An Opera Singer Much More Than A Voice

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An Opera Singer Much More Than a Voice

When we think about opera, we examine a work of art that unites music, drama, dancing, stagecraft and the scenic arts, which we view primarily as a musical experience. However, opera is a vocal art. Opera relies upon the opera singer, who is the participant in the opera's drama, to bring forth the interpretation of song and music in which the composer has written (Encyclopedia Britannica). There have been many opinions on rather or not the opera singer is merely a voice. Though the gift of voice is essential in becoming and being an opera singer, the overall requirements are much more complex.

The opera singer is much more than a voice, but a human being. In this career field it is highly competitive, stressful and there are limitations on achieving artistic and financial success (Clifton Ware 0). With this knowledge it does not detour the collegiate study of becoming an opera singer. The typical lifestyle of a career bound opera singer does have its down falls at some point in their career. They sometimes began to experience depression, being lonely while on the road, family issues, coping with rejection, and financial doubts. With these dilemmas their life is out of control, with work and their career consuming every aspect of

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it (Ware 1). In order for the singer to maintain stability in their life, it is very vital to for he/she to prioritize least to greatest. Family relationships are key in providing a secure and comfortable life, which would ease the frustration the opera singer, feels. In a Classical Singer interview, world renowned stage director Fabrizio Melano says " Stay centered as much as possible and don't get distracted by all the craziness going on around you. That requires doing work on yourself. The opera singer has to find their center in everything they do and not just as singers but as human beings."

Within the vocal community singing is recognized as an extremely demanding profession mentally, emotionally, and physically. In addition, the opera singer is also looked at as a vocal athlete. Before an opera singer can do any type of singing for a performance or just rehearsing, he/she must first warm up. Just like an athlete warms up to stretch their muscles before a game or race, the singer also has a muscle, which is called a vocal chord. The vocal cords are folds at the upper end of the windpipe that vibrate and make voice sounds (Webster Dictionary 88). According to Ware a singer's total vocal instrument is his/her body, mental and physical conditioning are needed to organize sufficient energy for coping with performances that include leading opera roles and full-length recitals (). Some of the do's an opera singer considers are a variety of nutritious foods, beverages, and vitamins. He/she must stay away from inhaling or drinking a large consumption of caffeine products, alcohol, illegal drugs,

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tobacco, and polluted air. These are some of the ways that a opera singer conserves and protects their vocal instrument through good vocal hygiene.

Another aspect when dealing with the singer's health and well-being is looking at them as a processor. As a processor the singer observes the intake of sound through the ear, which is an organ of hearing. Though the singer gives considerable attention to voice improvement and care, the singer must also take into great consideration their hearing. Good hearing is essential for the singer in matching pitches, monitoring vocal quality, and providing interpretation when making appropriate adjustments during singing. In order for the opera singer to maintain excellent hearing he/she must avoid excessive noise, remove all impurities from ear such as wax build up and evade the exposure of high decibel noise levels (Ware5). An opera singer does much traveling state-to-state and country-to-country and the mend of transportation is mostly by plane. The travel by plane raises a concern for the singer due to the ear disorder that can be caused by air pressure in the aircraft cabin, when descending in altitude. Typical symptoms are pain, dizziness, and short �term hearing loss that can be alleviated by drinking, yawning, gum chewing, and gentle nose blowing (Ware 54). According to Clifton Ware there is another principal way the singer hears their own voice through bone conduction, which is the transmitting of nerve pulses (50). These nerve pulses cause a sensation of vibration to travel throughout the body, which enables the singer to be more effective with feedback, execution and

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communication. Though the opera singer may not have much control over some of the causes of vocal disorders, there are many preventive measures than can be taken over one's lifetime.

When studying to become an opera singer one usually starts in their freshman collegiate year. There is much thought that is placed in the decision making of where the student will go. Once the decision is made they are engaged in an intensive curriculum that includes major courses such as theory, ear-training, and performance ensembles each requiring extra time and effort. Among the intensive course load one of the most important classes is diction. Diction teaches the singer to become a linguist, someone who studies a language with serious intent to understand and speak it. There are four languages that are studied -English, Italian, German, and French, primarily because these are the four major languages that operas are written in. Once the language has been learned and the singer has a working knowledge of it, they then move on to the four interrelated functions (1) articulation- a spoken sound (vowels and consonants), () pronunciation- the proper use of speech phonemes according to standard speech, () enunciation- the clear and accurate utterance of phonemes and (4) expression- the full-meaning conveyance of all words and phrases (Ware 50). Thus, the singers role as a linguist is to translate the text clearly, accurately, and expressively, assuring that the audience understands the meaning of every word, nuance, and phrase, that the composer and writer is trying to convey.

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In addition to learning all the major languages the singer must also apply technique and artistry. Technique is concerned with means, process, and manner of how a song is executed. Once a singer has mastered or developed a technique it then enables them to learn a song quickly and thoroughly, produce productive tone with ease, and express in performance using a wide range of vocal, musical, linguistic, and dramatic skills (Ware 6). When the opera singer is ready to develop their artistry he/she must first master the skill of interpretation which is defined by Ware as the act of explaining or clarifying a song's essence (6). With interpretation comes expression, which shows feelings and character. It is also said by Ware that artistry is a right brain activity but also the desired outcome of creative imagination (70).

Once the opera singer has learned the concept of diction, technique, artistry and the necessary precaution measures that are needed in maintaining good health, he/she is then ready. The opera singer then prepares themselves for the learning and studying of an opera role (character). The way that this task is executed is by the singers voice type. There are five basic voice classifications soprano, mezzo-

soprano, tenor, baritone and bass. Within these voice types there are more specifics, such as Lyric soprano, coloratura soprano, dramatic mezzo-soprano, counter-tenor, lyric baritone and bass-baritone etc. All roles are not suitable for every voice type. This is why it is very important that the singer knows his or her voice and what type of voice the role is requiring. Once the singer has found the

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role or roles of their choice, they then proceed to dissect the part; with the basic application of studies they have learned.

Once an artist of a female gender has taken on a leading lady role that she is then known as a "Primma Donna". The noted Primma Donna in the world of opera in the words of William Madison has "Transformed from an entirely positive description to one with frequently negative connotations"(). Though the term "Primma Donna" is no more than a leading lady, many female opera singers enjoy and despise being called that. Opera singer Carol Vaness says "The way I feel when I'm called "primma donna" is how I feel when people call me a star." On the other note opera diva Marilyn Horne expresses that a primma donna is very temperamental in a bad sense (Madison 4). Although the title primma donna is not always welcomed, diva is one that is welcomed but the meaning of it is often related to "primma donna" so what is the big fuss about.

Finally, opera is a diverse art form with much complexity. But when we look at what an opera singer is we can now denote that he/ she is much more than

just a voice, but a primary need of being a human being, vocal athlete, linguist, educator, processor and earning the respect of being one day called a diva and or "primma donna".

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