When Developing a UNIQUE voice goes WRONG

Adding character and color to the voice is such a crucial part of being an operatic performer. However, many singers try to add character before the muscles of their voice are fully developed. This can cause distortions in the voice that limit the power of the voice, and cause damage over time.
Here is a video that takes two extremely talented, but underdeveloped singers and compares them to Jussi Björling and Robert Merrill in Bizet's "Au fond du temple saint" from Les pêcheurs de perles.
All the singers in this video have naturally beautiful voices. It is just that Björling and Merrill both had training that enhanced the natural beauty of their voices, while the other two had training that introduced constrictions that distorted their voices.
Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.

[@omarsomehow69]

Merrill and Tebaldi are superb here

[@evan-dunn]

Definitely!

[@SteveL2012]

Tebaldi, of course! ❤❤❤❤❤

[@evan-dunn]

Who else?!?!

[@SteveL2012]

The first tenor can only be the choked refrains of Jonas Kaufmann-like Domingo with a bad cold and hernia. Not sure who the Baritone is.

[@evan-dunn]

@@SteveL2012 Beautiful instruments that get distorted with harmful technique 😭

[@bradycall1889]

2:01 Yeah one of my favorite things about Robert Merrill has always been his clarity.

[@evan-dunn]

For sure! Too easy ❤

[@bradycall1889]

@@evan-dunn I know right?

[@ElyWill]

Wow! Excellently done and informative. This isn’t spoken about enough. You do it in a respectful and educational manner. I am thrilled to have found your channel. My opera teacher says I have a big, round and opulent voice so I’m trying to strengthen it and grow. Right now vibrato is sadly non existence but I am only 7 months in to casually training it 😅. So far, I’m told it’s dark, velvety and has a dramatic quality with huge range for a female. With the hoards of opera/classical singing channels, it’s hard not to get sucked into comparison, unnecessary criticism, and unclear technique. I’m an aspiring opera singer for my own self improvement😂. This is gold! I can really tell the differences in the male voices. There’s a stripped down and raw beauty to the proper technique by Bjorling and Merrill. The female I cannot guess, but I can hear she also soars beautifully in her natural voice. I am so excited to see more of your videos. I’ve learned a good bit of nuance already when it comes to opera singing. Your videos aren’t just helpful to learn but encouraging the art of music for each unique individual!

[@evan-dunn]

Thank you so much for your kind words and I am so happy you are enjoying your singing lessons. It is so important to me that my students (and others in the opera world) learn how to critique in a positive way. It helps to grow the opera world, and hopefully do it with more kindness. Keep finding joy in your singing and subscribe and share this video with anyone you think it might help. Have a lovely day!

[@olofholm8612]

Thank you for this very informative comparision!

[@evan-dunn]

You're so welcome! I'm glad you found it interesting.

[@jimbuxton2187]

I really liked the side by side comparisons. The correct postitions were more natural. Of course in the world of opera there are all these" color your voice, or find a different color " mixed vowels can make the tonal color more consistent but must be done in a way that is not perceived. I do take issues with the word constricted. If a voice was constricted it would be painful to listen to.....straight toned stiff, chocked, strangulated, colorless. I would rather say tight. Which is a much less intense term.

[@evan-dunn]

Thanks for your support! Eckhart Tolle talks about how words can never capture the truth, they only point us to the truth. I don't think that means that words aren't important, because choosing words carefully can help my students or confuse them. However, I try to remember that a word that is helpful for me or some of my students, won't be helpful for all of my students. We all think about words differently! So if one my students doesn't react well to the word "constriction," I can find other ways of describing the same thing!

[@Bravilor]

The ending of the Tebaldi aria in that recording (not heard here) is ecstatic. Actually in part thanks to the imperfect sound which makes the percussion sound more desperate! kzbin.info/www/bejne/rYDOYYeLaZKjh6M&ab_channel=adolfocagorno Would have liked to hear how long the applause went on for.

[@danielhanson3200]

You should create a blog or webpage, describing the terms you and Jeremy use. Improper dark = fake dark, woofy, hollow. Not sure yet what thick is. Warren's voice has been described as thick. Throaty I interpret as ingolata.

