Thirty years ago, shortly after I became Music Director of the Oratorio Society of New York, I and my Music Committee became concerned about how
frequently the singers we auditioned for potential soloists were poorly prepared for oratorio repertoire. Just a little later, the Annual Solo Competition began, and this year will be our 28th competition. The competition was established to encourage singers to spend more time and study on their oratorio repertoire.
Over the years, we have been delighted to see an improvement in the presentation of the oratorio repertoire. I remember so well in my early years with the Society the striking difference between the presentation of an oratorio aria and an opera aria. The latter was invariably memorized and honed to a fine degree. The former was frequently not very well prepared and often not really sung into the individual’s voice. I occasionally felt that the singer was sometimes surprised at what they saw when they turned the page!
The problems most often encountered were choice of repertoire for appropriateness to the singer’s voice, and that elusive matter of style. I would have to think that there really are Fachs for oratorio repertoire as well as for opera. Another elusive aspect: Many singers can sing certain parts of an oratorio role, but they cannot really manage the entire role.
Many of our music schools and colleges spend very little time with their students on oratorio, and therefore many singers do not even know what is available in the repertoire. Most frequently, singers choose the works they sing because they love the beautiful music. Everyone agrees that the Verdi Requiem is wonderful music to listen to as well as to sing. There are just not that many voices that should sing that work, however, and singers do a disservice to themselves in presenting for audition works that are not appropriate for their voices.
Recently I heard a high mezzo who offered the “Agnus Dei” by Bach and was unable to cope with the low passages, which offer such a challenge. The other works she offered were not quite so challenging, but they also highlighted areas of vocalism that she could not yet present successfully. I then asked for some opera arias appropriate for her voice, which she could sing very successfully
Another misjudgment comes to mind with the fabulously talented bass who sang “Mache dich mein Herze rein” from the St. Matthew Passion, one of the most gorgeous arias in the repertoire. It was sung so slowly (and vocally beautifully) that it lasted forever. He could never have even listened to a recording of it, much less considered that he should not have given the eighth note the beat. Just a few words could have created a great difference.
The matter of style is much more elusive. Many times is it easier to tell someone what is wrong than to tell them how to approach something correctly. (I’m the first to admit that correctness of style is a very subjective matter.) To me, Bach for the voice should be first approached as if it were an instrumental piece, with an evenness of tone quality and clearly defined passagework. I certainly don’t mean the use of aspirated “h’s” in order to articulate. Parenthetically, I have never heard a singer from Germany or Austria who uses “low” German in singing, while many young Americans sing with “low” German. For example, singing “ish” instead of “ich.”
While on this subject, I should point out that more and more American choruses sing Germanic works using the Germanic pronunciation of Latin. It is therefore necessary for the well-prepared singer to know the basic Germanic Latin pronunciation.
Handel calls for a much more vocal style, and singers seem to identify with it more closely than Bach, in my experience. Singers must be careful not to use a romantic, emotional approach to Handel when they sing it, however. In Handel, perhaps more than in Bach, ornamentation is desirable, but should never become a focal point of the presentation. It should enhance the line and ideally, should seem improvised.
Innumerable times, sopranos have sung “Let the Bright Seraphim” for me, and the soprano wants to have a high “D” at or near the end—but their interpolation has nothing to do with the final harmonies, or with the rhythmic flow of the conclusion. Then there is the tenor who wants to overload the end of “Every Valley,” forgetting that the words he is enhancing are: “…and the rough places plain.” The embellishments I have heard on the “comfort ye,” with the fermata at the beginning of that recitative, are equally difficult to comprehend. My practice is that arias from this period should end in the register that is written.
In the music of all composers, it is also necessary for the singer to be aware of the instruments in the orchestral part. Recently, I heard an astoundingly fast “Rejoice Greatly.” It was jaw-dropping to hear the clarity of the passagework from the soprano. It was a tempo which would be quite impractical with an orchestra, however.
Another matter for the singer to be aware of is that the accompanist should really be comfortable with the oratorio repertoire. In the OSNY contest preliminaries, we have often been totally distracted from the singer by a poor accompanist.
Speaking of “Rejoice,” I really must mention the many sopranos who want to sing a Messiah performance but have never solved how they are going to manage that first long passage of sixteenth notes. I frequently feel that they have never sung it without running out of breath. Most often, they seem to spend too much voice and breath on the eighth notes in the passage or use too much voice during that endless phrase. My advice is that it is better not to offer something that has an unsolved problem such as this. Some singers are able to breathe in the middle of the passage successfully. It’s not ideal, but the listener knows that the singer has prepared how to do the passage, and not left it up to chance that it will work at the audition.
