube.com/watch?v=2DdPoNsTRD…Now for Schipa.
youtube.com/watch?v=gqcuAAA_2m…
And this is the final scene that I mentioned in my review. Naturally, it is played well, as Schipa always sang everything beautifully. But Gigli added his own elements to it.
youtube.com/watch?v=IMTQ7gGyuw… "
Since I mentioned it, here is my large list of operas.
dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/242…
#BeniaminoGigli #FerruccioTagliavini #Gigli #LaBoheme #opera #Puccini #review #Tagliavini #TitoSchipa #Schipa
-
(Note. The bit about watching/listening and Tagliavini refers to a Reddit post in which I asked about four different versions of La Boheme that I have in my large list of opera links. Also, Schipa is still my favourite singer of all time. But Gigli is second, Tagliavini is third, and Battistini is fourth.)
"I just finished listening to La Boheme from 1938. I say "listening" because several people mentioned that I said "watching" in the post where I was trying to decide on a version. I am totally blind, so it's all listening for me, whether there is a video or not. But I'm accustomed to saying "watch" when referring to things that I find on Youtube, which is odd, as I usually download them as mp3s, but anyway. This is the full opera.youtube.com/watch?v=mE5vRfD7uC…
This is the libretto that I used.
opera-arias.com/puccini/la-boh…
The first act basically told the story of the characters themselves. The second made me laugh in several places. Marcello and (Musetta were quite funny, in general. Poor Alcindoro) kept trying to calm Musetta and was ultimately stuck with the bill, but that was clever. The third, of course, was more serious, and forshaddowed things to come. I'm glad the fourth act had some comedy in it, because the ending was heart-breaking. Even though I knew what would happen, it was played so well that it brought me to tears, and I had to calm down before writing this review! Even Schipa himself couldn't do that, and I have the last scene with him in it! Gigli was an absolute master of this role, and while complaining about his sobs in other instances may be justified, he used them expertly in this performance, and truly brought the character of Rodolfo to life. What really surprised me is how much I liked Licia Albanese. I am usually not a fan of high-pitched female voices, but for some reason, I liked her, and the chemistry between her and Gigli's characters could be felt. I am really glad that I chose this version and would highly recommend it to anyone."
"Since I mentioned being caught between Gigli and Tagliavini in my other post, here is Che Gelida Manina by both of them.
Gigli
youtube.com/watch?v=b5Ba_MSygG…Tagliavini
(I am providing two versions because he sings them quite differently. The first is extremely sweet and the second less so, but it still sounds like it's before the voice change. I have always loved his version, but I don't know how he would handle the rest, particularly the really dramatic parts.)
1
youtube.com/watch?v=ux1QuTbQsc…2
youtube.com/watch?v=2DdPoNsTRD…Now for Schipa.
youtube.com/watch?v=gqcuAAA_2m…
And this is the final scene that I mentioned in my review. Naturally, it is played well, as Schipa always sang everything beautifully. But Gigli added his own elements to it.
youtube.com/watch?v=IMTQ7gGyuw… "
Since I mentioned it, here is my large list of operas.
dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/242…
#BeniaminoGigli #FerruccioTagliavini #Gigli #LaBoheme #opera #Puccini #review #Tagliavini #TitoSchipa #Schipa
-
(Note. The bit about watching/listening and Tagliavini refers to a Reddit post in which I asked about four different versions of La Boheme that I have in my large list of opera links. Also, Schipa is still my favourite singer of all time. But Gigli is second, Tagliavini is third, and Battistini is fourth.)
"I just finished listening to La Boheme from 1938. I say "listening" because several people mentioned that I said "watching" in the post where I was trying to decide on a version. I am totally blind, so it's all listening for me, whether there is a video or not. But I'm accustomed to saying "watch" when referring to things that I find on Youtube, which is odd, as I usually download them as mp3s, but anyway. This is the full opera.youtube.com/watch?v=mE5vRfD7uC…
This is the libretto that I used.
opera-arias.com/puccini/la-boh…
The first act basically told the story of the characters themselves. The second made me laugh in several places. Marcello and (Musetta were quite funny, in general. Poor Alcindoro) kept trying to calm Musetta and was ultimately stuck with the bill, but that was clever. The third, of course, was more serious, and forshaddowed things to come. I'm glad the fourth act had some comedy in it, because the ending was heart-breaking. Even though I knew what would happen, it was played so well that it brought me to tears, and I had to calm down before writing this review! Even Schipa himself couldn't do that, and I have the last scene with him in it! Gigli was an absolute master of this role, and while complaining about his sobs in other instances may be justified, he used them expertly in this performance, and truly brought the character of Rodolfo to life. What really surprised me is how much I liked Licia Albanese. I am usually not a fan of high-pitched female voices, but for some reason, I liked her, and the chemistry between her and Gigli's characters could be felt. I am really glad that I chose this version and would highly recommend it to anyone."
"Since I mentioned being caught between Gigli and Tagliavini in my other post, here is Che Gelida Manina by both of them.
Gigli
youtube.com/watch?v=b5Ba_MSygG…Tagliavini
(I am providing two versions because he sings them quite differently. The first is extremely sweet and the second less so, but it still sounds like it's before the voice change. I have always loved his version, but I don't know how he would handle the rest, particularly the really dramatic parts.)
1
youtube.com/watch?v=ux1QuTbQsc…2
youtube.com/watch?v=2DdPoNsTRD…Now for Schipa.
youtube.com/watch?v=gqcuAAA_2m…
And this is the final scene that I mentioned in my review. Naturally, it is played well, as Schipa always sang everything beautifully. But Gigli added his own elements to it.
youtube.com/watch?v=IMTQ7gGyuw… "
Since I mentioned it, here is my large list of operas.
dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/242…
#BeniaminoGigli #FerruccioTagliavini #Gigli #LaBoheme #opera #Puccini #review #Tagliavini #TitoSchipa #Schipa
-
(for opera lovers)How would you describe your favourite singer, particularly to someone who is unfamiliar with his work or who doesn't know much of it?
