Singing Artistry
I once told a friend that I would rather hear a tenor with a soul than a high C. "But," said the friend, "what do you mean by soul? How can a singer express soulfulness, as you call it, when singing? I’ll take the high C!"
Years of listening to singers has not caused me to change my mind. Many singers sing the requisite tones, sing the usual songs in the usual way, and when they are through, the audience is left quite cold. Artistry in singing is the goal to strive for, for a singer is just a singer, while an artist creates beauty.
The art of singing—the art of "putting over" a song—assumes the fact that technical difficulties have been overcome, that the actual singing tone is correct, that no passage is too difficult for the vocal technique of the singer. To attain this goal, of course, the preparation must be thorough; interpretation, repertoire, languages, ear training, etc., must be part of the artist’s foundation.
A song is not just a collection of words and notes. A song is a thought, a mood, or an experience which the singer must project to the audience. This thought, mood, or experience must be expressed in every tone, every vocal inflection, every gesture. Singing, whether on the concert or operatic stage, is not a form of contest to determine who can sing the loudest, highest notes, or who can hold them the longest. Instead, it is an opportunity for the artist to create beauty and truth for a group of people whose quest for beauty has led them to music. It is understandable, though not excusable, that American or English-speaking singers, performing in a foreign language, should occasionally mistake the meaning of the author’s words. But when English songs are sung without any attempt at adequate interpretation, no reasonable excuse or explanation is possible. It is highly important, therefore, that the student should study interpretation with a well-qualified coach. This should be someone fully conversant with the origin and tradition of the music under consideration, for behind the words and music of a song or an operatic role lies a vast store of racial lore which must be understood and appreciated if the singer is to do full justice to the work.
For example, in one country a lullaby may be a simple cradle song, while in another country it may be a song of profound spiritual significance, embodying the problems and thoughts of its people. The singer must know the background of the music in order to convey these meanings, this "atmosphere," to his audience.
There is a great difference between an unmusicianly, ignorant interpretation that departs unnecessarily from the actual structure of a song, and one which, although it can be said to vary from the printed page of music in detail, is still musicianly, and the departures are legitimate aids to the verve and style of the performer. Unmusical liberties and mistakes that result from ignorance or error are inexcusable. Departures from tradition are allowable only when they add to the quality of a song or aria, or enhance the artist’s interpretation of it. The ultimate result of the artist’s interpretation is his "style." Style is the artist’s personality seen through the music performed. It is an almost indefinable, very intangible quality, and yet undeniably the individual essence of the artist’s performance.