Mozart always offers the supreme challenge, and there is no greater challenge in the repertoire than the “Et incarnatus est” from the Mass in C Minor. When it is sung beautifully, it is absolutely sublime, such as in the recording of that work with Ileana Cotrubas singing Soprano I. Most interestingly, Kiri Te Kanawa is the Soprano II in the recording and sings beautifully, as well. I feel that successful Mozart singers should have a good legato and the ability to “spin” the phrases. There needs to be a balance and order to the overall planning of the performance of the aria.
Haydn is very similar to Mozart, but elements that I feel are essential—in addition to the ones mentioned above—are those of joy and humor. Especially in Die Schoepfung and Die Jahrzeiten, these elements, as well as dramatic sense, are most important. The bass roles in these two works offer the whole spectrum of musical and dramatic possibilities.
Almost invariably, singers are much more aware of the style in which to sing music of the 19th century. The thing I feel is frequently missing is a full appreciation of just how challenging these works are. The bass role in Elijah is certainly as demanding as most opera roles. In my earlier years, I often misjudged by casting younger singers who lacked experience for the Verdi Requiem, singers who ran into stamina problems in the performance. Everyone needs to do their first performance in these difficult roles, but it is better if it is done out of the major spotlights.
There isn’t a soprano alive, I think, who has not tried “Hear Ye, Israel” from Elijah, and I often wish that they had a bit more background about the work. If I remember correctly, Mendelssohn created the soprano role with Jenny Lind in mind. The top line F-sharp was supposed to be the most beautiful note in her voice, and Mendelssohn certainly supplied enough of them in this aria.
The piece is frequently offered as a dramatic soprano blast, which to me is historically wrong. Another problem: choice of tempo. Mendelssohn is often called a classsicist, and listeners have described his own performances as fleet and well ordered, without emotional excess.
The two solo roles in the Brahms Requiem offer equally great, but different challenges. The first prerequisite is experience with Lieder singing. For the soprano, there is nothing more difficult in the repertoire than the opening phrases of “Ihr habt nun traurigkeit.” It is impossibly long, and one wishes that it could be sung in one breath. I have heard it most successfully negotiated by singers who are able to take an almost imperceptible breath before “traurigkeit.” The aria again calls for vocal spin and restraint in emotional expression. I personally prefer weightier voices that have that valuable ability of spinning the line, though lighter voices find less of a challenge in conquering the difficulties. The baritone part runs the gamut of expressive possibilities available to lieder singers. My taste in Brahms is that the vocal line is paramount, with a good legato. The onomatopoetic qualities of the language should be subservient to the legato line.
I rarely encounter stylistic problems with the younger singers in music of the 20th century, and there are a large number of very satisfying works available from such composers as Britten, Poulenc, Orff, and Barber, among the many.
Since most of my oratorio performances are in large halls, I am particularly aware of the type of voice necessary in such a space for most of the standard repertoire. For example, high baritones are rarely successful in Messiah, unless they have a very strong lower register. Altos for that work are the most difficult to cast, because the voice needs to be very comfortable at the bottom of the treble clef.
For particular works, if I don’t know the singer’s work, I have certain passages that I must hear. In the tenor role in the Verdi, in addition to the “Ingemisco” I must hear the “hostias” section. For the mezzo, I need to hear the aria as well as that difficult low “C” she must sing all alone with a crescendo. What a challenge! For an Elijah baritone I want to hear him sing “It Is Enough” followed by “For the Mountains Shall Depart.”
I really must mention several of my pet peeves. Men should not wear suits that are too tailored; women should wear dresses that look good from a distance. I have always wished that singers would have a picture taken of themselves in their concert wear, from a distance, so that they can know what the audience sees. Another pet peeve is a hairstyle that obscures the face under stage lights.
I am frequently asked about whether this repertoire should be sung from memory, and my reply is that it is an individual matter. In singing any ensembles, however, if one singer uses the score, all should use the score.
The great temptation in singing from memory is to use hand and arm gestures. I think they should be avoided because they are distracting. I remember a very high-profile concert of the Brahms Requiem in which the soprano used very extravagant arm gestures, which possibly had something to do with her concept of the line and legato, but were most distracting to me. The baritone was superb musically, vocally, and dramatically, with no distractions.
For me the great challenge in oratorio singing is that the singer must accomplish everything done in opera, with no makeup, costume or acting. Everything is from the voice, face, eyes and heart.
