| 1 | Intro | Tetrazzini
| | ...the foundation of singing is
breathing and breath control. |
|
| 2 | Intro | Tetrazzini
| | "There is only one way to sing correctly, and that
is to sing naturally, easily, comfortably. |
|
| 3 | Definitions | Tetrazzini
| | The quality of sound is controlled by the
breath. |
|
| 4 | Intro | Reid
| | There has never been even a suspicion of proof
that mastery of singing is in any way dependent upon a correct system of
breathing. |
|
| 5 | Intro | Reid
| | In comparison to the problems of registration and
purity of tone quality it is apparent the subject of breathing merited no more
than a place of minor importance in Bel Canto instruction. |
|
| 6 | Intro | Reid
| | Ferrari in A Concise Treatise on Italian
Singing advises that "the inspiration should be made at the beginning and at
the end of the musical phrase," and that is all he had to say about breathing.
Caccini mentions it in a casual way, but neither Tosi nor Mancini discuss it at
all. |
|
| 7 | Intro | Vennard
| | It
seems wasteful to spend more than one or two lessons on breathing by itself.
The one thing that the teacher must supervise is actual phonation, coordinating
the actuator (respiratory system) with the vibrator (vocal cords). The pupil
can easily practice singing poor tone without knowing it. He will never
practice wrong breathing by himself if he pays attention to what he is doing. |
|
| 8 | Definitions | Caruso
| | The
diaphragm is really like a pair of bellows and serves exactly the same purpose. |
|
| 9 | Fundamentals | Tetrazzini
| | In
learning to sing it is well to think of the lungs as empty sacks, into which
the air is dropping like a weight, so that you think first of filling the
bottom of your lungs, then the middle part, and so on until no more air can be
inhaled. |
|
| 10 | Definitions | Reid
| | The
vocal cords only act as a valve on the escaping breath when they are in a
position of approcimation. They can only be approximated by the creation of an
even balance of tension on both the muscles of inspiration as well as those of
expiration. |
|
| 11 | Definitions | Reid
| | Clavicular
breathing is a system of inspiration whereby the upper parts of the chest are
raised while the diaphragm is drawn in. The effect of this method of breathing
is first to interfere with, and then destroy, the effective coordination of the
vocal organs. |
|
| 12 | Problems | Reid
| | Clavicular
breathing is useless because 1. By raising the chest and lifting the shoulders
the muscles of the neck are brought into tension, and 2. Only a partial
inspiration can be completed. As the diaphragm is dome-shaped, the act of
drawing the diaphragm upward and raising the chst means that only a fraction of
its capacity for storing energy is utilized. |
|
| 13 | Definitions | Reid
| | Costal
breathing is universally practiced for purposes of daily living. For purposes
of singing, it is normal as long as the musical expression does not include
dramatic episodes, or phrases to be sung con grande expansione. |
|
| 14 | Definitions | Vennard
| | Many
great teachers of singing have agreed with Salvatore Marchesi who did not
believe in cosal breathing any more than in clavicular. They felt that the rib
muscles should only be used to expand the ribs and keep them in this position
making possible the most efficient operation of lower muscels, the true motors
of breathing. |
|
| 15 | Definitions | Reid
| | A
breath taken with an outward movement of the lower ribs that fills the lungs to
their fullest capacity may be described as thoracic, or intercostal breathing. |
|
| 16 | Definitions | Reid
| | The
chief advantage of diaphragmatic, or intercostal, breathing is that the vocal
cords are free to vibrate wihtou interfering with the glottal movements. |
|
| 17 | Vocalization | Tetrazzini
| | The
feeling of singing against the chest with the weight of air pressing up against
it is known as "breath support;" in Italian there is a better word,
"apoggio," or breath prop. |
|
| 18 | Fundamentals | Tetrazzini
| | The
immediate pressure of the air should be felt more against the chest. |
|
| 19 | Definitions | Vennard
| | Regarding
diaphragmatic-abdominal breathing, probably more breath can be inhaled in this
manner than by the sideward epansion of the ribs, though the point is academic
since both movements occur at once. |
|
| 20 | Definitions | Tetrazzini
| | The
apoggio is the deep breath regulated by the diaphragm. |
|
| 21 | Fundamentals | Reid
| | The
only essential difference between breathing in singing, as against that
practiced during ordinary circomstances of living, is that singing demands a
constant source of pressure which can only be supplied by a pair of well-filled
lungs. |
|
| 22 | Fundamentals | Reid
| | The
effect of intercostal (thoracic) breathing is to create a feeling of expansion
around the entire middle part of the body, so that the expansion will include
the small of the back and sides, as well as the abdominal wall. |
|
| 23 | Fundamentals | Vennard
| | It
is easy to overemphasize posture. However, the beginner must be reminded that
opera stars probalby learned orthodox posture at one time, and the positions
they assume on stage, apparently spontaneously, are all such that they do not
violate good technic, and they involve compensations to make up for the
