Thoughts on Eleanor Steber from Opera L

I always felt that Eleanor Steber was a victim of simply “bad

timing”. She was on the Metropolitan Opera roster during the same period

as Zinka Milanov and Renata Tebaldi (and don’t forget about those two

Callas seasons!), and she couldn’t hold her own against those titans. With

Milanov on the roster, Verdi was “locked up”, and with Tebaldi on the

roster, Puccini was out of the question. I know that Steber had Tosca and

Violetta in her repertoire, but what chance could she have had when Callas

was singing Tosca and Violetta? I loved Steber and I think that in a

different era, she’d have become a real star. Today, she’d be regarded as

an international treasure.

 

I have to weigh in again here, since you’re making odious comparisons.

eleanor was an american who made most of her career in this country,

her rare and most celebrated appearance abroad as a ravishing bayreuth

elsa. in her prime years, she dominated the met’s french repertoire, as

well as singing butterfly and a handful of other lyric roles. tosca and

violetta were not in the core of her repertoire. she had made her met

debut in 1940 as sophie, a light role in which milanov, tebaldi and

callas would have been ludicrous. she was the met’s first konstanze

and was by far the greatest fiordiligi of her (or any) time. her donna

anna was the gold standard, as the great bruno walter said. she was

a nonpareil arabella, and, of course was the original vanessa, as well

as the met’s first marie in wozzeck. i’m afraid that when you entered

this market, you not only confused apples with oranges, but capers

with watermelons. steber, demonstrably had a vastly wider repertoire

than any of the three wonderful singers you cite ….. and you’re also

ignoring the reality which some of us recall first hand, that mr. bing

had a predilection for imported european divas (maybe he didn’t

know that callas was born in brooklyn). her intemperance offstage

undoubtedly foreshortened her career, but at her best, the steber

career can stand with any. and by the way, her recital and concert

careers totally dwarf the other three artists, none of whom would

have known the brahms requiem from mairzy doats.

 

dft

Canto spiamato

Broad in its legato, continuous, rigorously applied
refers only to a largo - very elegant singing with every kind of
coloration, but severe and devoid of fussy ornamentation - Listen to
Caruso's Bois epais and Ombra mai fu,  although he injects emotion. Also
called the Noble style. The earliest singers sang this style. It
requires a very beautiful natural sound with a great deal of focus to
carry off well. Kirkby Lunn & Destinn duet

Sculptures by the sea

Provenance by artist Jane Gillings is seen as part of the Sculpture by the Sea outdoor exhibition along the Bondi to Bronte coastal walk on November 4, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

Timbre

Patrick asks questions about timbre, in relation to finding someone’s voice classification

Answer: Timbre refers to the “quality” and “color” of a person’s voice.  We end up describing timbre in non-scientific language, appealing to other realms and senses.  Thus we say that one person’s voice is light, lyric, creamy, or dark, heavy, dramatic.  Lot’s of other adjectives are used also “velvety” “brassy” “nasally” “hooty” etc., but some of these may actually be describing vocal faults. When applied to finding a voice classification or voice type, one has to be VERY CAREFUL.  Timbre is only ONE criterion in determining voice classification and is one that can be misleading to inexperienced voice teachers.  Some classic pitfalls are to assume that a lyric voice is a “high voice” and a dramatic or heavy voice is a “low voice.”  This is simply WRONG, because there are lyric basses and lyric baritones just as there are lyric contraltos and mezzos … not just tenors and sopranos.  Likewise, assuming that a heavy dramatic voice is low is equally wrong.  There are dramatic tenors and dramatic sopranos.  I think only an experienced voice teacher can use timbre … and that after other criteria are factored to make an accurate judgment on voice classification.

The other criteria for discovering a person’s voice classification are RANGE, TESSITURA, and TRANSITION POINTS.

Obviously range is going to mark the compass of a person’s singing voice.  To choose a classification in which literature demands singing notes outside a person’s range is a clear evidence of wrong classification.  If you call yourself a tenor, then you must be able to sing tenor literature.  If you call yourself a tenor but cannot sing tenor literature, perhaps the only one deceived is yourself.

