Singing classical music has its difficulties like every other music genre. In opera, because of the absent of the amplifier and microphone, the voice needs to be influential in volume, rich in high notes, and complete in agility and interpretation to cover the orchestra sound, be heard by an audience, and execute the high demand of difficult passages, coloraturas, and ornaments. In his book, The Naked Voice, Stephen W Smith opens up the issue of the human voice and singing. He says:
'Suppose we reduce the human voice to a physical machine that makes a beautiful, clear, and musical sound. In that case, we will have these elements involved and functioning: Speaking in purely acoustical terms, airflow is the generator, the vocal folds (which are located inside the larynx or voice box, behind Adam's apple) are the vibrators, and the primary resonators are the nasal cavity, mouth, and pharynx. Some people may say the entire body is a resonator because all the body tissue will vibrate sympathetically to some degree with the vibration in the vocal folds' (Stephen W Smith, 2007, p. 66).
In classical singing (opera, lied, oratorio) the singer does not use the applification for their voice. The instrument or orchestra plays, and the singer needs to be strong enough to carry over the music and seats to the audience's ears. Therefore the singer needs to control the voice and have the technical ability to sing in different languages and execute the other emotions written by the composer without any pressure or restrain. Here we do not talk about eminent composers' voice categories, singers of classical singing, which from the 20th century onward called opera singing or Bel Canto singing. My point is to give a small introduction to the art I have spent a lot of hours making as possible and beautiful as I can.
I have been taking many vocal exercises for my daily singing routine from the great singing teacher, especially those who have written about singing methods such as Marchesi, Lehmann, Garcia, and Miller. You can see the list of books on the last page of this study.
Bel canto, (Italian: “beautiful singing”) style of operatic singing that originated in Italian singing of polyphonic (multipart) music and Italian courtly solo singing during the late 16th century and that was developed in Italian opera in the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries. Using a relatively small dynamic range, bel canto singing was based on an exact control of the intensity of vocal tone, a recognition of the distinction between the “diapason tone” (produced when the larynx is in a relatively low position) and the “flute tone” (when the larynx is in a higher position), and demand for vocal agility and clear articulation of notes and enunciation of words.; Stark, J. (2003), BelCanto: A history of vocal pedagogy, University of Toronto Press;
There was a Golden Age of Song. This period produced the greatest singers of all time, reflecting the art of the greatest composers. This golden age is called the Bel Canto era, which some said it is already dead by 1800. Some others argue that the second golden age started from 1810-1830 and later another wave from 1870-1890. But for us, the golden age started with Caruso and Chaliapin and continues till 2000 when Pavarotti could not sing anymore.
But let us take a quote from the Giovanni Batista Lamperti about the Bel Canto singing:
DO NOT LISTEN TO YOURSELF SING! FEEL YOURSELF SING.
When internal conditions are right and ready, the singing voice appears-not before. (Vocal Wisdom, Lamperti page 16)
1-:LA MIA ROSA, GIAN MAJIDI
2: AN DIE MUISC, SCHUBERT
3: NEVICATA, RESPIGHI
4: SUURIPITKÄPERJANTAI, RAUTAVAARA
During the course of the following three pages, I will focus on musical elements that have been an inspiration for me. These areas include operatic Bel Canto singing, pop music and the music of my own group 'Baran Band', which have all impacted my identity. I will begin on this page with an overview of Bel Canto singing.
For my ears and soul, classical music and opera singing are a great way to express human feelings and thoughts. Drama and complication of human history and soul, well interpreted in classical music. I adore the way great composers encounter music and give life to the sound and lyrics. Opera works with words, and words are the root of our feeling and thoughts. Sometimes one small melody or phrase can be a soul killer, with the power and dept of intensity and knowledge of music sound. That is why we have many names in classical music, which are also considered an example of human intelligence and creativity. Such figures like Bach, Mozart, or Beethoven are the shining light of the art, centuries, and men's race.
And there is also the role of the singer's interpretation and voice, which can transfer the ordinary listener to the state of ecstasy. Classical music, like other musical styles, has the power to transform people. There are plenty of opera arias which take me far from this world and make me weep. In those moments, I exist, and I do not.
For me, classical music is about the concept of life, the philosophy of life. The sound applies to something more important than art. It is a source of catharsis, which brings a better experience to the listener. After listening to Johan Sebastian Bach or Beethoven, if your mind is ready to explore the beauty and meaning hidden in the symbols, figures, images, and signs, these elements come to life.
Opera has been a great source of life and beauty for me. The long phrases of melodies created by Verdi or Puccini are melting my heart, giving me goosebumps and bringing tears to my eyes. In that state of mind, I feel empty of desperation, doubt, and negative feelings. Or I can put it in this way: at the same time, classical music is an intellectual but heart-melting music which talks to the soul and mind.
But I should admit that this is an only individual interpretation of classical music, which I personally perceive with great depth and colour. Classical music has been important for me, but all music should be valued equally and each person will have their own connections to different forms of music that are meaningful for them.
This picture shows the placement of the chest, Mix and head voice in a singer, hence here we are talking about the opera style singing( classical music singing).
Bel Canto, for me, is more than beautiful singing. Bel canto is more about engagement with music. It goes through the music and text to know about harmony and sound and finally creates new interpretations, making the heart of the listener melting. If a singer can increase one listener's heart bit by his voice and singing, we can easily consider him as a true artist, which makes music more meaningful and essential. That could be my paramount understanding of the art of singing.
Around eight years ago, I started to compose classical music. I started with a string quartet, and later I wrote my first symphony. Then poem symphony, Piano, and violin sonatas, and some lied.
One of my lied, which I loved was La Mia Rosa, which I started to wrote the lyric, and later my Italian friend Stefano Ancora edited the musical.
Here in this picture, I am singing the same song as part of my master concert performance.