unorthodoxy. |
|
| 24 | Posture | Tetrazzini
| | Rigidity
of the spinal column will in no way help you in the emission of tone, nor will
it increase the breath control. |
|
| 25 | Fundamentals | Reid
| | Once
the student has been made to breathe without raising his chest or shoulders the
taking of a breath will automatically cause the diaphragm to do the work for
which it was intended by nature. |
|
| 26 | Exercises | Vennard
| | It
helps to imagine that you are a marionette, hanging from strings, one attached
to the top of your head and one attached to the top of your breast bone. This
keeps the head erect and lifts the chest, allowing the pelvis just to
"hang" in position. The famoust statue, Winged Victory of Samothrace,
is considered an inspiration for singers. |
|
| 27 | Fundamentals | Tetrazzini
| | The
physical sensation should be first an effort on the part of the diaphragm to
press the air up against the chest box, then the sensation of a perfectly open
throat, and, lastly, the sensation that the air is passing freely into the
cavities of the head. |
|
| 28 | Fundamentals | Tetrazzini
| | You
must learn to control this flow of air, so that no muscular action of the
throat can shut it off. |
|
| 29 | Fundamentals | Reid
| | The
difference between the reserve breath available to a well-produced voice and
the gasping distress of the poorly used voice is not due to a voluntarily
controlled emission, but is entirely the result of a well-balanced
registration. |
|
| 30 | Fundamentals | Tetrazzini
| | You
will notice when you begin to sing, if you watch yourself very carefully, that,
first, you will try to inhale too much air; secondly, you will either force it
all out at once, making a breathy note, or in trying to control the flow of air
by the diaphragm you will suddenly cease to send it forth at all and will be
making the sound by pressure from the throat. |
|
| 31 | Fundamentals | Reid
| | When
the vocal mechanism is working efficiently very little is demanded of the
breath, because all of the energy used in singing is being directed into
constructive channels. Therefore, as the breath is not dissipated and wasted
the singer discovers that he has more at his disposal than his needs require. |
|
| 32 | Fundamentals | Caruso
| | Open
the throat not only in front, but from behind, for the throat is the door
through which the voice must pass, and if it is not sufficiently open it is
useless to attempt to get out a full, round one. |
|
| 33 | Fundamentals | Reid
| | In
reality very little of the breath taken in is used,k so that on the completion
of a phrase the singer should have a quantity of breath left over and to spare.
This quantity of breath should be released before each new inspirtation and the
muscles allowed a brief moment of relaxation before recommencing the cycle. |
|
| 34 | Fundamentals | Vennard
| | One
sometimes hears the instruction, "Place your hand on your diaphragm."
This is a little confusing, because the diaphragm is inside the body, and to
touch it one would have to take out his lungs an d put his hand down his
throat. What is meant is to place the hand on the abdomen muscles, near the
top, at the place where the ribs arch in front, just below the sternum. This
region is called the epigastrium, and it is a handy spot to feel the action of
the diaphragm. |
|
| 35 | Problems | Tetrazzini
| | A
shaky, uncontrolled breath is like a rickety foundation on which nothing can be
built, and until that foundation has been developed and strengthened the
would-be singer need expect no satisfactory results. |
|
| 36 | Problems | Tetrazzini
| | Do
not practice any breathing exercise to such an extent that you make your heart
beat fast or feel like stranging. |
|
| 37 | Problems | Tetrazzini
| | Don't
try to develop a diaphragm expansion of five inches in two weeks. |
|
| 38 | Problems | Reid
| | Breathing
through the nose is inefficient because 1. It is stilted and awkward, 2. It
prohibits the swift and quiet inhalation of requisite amounts of air, and 3. It
is inclined to lead to a high chest position, which in turn induces
throatiness. |
|
| 39 | Problems | Christy
| | A
most pernicious idea often held by students and, unfortunately, mistakenly
expressed by many vocal teachers and in some texts is that the body must be
relaxed completley in singing. This half-truth applies only to the parts of the
body not concerned in the singing actÐthe shoulders, arms, hands and frontal
neck muscles. |
|
| 40 | Problems | Tetrazzini
| | Énaturally
untrained voices soon break or fail if they are used much unless the singer
supplements the natural, God-given vocal gifts with a conscious understanding
of how the vocal apparatus should be used. |
|
| 41 | Problems | Tetrazzini
| | Certain
young singers take in an enormous breath, stiffening every muscle in order to
hold the air, thus depriving their muscles of all elasticity. They will then
shut off the throat and let only the smallest fraction of air escape, just
enough to make a sound. Too much inbreathing and too violent an effort at
inhaling will not help the singer at all. |
|
| 42 | Problems | Caruso
| | Singers,
especially tenors, are very apt to throw the head forward in producing the high
notes, and consequently get that throaty, strained voice which is so disagreeable.
