"Legit" voice - Terminology
levafall
information and always been grateful for the many of you who have been so
kind as to reply. The diversity of opinions is exciting, thought provoking,
sometimes very funny and occasionally annoying. In all I get a great deal
out of reading here.
To the point now. In my work as a teacher of music and theatre I have been
challenged by one of my friends and colleagues (my accompanist - an
accomplished jazz singer) to desist from using the term "legit" to refer to
any musical style or type of vocal training. While I am sure many of us
would concur on what this means and while I believe in most cases there is
no intent towards denigrating any other musical style, I believe she makes a
very valid point. If one style of music or training is legitimate does that
not by extension make others "illegitimate"? Additionally it is, to be
honest, just sloppy (or lazy) syntax. Would it not be more accurate to
describe some voices as classically trained or something specific to the
nature of their tonal/technical development? I have accepted my friends
challenge and have made an effort - especially when working with my
students - to change not only my use of language, but also my thinking in
this matter. After all, isn't our manner of speech usually an extension of
our inner thought processes? I look forward to hearing other peoples points
of view on this concept.
Fryman-Maddern
think we use the abbreviated "legit" to describe classically trained and
produced technique. Perhaps reminding ourselves as musicians to use the
full terminology would be more correct.
Monica
levafall <leva...@megsinet.net> wrote in message
news:lsKQ3.980$7M6....@news.corecomm.net...
Richard C. Wall
for a woman, it means singing in an "operatic" style head voice.
Sample roles for this type of singing would be
Maria - West Side Story
Anne - A Little Night Music
Lilli - Kiss Me Kate
for a man, it means pretty much the same thing, singing in a
more "operatic" style tone. Sample roles for this type of singing would be
Billy - Carousel
Cable - South Pacific
Anthony - Sweeney Todd
Sweeney - Sweeney Todd.
Richard
http://www.mindspring.com/~rcwall5000/
Liesl Taylor
would like to point out is this...................
so-called "legit" or opera-singing, is one of the most unnatural things for
the human body to do. That and ballet. As an opera-singer myself i know
how difficult it is to be labelled as a "legit" singer. What is so
"legitimate" about it???? It is an extremely difficult art-form, the
requires careful cultivation, if it was "legit" it would come without any
extra effort. I'm sure that many of you out there would disagree with me,
but i agree with this message, it is better to be termed as "classically
trained" rather than the coarse "legit".
levafall wrote in message ...
CMF
Liesl Taylor wrote in message <7v0nu9$eea$1...@usenet.usq.edu.au>...
>i realise that this does not have much to do with the topic, but one thing
i
>would like to point out is this...................
>
>so-called "legit" or opera-singing, is one of the most unnatural things for
>the human body to do.
Whoa. I don't mean to be disrespectful to anyone's opinions or training
here but if you find singing, legit or otherwise, an "unnatural thing for
the human body to do" then you are doing something wrong. If you aren't
comfortable while producing your sound you're probably doing some serious
long term damage to your voice. I dont' know what methods you're studying
but if you are interested in a technique that stresses natural placement for
your voice I'd suggest you look for someone who specializes in "belle canto"
singing. Natural, tension free singing is one of the cornerstones of the
technique.
Regards,
CMF (who's been studying belle canto for the past 7 years...)
June A SM
trained feel denigrated, and as this thread has shown, classically trained
singers can get testy when labeled this way as well. Particularly when the term
is used by someone with an attitude.
It is convenient theatrical shorthand for a more classical, "operatic" sound.
The problem is that different directors, music directors, voice teachers, and
etc. have different definitions of just what is and what isn't "legit".
Nonetheless, I doubt it will go away soon as a convenient term in audition
notices. But any help you can give in either making the term less popular or at
least less perjorative is probably a good thing.
June
(remove sspam from my address to send private e-mail)
Thomas Productions
Please reply to the group.
Thomas Productions
derrosen...@ameritech.net
CMF wrote in message <1T1R3.251$0J2....@news1.epix.net>...
Deborah Overes
CMF <buz...@epix.net> wrote in message
news:1T1R3.251$0J2....@news1.epix.net...