Every time I try to describe the voice and style of Tito Schipa, I find myself unable to do so adequately. This is not only because I might lack a few technical terms, but because I find it to be so perfect that words seem insufficient to convey its essence. It is unlike any other operatic voice I have ever heard. There is a quality to it that some have described as husky, but that I think gives it a well-rounded sound. It is sweet but not overly so. It can be assertive when necessary but never dark or overwhelming. His ornamentation is always just enough, never less or more than is required. Everything, including messa di voce and dynamics in general, breath control, portamento, legato, vibrato, etc. blends seemlessly. I don't yet know Italian, and somehow, I can feel every emotion in what he is singing, and when I read the English translation of the words, my feelings are justified. He can express the greatest joys and the deepest sorrows of the human heart, and the quiet moments in between. The clarity of his pronunciation is unparalleled, even in acoustic recordings. I can't describe his style technically, but I would know if someone were imitating it. On the negative side, some say that his top notes were thin, but I personally can't hear it. He did transpose various arias, particularly as he aged, and he stopped singing truly high notes in his forties or so, but I can't say I notice a diminishing in vocal quality until some time after 1955. In his concert that year, he sounds wonderful. But by 1962, I do notice some deterioration,and in 1964 (at seventy-five), it was pronounced, though he could still sing.
-
Here is another opera review, this time with a twist. I already know the results and have grouped them accordingly. In this case, it's those who have no business singing this and those who sing it perfectly. Make no mistake. Everyone here has a beautiful voice. But not every voice type can, or should, sing everything.
Let's start with those who should not sing this aria.
Louis Graveure E lucevan le stelle
youtube.com/watch?v=rH-B7ftmBX…
As I have said in other reviews, the story of Louis Graveure is quite amazing. He came to Clara Novello Davies unable to sing at all, with extreme congestion. Caruso's own doctor recommended him to her, knowing that she helped with breathing exercises. After years of study, he became a phenomenal baritone. However, at some point, he deliberately changed into a tenor. While he has a very powerful voice, I could hear him struggling several times. At the very least, his voice made noises that it shouldn't have and it detracted from the performance. He was far better off as a baritone, but he is still good when he sings less demanding tenor roles.
Puccini: Tosca / Act 3: "E lucevan le stelle" Léopold Simoneau
youtube.com/watch?v=xYOqImv1PI…
When I read this, I burst out laughing. Simoneau has the sweetest voice I have ever heard from anyone, and he has no chest voice, which is not a bad thing, but it doesn't work here. His Mozart pieces are lovely, though.
Tito Schipa - E lucevan le stelle (1913)
youtube.com/watch?v=UD6tQ6wpqk…
It is no secret that I consider Tito Schipa to be the best singer in the world. I adore his voice. But I am eternally grateful that he stopped singing such things within a few years after this recording, though there is one from 1915 and another from 1919. This, from 1913, is one of his earliest records. It's not that he couldn't sing the aria well. In fact, he sang it so well that the conductor, during one of his performances of it, begged him personally for an encore! It's that had he continued in these heavy roles, they would have completely destroyed his voice. Those who know his incredible mezza voce and general control know exactly what I mean.
Ferruccio Tagliavini ＂E lucevan le stelle＂ Tosca
youtube.com/watch?v=8RuKd4hld6…
Ferruccio Tagliavini had such a beautiful voice when younger that he could almost have equalled Schipa himself. But by this point, it was already changing, precisely due to singing roles such as this. Fortunately, he was able to adjust, but there is something to say for the phrase "you can never go home again". If you hear him in a lighter song, such as Una Furtiva Lagrima, in the 1940's and then in the late 1950's or 1960's, there is a huge difference. All the sweetness is gone in the later ones. Schipa's versions of it are beautiful from the 1920's straight to 1962, with only a few signs of age showing. As for this aria, Tagliavini does perform it well, but it's still a cautionary tale.
Now, we get to those who should be singing this sort of thing.
Enrico Caruso - E lucevan le stelle (Zonophone, April 19, 1903)
youtube.com/watch?v=rL6h90m2Ig…
This is from 1903, so his voice transformation (careful and deliberate, not damage) hadn't taken place yet. But his strength and depth is still evident. He can very easily handle this aria, emotionally, vocally, and most of all, physically. There is no strain in his voice at all, and it's a pleasure to listen to.
Beniamino Gigli E Lucevan Le Stelle Audio HQ
youtube.com/watch?v=D5HwI2hMiD…
Gigli was born to sing this sort of role. His rendition sent shivers down my spine. (For a similar experience, listen to his Nessun Dorma, which is incomparable.) Here, he sings even the quieter parts with a certain authority and firmness, yet with such control that it is amazing. When he does sing at full capacity, his emotions are completely in tune with the melody and character. He reaches all notes with ease. Whereas Graveure had some kind of feature in his voice, Gigli's slight changes are a hallmark of his and have been described by some as almost like sobbing. Here, though, they work to great effect to bring out the meaning of the words. Yes, I did research this one in translation.
#EnricoCaruso #BeniaminoGigli #FerruccioTagliavini #LeopoldSimoneau #LouisGraveure #opera #TitoSchipa #review
-
Here is another opera review, this time with a twist. I already know the results and have grouped them accordingly. In this case, it's those who have no business singing this and those who sing it perfectly. Make no mistake. Everyone here has a beautiful voice. But not every voice type can, or should, sing everything.
Let's start with those who should not sing this aria.
Louis Graveure E lucevan le stelle
youtube.com/watch?v=rH-B7ftmBX…
As I have said in other reviews, the story of Louis Graveure is quite amazing. He came to Clara Novello Davies unable to sing at all, with extreme congestion. Caruso's own doctor recommended him to her, knowing that she helped with breathing exercises. After years of study, he became a phenomenal baritone. However, at some point, he deliberately changed into a tenor. While he has a very powerful voice, I could hear him struggling several times. At the very least, his voice made noises that it shouldn't have and it detracted from the performance. He was far better off as a baritone, but he is still good when he sings less demanding tenor roles.
Puccini: Tosca / Act 3: "E lucevan le stelle" Léopold Simoneau
youtube.com/watch?v=xYOqImv1PI…
When I read this, I burst out laughing. Simoneau has the sweetest voice I have ever heard from anyone, and he has no chest voice, which is not a bad thing, but it doesn't work here. His Mozart pieces are lovely, though.
Tito Schipa - E lucevan le stelle (1913)
youtube.com/watch?v=UD6tQ6wpqk…
It is no secret that I consider Tito Schipa to be the best singer in the world. I adore his voice. But I am eternally grateful that he stopped singing such things within a few years after this recording, though there is one from 1915 and another from 1919. This, from 1913, is one of his earliest records. It's not that he couldn't sing the aria well. In fact, he sang it so well that the conductor, during one of his performances of it, begged him personally for an encore! It's that had he continued in these heavy roles, they would have completely destroyed his voice. Those who know his incredible mezza voce and general control know exactly what I mean.
