Legato - VULGAR X ELEGANT SINGING!

[@liedersanger1]

It is absurd to call Claudia Muzio's pathos-infused "Addio del passato" "wrong." You may not like her singing, but she was one of the greatest of all 20th century sopranos, and I find her very moving AND stylish in this aria (and others). Sutherland, on the other hand, stretches and interrupts phrases, allows the tone to dissipate and the energy in the melodic line to droop. I can easily imagine someone making the opposite argument to yours, using the same examples. Nevertheless, I recognize Sutherland is a great singer and would never call her "wrong." I just find her emotionally un-engaging. There are many different forms of greatness--which is why singing is so exciting. No two tastes are exactly alike.

[@theoperatripleaxel5417]

Old scholl = WRONG WAY? R U CRAZY HAHAHAHA

[@gd3172]

Agreed. At least the old school way of singing is still very much better than the modern day singing..

[@nathandavis3002]

Thats what sets the bel canto style apart. With a proper bel canto technique, a singer can sing ANYTHING. From purcell to puccini. As was proven by callas, sutherland, caballe. But with a specifically verismo technique - a la tebaldi - a singer can only do that one thing (objectively) well.

[@JoanSutherlandFan]

Exactly! As Richard Bonynge stated "If you can sing bel canto *properly* you can sing anything". *Tebaldi, as you mentioned, sing only those verismo roles properly...

[@alexanderzaphir721]

@@JoanSutherlandFan it depends on the cords ,on the nature of the voice. Horne was good in Neocle ,Isabella,Rosina,.....but in Dalila,Carmen,Azucena...????????she could not handle the....don Fatale ,she transposed down 1 tone.She could sing the straight line only as soprano ,not as mezzo

[@alexanderzaphir721]

@Barone Vitellio Scarpia yes ,because her mezzo is fabricated. Instead i liked her soprano arias ,her original tessitura was soprano ,in Germany she was singing Minnie and Maria in Wozzeck. There is also her Musetta with Los Angeles.

[@nathandavis3002]

Regarding tebaldi - exactly my point. And it was far from just her lack of high notes that made her technique unsuited to anything but verismo

[@nathandavis3002]

@Barone Vitellio Scarpia tebaldi was unsuited to bel canto roles even WITHIN her tessitura, same goes for baroque rep. in her prime she was very good in some late verdi and most verismo rep, I would never belittle her achievement, she made an indellible mark on the world of verismo opera. but her technique limited her entirely to that, and by her mid 30s she was screaming through even that rep as well. her occasional forays into roles that require any level of flexibility or significant breath control (ie. giulio cesare, traviata) are scary bad. singers with true bel canto techniques (IE.) sutherland, callas, caballe had no such limits. they could sing everything from alcina, to norma, to trovatore, and turandot all with equal effectiveness.

[@meltzerboy]

But Vini, surely not all female singers of old have poor legato. I can think of four in particular who had wonderful legato: Melba, Ponselle, Galli-Curci, and Flagstad. Then there were many male singers such as Plancon, Battistini, and Caruso, whose legato was exemplary? Are you talking more about singers who specialized in verismo operas?

[@jimbuxton2187]

I wish you would list the examples and the artists singing them.

[@tinamangus3773]

They used to sing differently in the past, there is no wrong in that, simply different style. Also many old recordings do not render what those great voices really did. Most old records have no harmonics coming up, so the voice sounds weaker, poor and less "melty" than it really was.

[@Luancalfa]

Wonderful

[@MrMin316]

Well, i know who sounds more beautiful .....La Stupenda!

[@jasonhurd4379]

That's a matter of opinion.

[@jordipanadesribera6890]

Thanks for sharing.

[@MrStpendouslvforjo]

I like your video Vinicius. Great examples!

[@marioconti6188]

Excellent.

[@tom1144]

