When I was asked to write an article on a “scholarly” Bel Canto topic from a masterclass standpoint, several thoughts rushed to my head. First, how very difficult it would be to put into writing that which relies on the participation of two people: a singer singing and input from a coach. It is great to read about style and technique, but it truly demands that a singer stand and try the suggestions made while trusted and experienced ears listen, correct and encourage. The other prominent thought that came to mind: I’m no scholar! All I can pass on to singers reading this article is what my professional career and associations have taught me. Reading is marvelous (and one can become “scholarly” by reading), but there is no substitute for hands-on experience in a live theater. With those particulars in mind, I will point out a few basic ingredients needed for singing Bel Canto repertoire, though not limited to that repertoire.
The Elusive Legato
Let us start with the all important and sorely lacking legato. I cannot stress strongly enough the importance of a seamless legato line. Literally, legato means tied or bound. (The infinitive of the verb is legare, which means to tie, to bind.) What must singers tie together? The notes. This can only be accomplished with the breath. When I ask singers what caused their legato to break, the blame usually falls on the consonants. Certainly consonants can interrupt legato, but only when they are sung incorrectly.
Is it possible to sing only on vowels and not sing legato? Yes, it is. One of two things may be happening. The first possibility is what I refer to as the pastry tube effect. If you have ever attempted to decorate a cake by using a hand-held cloth pastry bag, you will immediately understand what I mean. Frosting is placed in the tube and the end is folded over to keep the frosting in. Then begins the task of keeping the flow of frosting even with a gentle and constant pressure on the bag as the frosting exits the small end of the tube.
If the pressure applied is uneven, frosting splatters all over the cake, or the decoration becomes a thin line, or an air pocket occurs and there is a sudden hole in the desired stream of frosting. In singing, if the breath is not kept at an even, constant flow, dips or holes occur in the legato.
The second foreseeable problem in keeping a legato line while singing only on vowels is the actual formation of the vowels. If the vowels are not formed correctly and sung correctly, a bump occurs between them. The correct placement of vowels is essential and the smooth movement from one vowel to the next is crucial in obtaining a legato line.
A command of diction is important. It is also important to understand enough of the language so the accurate inflection of the words will be present when singing. Diction and inflection must be intertwined with legato singing. The inflection, or accents within words, and the ebb and flow of phrases, must be present for text to have meaning and color. Without this, the text is not only linguistically incorrect, it is also boring.
Appogiature and Acciaccature (Gesundheit!)
Now let us look at two frequently misunderstood embellishments—the appoggiatura and the acciaccatura. They remind me of fraternal twins: they belong to the same family and may have some similarities, yet may be very, very different. The appoggiatura and the acciaccatura are both embellishments and are both small notes written next to and slightly higher than the notes they are next to in the phrase. Therein end the similarities, unless you insist on pointing out the fact that both words begin with the letter “a,” both contain two sets of doubled consonants and both are five-syllable words.
In college theory class, these notes were referred to as grace notes. When I have asked singers to tell me the names of these notes they have overwhelmingly said “grace notes,” never mentioning their actual names and not knowing how to execute them in their musical contexts.
Both words are nouns, but I want us to look briefly at their verb forms. Appoggiare means to lean. Some musicians actually call an appoggiatura a leaning note and I admit that the term describes its action well.
Though there is more than one type of notation for appoggiature (plural of the singular noun appoggiatura), I only want to talk about one, for I believe this one is the most misunderstood. In the following examples, the appoggiature take the place of the note they are written next to.
Appoggiature are non-chordal tones. As such, theory rules of the era in which these works were written did not permit them to be written on the beat, therefore the appoggiature were written—as in these examples—above and next to the notes they replace. The above examples would be performed as follows:
Acciaccare is the verb form of the noun acciaccatura. It means to crush. When I think of something being crushed, I have a vision of a car put under a machine that turns it into scrap metal, or an elephant stepping on a watermelon. Neither of these images is the effect we strive for with acciaccature. Instead, think of a small chef’s knife with a very sharp blade crushing garlic cloves. (Do not envision a meat cleaver.) Much of the time the effect called for is a delicate one, though spicy is also a possibility. Finesse is a necessity. Note the following examples of acciaccature:
Observe the small note next to and slightly higher than the larger note. The smaller note has a slash through it, which indicates it is an acciaccatura. Is there ever an instance when a note will be an acciaccatura and have no slash? Yes. Is there ever an instance when a note will be an appoggiatura and have a slash? Yes. These instances will be very rare, however. You will be able to tell which is which from the context in which it appears. The text, the pitch, and the tempo will give you enough information to make the appropriate choice. Let us focus on the technical execution of an acciaccatura.
