As I was teaching some young singers this week, we were working on Mozart recitatives.
Anyone will tell you that the first time a young singer tackles a Mozart recit, it can be a bit comical for the seasoned listener, coach or performer.
As I chuckled a bit during the rehearsal, the two students reacted a bit perplexed at my demeanor. I had to explain to them that learning how to present a secco recitative takes a bit of time and skill.
Anyone will tell you that the first time a young singer tackles a Mozart recit, it can be a bit comical for the seasoned listener, coach or performer.
As I chuckled a bit during the rehearsal, the two students reacted a bit perplexed at my demeanor. I had to explain to them that learning how to present a secco recitative takes a bit of time and skill.
To present a secco recit correctly, the performer must have a great understanding of the text, sub-text, and feel for what the scene is trying to convey to the audience.
For a young singer, this is simply a learning process.
One of the students this week tried to sing everything fast, showing good memory skills (but no real feeling given to the words) while the other used so much character that there were great pauses before each line, both of which lead to a very jagged and unintelligible recitative.
Add upon this the fact that most young Chinese singers don't yet have a great understanding of Western languages, and one realises there is a great deal of work to do when it comes to interpreting a secco recitative.
For a young singer, this is simply a learning process.
One of the students this week tried to sing everything fast, showing good memory skills (but no real feeling given to the words) while the other used so much character that there were great pauses before each line, both of which lead to a very jagged and unintelligible recitative.
Add upon this the fact that most young Chinese singers don't yet have a great understanding of Western languages, and one realises there is a great deal of work to do when it comes to interpreting a secco recitative.
No comments:
Post a Comment