Experience, study, and musical understanding form an artist’s style and as this style or musical personality is developed, it becomes the artist’s claim to fame, corresponding in importance with his vocal technique.
I once asked a well-known music critic and composer on what basis he judged a singer’s musical talent, and in reply he enumerated the following points of interpretation: "Style, enunciation, proper note values, tempo, flexibility, finesse, dynamics, emotion, musicianship." They are fine sounding words. Just what do they mean?

Style: Besides including the singer’s manner in general, suitability of style also depends upon the type of song. Is the song robust or delicate? Do the voice, inflections, and actions of the singer give the audience a true interpretation of that song?

Enunciation: Does the articulation satisfactorily illustrate the intelligence and thought that lie behind the words? Are the words accented so as to make their meaning unmistakable or are they pretty but meaningless sounds? Does the singer’s voice placement preclude proper enunciation and does he lack the artistry to make each phrase express the composer’s meaning?

Note values: Is each note being given its proper evaluation ? Are eighth notes made quarters, whole notes halves? Does the accompanist have to slow down and speed up beyond normal? As a matter of fact, the index of a singer’s musicianship may be said to be found in the perfect accord with which his accompanist can follow him. Is the accompaniment flowing freely and serenely, or must the pianist jump madly from tempo to tempo, from phrase to phrase, to compensate for the singer’s mistakes? Although a singer seldom interprets a song in exactly the same manner twice, the competent pianist can follow suitable changes with ease. The unpredictable errors of the novice or the erratic singer bring premature gray to the hair of many good pianists.

Tempo and flexibility: Although every beginner knows the importance of rhythm and tempo, many an artist lacks timing finesse. There are singers who sing a song quickly and still make it sound as though it dragged. Others can sing a song slowly, yet it sounds as though they were rushing through it. Enunciation, pronunciation, phrasing, rhythm are all concerned in tempo and they must be planned to fit every mood of a song.The singer’s feeling of rhythm and time must be flexible. Flexibility must be musical, tempo liberties that serve only to show off a vocal tone or those that are the result of error are seldom legitimate or excusable. A note may be held for a justifiable effect, but if it is unduly prolonged it will spoil the continuity of the song. (There is a famous anecdote of a noted conductor who always sat down while a certain prima donna sang her top notes, because it gave him ample time to rest!)

Finesse: The result of musical understanding. Although it is not imperative that the singer spend overmuch time in the study of harmony and counterpoint, knowledge of music is easily perceived in his delivery. The artist’s knowledge of the construction of the song should give him an insight that will result in correct interpretation.

Focal dynamics: While vital to interpretation, dynamics can easily be over- or under-stressed. Although every song demands some forte, some piano, and some intermediate passages, there are singers who, leaping from one effect to another in their effort to gain interesting contrast, make a song or aria sound melodramatic. On the other hand, the beginner will often sing an entire song with complete lack of dynamic variety. Because of nervousness or inexperience every tone sounds just like every other one, until the audience feels the entire performance is inordinately dull.

Emotion: Sincerely expressed emotion is the soul of interpretation. The artist’s sincerity is so evident to an audience that the show-off and the emotionally inhibited singer are seldom received with warmth.
Musicianship: Musicianship may be innate or it may be developed by study and understanding of its principles. Briefly, it means a good sense of rhythm, a proper regard for the melodic line, correct phrasing, the ability to read at sight, and a strong, underlying sense of good taste and regard for the style of the composition one is interpreting.
The foregoing considerations have been primarily of a musical character, yet the text that is sung requires quite as intelligent an approach as does the music.

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