Cornell MacNeil - Alzati...Eri tu che macchiavi - Un ballo in maschera - Verdi

Cornell MacNeil (born 24 September 1922 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) sing this aria from the Met in 1962! A true Verdi baritone with the darkness of a bass and the ringing top of a dramatic tenor. We no longer hear voices like this singing Verdi. Dark voices with no core/squillo are just as bad as bright voices with only core/squillo, but no darkness to balance it. MacNeil had chiaroscuro.

[@johnfalstaff2270]

Cornel MacNeil and Ettore Bastianini were born in the same day.

[@user-py1jg6bb2r]

Huge, grand, dark and always glorious, true Verdi baritone. So under appreciated!!!

[@robertwbecker]

Again,,, unbelievable voice, unbelievable singing,,,, heard him live in his prime any number of times, but, the first time I heard him, it changed my life forever,,, it still has the same effect on me now as then. People criticize him for this or for that, and miss the towering greatness of his contribution to opera. I am a singer, 50 years, and a vocal instructor/ coach, 35 years,I still sing, and so much of it is because of Cornell MacNeil,,,, Thank you Mac,, Thank you Mr Cafiero!!!!!!!

[@travesura100]

I heard MacNeil at the Met matinee of Cav-Pag on the 31 October 1959, in my box was van Cliburn. His Tonio in the Prologo was for me the most astounding surprise as his voice was all over the theatre in all the splendour of color, power, range and art..

[@SilverSingingMethod]

You have got it right because we need not forget what a Verdi baritone should sound like. Not what is out there now.

[@wesleyraythomas4765]

Silver Singing Method We’re Still HERE! ...we are Simply awaiting the end of the cash cow tenor imposter era, I’m afraid.

[@leonoradelagardie]

A gorgeous voice,powerful yet with a lyrical timbre of great beauty

[@SilverSingingMethod]

Lyric timbre? He was a Verdian/Dramatic. I know what you mean though, it was well balanced.

[@IRA77GEOTENORE]

One of the most powerful voices, reminds Guelfi in his prime.

[@robertwbecker]

I have been on you tube this morning, as is usual, listening to baritones, I had to finally come here to hear the Mac and get my head back on straight, say what one may about MacNeil, in my opinion, he's absolutely one of the very few Greatest Baritones of the 20th. century! Just listen to the applause to realize the affect he could have on an audience! Thanks for this post!

[@stevevandien310]

Wish I'd heard MacNeil live. I did hear Merrill in recital when he was nearly 60 and Milnes as Iago when he was just past his prime. Merrill, singing in a Milwaukee theatre that's not especially kind to unamplified singers, came through richly and clearly. Milnes, at least in the venue and time (Lyric Opera of Chicago, October 1985), had the biggest and most powerful baritone voice I have ever heard.

[@stevevandien310]

MacNeil at his best.

[@federic017]

Grande intetrprete! Cantata con assoluta padronanza della voce... senza sforzo...e sentita come un attore di teatro...veramente grande...saluti

[@Verist4]

BRAVISSIMO! Un león!

[@abracadabranque]

Nous sommes tout à fait d'accord.Ce vibrato est la conséquence de l'épaisseur de sa voix et de l'emploi généreux qu'il en fait.En tout état de cause,c'est un monstre vocal et son interprétation n'est pas dénuée d'art,loin de là! Aujourd'hui,pour faire dix fois moins de bruit,on gueule trois fois plus..! Bien amicalement. Mitia.

[@mariarosanazario8186]

Che meraviglia,incantevole....che Grande!

[@MrJohnnystott]

Greatest Rigoletto and Scarpia I ever heard, and I saw him do both roles live with the Met on tour in the early 1970s. Immense voice and superb theatrical presence.

[@marlenehartley7742]

Dio! Che Bella voce!

[@gabrielvelascorios8892]

Monster voice!