Ferruccio Tagliavini ＂E lucevan le stelle＂ Tosca
youtube.com/watch?v=8RuKd4hld6…
Ferruccio Tagliavini had such a beautiful voice when younger that he could almost have equalled Schipa himself. But by this point, it was already changing, precisely due to singing roles such as this. Fortunately, he was able to adjust, but there is something to say for the phrase "you can never go home again". If you hear him in a lighter song, such as Una Furtiva Lagrima, in the 1940's and then in the late 1950's or 1960's, there is a huge difference. All the sweetness is gone in the later ones. Schipa's versions of it are beautiful from the 1920's straight to 1962, with only a few signs of age showing. As for this aria, Tagliavini does perform it well, but it's still a cautionary tale.
Now, we get to those who should be singing this sort of thing.
Enrico Caruso - E lucevan le stelle (Zonophone, April 19, 1903)
youtube.com/watch?v=rL6h90m2Ig…
This is from 1903, so his voice transformation (careful and deliberate, not damage) hadn't taken place yet. But his strength and depth is still evident. He can very easily handle this aria, emotionally, vocally, and most of all, physically. There is no strain in his voice at all, and it's a pleasure to listen to.
Beniamino Gigli E Lucevan Le Stelle Audio HQ
youtube.com/watch?v=D5HwI2hMiD…
Gigli was born to sing this sort of role. His rendition sent shivers down my spine. (For a similar experience, listen to his Nessun Dorma, which is incomparable.) Here, he sings even the quieter parts with a certain authority and firmness, yet with such control that it is amazing. When he does sing at full capacity, his emotions are completely in tune with the melody and character. He reaches all notes with ease. Whereas Graveure had some kind of feature in his voice, Gigli's slight changes are a hallmark of his and have been described by some as almost like sobbing. Here, though, they work to great effect to bring out the meaning of the words. Yes, I did research this one in translation.
#EnricoCaruso #BeniaminoGigli #FerruccioTagliavini #LeopoldSimoneau #LouisGraveure #opera #TitoSchipa #review
-
Here is another opera review, this time with a twist. I already know the results and have grouped them accordingly. In this case, it's those who have no business singing this and those who sing it perfectly. Make no mistake. Everyone here has a beautiful voice. But not every voice type can, or should, sing everything.
Let's start with those who should not sing this aria.
Louis Graveure E lucevan le stelle
youtube.com/watch?v=rH-B7ftmBX…
As I have said in other reviews, the story of Louis Graveure is quite amazing. He came to Clara Novello Davies unable to sing at all, with extreme congestion. Caruso's own doctor recommended him to her, knowing that she helped with breathing exercises. After years of study, he became a phenomenal baritone. However, at some point, he deliberately changed into a tenor. While he has a very powerful voice, I could hear him struggling several times. At the very least, his voice made noises that it shouldn't have and it detracted from the performance. He was far better off as a baritone, but he is still good when he sings less demanding tenor roles.
Puccini: Tosca / Act 3: "E lucevan le stelle" Léopold Simoneau
youtube.com/watch?v=xYOqImv1PI…
When I read this, I burst out laughing. Simoneau has the sweetest voice I have ever heard from anyone, and he has no chest voice, which is not a bad thing, but it doesn't work here. His Mozart pieces are lovely, though.
Tito Schipa - E lucevan le stelle (1913)
youtube.com/watch?v=UD6tQ6wpqk…
It is no secret that I consider Tito Schipa to be the best singer in the world. I adore his voice. But I am eternally grateful that he stopped singing such things within a few years after this recording, though there is one from 1915 and another from 1919. This, from 1913, is one of his earliest records. It's not that he couldn't sing the aria well. In fact, he sang it so well that the conductor, during one of his performances of it, begged him personally for an encore! It's that had he continued in these heavy roles, they would have completely destroyed his voice. Those who know his incredible mezza voce and general control know exactly what I mean.
Ferruccio Tagliavini ＂E lucevan le stelle＂ Tosca
youtube.com/watch?v=8RuKd4hld6…
Ferruccio Tagliavini had such a beautiful voice when younger that he could almost have equalled Schipa himself. But by this point, it was already changing, precisely due to singing roles such as this. Fortunately, he was able to adjust, but there is something to say for the phrase "you can never go home again". If you hear him in a lighter song, such as Una Furtiva Lagrima, in the 1940's and then in the late 1950's or 1960's, there is a huge difference. All the sweetness is gone in the later ones. Schipa's versions of it are beautiful from the 1920's straight to 1962, with only a few signs of age showing. As for this aria, Tagliavini does perform it well, but it's still a cautionary tale.
Now, we get to those who should be singing this sort of thing.
Enrico Caruso - E lucevan le stelle (Zonophone, April 19, 1903)
youtube.com/watch?v=rL6h90m2Ig…
This is from 1903, so his voice transformation (careful and deliberate, not damage) hadn't taken place yet. But his strength and depth is still evident. He can very easily handle this aria, emotionally, vocally, and most of all, physically. There is no strain in his voice at all, and it's a pleasure to listen to.
Beniamino Gigli E Lucevan Le Stelle Audio HQ
youtube.com/watch?v=D5HwI2hMiD…
Gigli was born to sing this sort of role. His rendition sent shivers down my spine. (For a similar experience, listen to his Nessun Dorma, which is incomparable.) Here, he sings even the quieter parts with a certain authority and firmness, yet with such control that it is amazing. When he does sing at full capacity, his emotions are completely in tune with the melody and character. He reaches all notes with ease. Whereas Graveure had some kind of feature in his voice, Gigli's slight changes are a hallmark of his and have been described by some as almost like sobbing. Here, though, they work to great effect to bring out the meaning of the words. Yes, I did research this one in translation.
#EnricoCaruso #BeniaminoGigli #FerruccioTagliavini #LeopoldSimoneau #LouisGraveure #opera #TitoSchipa #review
-
Here is another opera review, this time with a twist. I already know the results and have grouped them accordingly. In this case, it's those who have no business singing this and those who sing it perfectly. Make no mistake. Everyone here has a beautiful voice. But not every voice type can, or should, sing everything.
Let's start with those who should not sing this aria.