But range by itself is also insufficient for arriving accurately at one’s voice classification.  “Tessitura” is usually applied to music itself, for example a song.  Tessitura indicates the relative AREA of the range where MOST of the notes lie in any given song.  Applied to the voice, this means that every singer is going to have an AREA in his/her range in which s/he can sing with greatest comfort, flexibility, expressiveness and STAMINA.  E.g., A man may have a range that makes singing high A’s (above middle C) possible, but be uncomfortable sustaining that beyond a moment or two.  The ability to linger and enjoy those high notes endlessly simply isn’t there … but he’s most comfortable singing between D (above middle C) and the D below.  His tessitura would suggest that while some higher baritone literature may be in order once in a while–allowing for a high A on then off again–his tessitura (the area of his vocal comfort) is more like a baritone’s.  The area of the range (tessitura) where a singer predominantly finds most resonance and stamina should be a key ingredient in determining voice classification.

Transition points refers to those notes in the vocal range where there seems to be a natural change of quality.  This happens clearly in some singers and not at all in others.  Without going into detail on the various voice types, generalizations are made as to where the “changes” occur in each voice classification.  While this criterion can be useful (to a limited degree) by an experienced voice teacher, it is advisable to tell you that it is also far from foolproof.  Singers can learn to make a transition on any of several pitches.  The transition points also tend to vary depending on what vowel is sung.  Another problem can be that some student singers who will not accept their real classification adopt a “lift” note of their own desired classification to prove their point.  I would say that this criterion is probably used best by an experienced voice teacher on untrained voices.

So, there you have it.  Arriving at a person’s voice type entails a knowing and using the criteria of RANGE, TIMBRE, TESSITURA and possibly TRANSITION POINTS.

Canto legato

Legato singing is the acid test of technique. It is achieved by very
steady support, singing on the breath and the net effect is to tie all
the notes together with no break caused by bumps in the air (support)
not the intrusion of any consonant - so the consonants have to be
pronounced quickly and precisely without any excess movement of the
tongue to disturb the air flow.  florid singing is produced on the
breath, and requires a steady air flow, and the use of even less breath.

Sculptures by the sea

Heads Up by artist Steve Croquett is seen as part of the Sculpture by the Sea outdoor exhibition along the Bondi to Bronte coastal walk on November 4, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

Thought

To perform well in today’s highly competitive world where technical skills have been advanced to an unprecedented degree, a singer must be able to handle incredible pressure within the performing arena; his or her ability to deal with this stress will often determine whether he or she will succeed. Why, then, do singers with less technical skill sometimes out-perform stars? Why do some stars suddenly stop performing? What is that mysterious factor that makes an electric performance? Consistent, competent performances do not depend solely upon superior vocal skills, nor are they a matter of luck. On the contrary, the best performances result from a combination of mental attitude, concrete performing skills, and excellent technical skills in that order. Yet most singers have never had the opportunity to acquire the essential skills that make for a successful career. 

More on The Appoggio

Support - how you support affects your sound completely. Many theories 
abound, but in fact, as you ascend the scale the sensation of leaning 
descends, with the highest notes being felt lower in the belly, the 
middle voice in the midsection and the chest, voila - in the chest. 
Of course this does not speak to the fact that the entire range must 
be felt as high in the head, but that is usually thought of as 
resonance.

Sculptures by the sea

Tortoise by artists Mark Swartz, Reuben Solomon and Charmaine Tung is seen as part of the Sculpture by the Sea outdoor exhibition along the Bondi to Bronte coastal walk on November 4, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

One needs to research the song.

Singers are faced with a unique challenge among musicians: they must express not just the music, but the lyrics too. To effectively communicate the meaning behind the words, singers must understand the many references embedded in the vast international repertoire of great art songs. They must deal with the meaning of the lyrics, frequently in a language not their own and of a culture unfamiliar to them. From Zelter and Schubert to Rorem and Musto, Researching the Song serves as an invaluable guide for performers, teachers, and enthusiasts to the art song repertoire. the meaning of less familiar literary terms, figures, and authors referenced in song while placing songs in the context of larger literary sources. The more performers know and understand the literary elements of a song, the richer their communication will be. Researching a Song is a vital aid for singers and teachers in interpreting art songs and building song recital programs.