His Master's Voice

Vincenzo Bellini's opera I Puritani was premiered in 1835. The role of Arturo was sung by Giovanni Battista Rubini, the leading tenor of the era. He was gifted with a voice of great range, and was able to sing notes higher than a high D with no effort at all - consistently! As was customary in those days, composers wrote operas with specific singers in mind. The roles were tailor-made to fit the attributes of individual singers so as to show off their abilities. These included timbre, vocal agility, or coloratura, size and dramatic prowess.


Those of us who are familiar with the especially high tessitura and range of
Arturo's music know that it takes special vocal gifts to attempt the role not to say sing it successfully. Singers such as Pavarotti in the 1970's, Juan Diego Flores of the present and Hippolito Lazzaro, who sang during the early years of the twentieth century, among others, come to mind. Rubini was given the honor to sing the premier. During one of the last dress rehearsals Rubini misread the musical score of 'Creadesi misera' in the final act of the opera and sang a F above high C instead of the D which was written by Bellini, who was present. Bellini was impressed - perhaps even shocked - and is purported to have said to Rubini: 'If you can sing the note, sing it.'


Did Rubini really "misread " the music? It's virtually impossible to say but the episode does bring in to play the question: What is the responsibility of the performing artist to convey the intent - written or not - of the composer? In the middle of the nineteenth century it was not uncommon to have singers collaborate with or even dictate to composers, their wishes regarding roles for which they were designated. This sometimes led to the refusal of one or the other to accept the terms of contract (it was indeed that!) and resulted in a search for another singer, even at the cost of delaying the highly publicized premier of a work. It happens even today when an intended opera is scheduled with a specific singer in mind and management and singer cannot come to terms. The question raised still stands.


The liberties that were allowed in the nineteenth century do not apply to the 21st although the concept remains. It is entirely legitimate to assume that Rubini was so impressed by his unusual vocal prowess that he simply wanted to "show off". Ego plays an important and significant role in the career of a singer. Without it chances for a successful career are slim to none. A singer must have the confidence of his ability to sing before the public and to demonstrate his talent in real time! We all know of people with remarkable talents - athletes, lawyers and musicians who never made it to the Big Time because they lacked that special ingredient that is needed in order to appear before an audience. A serious record collector once said to me a long time ago: 'the best sopranos in the world are pushing baby carriages'. It takes that special something in order to stand before the public. Talent alone is not enough.


Ego, however, must never take the place of professionalism. The interpretation of a role must be true to the intent - written or not - of the composer, not of the individual concept of the performer. I will return to this point further on. A case in point. Let us consider the role of Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata. An in-depth study of the role reveals an intelligent, sensitive woman of strong character. Violetta is introspective that is, she is capable of listening to her innermost feelings and to recognize that, feeling aside, reason must prevail. Violetta is a woman of conscience; she is willing to give up personal happiness with Alfredo not for money but because, realistically, it is the right thing to do. The role is complex because the character is complex. It is this multi-facetted human being that the singer must keep in mind while preparing herself to sing the role.

Violetta's bravura aria: 'Sempre Libera' (Forever Free!) in Act I is considered a highlight of any performance of the role. It is replete with difficult coloratura passages so that, in the past it was sung by coloratura sopranos, for the most part. Luisa Tetrazzini and Amelita Galli-Curci come to mind. The aria seems to be tailor-made for a coloratura soprano. Should the soprano show off her ability to negotiate the florid passages or should she sing them without embelishments? What about tempo? Should she sing the aria at break-neck speed in order to thrill her listeners? Ego vs. professionalism comes into play.
Violetta is not a one aria role and, as I've indicated above, singers must interpret her as Verdi intended. The coloratura passages speak to a state of mind in a specified point in time! It ought not be viewed as a showpiece. It is,rather, an integral part of the story. Given the differences of personalities and abilities among singers and their individual insights about role interpretation, it is important to understand the concept of the composer and his intent. How this concept is interpreted in performance is a matter of individual style and approach and, of course, talent.

Alfredo's ardor has touched Violetta to her very core. She is uncertain about how to respond - if at all! But given Verdi's overall portrayal of Violetta one must understand the Master's intent. Violetta is not panic-stricken; she does not wish to flee. She is unnerved surely, but being a well-poised woman of the world and confident of her place in the society she has chosen to frequent, 'Sempre Libera' - ultimately - is an expression of 'goie de vivre'. Vocal pyro- techniques play no role in the artistic equation. Verdi's, not the artist's, intent determines the substantive interpretation. It is this point specifically, that allows sopranos who are not classified as coloratura sopranos to successfully negotiate this role. Lucrezia Bori in the 1920's, Licia Albanese, Eleanor Steber and other well known lyric sopranos, were Violettas of note. Even that most wonderful of all dramatic sopranos, Rosa Ponselle, sang the role at the Met. All of them had the ability to sing coloratura passages as part of their vocal facility not as a vocal category.

Vocal expressiveness on a professional level can be achieved only as a result of hard work and an honest attempt to understand the substantive essence of the assignment. It is the Master not the Voice that counts!

Hashatz