To avoid this one should try to keep the supply of breath down as far toward
the abdomen as possible, thus maintaining the upper passages to the head quite
free for the emission of the voice. |
|
| 43 | Problems | Caruso
| | The
"white voice" (voce bianca) is a head voice without deep support and
consequently without color; hence its appellation. One can learn to avoid it by
practicing with the mouth closed and by taking care to breathe through the
nose, which forces the respiration to descend to the abdomen. |
|
| 44 | Exercises | Caruso
| | To
practice deep breating effectively it is an excellent plan to breathe through
the nose, which aids in keeping the confined breath from escaping too soon. |
|
| 45 | Exercises | Caruso
| | Have
the throat well open. |
|
| 46 | Exercises | Caruso
| | To
cure oneself of throatiness, attack your notes from the abdomen, the mouth well
open, standing in front of a mirror. The force of the respiration will keep the
tongue depressed and the throat will remain free. |
|
| 47 | Exercises | Tetrazzini
| | In
practicing the trill or staccato tones the pressure of the breath must be felt
even before the sound is heard. Maintain a perfeclty open throat. |
|
| 48 | Exercises | Tetrazzini
| | Feel
as if you were pushing the air against your chest. |
|
| 49 | Exercises | Tetrazzini
| | To
learn "filare la voce," or spinning the voice, slowly snuff in air
through the nostrils, inhailing in small puffs. Fill the very bottom and back
of your lungs. When you feel you are full up to the neck, retain the air for a
few seconds and then very slowly send it out in little puffs again. |
|
| 50 | Exercises | Caruso
| | The
lungs, in the first place, should be throughly filled. A tone begun with only
half-filled lungs loses half its authority and is very apt to be false in
pitch. |
|
| 51 | Exercises | Christy
| | Summary
of Rules for Breath Control (p.44); Introductory Breathing and Tonal Production
Exercises (pp.44-48) |
|
| 52 | Phases | Christy
| | The
key to proper breath control is in inhalatio. It must not be nervous or tense
or the remaining phases are futile. Be physical and positive about breathing,
never tentative. Inhale deeply, easily and quietly, simultaneously through both
nose and mouth. |
|
| 53 | Phases | Christy
| | Amount
of breath needed on inhalation is determined not only by the length and rising
and falling shape of the phrase but also by the conditioning factors of pitch,
dynamics, tempo and tonal color. Inhale positiviely with assurance but just
enough breath for the demands of the phrase and a small amount in reserve is
the ideal. |
|
| 54 | Phases | Christy
| | Suspension
in singing is a moment, perhaps infinitesimal in rapid music, when the
inflowing column of breath is stopped in balance, neither moving in nor out,
while the throat (vocal cords) remains open preceding the attack. |
|
| 55 | Phases | Christy
| | Resistance
starts with suspension when the muscles around the lower ribs and in the
diaphragm "hold" back to keep the breath suspended, preventing
immediate exhalation. |
|
| 56 | Phases | Christy
| | Phonation,
the making of vocal sound, starts with the tonal attack |
|
| 57 | Vocalization | Tetrazzini
| | From
the minute the singer starts to emit a tone the supply of breath must be
emitted steadily from the chamber of air in the lungs. It must never be held
back once. |
|
| 58 | Vocalization | Tetrazzini
| | In
diminishing the tone the opening of the throat remains the same. Only the
quantity of breath given forth is diminished. That is done by the diaphragm
muscles. |
|
| 59 | Phases | Christy
| | Recovery
is a moment of relaxation and rest, perhaps very slight, following the end of
one phrase and preceding the beginning of another. There is a feeling of brief
"letting go" of the diaphragm, and of all the msucles around the
lower rib line. However, the chest remains eternally high and quiet.
|
|
Caruso, Enrico and Luisa Tetrazzini. Caruse and Tetrazzini on the
Art of Singing. New York: Dover Publications, 1975.
Christy, Van A. Expressing Singing: Guidance, Technical
Principles, Exercises, and Basics of Interpretation, Vol. 1. Dubuque, IA: Wm.
C. Brown Company Publishers, 1974.
Reid, Cornelius L. Bel Canto: Principles and Practice. New
York: The Joseph Patelson Music House, 1972.
Vennard, William. Singing: the Mechanism and the Technic.
5th ed. New York: Carl Fischer, Inc., 1968.