Melocchi vs LoMonaco: Comparing Two Operatic Singing Techniques

[@matthewwithers1185]

I study with someone who was trained by Lomonaco, had a great career. In his studio we actually do a combination of Lomonaco and Melocchi exercises. It has really opened up the voice to a level I didn’t know was possible.

[@lucabernard489]

nonsense. Release means unobstructed airflow. It doesn’t mean as much airspeed as possible. LoMonaco had the most profound knowledge of anyone of the voice. Everyone should acknowlegde that instead of inventing new methods which haven’t and won’t produce any results.

[@ArturoMelocchiAcademy]

@@lucabernard489Airflow is naturally "obstructed" by the vocal cords that close to produce sound so it's physiologicaly impossible to have unobstructed airflow in singing. I imagine you are not talking about the Melocchi method which created one of the greatest singers in the history of opera.

[@lucabernard489]

@@ArturoMelocchiAcademyI mean only obstructed by the vocal chords. Thank you

[@1UShawn]

​@@ArturoMelocchiAcademy As a knowledgeable person about the Lomonaco approach, I can only assume you are missinformed about what it truly is and you will be amazed and changed your mind about it if you were to fully grasp it but unfortunatly only a small portion of people did. First there was Stanley, then Lomonaco and at last Jeremiah Silver. Although I saw you claimed that Douglas Stanley didn't have real result to show for and I guess you mean the same about the others of the same lineage, I can only beg to differ. As much as I respect Melocchi and admire his approach I think it is far more similar to the Lomonaco approach as someone might think; there are many crossings. Second as generation goes each next generations of the approach always had a decline in quality. How many students of Melocchi really master the approach and understood the genuis of his work? Del Monaco, Limarilli and Venturi? I mean Stanley had countless pupil that were just as great. Lomonaco with Hadley alone rest his case. Then there was the students of Marcello Del Monaco that already started to lose in quality and already students of students (third generation) were almost complet shit... Which leaves to wonder where did you learn the approach yourself and when did you become an expert on the authentic Melocchi approach. On top of all this, the Lomonaco approach had had great results with all voice type from man and woman. I am sure Melocchi himself did but none of the pupil have learned to teach the woman voice properly, Marcello included ( with all due respect). It seems to me logical to assume that a technic that incorporates nuances, equilibrium and work just as well with all voice type is a proof of the complexity and finest of one's approach. In other words, It is not just chest voice and low larynx, otherwise anyone could do it. To recapitulate the message here: First, Melocchi was great. Then, Lomonaco was equilly great. Also, each passing generation after Melocchi lost quality from the original teaching until the third generation where it goes from total crap to not bad (but nothing compare to Del monaco). Second important point is: Who are you, where did you learn the Melocchi approach, who taught you, for how many years, did he specificly trained you to become a teacher, did he explained the theory behind all the exercise. You get the point. In short, what are your credential that allow you to claim to understand well enough both technics and judge one superior. And third point, it is all about chest and low larynx. Lomonaco was never about getting breathy or encouraging subglotal pressure. To end on a positive note, we are on the same side of the battle here, we shouldn't fight about this. All we want is to find great voices back and end this head voice squeaky tenor crap. So let's unite because both Lomonaco and Del Monaco were amazing singers.

[@lucabernard489]

There are much more benefits to develop the falsetto. First of all, all great singers had it strong. Secondly, it stretches the vocal chords, which is very healthy. Thirdly it strenghtens the CT muscle which gives an efficient vibration (ellongated chords). CT is also responsible for pitch change, so it makes sense to strenghen ity 4. Fasletto gives the sensation of release (unobstructed airflow). 5. It allows for the correct onset, which is NOT the glottal attack. In fact you can train that onset on an open throat without any constrictive tension from the TA. So yes, falsetto is extremely important for vocal development and you should do it with your students too.

[@ArturoMelocchiAcademy]

@@lucabernard489 Just wanted to point out that it wasn't used by the great singers that I mentioned in the video (Corelli, Del Monaco, Cecchele, Titta Ruffo and so on) and it isn't part of the Melocchi method.

[@lucabernard489]

Ok. May I ask you what documents you possess to reconstruct the Melocchi method?

[@ArturoMelocchiAcademy]

@@lucabernard489 I have studied the method with direct students of Marcello del Monaco and Mario del Monaco who both studied with Arturo Melocchi.

