Excerpt From Venimecum Del Artista Lírico, by Celestino Sarobe
Excerpt From Venimecum Del Artista Lírico, by Celestino Sarobe
Excerpt From Venimecum Del Artista Lírico, by Celestino Sarobe
FOR THE
OPERATIC ARTIST
BY
CELESTINO SAROBE
PROFESSOR OF SINGING AND GRAND OPERA
OF THE
CONSERVATORIO DEL LICEO
BARCELONA
1947
Lecture
given at the Institute of Hispanic
Studies at the University of Paris,
on the 11th day of January of 1936.
the female voice that should not even be taken into consideration
in singing. The physiological explanation follows: the sound
from the larynx is formed by two elements: 1st) the movement
or vibration of the vocal cords excited by the exhaled air; 2nd)
the vibration of the column of air that goes through the larynx,
divided into very rapid waves, a consequence of the movement of
the vocal cords. These movements produce vibrations in the air that
are synchronized with those of the vocal cords. Lets call vibration
of the vocal cords primary and the vibration of the air secondary.
A fine and experienced ear can distinguish the dual nature of the
sound. The low notes or chest register correspond more greatly to
the primary vibrations, and high notes to secondary vibrations.
Our vocal organ compares to an instrument (see below
comparisons made by various experts) with a flexible membrane
or reed, such as the clarinet, where the air column is enclosed
within the instrument.
Lets turn to the exhibition of the Academy of Sciences.
They attribute high notes to the shortening of the vocal tube by
analogy with the above instrument, whose tube is shortened by
the pressing of its keys. However there is also a shortening of
the vocal cords. Therefore we begin to get fully into the study of
vocal physiology with the study of various musclessuch as the
arytenoids, thyroarytenoids, cricoarytenoids are so important in
understanding the functioning of the vocal cords.
Here are the theories about the change of register. According
to some physiologists, it is because the cords have to change
in thickness, as when ascending the scale on the violin, whose
strings need to be increasingly thinner; for others, as you ascend
the scale, the vibrating part of cord is smaller, i.e. the cord is
shorter; for others, it is a question of more or less opening of the
glottis; for these folks over here the shape of the glottis has to
change, becoming elliptical, as an eyelet; for those over there, its
is a matter of total movement of the larynx; those that believe that
the larynx is shortened, especially in the cricothyroid direction
Oh! thousands and thousands of opinions, to which I would
add the question of the behavior of the cover or lid called the
epiglottis
Did we say that for some physiologists, as we ascend the scale,
the vocal cords become thinner? When viewed in cross section,
it doesnt appear that way, as when Dr. Gardel tells us that in its
laryngeal stereoscopic views, the vowel [i] on A4 needs wider vocal
cords than in the lower octave, A 3.
Didnt it seem to us that the cords should shorter in the
emission of high notes than in the low? Well Dr. French has seen
that the cords are longer in the high notes, keeping the width the
same, with the only variation being aperture of the glottis. All
this has made Dr. Morell Mackenzie exclaim: the glottis, be it
cartilaginous, be it ligamentous, varies with each singer (see pages
27 and 29).
Various methods have been used to study the larynx:
touching and listening to it, examination with the laryngoscope,
studying the larynges of animals, giving an incision above the
thyroid cartilage. experiments with artificial larynges; finally,
studying graphical outputs of the vibrations of the voice. (Today
we use procedures that Ill explain later.)
In my dual role as singer and doctor, I must say that there
are many problems that physiologists have not resolved. The most
progress has been made with the help of a laryngoscope, but with
that instrument in the mouth, it is impossible to sing. Normal
singing, with the voice fully deployed and the intralaryngeal
muscles in full action, is what interests us. In addition, one would
have to do experiments with singers who really know how sing,
who use their larynges well. But they are rara avis.
I want my colleagues, doctors, to guide singers studies but
with great caution. They should possess the art of singing based on
good technique. Where are the physiologists who join their marks
of distinction and their brilliant degrees the celebrity acquired in
concert halls or opera houses?