[@Ilvermibaleno]

Credo che questa sia la versione migliore che ci sia dal vivo o almeno di quelle che ho ascoltato. Mi piacerebbe che qualcuno postasse una versione live di Bastianini.

[@robertwbecker]

Yeah, I agree, any Mac Neil you can post is greatly appreciated. I'm so happy that you openly state your opinion of this truly great singer/baritone ,,,, I've been listening to him since "64,,, and he changed my life! Thanks for this great post,, more people, especially would be baritones, need to be aware of him.

[@65attila]

MacNeil was erratic but when on - he had the hugest and darkest voice I ever heard on stage and a huge top. There is some of the wobble here but some of the glory and this performance is an approximation of his real stage voice.

It's only a slower vibrato, it's not a wobble - you still hear the main tone, the basic tone, the most. Big top is a result of a released voice, which, when developed right, as a consequence has an augmentation of volume which corresponds with the augmentation of pitch, a thing you don't hear today.

[@andymanland]

@ what do you mean by augmentation of pitch?

[@diegoreviati5166]

The huge gap (at least on recordings) between his middle voice and the unleashed unbelieavable power of his top is a charateristic rarely found in already big voices. A good example of a singer with these huge "jumps" was Antonio Salvadori. Try to listen to his "è gettata la mia sorte". The Bb at the end is for sure One of the biggest notes of the last 40 years for a baritone. Taddei also managed to produce the same effect, but his top notes were less "focused".

[@mariarosaesergiomarycib2492]

È assolutamente magnifico ,magnifico ,,,immenso immenso !!!!!!!!Mari

[@dnsqhd1217]

bravo!!!

[@volkerkuhne6143]

Ein Bariton der zu Herzen geht !

[@armandonazarenocerutti9860]

Cornel MacNeil , a quién tuve el honor de escuchar y ver, era un artista excelente, correctísimo en todo el transcurso de la obra. No obstante, cuando llegaba el momento de la Romanza crecía, crecía, se agrandaba hasta llegar a las cimas más altas. Armando Cerutti - Barítono

[@PBXVIILY]

Yes! No one moved me like Cornell MacNeil I saw him at the end of his career! Huge gorgeous voice great interpretations!

[@melissaschroeter161]

Power.

[@alexandernoval2826]

What a great singer/artist - ńice tembre all the way ,musicality ,perfekt high and nice piano .

[@SilverSingingMethod]

I have uploaded several of MacNeil if you check the rest of my videos. I will try to add more too. Glad you liked it!

[@xxsaruman82xx87]

You say we have no singers like him now. There is one - Ernesto Petti

[@user-py1jg6bb2r]

Sounds like Ettore Bastianini, that is a great baritone with futures...

[@moishemillerr]

Not even close

[@Agorante]

MacNeil recorded this role with Nillson and Bergonzi on London Records. As I remember that performance was even better - if that's possible. Alas, he was like Callas or Di Stefano - the early recordings were the best.

[@BassHaritone]

Mr. Hampson and Mr. Hvorostovsky have no business singing this repertoire and have now we have Domingo singing Boccanegra!?!?!? I'll be singing this for a Haiti Relief Benefit Concert this week and will try to get a recording up as it becomes available. It's true that administrators have no clue what singers do or are capable of doing...that's why they like the fach system so much, because they don't need to use any imagination.

[@petergraham8681]

In his prime he had (Merrill had the slight edge) the best Verdi baritone sound around. Check the 1962 ERNANI Broadcast from the MET for additional evidence. Plus he (and Warren) had the best mezzo di voce on top of an amazing upper extension to their instruments. Not only that but Big Mac had the best lower range of ANY Verdi baritone I have ever heard. In DIE FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER (generally sung by bass/baritone voices) rehearsal in Seattle he often "marked" down an octave. I heard this offstage & was astounded to say the least.

[@volkerkuhne6143]

Einer der Größten! !

[@Jack82you]

Favoloso!!!

[@piero7322]

OMG!!!!!!!