Legato is crucial in all singing and sine qua non in the Bel Canto repertoire as performed by Dame Joan Sutherland. As a Certified Master Teacher of the Estill Voice model, I can tell you scientifically that the Cricothyroid (CT) muscles, the muscles between the Cricoid cartilage and the Thyroid cartilage, can contract and thereby Tilt the Thyroid cartilage forward and down. This is not larynx lowering, but actual Tilting of the Thyroid Cartilage itself, the natural result of contracting those CT muscles which thins the vocal fold mass. Since the front part of the vocal folds attach to the Thyroid cartilage just inside the larynx at a location called the Anterior Commissure, when the Thyroid cartilage is tilted forward and down, it draws the vocal folds along, stretching and lengthening them, thus thinning and reducing their density, making the vocal folds thinner. This allows the vocal folds to vibrate at the faster speeds necessary to duplicate the pitch, since pitch depends on the speed of vocal fold vibration, increasingly faster as we go higher. Thick vocal folds have too much mass density to vibrate at the speed necessary to make higher pitches, so the mass must be thinned as we go up. In Estill Voice, we have exercises designed to specifically contract and tilt the Thyroid cartilage, allowing this thinning of the vocal fold mass which is absolutely necessary for faster vocal fold vibration for higher pitches. This thinning of the vocal folds is scientifically proven and the essence of unifying the registers. Registers as we used to know them really cease to exist via this vocal fold thinning. Tilting the Thyroid Cartilage produces the sound that used to be called "Head Voice," actually an acoustical and physical misnomer. Tilting the Thyroid Cartilage in order to Thin the vocal fold mass is a law of physics, actually easy and repeatable through kinesthetic learning. The result of this Thyroid Cartilage Tilting thins the density of the vocal fold mass giving the vocal folds the elasticity to easily glide between pitches. There is a fascinating difference between Thick Vocal Folds and Thin Vocal Folds, the degree of vocal fold contact in each density of fold mass, and the resulting sounds they make, dictated by the various postures of the layers of the vocal folds. Interestingly, this “Tilting” which thins the vocal folds has the contributory vocal tract effect of creating a 'Sustaining Resonance' or Legato, along with a change in resonation location. The vocal folds have to be thin in order to make that legato and there must be contraction in the vocal tract to produce it. The result of thinning creates the elasticity of the vocal folds which allows the singer to artistically shape the phrase with the same smooth sound of legato, linking the text with sustaining resonance in the phrase. Btw, Estill Voice has exercises which identify and coordinate all 13 anatomical structures involved in phonation and singing. These vocal structures can be individualized, coordinated and combined into vocal qualities for every possible acoustical result, pitch and dynamic. It enables the singer the ability to resolve vocal issues through laws of physics, coordinating the very anatomical structures which affect voice quality.

[@rossinilove]

Great examples! Thanks, Vini!

[@nigihayami6]

Man you got it all wrong. Impressive! When you put as your example a singer who'd never had a clear vowel, it's just funny. Callas wanted vocals, clear diction, WORDS. She understood that expression comes from legato and the text, so words, clear diction. There no legato without clear vowels.

[@eberlinpascal2837]

On pouvait trouver quelqu'un d'autre que Sutherland pour illustrer le bel canto ,tout de même !!

[@brunopicaude3092]

Tebaldi ? (Hi ! Hi !)

[@eberlinpascal2837]

@@brunopicaude3092 Gencer ,Zeani ,Callas ,, Caballé : des cantatrices qui ont du style et de l'élégance.Sutherland est parfaite dans la musique de pure virtuosité.Ca plaît aux Anglo Saxons ,ce côté cirque Barnum .

[@brunopicaude3092]

@@eberlinpascal2837 Bon, je faisais un peu d'ironie sur la "voce d'angelo" qui ne possédait pas une once de virtuosité. Je souscris à ce que vous dites... mais je vous trouve un peu dur avec Dame Joan. Certes, son timbre froid ne lui permettait guère d'incarner ses personnages mais c'était quand même une sacrée chanteuse. Et puis, elle seule savait faire des trilles presque dignes de ceux de la Callas.🐦

[@eberlinpascal2837]

@@brunopicaude3092 vous avez raison Je suis un peu trop dur car il y a des rôles dans lesquels je la trouve admirable : Alcina ,le Roi de Lahore ,Esclarmonde ,et elle a enregistré des airs d'opéras Français peu connus où sa virtuosité fait mouche. Et quoi qu'on en pense Elle possédait une technique remarquable .Et pour ses trilles ,c'est très vrai ,ils sont superbes ( Lucrezia Borgia l'air d'entrée et la cabalette de la scène finale).

[@KarlaMatus79]

I consider that everything has a moment and a place. I don’t think that opera singer of old school were wrong . All of them were an essential part in the singing’s evolutionary process. Also every singer and every voice was made with certain characteristics that it gives the ability to sing the operas and that doesn’t mean that they sing wrong. Dallas and Sutherland were great singers, but you can’t use it all time to make comparisons because both of them had voices and different techniques and specially a very personal vision about the way that we have to perform the master pieces. Callas almost always sang keeping the music score while Sutherland and his husband introduced someone variations. If you wanted remark the importance of legato maybe you could have searched examples of different types to edit the video whre you would have shown the voices singing since beginning of twenty century to our days. I don’t know if you are a musician or an opera critique, but my opinion is not based from the perspective of a fan if not as a musician. Huge from Managua, Nicaragua 🇳🇮

[@OperaMyWorld]

Its just you say!!! Old school skiped most of times Legato!!! Bravo Callas & Sutherland who mastered Legato...and not only!!!

[@ransomcoates546]

Ridiculous comment.

