The end of the nineteenth century marked the end of the Golden Age of Singing. Today's opera singers often wonder what it was like to study with the great voice masters of the Golden Age - Garcia, Lamperti, Marchesi, Sbriglia, Cotogni, DeReszke, etc. To those unfamiliar with the history of vocal technique, this speculation remains a mystery.
And yet, the vocal wisdom of the Golden Age is comprehensible. Moreover, it is possible to understand the same vocal technique that was taught to the greatest singers in history: Malibran, Patti, Caruso, Melba, Tetrazzini, Nordica, Ruffo, Pavarotti, etc. - what is termed Bel Canto, or "beautiful singing."
Today's opera singers yearn to emulate the vocal skill of the Golden Age, but they are often defeated in their efforts due to a lack of understanding. To understand the Bel Canto tradition, it is important to understand correct laws of vocal production. Good vocal concepts are helpful if they conform to correct vocal sensations.
It is especially useful to ask two basic questions: How did the Bel Canto tradition come into being? And what did it teach?
Around 1600, with the advent of opera, greater vocal demands were placed upon singers. Composers and singers then asked: "How do we advance the art of singing? Do laws of singing exist? If so, what are they?"
The earliest voice teachers noticed that occasionally nature produces a complete voice - a natural singer of superior skill without prior training. They reasoned that to understand the conditions that produce vocal excellence, they must first examine the superior models furnished by nature.
Soon they realized that all voices of great natural beauty exhibit the same functions. When these functions were taught to singers of average ability, they improved dramatically. Later, when singers with great natural ability complied with every vocal law known to be true, they became technical marvels. Thus, the true School of Bel Canto was born.
The natural functions observed in all voices of great natural beauty became the core principles of Bel Canto. Briefly, they are:
- A beautiful light-dark (chiaroscuro) tone quality
- Spinning vibrato
- Flexibility and agility
- Excellent breath control
- Silent breathing
- Skillful regulation of the breath
- Good vowel formation
- Vocal alignment throughout the voice
- Freedom-enhancing coordination
- Vocal stamina
- Good vocal range
- Vocal individualism
- Sparkling vocal resonance