[@Agorante]

There was a London recording of Ballo with MacNeil, Nilsson and Bergonzi. This sounds a lot like it. Could be wrong.

[@xxsaruman82xx87]

Don't forget Simionato!

[@Agorante]

This has to be a bad joke. MacNeil sang a long time and he was not always at his best in later years. But in those relatively few years when he was at the top of his game he was as good as anyone who ever lived. He was as good at Stracciari, Ruffo, Herlea, Bastianini - anybody.

[@paullewis2413]

I agree. IMO his performance as Rigoletto (1962/Decca) is as fine as any I've ever heard.

[@xxsaruman82xx87]

@@paullewis2413 His DVD with Cotrubas and Domingo from near the end of his career is also great.

[@viewfromthebriggs]

macneill was an inredible singer, the greatest verdi baritone at the met for three decades! and as to the size of his voice, it was huge a huge dark open sound that no other baritone of his time could equal! as for this performance, sorry no one here knew or thought to say that macneill does not sound in his best form here--almost sounds like he has a cold! listen to him sing this aria live, a teatro colon to hear him in fine voice. and who id confusing vibrato and tremilo withwobble!

[@SilverSingingMethod]

@legatofancier I think Hamspon is really a tenor. It is not a big voice and it is woofy.

[@xxsaruman82xx87]

Most definitely

[@legatofancier]

@stevevandien - Well said! Such even, rich production! At his best, MacNeil's voice was enormous in the theater!

[@user-jt4js7ed3e]

Люблю.

[@robertwbecker]

Absolutely The Real Deal!!!!!!! Anybody today can match this? Huh??? Come on where are they????

[@Manrico1962]

MacNeil sang one performance of Ballo at the Met - March 7, 1962

[@avajie]

Vibrato isn't bad... It's a sign of functional freedom. As in, you aren't choking yourself with tenseness is the body, so your voice does what it does naturally, which is vibrate. Vibrato. Now, some people as they get older get what's sometimes called a "wobble" where their voice gets wobbly and can't stay on pitch. TH

[@SilverSingingMethod]

What increases the vibrato is the acceleration of air and the pulsation of the inspiratory muscles against the expiratory muscles which helps with this. If he is holding air back the vibrato will slow a bit. Extra pressure on the vocal cords is constrictive (Valsalva Maneuver) and that would cause the vibrato to slow. The vocal folds are not allowed to vibrate freely when that happens. Instead the air should stream through while maintaining squillante. My blog explains all this.

[@SilverSingingMethod]

You get that too? I had a man who knew him and saw him live many times tell me the same thing. I don't know if it is true or not, but it was a wonderful compliment. :)

[@bodiloto]

ottimo baritono .

[@Tkimba2]

Fenomenale direi

[@bodiloto]

Tomba 2 si,giusto. oggi di uno come MacNeil sarebbe considerato come il salvatore della lirica moderna ... MacNeil aveva una voce bellissima del baritono, e' vero . fa parte dei baritoni veri che stimo e apprezzo molto. Tibbett,Warren,Merrill,MacNeil - nella lirica questi Signori fanno parte della fama americana . quattro baritoni d'origine americana, tutti Meravigliosi . considero un baritono fenomenale quando la tecnica,la pronuncia e l'Attore stanno insieme in perfetta armonia ... nel repertorio italiano i miei baritoni perfetti sono Mario Ancona,Titta Ruffo,Pasquale Amato,Mattia Battistini,Giuseppe de Luca,Riccardo Stracciari, Tibbett,Giuseppe Bellantoni,Carlo Galeffi,Carlo Tagliabue, Apolo Granforte,Giuseppe Danise,Warren,Ettore Bastianini e compagnia ...

[@Tkimba2]

@@bodiloto si quelli che ha elencato sono divini ma come fa a valutarli come attori? Non penso che abbia visto dal vivo Danise (che è forse il mio baritono preferito). P. S. Considero Tibbett una spanna sopra a Warren, Merrill e MacNeil nel repertorio italiano.