Louis Graveure E lucevan le stelle
youtube.com/watch?v=rH-B7ftmBX…
As I have said in other reviews, the story of Louis Graveure is quite amazing. He came to Clara Novello Davies unable to sing at all, with extreme congestion. Caruso's own doctor recommended him to her, knowing that she helped with breathing exercises. After years of study, he became a phenomenal baritone. However, at some point, he deliberately changed into a tenor. While he has a very powerful voice, I could hear him struggling several times. At the very least, his voice made noises that it shouldn't have and it detracted from the performance. He was far better off as a baritone, but he is still good when he sings less demanding tenor roles.
Puccini: Tosca / Act 3: "E lucevan le stelle" Léopold Simoneau
youtube.com/watch?v=xYOqImv1PI…
When I read this, I burst out laughing. Simoneau has the sweetest voice I have ever heard from anyone, and he has no chest voice, which is not a bad thing, but it doesn't work here. His Mozart pieces are lovely, though.
Tito Schipa - E lucevan le stelle (1913)
youtube.com/watch?v=UD6tQ6wpqk…
It is no secret that I consider Tito Schipa to be the best singer in the world. I adore his voice. But I am eternally grateful that he stopped singing such things within a few years after this recording, though there is one from 1915 and another from 1919. This, from 1913, is one of his earliest records. It's not that he couldn't sing the aria well. In fact, he sang it so well that the conductor, during one of his performances of it, begged him personally for an encore! It's that had he continued in these heavy roles, they would have completely destroyed his voice. Those who know his incredible mezza voce and general control know exactly what I mean.
Ferruccio Tagliavini ＂E lucevan le stelle＂ Tosca
youtube.com/watch?v=8RuKd4hld6…
Ferruccio Tagliavini had such a beautiful voice when younger that he could almost have equalled Schipa himself. But by this point, it was already changing, precisely due to singing roles such as this. Fortunately, he was able to adjust, but there is something to say for the phrase "you can never go home again". If you hear him in a lighter song, such as Una Furtiva Lagrima, in the 1940's and then in the late 1950's or 1960's, there is a huge difference. All the sweetness is gone in the later ones. Schipa's versions of it are beautiful from the 1920's straight to 1962, with only a few signs of age showing. As for this aria, Tagliavini does perform it well, but it's still a cautionary tale.
Now, we get to those who should be singing this sort of thing.
Enrico Caruso - E lucevan le stelle (Zonophone, April 19, 1903)
youtube.com/watch?v=rL6h90m2Ig…
This is from 1903, so his voice transformation (careful and deliberate, not damage) hadn't taken place yet. But his strength and depth is still evident. He can very easily handle this aria, emotionally, vocally, and most of all, physically. There is no strain in his voice at all, and it's a pleasure to listen to.
Beniamino Gigli E Lucevan Le Stelle Audio HQ
youtube.com/watch?v=D5HwI2hMiD…
Gigli was born to sing this sort of role. His rendition sent shivers down my spine. (For a similar experience, listen to his Nessun Dorma, which is incomparable.) Here, he sings even the quieter parts with a certain authority and firmness, yet with such control that it is amazing. When he does sing at full capacity, his emotions are completely in tune with the melody and character. He reaches all notes with ease. Whereas Graveure had some kind of feature in his voice, Gigli's slight changes are a hallmark of his and have been described by some as almost like sobbing. Here, though, they work to great effect to bring out the meaning of the words. Yes, I did research this one in translation.
#EnricoCaruso #BeniaminoGigli #FerruccioTagliavini #LeopoldSimoneau #LouisGraveure #opera #TitoSchipa #review
-
Here is another opera review, this time with a twist. I already know the results and have grouped them accordingly. In this case, it's those who have no business singing this and those who sing it perfectly. Make no mistake. Everyone here has a beautiful voice. But not every voice type can, or should, sing everything.
Let's start with those who should not sing this aria.
Louis Graveure E lucevan le stelle
youtube.com/watch?v=rH-B7ftmBX…
As I have said in other reviews, the story of Louis Graveure is quite amazing. He came to Clara Novello Davies unable to sing at all, with extreme congestion. Caruso's own doctor recommended him to her, knowing that she helped with breathing exercises. After years of study, he became a phenomenal baritone. However, at some point, he deliberately changed into a tenor. While he has a very powerful voice, I could hear him struggling several times. At the very least, his voice made noises that it shouldn't have and it detracted from the performance. He was far better off as a baritone, but he is still good when he sings less demanding tenor roles.
Puccini: Tosca / Act 3: "E lucevan le stelle" Léopold Simoneau
youtube.com/watch?v=xYOqImv1PI…
When I read this, I burst out laughing. Simoneau has the sweetest voice I have ever heard from anyone, and he has no chest voice, which is not a bad thing, but it doesn't work here. His Mozart pieces are lovely, though.
Tito Schipa - E lucevan le stelle (1913)
youtube.com/watch?v=UD6tQ6wpqk…
It is no secret that I consider Tito Schipa to be the best singer in the world. I adore his voice. But I am eternally grateful that he stopped singing such things within a few years after this recording, though there is one from 1915 and another from 1919. This, from 1913, is one of his earliest records. It's not that he couldn't sing the aria well. In fact, he sang it so well that the conductor, during one of his performances of it, begged him personally for an encore! It's that had he continued in these heavy roles, they would have completely destroyed his voice. Those who know his incredible mezza voce and general control know exactly what I mean.
Ferruccio Tagliavini ＂E lucevan le stelle＂ Tosca
youtube.com/watch?v=8RuKd4hld6…
Ferruccio Tagliavini had such a beautiful voice when younger that he could almost have equalled Schipa himself. But by this point, it was already changing, precisely due to singing roles such as this. Fortunately, he was able to adjust, but there is something to say for the phrase "you can never go home again". If you hear him in a lighter song, such as Una Furtiva Lagrima, in the 1940's and then in the late 1950's or 1960's, there is a huge difference. All the sweetness is gone in the later ones. Schipa's versions of it are beautiful from the 1920's straight to 1962, with only a few signs of age showing. As for this aria, Tagliavini does perform it well, but it's still a cautionary tale.
Now, we get to those who should be singing this sort of thing.