I do not want fall into the exaggeration of the English
physician Morrell Mackenzie, who wrote: The teaching of singing
based on anatomy is absurd. What would we think of a dance
teacher who began the course with a meticulous explanation of
the structure of the lower extremities? Neither do I identify with
the great French tenor Duprez, for whom Donizetti wrote La
favorita and Lucia di Lammermoor; he showed great contempt for
the physiological study of the voice.
The mouth. How should you open your mouth? Its a
very important question. According to the teacher Mancini, from
the 18th century, it is essential. Almost everyone says it should
be smiling. Okay, but more like barely cracking a smile, just a
hint of smile. The sound should be round (round and clear, both
qualities being absolutely necessary), and the mouth should be
round. It should be well opened, but not too much either in the
vertical or horizontal direction because this causes contractions
of the muscles of the neck and the face. Not open enough and
the sound would be smothered. The lips should not cling to the
teeth, pressing on them; the lips should be completely free of any
and all contraction and only make the tiniest movement forward
when a vowel like [u] requires it. The grimaces that some singers
make are deplorable.
In the mouth of this bronze bust of the baritone [Lon] Melchissdecwho was of the Paris Opera and later a
professor of singing at the ConservatoireI believe the reader can detect a kind of strain in the position of the lips,
which have taken the form of a fish mouth, which diminishes the naturalness of the sound and of the expression
in the face. One can also observe the sunken cheeks. Compare these two faces and take note of the one that sppears
natural, normal, the way the face should be.
Tenor scale
Note: In two places, Sarobe uses a symbol, which probably indicates a mixture of the preceding
vowel with the following vowel.
also know that the voice is darkest in the low voice and clearer in
the upper voice. Making the low notes clearer with the [a] vowel
and removing the stridency of the high notes with [u], the human
voice becomes homogenous, all vowels equalized and sonorous. If
we were to use the [e] vowel to put the voice in position, we would
find that the soft palate descends while we descend the scale, and
the larynx descends, as well. We wouldnt be able to leave the
throat free. The sound would be tight, and when youd want to do
the [o] or [u] vowels you wouldnt find the space; and nevermind
the [i] vowel, which would be unbearably tight. Nevertheless,
once you have managed to free the throat, the [e] vowel is excellent
to use for many exercises.
Be careful of falling into the voce intubata [tubed voice,
depressed larynx, lips pushed forward, as in the Melchissdec
bust]a lamentable defect. Avoid the tightening of the voice, let
the voice come out unhampered, and dont tube it. Both [JeanBaptiste] Faure and the aforementioned Duprez gave this same
advice, the latter repeating: The Italians sing like this.1
In the illustration we see that most of the resonance of
the voice is acquired in mouth and the nose. (There are many
physiologists that dont accept that the latter takes part in the
resonance.) The sensation of feeling the sound in the forehead
[masque] is false, and the sensation of feeling it behind, like at
1 Cest ce quon appelle assez improprement en France sombrer les sons. Les
Italiens nont gure que cette manire de les mettre, et il ne connaissent pas cette
expression.
the nape of the neck (the area behind your collar) is extremely
baddisastrous, in fact.
SHORT SUMMARY OF THE LECTURE
1. Open the mouth well, without exaggerating, taking care
that the tongue is left totally abandoned, with absolutely
no pressure or contraction.
2. Vocalize the lower notes with the [a] vowel, the middle with
[o], and the upper with [u]. With no effort on our part, the
soft palate will rise and the larynx will remain immobile.
Getting the [u] (in the high notes) to sound clearly will take
quite some time. If the high notes are done on an [u] that is stiff,
empty, or darkand this is erroneously considered the same as
a properly placed [u]the effects are disastrous. If the teacher
doesnt know how to listen and distinguish the differenceand
demonstrate the correct waythen the student will go crazy.
Anyone who tries to place the high notes using the [a]
vowelthat is, the open [a] of the low noteswill never sing
with the voice properly put together. The tenor, for example, will
never reach F#4 or G4 on all vowels, with clarity and amplitude,
with sounds that are both clear and round.
CELESTINO SAROBE.