[@lucabernard489]

@@ArturoMelocchiAcademy ok. I’m glad for you and I support the attempt to reconstruct the understanding! Melocchi was clearly a great teacher. He went for clear vowel, register development, right vibrato ect. But it will be difficult to truly understand the melocchi method if all we have is the student of the student. Mario and Marcello didn’t have great success as teachers, and neither did their students to my knowledge.

[@ArturoMelocchiAcademy]

@@lucabernard489 I invite you to read my blog if you want to learn more about the method. In the Melocchi technique we don't use the terms register development, clear vowels and so on. Mario and Marcello del Monaco were teachers of the greatest singers of the XX century like Gianfranco Cecchele, Nicola Martinucci, Silvano Carroli, Gastone Limarilli, Giuseppe Giacomini, Angelo Mori, Robert Kerns, Amadeo Zambon, Maurizio Frusoni and many others. They sang in the best theatres of the world like Teatro La Scala, The Metropolitan, Covent Garden, Wiener Staatsoper and so on. If you consider these singers bad then we don't have anything to talk about.

[@tinkerwithstuff]

That Melocchi clip does not demonstrate that they never did falsetto exercises - there's not much point in showing it for this? Not even the full hour or whatever clip that's elsewhere does that. It may depend on the stage of vocal development how much that's done - I'm not 100% sure. The idea of "developing both registers to turn them into one" seems rather old, though, it's not an invention of LoMonaco or Stanley.

[@ArturoMelocchiAcademy]

As a student and teacher in the direct lineage of the Melocchi school, I can tell you that no one in this tradition trained in falsetto-not Del Monaco, not Corelli, not Giacomini, no one.

[@tinkerwithstuff]

LoMonaco = Singing _on the breath,_ too! His (or descendant's) students that came to you must have been confused about this admittedly counterintuitive terminology. "Release" there means _not blocking_ the air _in the throat_ by any scqueezing, scraping, pinching whatever, especially notable the _valsalva maneuver_ that kicks in easily as a reflex to effort. The direct clue that they cannot possibly mean just letting lose and not singing on the breath lies in the incredible emphasis on _pushing the belly out_ and when vibrating towards the slightly higher pitch during vibrato, esp. on higher notes where you need more of it, pushing outwards even more (periodically, with the vibrato) to _compensate more_ the increased need to keep the aiways open and not let the deep openness collapse even a tiny bit. And let me add - just listen to the Tom LoMonaco concerts and the earlier clips of more opera material (and his brother Jerome, too!). He certainly should have been quite audible, lol. The tendency of keeping the abdomen outwards is also mentioned by Jerome Hines in his books, as something that most of the greats said they did.

[@ArturoMelocchiAcademy]

As I mentioned in the video, the instruction to 'release the breath' often leads to either a breathy sound or increased subglottic pressure. It would be more effective to instruct the student to 'release the sound,' thereby avoiding any unvocalized breath being 'released.' The breath shouldn't be released, but converted to sound in the larynx. This is the "leaning the sound on the vocal cords" that Franco Corelli and Giangiacomo Guelfi used to speak about. In the Melocchi school, the primary focus is on the laryngeal level. Until the throat is open, there's no point in attempting to engage the abdomen, as this would only create unnecessary tension in the body. Once the vocal apparatus is developed, the singer naturally finds the correct balance of release and hold in the breathing system.

[@zaitounlouis8400]

The difference between . « sull fiato » and « col fiato »is really interesting!!! I had lessons with a lot of teacher including italian old school tenor, and a famous Lomonaco lineage teacher. And i felt really the difference of approach. I remember from Piero Visconti’s lessons « Ferma la laringeeee!!!! » . What we call « breath stop » or « no leak of air » is taught in italie by the few old singers i saw… « sull fiato » in the sens of vocal cords which are staying close on the breath. Thanks for this crucial information which made a lot of sens in my head 🎉

[@zaitounlouis8400]

In an other hand, for the discussion about « did the mellochis student integrate falsetto to their exercise », i think i heard a video of Del Monaco saying that he were using sometimes intensely Mellochis technique for one month, then he were switching to lighter exercises for the cords which include falsetto. Îm not sure i’ll find the link. In an other part i assume that Gigli were using falsetto for work (i honestly don’t know), he was not a Mellochi student but he was one of the bests…

[@zaitounlouis8400]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJiUk319Zpedo9Usi=KiKv4cefnnfBb3WQ

[@zaitounlouis8400]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJiUk319Zpedo9Usi=KiKv4cefnnfBb3WQ (i correct he is speaking about working on « profondita » with mellocchi / and care more about « altezza » while he searched too much in the other direction, to balance. No mention of falsetto work