Enrico Caruso - E lucevan le stelle (Zonophone, April 19, 1903)
youtube.com/watch?v=rL6h90m2Ig…
This is from 1903, so his voice transformation (careful and deliberate, not damage) hadn't taken place yet. But his strength and depth is still evident. He can very easily handle this aria, emotionally, vocally, and most of all, physically. There is no strain in his voice at all, and it's a pleasure to listen to.
Beniamino Gigli E Lucevan Le Stelle Audio HQ
youtube.com/watch?v=D5HwI2hMiD…
Gigli was born to sing this sort of role. His rendition sent shivers down my spine. (For a similar experience, listen to his Nessun Dorma, which is incomparable.) Here, he sings even the quieter parts with a certain authority and firmness, yet with such control that it is amazing. When he does sing at full capacity, his emotions are completely in tune with the melody and character. He reaches all notes with ease. Whereas Graveure had some kind of feature in his voice, Gigli's slight changes are a hallmark of his and have been described by some as almost like sobbing. Here, though, they work to great effect to bring out the meaning of the words. Yes, I did research this one in translation.
#EnricoCaruso #BeniaminoGigli #FerruccioTagliavini #LeopoldSimoneau #LouisGraveure #opera #TitoSchipa #review
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I have a little gift for all of you. I just found it today. For those of you who are seasoned veterans, I'm sure you already know about it. But for those of us who are new to opera, and who won't accept anything but the best, there is a full recording of Don Pasquale from 1932! Not only does it naturally have wonderful singing, due to the time in which it was recorded, but Tito Schipa himself is in it! For my blind peers, do not turn it off after the first song if you inten to hear it all. After each song, there is a little pause, since these were originally 78s, not lps. For my fellow operetta lovers, this, while a true opera, is, nonetheless, very light, so it should appeal to you.
youtube.com/watch?v=lOOkdoN7pE…
If, like me, you don't know Italian, here is the libretto in English. I'm sure there are others, but this is from a year before Schipa's birth, so it's not full of modernised language and other nonsense. I don't know if that is done often with operas (it is with operettas, to my extreme annoyance), but it's better to be safe than sorry. My strategy has been to read one or two scenes, then listen to some of it, then read more.
archive.org/details/donizettis…
#78Rpm #DonPasquale #FullOpera #GaetanoDonizetti #opera #Italian #TitoSchipa
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Yesterday, I had a long conversation with Perplexity, as usual. We were discussing vocal ranges, opera, and operetta. Anyway, I found a video that was perfect for me to test my range. Keep in mind that I am not accustomed to these notes as numbers, as this became popular after my time of study. But to make things easier, I will use them to explain my results.
youtube.com/watch?v=feuJ7sW2g7…
Apparently, My comfortable range is F3 to C5, with an extended range of D3 to F5, with the last two top notes feeling thin. I can also hit C3, but only quietly.
I then asked to hear various contraltos. I found a few, but almost all sang high, despite obviously being able to sing lower. So I then asked about songs sung by Tito Schipa, since our ranges overlap. I know he couldn't go as high as I (sources say he couldn't hit a high C), but I have never heard him hit a low note that I can't. Perplexity recommended the following.
- "A te, o cara" from Bellini's "I Puritani"
- Arias from Donizetti's "L'elisir d'amore", particularly Nemorino's parts.
- Selections from Massenet's "Werther".
- Arias from Donizetti's "Don Pasquale", especially Ernesto's recitatives.
Then, I began to wonder if there are any songs within operetta that would match me well. I received these in reply.
- "Vilja-Lied" from Franz Lehár's "The Merry Widow"
- "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" from Sigmund Romberg's "The New Moon" (I need to find a tenor version, aas it was originally written for a baritone.)
- "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life" from Victor Herbert's "Naughty Marietta"
- "I'm Falling in Love with Someone" also from "Naughty Marietta"
- "Serenade" from Romberg's "The Student Prince"
- "Wanting You" from Romberg's "The New Moon"
- "Love, Come Back to Me" also from "The New Moon"
Since three of these are from the same work, and since I actually have The New Moon, both as a full modern (sadly) recording and some original songs, I am going to watch that some time soon. It will be good to take a break from opera and go back to operetta. I just have to be careful because finding such music, or I should say, full English productions with dialogue, is incredibly difficult!
At any rate, I then asked which of these songs would be good for a beginner, and Perplexity chose "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life", "I'm Falling in Love with Someone", "Vilja-Lied", and "Serenade".
Even though I have perfect pitch and photographic musical memory (once I know a song), it will take a long time before I can sing any of these truly correctly. But what do you think about the suggestions in general? Remember, I am not studying to actually perform on stage. This is simply for the love of singing. Personally, after hearing them, I think, other than the operettas, a good starting point might be Schipa's Neapolitan songs. They seem much easier.
But realistically, before I do any of that at all, I need to work on my exercises from Madam Clara! To that end, I have asked my friend to record the first group, on pages 140 to 145. Once I learn these, I will continue to the next set and so on.
archive.org/details/youcansing…
For those who are wondering why I don't learn from Schipa himself (he taught singing and there are exercises from him online), he has an entirely different approach. The exercises (particularly the Preliminaries and Breath-Lock Physicals) in You Can Sing are good for my health and work very well for me.
#ClaraNovelloDavies #contralto #opera #operetta #TitoSchipa #VocalExercises
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Yesterday, I had a long conversation with Perplexity, as usual. We were discussing vocal ranges, opera, and operetta. Anyway, I found a video that was perfect for me to test my range. Keep in mind that I am not accustomed to these notes as numbers, as this became popular after my time of study. But to make things easier, I will use them to explain my results.
youtube.com/watch?v=feuJ7sW2g7…
Apparently, My comfortable range is F3 to C5, with an extended range of D3 to F5, with the last two top notes feeling thin. I can also hit C3, but only quietly.
I then asked to hear various contraltos. I found a few, but almost all sang high, despite obviously being able to sing lower. So I then asked about songs sung by Tito Schipa, since our ranges overlap. I know he couldn't go as high as I (sources say he couldn't hit a high C), but I have never heard him hit a low note that I can't. Perplexity recommended the following.
- "A te, o cara" from Bellini's "I Puritani"
- Arias from Donizetti's "L'elisir d'amore", particularly Nemorino's parts.
- Selections from Massenet's "Werther".
- Arias from Donizetti's "Don Pasquale", especially Ernesto's recitatives.
Then, I began to wonder if there are any songs within operetta that would match me well. I received these in reply.