I suggest singers remember the following five characteristics to bring an acciaccatura to life:
1) It occurs before the beat.
2) It is unaccented.
3) It is light.
4) There must be a vowel on it and the note which follows it.
5) There must be an “h” between it and the note which follows it. If the acciaccatura is on the beat it is no longer an acciaccatura—it is an appoggiatura. If the acciaccatura is accented or heavy it loses its effect and may sound like an appoggiatura.
When I tell a singer this “h” is needed, I usually get a questioning look. One would think I had asked the singer to yodel. Singers really need to come to terms with “h,” an endearing letter of the alphabet and one that can serve singers well if properly executed. It must not be executed as a glottal stop, or as a silent “h” (no help at all), or as a sound formed at the back of the mouth and hurled at the listener. I mention these three examples because I have had these experiences with singers.
An “h” needs to be a focused and supported sound. The “h” gives the acciaccatura articulation and presence. The “h” is what makes the acciaccatura carry in a theater or concert hall. An acciaccatura is an embellishment, after all, and must be heard by the audience if it is to be effective.
Embellishing on Embellishments
Let’s turn to the purpose of embellishments. The word itself tells their purpose in music: to ornament, to elaborate, to enhance, to add to the meaning of the sung words.
Embellishments must express the emotions and thoughts going on in the music. Therefore, our acciaccature can be executed at various speeds. In the examples above, the cabaletta of Norina’s aria (ex. 4) would have quick acciaccature due to the tempo of the music and the meaning of the text. The acciaccature must express Norina’s spicy personality and thoughts on handling men. In contrast, the acciaccatura in Filippo’s aria (ex. 5) would be done slower, due to the tempo and due to the sorrow he feels. The same is true for the “Capuleti” example.
The example from Violetta’s aria (ex. 3) is usually executed as four sixteenth notes, which is incorrect. Not only did Verdi write the acciaccatura as the small note above and to the side of the note following, he put a slash through it and wrote the following three notes as a triplet. Take heed. This acciaccatura aptly expressed Violetta’s emotions at the time.
Do you recall the fourth characteristic of acciaccature that I asked you to remember? “There must be a vowel on the acciaccature and the next note.” Now look at example 4 from Don Pasquale. The acciaccatura is on the word “io” in the phrase “so anch’io.” I said both the acciaccatura and the following note need vowels. In this case beware. The “i” goes on the acciaccatura followed by an “h” and an “i” together on the D natural. The “o” in the word ‘io” should be on the second half of the D natural. If this word is sung as I usually hear—the “i” on the acciaccatura and the “o” on the D natural—the word stress is incorrectly pronounced and the acciaccatura will not be audible as such.
Scales, arpeggi, trills, gruppetti, and various rhythmical configurations, such as sextuplets (to name only one), are all examples of embellishments. Yet I often hear trills attempted that sound like one held note, scales and arpeggi that are not cleanly executed, and ornaments lacking rhythm.
All I have written about in the above paragraphs belong in a singer’s arsenal called technique. No matter what voice category you are in or what size voice you have, technique is not limited to knowing how to breathe and produce a tone. It also includes everything from legato to fast runs. All of this must be perfected before you sign your first operatic contract. Technique is to a vocal career what a foundation is to a house: it will hold it up.
All of the above—and much more—is needed to sing Bel Canto repertoire. They are part of the style of 19th and 20th century Italian composers. “Part” is the operative word here. This just scratches the surface of studying style. Take a look at the exercise books of Rossini, Rubini, Marchesi, to name only three, to see how the few ingredients spelled out in this article were studied long ago. Talk with your teachers and coaches about this. If you can master what we have gone through above and use it as a springboard for further study and development, then you are on your way to understanding and being able to express the composers’ styles—and on your way to being a Bel Canto artist.
