[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.

Anderson & Presley

By the way, there is one big thing that makes her singing old fashioned in this recording (to my ears). What is it?

Though some of Marian's diphthongs in words seemed very deliberate some of her diphthongs were somewhat elongated in the word "sometimes". It sounded somewhat like, "Someti-eems" Every time she uttered this word, the contrast in diction from the word "sometimes" and her iteration were quite astounding. The only things that I really detected was this word and extremely dark vowels. 

In what ways is he doing the same things as Marian Anderson?

Well, Elvis Presly definitely doesn't exhibit the same english diction that Marian Anderson. However, he seems "bear" the note quite nicely when he slides to notes in the phrase "love me sweet" and at the end "I love you". Also, he has a pretty noticeable southern twang that I detect very minutely in Marian Anderson's rendition of "Sometimes I feel like a motherless child".