Bel Canto and the Castrati

BEL CANTO
I have noted frequently from comments and opinions posted on YouTube (but rarely on this site) concerning the castrato sound vs. the popular way of singing today that many people never have stopped to investigate the significant differences in the technique and style of singing in Baroque music vs. the generally accepted singing style of today, espeically with the more loud and dramatic operas. Consequently, their beliefs and opinions often lack merit when evaluating various singers' performances of Baroque music.

The profound effect upon vocal sound because of the physiological differences of the castrato is a topic for a different discussion. The manner of singing, however, also is of significance, with its emphasis upon producing the most beautiful vocal sounds possible vs. heavy vibrato, loudness, and "dramaticism," as has been typified the last hundred years in most singers' style.

Bel canto, specifically how that term has been applied to the Baroque vocal style of the castrati (although the term has been has been extended to apply to similar, subsequent singing in the 19th century), is a concept that helps to clarify the singing style of the castrati.

There is little point of my submitting an original, lengthy discussion of bel canto when an extensive and perfectly good one already exists on Wikipedia. For that reason (for those of you who have not already read the article), I am posting the link. I encourage interested persons to read this useful information.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bel_canto

Bel canto - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

well that is all nice I couldn't have explained it better, but it doesn't describe how to get there, I have several postingst here that are concerning on that, I'm gonna write an extract and put it here, if u don't mind.....second I'm not happy about the description of the sense of singing in that era... it was NOT to show the singers abilities in embelishment and his nice voice, this was only for the tasteless singers... the real masters always wanted to move the audience, and that was the main reason for the existance of music (beside having some amusement)

We all are looking forward to your forthcoming postings about the methods of bel canto. You are correct in indicating the methods of achieving bel canto are complex, individual, and require informed training. I have read medical texts on the production of the singing voice, and it is quite evident that quality control of the voice is a subtle and complex effort. I also have observed sessions of voice instruction, and they, too, demonstrated the subtlety and complexity of good vocal development.

Even as lengthy as the Wikipedia article is, a full discussion would have to include far more information. One pitfall of limited verbage is possible misinterpretation of what was intended.

For example (and for clarification), all aspects of singing, acting, set design, direction, etc. are of importance in opera but decidedly to varying degrees depending upon the era and the opera. In contrast to late 19th-century/20th-century opera and performance emphasis, music and the voice during the height of the Baroque was considered to have been of preeminent importance over plot, libretto, and acting. Vocal beauty and ornamentation was an essential and expected element of Baroque singing, and greath efforts were made during training in the conservatories to teach this.

Personal interpretation of the written score and vocal ornamentation was not, in itself, poor taste; only if it was done badly or in excess was it considered to have been in poor taste. Some singers tried to show off; some were more judicious in their vocalizations. We all are aware of the fact that Riccardo Broschi wrote for his brother arias that would capitalize upon Farinelli's remarkable skills only to have Farinelli later to be persuaded to modify his vocal acrobatics and aim more toward the "pathetic" form of singing.

I often have noted in my discussions with opera directors, singers, and in attending live performances, clear evidence between "then and now" in priorities of performance and the resulting vocal sound. Some directors, singers, and audience members have expressed disappointment with the apparent methods of training and performance much in evidence today which too often have resulted in strident, unfocused voices in an effort to be sufficently loud for large operas and opera halls and in an attempt to "dramatic."

Apparently, many people have become accustomed to this phenomanon and actually may claim to prefer this form of performance. Other people who may be more aware and sensitive to the subtleties of sound may yern for more prevalent vocal beauty in singing, not just in opera, but also in the wide range of popular music.

Misunderstanding: i only wanted to say that the music was not there primarily to bee embellished and to show some acrobatic figures: A good singer only embellished to give the music more emotion in a moment when he felt the pain/rage/grief etc expressed by the music to amplify the feeling for himself and the audience. Embellisshment was only an expedient to express feelings.
And above all pathetic "sad" arias were the hardest examination for a singer because there he had to show all his ability: It is (IN MY OPINION) harder to express fierce than to move people in a sad piece. And there are also sources indicating that to make the audience cry there had to be (normally) more ornaments that in an allegro expressing rage f.e.(I know, also because of the velocity, but even more important were the ornaments to get the right expression, but there are also diffrences in embellishment: for example trills and mordents are not good in a sad piece because they make the music to "happy" (by carl philipp emanuel bach) and so on)

Very much in keeping with your last comments:
For some time now, I have derived much pleasure from playing on the piano the complete A-B-A aria "Ombra fedele anch'io" by Riccardo Broschi because, with the da capo, I enjoy the sensible but dramatic differences in intepretation. It is Nicola Porpora's aria "Alto Giove" (a prime example of a "pathetic" aria), however, that I feel most compelled to play now because of its musical beauty and emotional impact. Because I often can hear the music more precisely and intensly with my eyes closed and have played it so often, I have discovered that I play the entire aria through in that manner. My friends who heard the aria where very much moved by the music. If I could sing, this aria certainly is one that I would wish to sing.