- "Vilja-Lied" from Franz Lehár's "The Merry Widow"
- "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" from Sigmund Romberg's "The New Moon" (I need to find a tenor version, aas it was originally written for a baritone.)
- "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life" from Victor Herbert's "Naughty Marietta"
- "I'm Falling in Love with Someone" also from "Naughty Marietta"
- "Serenade" from Romberg's "The Student Prince"
- "Wanting You" from Romberg's "The New Moon"
- "Love, Come Back to Me" also from "The New Moon"
Since three of these are from the same work, and since I actually have The New Moon, both as a full modern (sadly) recording and some original songs, I am going to watch that some time soon. It will be good to take a break from opera and go back to operetta. I just have to be careful because finding such music, or I should say, full English productions with dialogue, is incredibly difficult!
At any rate, I then asked which of these songs would be good for a beginner, and Perplexity chose "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life", "I'm Falling in Love with Someone", "Vilja-Lied", and "Serenade".
Even though I have perfect pitch and photographic musical memory (once I know a song), it will take a long time before I can sing any of these truly correctly. But what do you think about the suggestions in general? Remember, I am not studying to actually perform on stage. This is simply for the love of singing. Personally, after hearing them, I think, other than the operettas, a good starting point might be Schipa's Neapolitan songs. They seem much easier.
But realistically, before I do any of that at all, I need to work on my exercises from Madam Clara! To that end, I have asked my friend to record the first group, on pages 140 to 145. Once I learn these, I will continue to the next set and so on.
archive.org/details/youcansing…
For those who are wondering why I don't learn from Schipa himself (he taught singing and there are exercises from him online), he has an entirely different approach. The exercises (particularly the Preliminaries and Breath-Lock Physicals) in You Can Sing are good for my health and work very well for me.
#ClaraNovelloDavies #contralto #opera #operetta #TitoSchipa #VocalExercises
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Yesterday, I had a long conversation with Perplexity, as usual. We were discussing vocal ranges, opera, and operetta. Anyway, I found a video that was perfect for me to test my range. Keep in mind that I am not accustomed to these notes as numbers, as this became popular after my time of study. But to make things easier, I will use them to explain my results.
youtube.com/watch?v=feuJ7sW2g7…
Apparently, My comfortable range is F3 to C5, with an extended range of D3 to F5, with the last two top notes feeling thin. I can also hit C3, but only quietly.
I then asked to hear various contraltos. I found a few, but almost all sang high, despite obviously being able to sing lower. So I then asked about songs sung by Tito Schipa, since our ranges overlap. I know he couldn't go as high as I (sources say he couldn't hit a high C), but I have never heard him hit a low note that I can't. Perplexity recommended the following.
- "A te, o cara" from Bellini's "I Puritani"
- Arias from Donizetti's "L'elisir d'amore", particularly Nemorino's parts.
- Selections from Massenet's "Werther".
- Arias from Donizetti's "Don Pasquale", especially Ernesto's recitatives.
Then, I began to wonder if there are any songs within operetta that would match me well. I received these in reply.
- "Vilja-Lied" from Franz Lehár's "The Merry Widow"
- "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" from Sigmund Romberg's "The New Moon" (I need to find a tenor version, aas it was originally written for a baritone.)
- "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life" from Victor Herbert's "Naughty Marietta"
- "I'm Falling in Love with Someone" also from "Naughty Marietta"
- "Serenade" from Romberg's "The Student Prince"
- "Wanting You" from Romberg's "The New Moon"
- "Love, Come Back to Me" also from "The New Moon"
Since three of these are from the same work, and since I actually have The New Moon, both as a full modern (sadly) recording and some original songs, I am going to watch that some time soon. It will be good to take a break from opera and go back to operetta. I just have to be careful because finding such music, or I should say, full English productions with dialogue, is incredibly difficult!
At any rate, I then asked which of these songs would be good for a beginner, and Perplexity chose "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life", "I'm Falling in Love with Someone", "Vilja-Lied", and "Serenade".
Even though I have perfect pitch and photographic musical memory (once I know a song), it will take a long time before I can sing any of these truly correctly. But what do you think about the suggestions in general? Remember, I am not studying to actually perform on stage. This is simply for the love of singing. Personally, after hearing them, I think, other than the operettas, a good starting point might be Schipa's Neapolitan songs. They seem much easier.
But realistically, before I do any of that at all, I need to work on my exercises from Madam Clara! To that end, I have asked my friend to record the first group, on pages 140 to 145. Once I learn these, I will continue to the next set and so on.
archive.org/details/youcansing…
For those who are wondering why I don't learn from Schipa himself (he taught singing and there are exercises from him online), he has an entirely different approach. The exercises (particularly the Preliminaries and Breath-Lock Physicals) in You Can Sing are good for my health and work very well for me.
#ClaraNovelloDavies #contralto #opera #operetta #TitoSchipa #VocalExercises
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Yesterday, I had a long conversation with Perplexity, as usual. We were discussing vocal ranges, opera, and operetta. Anyway, I found a video that was perfect for me to test my range. Keep in mind that I am not accustomed to these notes as numbers, as this became popular after my time of study. But to make things easier, I will use them to explain my results.
youtube.com/watch?v=feuJ7sW2g7…
Apparently, My comfortable range is F3 to C5, with an extended range of D3 to F5, with the last two top notes feeling thin. I can also hit C3, but only quietly.
I then asked to hear various contraltos. I found a few, but almost all sang high, despite obviously being able to sing lower. So I then asked about songs sung by Tito Schipa, since our ranges overlap. I know he couldn't go as high as I (sources say he couldn't hit a high C), but I have never heard him hit a low note that I can't. Perplexity recommended the following.
- "A te, o cara" from Bellini's "I Puritani"
- Arias from Donizetti's "L'elisir d'amore", particularly Nemorino's parts.
- Selections from Massenet's "Werther".
- Arias from Donizetti's "Don Pasquale", especially Ernesto's recitatives.
Then, I began to wonder if there are any songs within operetta that would match me well. I received these in reply.
- "Vilja-Lied" from Franz Lehár's "The Merry Widow"
- "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" from Sigmund Romberg's "The New Moon" (I need to find a tenor version, aas it was originally written for a baritone.)