[@bodiloto]

Tomba 2 il canto lirico era la mia professione ...

[@Tkimba2]

@@bodiloto ho visto che ha cancellato la risposta che aveva scritto precedentemente. Purtroppo non ho avuto tempo di rispondere esaustivamente. A proposito, la mia non era una domanda provocatoria ma pura e semplice curiosità.

[@SilverSingingMethod]

@operabeauty The info I received with the recording said that it was from the Met. Maybe it was a gala or something.

[@SilverSingingMethod]

True. So they don't exist because they are never developed fully. They are passed over because they take more time to develop. The talent is out there, but most teachers do not know how to train a voice of this magnitude.

[@robertwbecker]

Hmm, Hmm the real Deal! OMG, you know how I feel about this guy,,,,,

[@SilverSingingMethod]

I don't know what you mean by "thickness" because it means something specific to me and he did not have that in his voice. His voice was heavy, in the good way, but the vibrato speed was his choice, not a technical thing. Ruffo had a heavier voice with a very fast vibrato. So it is not due to that, it is most likely that in MacNeil's head he thought the speed was OK. Sometimes he would speed it up to very quick. A coach should have pointed it out to him.

[@abracadabranque]

Pardon de te répondre un peu tard. Sans vibrato,le chant est comme une eau déminéralisée:Vide de substance et de sens.Tout le pouvoir expressif repose presque entièrement sur celui-ci.Il est la conséquence de diverses tensions musculaires qui produisent un effet de rebond sur l'air et que l'on peut évidemment maîtriser si l'on se sert des bons leviers.Un vibrato ne doit pas rester immuablement mécanique.Il doit être capable,tout comme la musique,d'accélérer,de ralentir,ou de s'arrêter. Mitia. .

[@pepeelsordo]

legatofancier: I am so in agreement with you!! Hasmpson is a tenor and a lyric one. But what can we say? They pay him and he is singign in all opera houses.

[@user-py1jg6bb2r]

"they assign singers according to their looks..." Jerry Hadley. Bryle Terfe is also tenor trending voice, MacNail and american glorious baritones tradition is no more...

[@Pathetikos]

R.I.P...

[@SilverSingingMethod]

He definitely needs to keep his intercostal expansion firm, but I know from what I read that he said he does this. Really I think he did not care that the vibrato was a bit slow sometimes. Some singers it doesn't bother or it isn't important to them. Like I said, he could speed it up to really fast too, so it was not a technical issue. Otherwise he would not have been able to speed it up.

[@SilverSingingMethod]

You've got it right.

[@SilverSingingMethod]

These are very good questions. The vibrato is very misunderstood by most teachers and singers....unfortunately. Instead of answering those questions here I will do so in my blog. If you click on my channel you will find a link to it. I will have to write it later today or tomorrow. There are many other technical articles in the blog that you will find interesting though.

[@SilverSingingMethod]

His vibrato tended to be a little bit slow sometimes, but not all the time. That was his choice. He could speed it up or slow it down at will as you can hear in the recording. It was still in the acceptable range. I also would like it to be a bit faster sometimes. However, I rather hear him sing this even with a slower vibrato than anyone today. By far.

[@raphaelhudson]

MacNeil had a great voice and the end is very nice, but seriously intonation in the first half of this aria....

[@SilverSingingMethod]

Vibrato is essential, but one should have control over it. I agree some people got a wobble later on. MacNeil seemed to go through a period like that, but then corrected it again later.

[@sanmarbo]

Agree

[@SilverSingingMethod]

We are not extinct. We are looked past because we don't fit with the cast of small voices. It is a definite problem.

[@MangoPowuh]

Verdi Baritone has a good range of A2-A4, right? And they sound more "deep", broad, and powerful than any of the other baritones of the German Fach? So.... I hear physical appearance also helps to identify a verdi baritone, right? And the Dramatic baritone is just the same as the Verdi? or are they both different?