[@evan-dunn]

I do have a chart I use for my students as they learn language to describe technique. There are certainly many different ways to describe a singer. Ultimately, the best way to define a word, is whichever word will help my student make a balanced chiaroscuro sound! But you are right, it is helpful for us to define our terms as best we can!

[@michaelpapadopoulos5450]

Jonas and Dmitri 😢

[@evan-dunn]

😭

[@operaanimelover369]

03:58 I believe that is Renata Tebaldi.

[@evan-dunn]

😍🤩😭

[@operaanimelover369]

@@evan-dunn Cheers, my good man. Leonora di Vargas was one of my favorite Verdi roles sung by Tebaldi next to Desdemona.

[@evan-dunn]

@@operaanimelover369 Thanks! I love her in everything . . . 😅

[@draganvidic2039]

@@evan-dunn Almost underrated nowadays but SHE could sing…😍

[@evan-dunn]

@@draganvidic2039 Isn't that crazy?! They say, "she sang flat on a few high notes as she aged, she must be a horrible singer!" and I'm like. . . . 🤷‍♂

[@danielhanson3200]

Snarl/snarly? Sounds kind of funny in this context of operatic singing.

[@evan-dunn]

🤣

[@Jake-nk4wg]

Thank you for sharing your immense knowledge so freely... introducing us to really great voices from the past. 🙂🙂🙂🙂

[@evan-dunn]

My pleasure! Learning and teaching about the voice is my greatest pleasure. I'm glad you found it helpful!

[@bradycall1889]

Back then, baritones sounded a variety of ways, both dark and heavy (like Ruffo and MacNeil, my two favorite baritones) and light and bright (such as Battistini and Robert Merrill). Not that lyric baritones are expected to sound as light and bright as spinto, lyric, or grazia tenors, and they should have plenty of chest participation and lots of warmth or "bass" in the voice, but they shouldn't sound woofy. Robert Merrill is a perfect example of this. Unfortunately, a lot of lyric baritones these days and dramatic tenors pretending to be baritones think they need to sound extremely dark and heavy to sound like a baritone and sing woofy these days. They want to sound like a dramatic baritone of some sort, but they fail doing so.

[@evan-dunn]

That is a really interesting point. And I think you were alluding to this so hopefully I'm not misunderstanding. There are certainly many different timbres, but darkness in the voice is never woofy! Every opera singer should sing dark. People don't like that statement now, but that is because they think of darkness as woofiness. But a properly developed voice has all the darkness and all the clarity. (easier said than done as you know!) 😆

[@bradycall1889]

@@evan-dunn It depends on what you mean by "darkness" because there's multiple different versions of the same term. But of course, in my own definition, all great opera singers have at least some of it. Some of course have more of it than others, which is why I don't say it's safe to say that all opera singers should sing "dark." But all of the great ones had at least some darkness in the voice during the Golden Ages. People nowadays may sing with a light vocal weight but also in a dark timbre but not a good kind of dark, but a different kind of dark. When I called lyric baritones actually "light and bright" I only meant relative to other baritones. They're not as light and bright as people think when they hear the term "lyric." I'm just saying that some baritones sounded different than others back in the day because they all sang naturally (even though opera singing isn't 100% natural you've got to lower your larynx a little bit but it should be primarily natural). But now they're almost the same: Woofy, whether dramatic, lyric, or perhaps not even a true baritone at all. That's because people sang naturally back then. Baritones are supposed to be dark, but like dark in a way in which the vowels are distorted.

[@evan-dunn]

@@bradycall1889 Good point!

[@lisaszxu1961]

@@evan-dunn A baritone who sounds deep but unclear needs to go to the hospital for an abdominal expansion surgery. Haha. Nowadays, people go astray from the very first note they practice. They are influenced by the poor singers of the past half-century and start by emphasizing oral and nasal resonance. The muscles above their vocal cords are very tense and strained. So, they start off incorrectly, and these mistakes get amplified year after year. As a result, they can't produce the sound of Robert Merrill, and instead, they think his baritone is too light and lacks resonance. This marks the beginning of the decline of Italian bel canto. Achieving the sound of Robert Merrill is actually very simple.