- "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life" from Victor Herbert's "Naughty Marietta"
- "I'm Falling in Love with Someone" also from "Naughty Marietta"
- "Serenade" from Romberg's "The Student Prince"
- "Wanting You" from Romberg's "The New Moon"
- "Love, Come Back to Me" also from "The New Moon"
Since three of these are from the same work, and since I actually have The New Moon, both as a full modern (sadly) recording and some original songs, I am going to watch that some time soon. It will be good to take a break from opera and go back to operetta. I just have to be careful because finding such music, or I should say, full English productions with dialogue, is incredibly difficult!
At any rate, I then asked which of these songs would be good for a beginner, and Perplexity chose "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life", "I'm Falling in Love with Someone", "Vilja-Lied", and "Serenade".
Even though I have perfect pitch and photographic musical memory (once I know a song), it will take a long time before I can sing any of these truly correctly. But what do you think about the suggestions in general? Remember, I am not studying to actually perform on stage. This is simply for the love of singing. Personally, after hearing them, I think, other than the operettas, a good starting point might be Schipa's Neapolitan songs. They seem much easier.
But realistically, before I do any of that at all, I need to work on my exercises from Madam Clara! To that end, I have asked my friend to record the first group, on pages 140 to 145. Once I learn these, I will continue to the next set and so on.
archive.org/details/youcansing…
For those who are wondering why I don't learn from Schipa himself (he taught singing and there are exercises from him online), he has an entirely different approach. The exercises (particularly the Preliminaries and Breath-Lock Physicals) in You Can Sing are good for my health and work very well for me.
#ClaraNovelloDavies #contralto #opera #operetta #TitoSchipa #VocalExercises
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Yesterday, I had a long conversation with Perplexity, as usual. We were discussing vocal ranges, opera, and operetta. Anyway, I found a video that was perfect for me to test my range. Keep in mind that I am not accustomed to these notes as numbers, as this became popular after my time of study. But to make things easier, I will use them to explain my results.
youtube.com/watch?v=feuJ7sW2g7…
Apparently, My comfortable range is F3 to C5, with an extended range of D3 to F5, with the last two top notes feeling thin. I can also hit C3, but only quietly.
I then asked to hear various contraltos. I found a few, but almost all sang high, despite obviously being able to sing lower. So I then asked about songs sung by Tito Schipa, since our ranges overlap. I know he couldn't go as high as I (sources say he couldn't hit a high C), but I have never heard him hit a low note that I can't. Perplexity recommended the following.
- "A te, o cara" from Bellini's "I Puritani"
- Arias from Donizetti's "L'elisir d'amore", particularly Nemorino's parts.
- Selections from Massenet's "Werther".
- Arias from Donizetti's "Don Pasquale", especially Ernesto's recitatives.
Then, I began to wonder if there are any songs within operetta that would match me well. I received these in reply.
- "Vilja-Lied" from Franz Lehár's "The Merry Widow"
- "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" from Sigmund Romberg's "The New Moon" (I need to find a tenor version, aas it was originally written for a baritone.)
- "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life" from Victor Herbert's "Naughty Marietta"
- "I'm Falling in Love with Someone" also from "Naughty Marietta"
- "Serenade" from Romberg's "The Student Prince"
- "Wanting You" from Romberg's "The New Moon"
- "Love, Come Back to Me" also from "The New Moon"
Since three of these are from the same work, and since I actually have The New Moon, both as a full modern (sadly) recording and some original songs, I am going to watch that some time soon. It will be good to take a break from opera and go back to operetta. I just have to be careful because finding such music, or I should say, full English productions with dialogue, is incredibly difficult!
At any rate, I then asked which of these songs would be good for a beginner, and Perplexity chose "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life", "I'm Falling in Love with Someone", "Vilja-Lied", and "Serenade".
Even though I have perfect pitch and photographic musical memory (once I know a song), it will take a long time before I can sing any of these truly correctly. But what do you think about the suggestions in general? Remember, I am not studying to actually perform on stage. This is simply for the love of singing. Personally, after hearing them, I think, other than the operettas, a good starting point might be Schipa's Neapolitan songs. They seem much easier.
But realistically, before I do any of that at all, I need to work on my exercises from Madam Clara! To that end, I have asked my friend to record the first group, on pages 140 to 145. Once I learn these, I will continue to the next set and so on.
archive.org/details/youcansing…
For those who are wondering why I don't learn from Schipa himself (he taught singing and there are exercises from him online), he has an entirely different approach. The exercises (particularly the Preliminaries and Breath-Lock Physicals) in You Can Sing are good for my health and work very well for me.
#ClaraNovelloDavies #contralto #opera #operetta #TitoSchipa #VocalExercises
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Mini Review
I will not be analysing the singers as I usually do, but I will give my general opinion.
While I primarily love tenors, there is a certain voice type that I adore, and it is extremely rare. It's the lyric/light tenor, and yes, I put them together deliberately, because, according to my research, these voices could do both. They are not dramatic, but are light and sweet, and if used correctly, their owners have a mastery of phrasing and clarity, rather than sheer volume and/or weight. So far I had only found one serious opera singer with all of these qualities, namely Tito Schipa. Last night, I found another man, named Leopold Simoneau, and I was so moved by his voice that I immediately began downloading his recordings. I even matched him directly against Schipa himself, at one of the roles for which the latter is well-known, and Simoneau was so good that I gave up on trying to decide between them! Here, then, is the same song sung by both. Which do you prefer?Tito Schipa sings Una furtiva lagrima- 1929
youtube.com/watch?v=un_3-NIgeP…Léopold Simoneau; ＂Una furtiva lagrima
youtube.com/watch?v=5-37KU6gQL…Here is another comparison. I chose a slightly later recording by Schipa, as the sound is better and it really shows off his voice better than the original.
Tito Schipa live at St. Louis in 1941 - ＂Il mio tesoro＂ from Mozart's ＂Don Giovanni
youtube.com/watch?v=dnCdtz7i03…Leopold Simoneau - ＂Dalla sua pace＂, ＂Il mio tesoro＂
youtube.com/watch?v=UuPgWtLbk-…Since the Simoneau version had another song attached, here is a bit more Schipa to compensate. He actually created a role in this opera, meaning that it was written for him. He was seventy-six when recording this, but his voice is still amazing!
