Where did you find these raps?

First off, where did you find this? Truthfully, I'm actually a big fan of Eminem's music, any other rap is kind of give or take. I guess that you were feeling violent after Monday's class, so you are externalizing it with this particular genre. 

FIRSTLY-- Vicenzo da Via Anfossi,

The song in general is pretty straightforward as far as the repetitive beat in the back, but he manages to make it interesting (of course) with the language. I can totally hear the doubled t's and l's as well as the z's. Besides his beard being really killer, the vowels that he produces are quite understandable, the song is simple enough that I can even understand a lot of the words even with my limited understanding of Italian.

SECOND ONE--

Well spoken Italian is anything but boring, it is very clear when he emphasizes the words the in the phrases, then where the rhymes coordinate in various phrases. He runs through some of the words and then, almost like a wave, stops and accents with the various doubles and stressed syllables. Another clear aspect of his speaking is the long vowels, words like "faccia". 

Thanks for sharing.

rasatura

Leo Nucci--

He is the easiest to love, not only does he seem the most natural, but he is also the most entertaining to watch. His notes come out in a very consistent tone throughout the high's and low's of his melodic interpretations.

Tito Gobbi--

The first thing I notice is the weirdness with his 'la's'. In addition to the [a] vowels throughout the piece being wholly inconsistent.  Also, it's easy to notice that a lot of the understandably more open o's become much more closed off. Some of the phrases aren't even sung.

Mario del Monaco--

One can't help but be amused by this singer and his unique style. His [a] vowels were really inconsistent during the la's. Overall, he tends to bark out a lot of the notes. I really would love to meet with the person who taught him his hand gestures and movements... but movements like that... may simple be impossible to teach.

From the Neapolitan Depths!

From the depth of her range to the upper limits, does her [a] vowel change?  What are the properties of her [a] vowel?  How are her ‘e’ and ‘o’ vowels? 

Though this video is probably not the most flattering representation of this woman's voice, Tucci, at times, has incredible consistency with her [a] vowels being bright and Italian sounding. When those sounds are on, they are so deep in her resonance as to illicit awe. However, when she gets to the lower notes in her range, sometimes her [a] gets darker and more covered. When it came to the 'e' and 'o' vowels they both sounded very open, which I assume is proper diction for those two vowels. I didn't detect the same amount of inconsistencies.

a

Notice how she sings so cleanly but there is an easy sense of what syllables are a part of multi syllabic words and what syllables are words themselves.  How does she achieve this?  Also, how are her double consonants?  Are her ‘o’s and ‘e’s generally open or closed?  Are her [a]s consistent?

In each phrase Galli-Curci sings through absolutely every note. When she sings multiple words, she groups them together, as a result, her diction is so very clear. All of her vowels are consistent that I could audibly observe. Every time she nails the at notes at the top, they sound free and open. She cheats the rhythm a bit to get all the words out, but she has a very clear and concise denotation of her tempi. Her double consonants are subtly incredible: there isn't necessarily a hardened double stop, like one might observe in a lesson, or something of the like. Instead, they sound very natural, and, though the double is always noticeable, I am not drawn away from the words or the phrases.

Generally, the singing of Neapolitan songs is male dominated.  My theory is that the style of Neapolitan singing was always considered a bit brutal for females in the past – not refined enough.  Can you tell a difference in the style Galli-Curci incorporates as opposed to that of some of the men we’ve heard? 

A major audible difference in Galli-Curci's song, in contrast with the men we've heard thus far (except for Pavarotti) the words are so legato and flexible. The sound doesn't sound heavy, pressed, or forced; I can't imagine that it would be difficult for an audience to fall in love with this very free sound. As she sings, there aren't any times when I'm wondering if she's going to make it to the end of the phrase, as her breaths and vocalizations are extremely consistent.

Tiers of singing...

5 examples (not having to do with the quality of the voice but rather just with diction and musical style) which make one preferable to the other. There is a lot to say about what Pavarotti does.  What do you hear?

1. Every [r] that is rolled sung by Pavarotti is so clean and clear, even the soft ones.  The other singer, in contrast, doesn't roll his r's with the same pronouncement or ferocity. 

2. Some words, like "risplende" sung by Tosti have some what of a diphthong in them, while Pavarotti's express a very pure vowel. 

3. The doubled consonants expressed by Pavarotti are very pronounced and easily noticable, while Tosti's sound almost doubled in some places, but the excitement in which Pavarotti sings them makes the words much more interesting to my ear.

4. The vowels of Tosti tend to be a little darker, especially the [a] vowels. As a result, Pavarotti's bright a's ring more in my ear and sound more italian.

5. The consonants of Tosti tend to be more pronounced than Pavarotti's. For example, Tosti's [t]'s are very t sounding, while Pavarotti's sound almost like a [d].

[e] and [o]

How do Joyce’s [e] and [o] vowels differ from Gigli’s?

Gigli's [e] and [o] vowels are very open, they sound very natural. His vowels are consistently open and similar. On the other hand, Joyce's vowels are closed. In the context of this piece her [e] vowels are not necessarily consistent, as some of them definitely sound more open, but in general they are closed. Sometimes, her [o] vowels even sound like "oooh's".

Well, better late than never!

These are two virtuosic arias and both of these low voices are pushed to their upper limits.  Do you recognize how these two men deal with the singing of their vowels differently?  Do they sound the same in terms of diction (also some to do with their approach to their vocalism)? 