[@saiserieht]

Why is that?

[@SilverSingingMethod]

When I get a good one I certainly will. Not easy to capture that kind of voice with these digital compression devices. VERY ANNOYING!:)

[@robertwbecker]

I meant everyone else is a boy today, Mac had some some serious predecessors!

[@user-py1jg6bb2r]

None is like him today.

[@SilverSingingMethod]

I think Miles perhaps early on, but he never had such weight of voice. I think you have to go back to Ruffo, Granforte, Molinari and those types of voices. Warren certainly had a huge sound as did Merrill.

[@SilverSingingMethod]

That range is about right. The voice will be heavier, more bass like on the bottom and the top will be more like a dramatic tenor. Physical appearance can go along with that, but it isn't always the case. Dramatic and Verdi are basically the same. The fach system is s convoluted. It is best to just go by Dramatic, spinto, lyric, leggiero (or soubrette for female), and the German categories of helden - which is a dramatic with a Germanic timbre to the sound.

[@SacredTemplar8]

What would a "Germanic timbre" constitute of?

[@piasecznik]

@MrCafiero He's not a Verdi baritone, but he is a light baritone, just like for example Fischer-Dieskau. That's what I think. I heard him in concert together with a Heldentenor, and Hampson was definitely a baritone. He has the tendency to produce this pianissimi that sound very tenor-like, but when he uses his full voice, it's baritonish.

[@jimpharris1]

Great voice. For a current voice with potential, google "Benjamin Harris, baritone". Recorded in a small room with a hand held recorder--He just changed his fach, so he is a work in progress. His voice DOES fill a large area--very loud and full(much better live). Check out Eri Tu and his Wotan(Abendlich).

[@robertwbecker]

Every one else is a boy!

[@SilverSingingMethod]

What is rude is commenting that I don't even sing. You are wrong. So you should not say that to begin with should you? If you want to learn I would be glad to speak with you, but don't assume things. Ask questions.

[@legatofancier]

@theringisking - When I heard Hampson at the Met, I was not particularly impressed with the size of his voice. It's fine for certain things, but his Met broadcast of SIMON BOCCANEGRA was very hard to take. Of course, I could be wrong about the size of Hampson's voice, but still I wonder about it.

[@wesleyraythomas4765]

He’s a True “Baritone Martin”, and singing anything heavier than Rodrigue in Don Carlos is inappropriate for his voice. But if an ex tenor gets to do it...

[@abracadabranque]

Ah,la barrière des langues...

[@raigekimaru]

it's not that voices like this don't exist (although they're not exactly what I'd call common), it's that dramatic voices are not trained properly anymore.

[@SilverSingingMethod]

@piasecznik Thanks for your expertise, but he is only sounding like a "baritone" because his technique does't fully bring out that he is a tenor. that is why it is woofy.

[@abracadabranque]

Epaisseur est synonyme de largeur dans le cas présent.Quant au vibrato,il est la conséquence de l'appui du diaphragme,de la tension des muscles intercostaux et donc de la pression exercée au niveau des cordes vocales;de cela,l'artiste joue pour travailler le phrasé émotionnel.Note bien que dans l'aigu ou la pression se fait plus intense,le vibrato s'accélère.Encore faut-il avoir assez de puissance musculaire pour obtenir ce résultat.C'est le confinement du son qui fait s'accélérer le vibrato.

[@SilverSingingMethod]

I don't agree that is what happened to Callas. What happened to her was she stopped practicing. And also she started constricting and loosing falsetto coordination i the middle. ONce the closing muscles of your throat get strong, it overcomes the opening muscles. Then the wobble starts.

[@abracadabranque]

Comme il élargit beaucoup,le vibrato ralentit car il a beau être une force de la nature,il n'est pas Superman.Mais théoriquement,s'il pouvait augmenter la pression tout en ouvrant autant,le vibrato s'accélérerait.Dans le cas de Tita Ruffo comme de beaucoup d'autres de son époque,il faut mettre en corrélation la densité des timbres avec cette vitesse vibratoire.D'autre part,on apprenait jadis d'abord une technique d'émission,ensuite venait l'art du phrasé qui en découle.