Tito Schipa - No! Non lasciarmi solo (La Rondine) (Private recording, 1964)
youtube.com/watch?v=mJex-q5BvX…Analysis
If I really had to compare these two singers, I would say that Simoneau's voice has a little something that Schipa's lacks, but I can't exactly explain it. Maybe, it's more delicate, flexible, or smooth. I'm not sure. But there is a quality that many other singers have, where they'll start soft, and then overpower everything with loud, booming voices. This is not only true of most modern singers who, after they sing a few notes, I turn off due to dislike of their style. Even the greats who had beautiful voices and sung in the old way did it. I realise, naturally, that some parts truly require this sort of voice, so it is quite necessary. But if I am going to sit down with a glass of wine and listen to someone sing for sheer enjoyment, as I am doing now, I don't want that. I can listen to both Schipa and Simoneau all day without tiring. Even at their loudest and most passionate, they still sound gentle and lovely, which is why they are so rare. -
Due to the anniversary of the writing of La Boheme on 1 February), I am going to do another comparison of a single song by some of the best singers in history. I didn't know about this until yesterday morning, so it actually works out well that I have these! Again, I am new to opera, (my theatrical love is operetta), so take any comments I make with that in mind. That, or just ignore them entirely and enjoy the wonderful music. Now, on to the comparison! A few voices will be familiar from last time, while a few wil be new to the mix. These are in chronological order.
Enrico Caruso (1906) - La Bohème_ Che gelida manina
youtube.com/watch?v=8FFRrfUUCh…John McCormack ~ Che gelida manina. 1910 4
youtube.com/watch?v=mmnakODRH0…Tito Schipa - Che gelida manina (1913)
youtube.com/watch?v=zadVt0UgmG…Richard Tauber La Boheme Che Gelida Manina HMB 75 M x xxB6981 2 enregistré le25 avril1924
youtube.com/watch?v=GQB3zsdkJj…Louis Graveure - La Boheme Che Galida Manina Your Tiny Hand Is Frozen Sung In French 4
youtube.com/watch?v=QnWwfMMZvk…Beniamino Gigli - Che gelida manina (H.M.V. 1931)
youtube.com/watch?v=vZEe4lLAST…Analysis
Enrico Caruso
I actually read that Puccini himself loved this version, and I am not surprised. Caruso could sing anything placed before him and make it seem effortless. As usual, his control is perfect, being not too strong and not too quiet. At the same time, he conveys great emotion without being overly dramatic. He hits the high note with ease, then slides down with only the slightest embellishment.John McCormack
I first heard of this singer through Ivor Novello's song Keep The Home Fires Burning. I loved his voice and immediately noticed his incredibly clear diction. But I had no idea he sang opera, until I learned more about him. While he was primarily known for much lighter music, he did sing several opera pieces early in his career. Apparently, he sang sixty-four notes in one breath in Il mio tesoro from Don Giovanni!
His voice is lighter than Caruso's, so of course, this lends a different feeling to things. But like the former, the control of his emotions and voice is flawless. I am not surprised that he hit the high note so easily, given his voice type. But he doesn't do much with it, and just slides back down. His version is very sweet and gentle, but powerful in its own right.Tito Schipa
Here is another light voice, though of a different kind. I will admit, when quickly previewing these before writing this review, this version actually brought tears to my eyes, and it's doing it again as I listen to it! There is simply something magical about this man's voice. I notice control, yes, but such sweetness and smoothness that I can only listen in wonder. I also notice he rolls his rs a lot and really slides his notes. He hits the high note so naturally that he seems made for it, then modulates a bit, making it all more pronounced.Richard Tauber
Now, we return to the heavy weights with regard to voice. Of course, Tauber had to do things his own way, and sang this in German, which was a unique and interesting touch. Considering how long he lived and that, unlike McCormac, he continued to record opera (among other genres), I was surprised not to find a later recording of this. But at least it puts him on even footing with the others.
Right away, I notice his heavier voice. This is someone who could sing very powerfully and compete with Caruso himself! Unlike the former, however, Tauber really uses dynamics. His emotions are far more pronounced than others we've heard so far, and he is more dramatic. He reaches the high note, but due to the darkness of his voice, it has a heavier feeling to it. He then slides back down without much embellishment.Louis Graveure
This man needs a bit of an introduction. He is very close to my heart for a specific reason. He was among the most well-known and best students of Clara Novello Davies, from whom I am learning, using her book You Can Sing as a guide. In it, she wrote of him with glowing praise. But when he started with her, he was so badly conjested that he could barely sing at all, and even she was hesitant to take him as a student! (It was a serious problem, not a head cold.) Look what her methods and his hard work produced! It's also worth noting that he actually switched from a baritone to a tenor for the last few years of his recording career, which I didn't even realise was possible!
I am accustomed to his lower voice, so to say that this shocked me is an understatement. He is singing in French, which actually makes sense, given the title and subject of the opera, though I read the original was in Italian. Another thing I notice is that while he can clearly hit the high notes, his voice does crack a tiny bit at least twice when doing so. That said, it's strength is palpable, even through an acoustic recording. His technique is much more agressive than even Tauber's, giving his version a very different feel. He reaches the high note beautifully, which is astounding, given how low his voice could go. Interestingly, it's not as dark as Tauber's. He also adds a tiny bit of modulation before sliding down. I am impressed with the flexibility of his voice, to be sure, but it does seem a product of extremely hard work, rather than being natural.Beniamino Gigli
He begins with a sound that is almost as sweet as Schipa! Very light and calm, it immediately makes me think of something relaxing. But then, he becomes himself, and sings in the classic opera style that I described in the last review. That said, it works very well with this song, and the power of his voice can be felt. His is the richest of the recordings with relation to dramatic performance and emotion. It's as if he combines various elements of the other singers. His voice is powerful like Tauber's but less dark. When he hits the high note, it's with great ease, and he embellishes a bit afterward. One thing about Gigli is that, while he can be emotional, he does keep things under control, even if it may seem less so than the other singers.And my personal winner is... Tito Schipa! I think he added the perfect amount of everything. However, it was incredibly difficult choosing between him and Enrico Caruso, and had someone chosen the latter, I would never have argued the point. I think any time Caruso is involved in a comparison, it makes things far more difficult than if he weren't because I have to look beyond the obvious perfection to find another version of what is perfect. In my case, I am also extremely partial to the voice of Schipa, so it was a double problem! Ultimately, for this song, I think it depends on whether you want a powerful treatment or a softer, smooth one. Perhaps, if I knew Italian, French, or German, I would have used that to guide me.
#BeniaminoGigli #EnricoCaruso #JohnMcormac #opera #LaBoheme #RichardTauber #TitoSchipa