Do you catch either not doubling a doubled consonant or rolling a flipped ‘r’ or flipping a rolled ‘r’?   

Ferruccio Furlanetto--

Another Italian, Ferruccio Furlanetto, jumped out iwth the word "sottile" which didn't have a double t. His rolled r's were great, however. On the word, "orecchie" the consonants weren't as stopped as I would expect to hear, but the tempo of the aria might not allow for such a pronounced expression. The word "bocca" didn't have much noticeable stops. The word "schiamazzo" didn't sound doubled much either. Cannone, raddoppia--not doubled. "calunniato" had a gn in it when he said it. None of the ll's seemed doubled either, but it is hard to tell with l's. The diction is so different with him in comparison with Aldo. His vowels, overall, are much darker.  He also wore himself out with his gestures and what sounded pressed(?); when he gets into the allegro section he starts barking a little bit.  Finally, he was singing some interesting pitches at time, even the last note seemed a few cents off. 

Aldo Protti--

This very Italian looking man has incredible tone and resonance. HIs rolled r's and double consonants were superb in his rendition of Si Puo. The stamina involved in producing this quality a performance is remarkable. His acting isn't too bad either. He really tells the story, and one can definitely tell he is very familiar with the language and the story. His high notes, in contrast to his low notes, sound very consistent in their production and quality. His 'a' vowels seemed bright at points, and overall I didn't detect any problems with doubling, rolled or flipped r's.

They do not sound the same, though the are both low voices, their expressions and vocalisms are completely in different places and with somewhat different diction.

In Poverta?

Notice, their double consonants and how they're treated. This is a huge thing in Italian and you’ve really got to work hard to understand how double consonants sound.  They’re responsible for a lot of the rhythm and flavor of the language.  Also notice how these two connect syllables by portamento - sliding. Also, notice what they do with it comes to the words "In poverta". What is the difference?

 These two do a brilliant job of making the syllables sound like words.  How are they doing it?

Giuseppe di Stefano

Really, this Tenor has a fabulous sound-- after listening to the entire video, however, the highest note sounded uncharacteristic from the rest of the gorgeous aria. I really love the way he lyricizes each phrase.  

The way that both singers make the syllables sound like words is by using word stress, and holding vowels longer, almost 'cheating' the rhythm a bit to make out more of the Italian and the words.

Carlo Bergonzi

His a vowels do sound darker in comparison to di Stefano. And when it comes to the words "in poverta" it is very obvious the difference. Carlo sings almost straight through this phrase, while Giuseppe di Stefano makes stops and lingers on the last part of the word the 'ta' of poverta, and really makes something out of the word. Also, Carlo goes off pitch at the end... sadly. 

Scotto o Freni?

 Please write on your own blog any observations you might have.  Your observations can be that you like one over the other but please say why that might be. 

Renata Scotto diction seems to have the brighter a vowels of the two. Her high notes in the second minute sound a little squeaky for my tastes, however. Sometimes, especially when she's going to take a big breath, she will hunch up her shoulders really high as well.

MIrella Freni's a vowels are a the darker of the two, I think. Her high notes also seem freer, and perhaps a little less strained. Freni's mouth certainly comes open more vertically, that is a very noticeable difference.

I definitely like Mirella Freni better, though Scotto is singing with Pavarotti (a huge pull for me) I just enjoy Freni's sound better. To be honest, it is difficult to tell the difference in vowels, but it is clear that  Scotto's higher notes sound more pinched.

To heaven and Bach again!

Notice how in vocalises her vibrato continues to work. She does tend to darken a bit as she reaches toward and into her chest voice and lighten a bit as she ascends. Do you mind this? Do you think she needs to? Does it work? What else do you notice?

I really love the darker tone in her middle notes, but when she ascends and her tone is lighter, I do find myself questioning if this is necessary. I don't find her singing hard on the ears at all, however, I think that continuity of tone is important. I don't think she needs to change her color in those ways, though It sounds very effective. One glaring thing I noticed about her singing was that in some moving notes her tone had no vibrato in some spots. I wouldn't do that in a performance, but then, I don't have enough experience to say it is wrong or right, I just know I get more vocally tired more quickly when my tone is without vibrato.

Furthermore, notice his flawless sense of legato and how each sound is connected in every way to the previous sound. Vibrato? Lastly, try to figure out how he sings so sincerely.

Yes, this man's Nerdiness is quite astounding in it's complexity. However, I really enjoy his singing, it is so sincere in its nature and the legato is very apparent.

Where does the pressure go?

 The second video is of a young singer called Paul Wilt at Rice University. He’s not a bad singer but can you tell that the voice in his lower register is different than in his higher register? Can you hear the difference in vowels?

As Thomas Allen's singing is consistent throughout his performance, with some of Paul Wilt's ascending lines his vowels get more shallow, while others grow overly dark at the very top in his attempt to follow the tonal center of the ascending pitches. Words such as "Heather", "Shade", "Spoken" don't sound consistent with the notes in his lower register, and are seemingly different it seems in production and tone.

Compare that with a version by someone called Bernice Ehrlich. What happens when she’s faced with upward arching phrases?

Though I don't have much experience listening with soprano's voices, it seems like Ehrlich isn't supported as much as the previous singer. Her pitch seems to wobble at any range. As a result of her less supported singing, when she follows the upper higher high notes the seem to float and are not entirely on the voice in comparison to her lower notes. In addition she is sliding most of her notes which makes it seem like she can't get up to the higher notes without sliding.