[@SilverSingingMethod]

Well, I thought you said that I don't sing. Which if you would have said that would have been stupid and my comments would have been accurate. Since you did not say that then it is OK to ask questions. None of them are stupid if you want to learn.

[@SilverSingingMethod]

I just posted the article in my blog. silver voice studio dot blogspot dot com. No spaces.

[@iamsingin]

seriously... if someone likes Keenlyside, that is fine, but bigger voice?..hehe

[@SilverSingingMethod]

AMEN! So what can be done about it? The most annoying things is that these idiots are the ones in positions to hire people. And they hire all the wrong people. They don't' groom big voices which take more time. So those voices don't get the opportunities.

[@abracadabranque]

Une voix large et ouverte avec des aigus parfaitement timbrés.Le vibrato est un peu lâche...

[@abracadabranque]

De nos jours,on apprend le chant par la fin c'est à dire le style,sans avoir créé l'instrument permettant de le servir.Et de tenir sa voix.C'est ainsi que l'on assiste à de nombreuses faillites car le muscle n'est pas encore formé qu'il se déforme déjà.Que survienne l'âge et sa baisse d'influx énergétique et rien ne va plus.Callas est un certain exemple de cela:Chanter trop tôt et donc des choses souvent trop lourdes peut faire bouger la voix,surtout dans l'aigu.Ouf!!!J'en finis là... Salut!

[@SilverSingingMethod]

They don't' hire voices like this anymore. Most singers are singing so small or on a poor level that they cannot hire someone like this.

[@SilverSingingMethod]

First, singers are not given the same importance as they once were. Secondly, directors and conductors do not know anything about singing anymore. That goes back to bad teaching. So now they hear a big voice and say it is "too much" or that they are "pushing". The whole system has become corrupted. I have seen it time and time again where the best singers are passed over for mediocre singers because the conductors or directors are more concerned with their agenda than singing.

[@SilverSingingMethod]

He has potential, but his technical approach is not right and it is limiting him. It is nowhere near the size of MacNeil. Not the same core to the sound. He could be excellent, but he needs a different approach.

[@abracadabranque]

Un vibrato trop lâche est un défaut comme tout ce qui n'est pas beau et musical.Ainsi,j'ai fait un effort pour écouter Meade:C'est assez terrible;çà branle du manche,çà grince dans les roulements.Sans moi... Donc,pour l'instant,ne t'inquiète pas trop pour tes oreilles! Ciao!

[@robertwbecker]

Hi, Ruffo, Stracciari,Warren, Merrill, Mac Neil,,,, Yes,,,,, Milnes, for me an absolute no! For me, Milnes could have been one of the best lyric baritones of his generation had he not tried to sound like , Warren, and sing the heavier roles,,, just my opinon,,, heard Milnes live in mid 60's a wonderful lyric baritone before he tried to over cover and hoot it up,,, his interpretation wasn't always honest either,,,,,,,

[@SilverSingingMethod]

Too bad NO ONE will let a baritone sing like this today. The conductors, directors and coaches ALL tell singers to not sing so big. I have met one or two who have not said that and 100 who all say it. They are RUINING the opera.

[@SilverSingingMethod]

Never met me.What a stupid and ignorant statement from an ignorant poster. I sing all the time. You have never heard me or my students. Your kind of stupidity is the hallmark of what is wrong in the opera world.The vibrato isn't a matter of taste, unless you have none. It is a musical tool of expression and a function of freedom. There is a proper action of the vibrato and there are vibrato actions that are unmusical and affected by wrong functioning. You have no clue how ignorant you are.

[@SilverSingingMethod]

ROFLMAO!. Find something else to do because opera singign isn't for you! HAHAHA!

[@avajie]

*THAT is bad.