[@evan-dunn]

@@lisaszxu1961 Exactly right! Thanks for your comment!

[@thepikapikachu119]

Tebaldi is the last one? 👀

[@evan-dunn]

Nailed it!

[@bradycall1889]

Is the last singer perhaps Callas or is it Sutherland?

[@evan-dunn]

It is Renata Tebaldi!

[@bradycall1889]

@@evan-dunn Oh okay!

[@stefanodallasen796]

La Tebaldi, inconfondibile

[@bradycall1889]

0:25 Let me guess: Jonas Kaufmann. Either way, this man indeed sounds woofy.

[@evan-dunn]

Sad to see a beautiful voice go that way with unhealthy training!

[@bradycall1889]

@@evan-dunn Yeah and he does have some good in his voice nowadays but it could be much, much better.

[@bradycall1889]

@@evan-dunn Indeed lots of people these days sing with the tongue pulled back and the larynx forced down, unfortunately, no matter which voice type.

[@evan-dunn]

​@@bradycall1889 Thanks for your comment! The tongue is a little more complicated than that. It is definitely possible to sing with the tongue pressing down the throat, and that will cause pressure on the larynx. And I agree with you that many singers do that. However, if the tongue relaxes back and wide, it opens up the pharynx. So there can be issues with the tongue pulling back, but it is just as much an issue to sing with the tongue pulling forward which pulls up on the larynx and closes the throat.

[@evan-dunn]

@@bradycall1889 All sorts of constrictions and tongue tensions have become normalized and even desirable for most teachers!

[@JohnSmith-lk8cy]

Yes, first one is a miss piggy sound. Quite a few singers sound a bit like miss piggy! I have been listening and attending opera for about three years now and I know what I like. I am always amazed that people clap enthusiastically when I think the singer sounds just awful. Sometimes when the soprano is about to reach a high note and I know it's gonna be bad I put my fingers subtly in my ears. Some sopranos need to do a sort of wind up to reach a high note. Like I saw The magic flute at Glydbourne on Thursday and the soprano that sang Queen of the night did that. OUCH! Aleksandra Olczyk it was.

[@evan-dunn]

I know!!! Singing is sooooo hard.

[@th.k.3116]

First tenor is Jonas Kaufmann 😉

[@evan-dunn]

@@th.k.3116 🤷‍♂

[@YordánDomínguezPérez]

The great Renata Tebaldi, Pace pace mio Dio, La Forza del Destino

[@evan-dunn]

Amazing, isn't she???

[@lisaszxu1961]

You are absolutely right. Nowadays, baritones and tenors cannot sing the natural midrange of the human voice. They often use breath above the vocal cords directed towards the lower chest, emphasizing oral and nasal resonance to enhance midrange resonance, or increasing throat pressure, which is incorrect. However, for over half a century, people have increasingly pursued unnatural resonance and vibrato to showcase their professionalism as singers. This has strayed far from singing, which should express natural emotions rather than being slaves to the notes. Caruso’s midrange and high notes are prime examples of this, where naturalness and authenticity are paramount

[@evan-dunn]

That is such a perfect explanation of the topic! Thanks for sharing. And yes . . . CARUSO 😍. Are you a singer yourself, or a fan?

[@lisaszxu1961]

@@evan-dunn Hello, it's a pleasure to see your channel. I completely agree with your viewpoints. I am a tenor. I have studied opera singers for over half a century. Watching great singers like Caruso disappear, now most people (95%) use incorrect singing techniques. They are influenced by the three major tenors. Although they seem to understand diaphragmatic breathing, when they sing the first note, their breath is already above the vocal cord level. This makes it impossible and gives no chance to produce the natural, beautiful voice as described in your channel. People nowadays don't understand that breathing and breath support are completely different. To support breath, you must have a space in your body that can hold a large amount of air. The problem is that people today don't exercise their abdomens to store air. Thank you for discussing the art of singing with you. I will continue to watch your channel in the future. Greetings from Tokyo, and my respects to you!" If there's anything else you'd like to add or adjust, feel free to let me know!

