Physiological traits/Opera singers
Colin Roch
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Nick Roch
Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA.
Email address: cr...@chat.carleton.ca
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I am a 16 year old male opera enthusiast and aspiring opera singer,
who wishes to understand what various physiological traits have to do with
vocal technique specifically. It was said that Caruso could conceil a
large egg in his hard palate cavity without affecting his speach, and most
singers I've seen have quite prominent cheekbones. Are these traits a
recipe for an operatic voice? Also, what did the the well known Tenore di
Forza's Del Monaco and Corelli have in common physically. They don't look
like the stereotypical tenor. Any feedback on this subject would be much
appreciated!
Nick.
Peter Kamilakis
Hi Nick.
I figured I would add my two cents on this issue.
I do not know for sure, but this Caruso/egg thing sounds
like a bit of a fairy tail. I have also heard that Caruso
could hold a high C for over forty seconds, which also
sounds like bull to me.
I have wondered about this thing too, whether or not there
are certain intrinsic characteristics that singers have
that others do not. Here are a few suggestions:
I have found that relatives (ex:father and son) who look
similar sometimes sound similar. This is probably due to
similar facial structures. Someone onece likened the voice
to a trumpet, stating that if you cut all of our heads off
at the epiglottis, the larynx would produce a horrible
sound, somewhat like a bare trumpet mouthpiece. However
when you connect the trumpet (the head) to the mouthpiece,
the sound becomes the one we know. This may not be
absolutely true, but it may be partially.
Examples of this: Pavarotti and his father Ferdinand look
similar, and they have much in common in terms of vocal
timbre. Placido Domingo's son Placi sings with a voice
that sounds EXACTLY like his grandfather's, Placido's
father; while you can hear Placido in his son Alvaro's
voice.
I think that there may be certain characteristics that may
make people sing differently, but I do not think you can
liken any particular external characteristics to opera
singers, except for being heavy, which tends to occur a
lot. I have heard it said that the fat contributes to the
resonance of the voice. Mario Lanza believed this; and
this is one of the reasons he would fatten up for
recordings of movies and then have to slim down for the
shoot.
Prominent cheekbones may indicate larger maxillary sinuses,
or just bigger zygomatic arches, but there is only one
opening for each maxillary sinus, and it is smaller in
diameter than a pencil. Whether the size of this cavity
contributes SIGNIFICANTLY to the sound of the voice, I do
not know.
Someones vocal sound is contributed to by so many things, I
do not know if we can pin down too many of them.
just my $0.02
pnk
mad...@ic3.ithaca.edu
On Sun, 28 Jan 1996, Colin Roch wrote:
> I am a 16 year old male opera enthusiast and aspiring opera singer,
> who wishes to understand what various physiological traits have to do with
> vocal technique specifically. It was said that Caruso could conceil a
> large egg in his hard palate cavity without affecting his speach, and most
> singers I've seen have quite prominent cheekbones. Are these traits a
> recipe for an operatic voice? Also, what did the the well known Tenore di
> Forza's Del Monaco and Corelli have in common physically. They don't look
> like the stereotypical tenor. Any feedback on this subject would be much
> appreciated!
>
> Nick.
My teacher at college mentioned that having high cheekbones is a good
trait for a singer to possess - I believe it helps with resonance.
Mariah
=)
>
Claudia L. Friedlander
Roch) wrote:
I am a 16 year old male opera enthusiast and aspiring opera singer,
> who wishes to understand what various physiological traits have to do with
> vocal technique specifically.
Hmmmm. There's a doctoral thesis in here somewhere. . .
I will offer my completely unresearched observations that many fine
singers seem to have amazingly large skulls! A high forehead is common,
but check out that jaw on Joan Sutherland. And true basses tend to have
long long necks and great big Adam's apples.
I have also always wondered about the steriotypical large opera singer. I
don't know whether a formidable build is helpful for resonance and
projection, or whether marvelous singers tend to be orally and
hedonistically inclined and build these bodies from the joy of eating?
Good luck with your research!!
Claudia
UNCLEALNYC
two years ago. I recall reading that some physical characteristics, e.g.
large neck and chest, are more the result of muscular conditioning than
innate.
Linda Mattos
lot while learning music and don't have time to exercise.
dtritter
recently employed baron munchhausen?
dft
Naomi Gurt
mad...@ic3.ithaca.edu wrote:
>
> My teacher at college mentioned that having high cheekbones is a good
> trait for a singer to possess - I believe it helps with resonance.
>
> Mariah
> =)
> >
And if one doesn't have high cheekbones, what next? Quit singing?
edabd
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Nick Roch
> Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA.
> Email address: cr...@chat.carleton.ca
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> I am a 16 year old male opera enthusiast and aspiring opera singer,
> who wishes to understand what various physiological traits have to do with
> vocal technique specifically. snip Any feedback on this subject would be much
> appreciated!
>
> Nick.
--------------
I heard Joan Sutherland say in an interview that her voice was in part a
result of her very high palate (she described it as an opera house in her
mouth) and the resonance that she could generate through her large facial
bones. She didn't say so but her considerable physique might have had
something to do with it as well. Good luck with your career Nick. edabd
>
mad...@ic3.ithaca.edu
On Sat, 3 Feb 1996, Naomi Gurt wrote:
> > My teacher at college mentioned that having high cheekbones is a good
> > trait for a singer to possess - I believe it helps with resonance.
> >
> > Mariah
>
> And if one doesn't have high cheekbones, what next? Quit singing?
I was giving the opinion of one woman (my teacher) in the world of
singing. it may not even be true. The question expressed was whether or not
physiological traits can affect the voice. I was simply throwing out a
theory. I'm sorry if that upset you. Might I recommend not
personalizing every comment you read.
Mariah
Maureen Gudio
<lin...@netsis.com> wrote:
> My sister-in-law has been an opera singer for the last 9 years. She
is STILL a size 8, and barely breaks 100 pounds!