>
> Liesl Taylor wrote in message <7v0nu9$eea$1...@usenet.usq.edu.au>...
> >i realise that this does not have much to do with the topic, but one
thing
> i
> >would like to point out is this...................
> >
> >so-called "legit" or opera-singing, is one of the most unnatural things
for
> >the human body to do.
I agree that it's unnatural in terms of the extremes to which the voice is
taken. The only analogy I can think of is that running is natural while
marathons are unnatural. However, just to throw my own particular monkey
wrench into the mix, I've never thought of 'legit' as operatic. Rather, for
me, it falls between opera and belting (or betwixt 'bel canto' and 'can
belto' <g>). While singers such as Julie Andrews or Rebecca Luker use more
head voice, what they do is far from operatic. From my own experience, when
I've sung 'legit' (for want of a better term) it has been similar to what I
do operatically but with much power and full body resonance than I use
singing Verdi or Mahler.
Deborah
Liesl Taylor
unnatural. If you did some research you would realise that the art-form of
operatic singing, is completely different to other types of singing. In
regards to 'bel canto', how about you learn to spell it correctly first, and
also, my director is the owner of the "Bel Canto School of Music" so yes, i
am being trained in that form. Just because I am young doesn't mean that I
am stupid, and I do understand what I am talking about.
CMF wrote in message <1T1R3.251$0J2....@news1.epix.net>...
>
>Liesl Taylor wrote in message <7v0nu9$eea$1...@usenet.usq.edu.au>...
>>i realise that this does not have much to do with the topic, but one thing
>i
>>would like to point out is this...................
>>
>>so-called "legit" or opera-singing, is one of the most unnatural things
for
>>the human body to do.
>
>
Rick Spencer
onboard and made it a musical) the Carlotta character had the line,
"One can't sing bel canto without suffering... GOD WON'T PERMIT IT!!"
When I began, this school of vocal technique was called by some (and
affectionately) "Can't Bellow."
Rick
CMF
CMF wrote in message <1T1R3.251$0J2....@news1.epix.net>...
>
>Liesl Taylor wrote in message <7v0nu9$eea$1...@usenet.usq.edu.au>...
>>i realise that this does not have much to do with the topic, but one thing
>i
>>would like to point out is this...................
>>
>>so-called "legit" or opera-singing, is one of the most unnatural things
for
>>the human body to do.
>
>
>Whoa. I don't mean to be disrespectful to anyone's opinions or training
>here but if you find singing, legit or otherwise, an "unnatural thing for
>the human body to do" then you are doing something wrong. If you aren't
>comfortable while producing your sound you're probably doing some serious
>long term damage to your voice. I dont' know what methods you're studying
>but if you are interested in a technique that stresses natural placement
for
>your voice I'd suggest you look for someone who specializes in "belle
canto"
>singing. Natural, tension free singing is one of the cornerstones of the
>technique.
>
>Regards,
>
>CMF (who's been studying belle canto for the past 7 years...)
>
>
CMF
CMF
Liesl Taylor wrote in message <7v2qqe$iv4$1...@usenet.usq.edu.au>...
>i didn't say that it was uncomfortable or painful, i said that it was
>unnatural. If you did some research you would realise that the art-form of
>operatic singing, is completely different to other types of singing. In
>regards to 'bel canto', how about you learn to spell it correctly first,
and
>also, my director is the owner of the "Bel Canto School of Music" so yes, i
>am being trained in that form. Just because I am young doesn't mean that I
>am stupid, and I do understand what I am talking about.
>
>
be hurting your voice because of how you phrased things in your post.
Obviously, if you are studying properly you won't. Sorry if you
misunderstood the point behind my post. As to the spelling...what can I
say. I made a mistake and have since corrected it.
Regards,
CMF
Matthew Morgan
professionally produced theatre (plays, musicals) as distinguished from motion
pictures or vaudeville.
To me a legit voice is simply one that would be appropriate for the legit
theatre. In the days before electronic amplification this distinction meant
more than it does today.
Matt