[@evan-dunn]

@@lisaszxu1961 I'm so glad you are here and can contribute to our knowledge with your history! I feel confident that a combined effort can bring back the tradition of opera we love!

[@lisaszxu1961]

@@evan-dunn Thank you for your kind answer. Yes, we can't allow the great art of opera to wither away more and more by amateurs who don't know how to sing. I want the world to prove that the right singing technique, if mastered, can be sung no matter whose singing style, no matter the tenors. Caruso, Gigli, monaco, sounds like that, with the right approach, can be mastered and sung. Your channel spreads a lot of the right concepts, I only took a look at your production, very professional. If possible, copy your dialogue in the song introduction column so that I can translate it and understand it all at once. Otherwise, I want to see, to accurately understand the meaning, must take all the pictures in English, convert them into English, look carefully, because, singing technology, some must understand the connotation of knowledge, not the usual translation, the average person can understand. I translate pictures into text and then translate, which is very slow. If possible, type it in the introduction. It doesn't matter, we are all in this line of work, basically can understand your meaning. Thank you very much!

[@bradycall1889]

Exactly, unfortunately.

[@Garwfechan-ry5lk]

Kaufmann has a voice full of Phlegm

[@evan-dunn]

It's so sad to hear a gifted voice get distorted with technical issues. 😭

[@Garwfechan-ry5lk]

@@evan-dunn Yes a Good Vasectomy is required on his throat! , I visited Covent Garden in 2014 , if I am correct and saw him in Andrea Chenier, I was with my father who was then 96 Years old, in the past he had interviewed people like Martinelli Gigli Lauri Volpi Melchior and had seen all of these people in Opera in London pre war. We left after Madelon had sung her piece, I asked him why we are leaving, he said she is the BEST singer on show, I asked about Kaufmann he said everything his from his throat, he was not even able to carry to our box he exclaimed, he would never have sung in the Garden Pre War , he said I have had enough! Opera is dead. That is true, my Grandfather had been a leading Tenor in the Chorus at the Garden from 1909 till 1940, he had sung in Opera's with the likes of Caruso Slezak Zenatello Martinelli Taccani Bonci Melchior Gigli Zanelli Lauri Volpi and many many more including Bjorling and he lived long enough to hear the likes of Domingo and Pavarotti and the Not "Great Caruso" Mario Lanza he said that Caruso was in another universe to ALL other Tenors in every part of his voice, he went to his Death Bed with that. I do wonder what my Grandfather would have said about Kaufmann? . I know he would have sworn in Cymric for that was his first Language. Diolch yn fawr i chi, Nos da

[@evan-dunn]

@@Garwfechan-ry5lk 😯 Woah! What an amazing history. I hope to bring some more of that beautiful technique to the operatic stages. Thanks for sharing and commenting!

[@losfeliz3485]

Kaufmann's a faux tenor

[@evan-dunn]

Thanks for your comment! When a voice is distorted with tension, it is hard to know how the real voice sounds. People often say a dark tenor is really a baritone because they hear the squeezed/throaty tension that sounds "dark." But that isn't actual darkness. This singer's voice sounds dark because of a technical issue, not because his voice is naturally like that. So I don't think we can go as far as to say what voice type he is based off his technical problems. Whether he is a tenor or a baritone is almost irrelevant. More importantly, he is an underdeveloped singer. Once the technical issues are addressed, the right voice type will shine through! Hope that makes sense! 😆

[@p.w.e.2374]

@@evan-dunn I mean, he was a baritone at one time, yes? Then the record labels said "you're so handsome, let's make you a tenor!"

[@evan-dunn]

​@@p.w.e.2374 That could've happened! But like my most recent video, there are videos of him younger, where his voice was much clearer (still with some technical issues!) but sounding like a lyric tenor.

[@stone301]

He’s a lyric tenor. His old technique was slightly too small. His current technique is unnaturally trying to be large. His real voice is somewhere in between

[@evan-dunn]

@@stone301 I tend to agree!