[@kboyer1]

You need to get over yourself dude......sutherland is not the end all

[@jasonhurd4379]

That's for sure

[@juansoriano7029]

I don 't know why you say old school is wrong way when is the right way to sing real and true opera. All those great singers in the past, didn't t use to sing in the masc and noise than today.

[@krowapaulinka4351]

I like both 💁‍♀️ depends on the singer and their approach and interpretation of the role.

[@JoanSutherlandFan]

I believe the message of Callas and Bel Canto is clear "No matter what it's, they should be legato". If you don't master this technique, you can't sing bel canto properly and I dare to say anything in fact.

[@neelsdp1]

Variety is the spice of life...

[@lucadigirolamo3732]

Sta di fatto che Callas e Sutherland hanno rivoluzionato il canto, altrimenti - eccettuata la Arangi Lombardi - eravamo ancora alle veriste o ai sopranini leggeri.

[@jimbuxton2187]

Legato= no articulation, gliding from one pitch to the next.

[@PeteBMan]

Maria mentions Bellini. He was nicknamed "the swan of Catania" for a reason. Chopin modeled his intricately woven legatos by remembering Vincenzo. This is why I detest verismo vocalists singing bel canto era works. Just too different but the converse isn't true. Reminds me of Beethoven speaking on Clementi and others. If you only know mozart, you still need to study Clementi whereas if you study Clementi, you needn't study the rest. Yes, I am paraphrasing however the point is made and the same goes for this video. Not to knock puccini around but there is a reason why his bohemian opera is sung ad nauseum instead of Beatrice di Tenda or La Straniera or Caterina Cornaro or Marino Faliero or even early Verdi such as Attila or Giovanna d'Arco. Some require such extraordinary talent and hardwork while the other requires hitting notes loudly.

[@80Mrmirko]

Per giustificare il modo di cantare della Sutherland dite che la vecchia scuola è sbagliata??? Ed inoltre fate sentire a ripetizione la voce della Callas ripetere legato…. Ahahahh il legato è legato stop. La vera differenza è che la vecchia scuola usava le risonanze di petto anche negli acuti, la voce era chiara, piena e potente con molte armoniche. Poi sono arrivate le galline chicchireggianti. Smettetela

[@ransomcoates546]

Muzio’s Violetta is absolutely wonderful. Sutherland was a joke in the part. One E flat and then y-a-w-n.

[@akzagianza9280]

maybe because he loved Joan Sutherland he could demean the old school. What you mentioned in the video are all great singers with perfect techniques. yes indeed Sutherland has very beautiful notes. But the singing technique is still below the singers mentioned in the video such as Caballe & Tetrazzini. they can produce pure and clear notes. a very developed voice. once again your judgment is wrong Mr. Soaris

[@lordanychdressince2408]

Tetrazzini and muzio both had legato. Don’t really understand the point you are trying make in this video. In fact, Sutherland sustains legato less often. An even tone is required throughout the registers for all legato singing. Sutherlands voice would die as it went down. Also bel canto singing does NOT mean sacrificing diction. Sutherland doesn’t produce words when she sings. Tetrazzini and muzio have perfect diction🤷

[@brunoantony3218]

Callas sang everything the same way, her Lucia sounded like her Brunhilde, her Norma sounded like her Tosca, etc. and vice versa. Her strident, less agile voice might serve Butterfly or Santuzza well, but not Lucia or Norma.

[@OperaMyWorld]

IGNORANT!!!

[@brunoantony3218]

OperaMyWorld another Callas widower heard from 😂

[@OperaMyWorld]

Bruno Antony Go to listen to Tebaldi and Scotto!!! Hahahahaha!!!! 👋

[@johnpickford4222]

Bruno Antony: Who in your self centered opinion was best at singing Norma or Lucia if Callas, per you,?wasn’t up to the task?

[@JoanSutherlandFan]

I quite agree with you, sometimes I wonder if am I listen Tosca or Leonora (Il Trovatore) singing? But I think this impressing comes from her uncontrolled weight and dark timbre and of course the minimum use of ornaments.

[@brrehusebye7298]

This a patetic way of explaining the legatosinging. Sutherland was an undeveloped dramatic soprano, her coloratura was pure nonsense.

[@johnpickford4222]

Boring Hussar: What a asshole comment to make. “Undeveloped dramatic soprano” and coloratura that was nonsense? And what do you base this on? Are you deaf in addition to stupid? That must it for there is no other reason to slam Sutherland. You are certainly ‘patetic’.

[@JoanSutherlandFan]

Arguments: 0; Courage to show ignorance: 10.

[@johnpickford4222]

Vini Soaris: Knowledge of singing: 0 Personality of an Ass: 10 Ego to match is Ass: Off the charts

[@fernandodc5146]

Holy nonsensense then !!