Messa di voce: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Singing technique}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}} |
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}} |
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'''''Messa di voce''''' {{IPA |
'''''Messa di voce''''' {{IPA|it|ˈmessa di ˈvoːtʃe|}} (Italian: ''placing of the voice'') is a singing technique and [[musical ornament]] most idiomatically on a single [[pitch (music)|pitch]] while executing a [[crescendo]] and [[diminuendo]]. It requires sustained control<ref>[http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/messa%20di%20voce "Messa di voce"] Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 21 November 2012.</ref> and masterly [[singing technique]]. It should not be confused with ''[[mezza voce]]'', meaning to sing at [[dynamics (music)|half voice or half strength]]. Messa di voce can also be used as a voice therapy technique. |
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==Technique== |
==Technique== |
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==History== |
==History== |
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In Western [[art music]], the ''messa di voce'' was historically associated with [[Castrato|castrati]]. In the [[seicento]], they performed both [[sacred]] and |
In Western [[art music]], the ''messa di voce'' was historically associated with [[Castrato|castrati]]. In the [[seicento]], they performed both [[sacred]] and secular music. The [[papal court]] employed them in dramatic [[religious music]], sometimes to promote [[religious conversion]], as opera became a distinct [[Genre#Music|genre]]. Popes and [[Prince#Prince as generic for ruler|prince]]s hired them from the [[Sistine Chapel]].{{sfn|Gordon|2023|loc=249}} |
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In the preface to ''Le nuove |
In the preface to ''{{lang|it|[[Le nuove musiche]]}}'' (1602), [[Giulio Caccini]] detailed techniques of a new style of singing. He described the {{lang|it|messa di voce}} as a {{lang|it|"crescere e scemare la voce"|italics=no}} ("crescendo and decrescendo of the voice") and linked it to [[vocal pedagogy]] as the main way to master intonation. Its use was [[musical expression|expressive]], not merely ornamental, technical, or [[virtuoso|virtuosic]].{{sfn|Gordon|2023|loc=257}} |
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[[Domenico Mazzocchi]] was likely first to |
[[Domenico Mazzocchi]] was likely first to mark it in a [[sheet music|score]]. He applied it twice, using the symbol {{serif|'''''V'''''}}, in the 1638 ''Lagrime amare: la Maddalena ricorre alle lagrime'' of his ''[[Dialogue|Dialoghi]] e [[Sonnet|sonetti]]''.{{efn|Mazzocchi set [[Mary Magdalene]]'s [[anointing of Jesus]] as a [[lament]] using a text attributed to [[Roberto Ubaldini]].{{sfn|Gordon|2023|loc=233–255}} [[Athanasius Kircher]] lauded it as an example of the "[[Musurgia Universalis|metabolic style]]".{{sfn|Gordon|2023|loc=233–234, 258–260}}}} In its three-page {{lang|it|"Avvertimento sopra il precedente sonetto"|italic=no}} ("Note on the previous sonnet"), Mazzocchi asked for performance "scritto à rigore" ("strictly as written"). With {{serif|'''''V'''''}}, Mazzocchi still permitted shifts in [[pitch (music)|pitch]], describing the execution as involving a [[quarter-tone]] rise in the crescendo. The symbol {{serif|'''''C'''''}}, he wrote, denoted "to raise the voice only in volume and spirit".{{sfn|Gordon|2023|loc=viii, 26, 233, 249–258, 357}} [[Loreto Vittori]] plausibly performed the ''Lagrime amare'' for [[Urban VIII]] in 1640.{{efn|The music closely fit [[Gian Vittorio Rossi]]'s account; thus Bonnie Gordon judged its identity as Mazzocchi's ''Lagrime amare'' likely. [[Loreto Vittori]] was seeking (and obtained) papal [[Apostolic Pardon|pardon]] for an alleged 1637 abduction.{{sfn|Gordon|2023|loc=233–240, 248, 354}}}} |
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| ⚫ | By the eighteenth century, [[Martha Feldman (musicologist)|Martha Feldman]] argued, the technique was a castrato hallmark entailing masterly [[Vocal pedagogy#Breathing and breath support|breath control]].{{sfn|Gordon|2023|loc=256}} Having visited Italy, [[Charles Burney]] wrote in his 1789 ''General History of Music'' that "none of all [[Farinelli]]'s excellencies ... so far surpassed all other singers, and astonished the public, as his {{lang|it|messa di voce}}, or swell".{{efn|Farinelli's {{lang|it|messa di voce}}, [[Giovanni Battista Mancini]] observed in his widely translated ''Pensieri e riflessioni pratiche sopra il canto figurato'' (1774), made him "eternally famous among singers".{{sfn|Gordon|2023|loc=288, 364}}}} Farinelli's {{lang|it|messa di voce}} inspired disbelief and even suspicion that he was somehow assisted by a [[musical instrument]]. Thus [[music historian]] Bonnie Gordon argued that the technique was also associated with instruments, to which singers were compared in terms of vocal control.{{sfn|Gordon|2023|loc=128}} |
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In the three-page {{lang|it|"Avvertimento sopra il precedente sonetto"|italic=no}} ("Note on the previous sonnet"), Mazzocchi asked for performance "scritto à rigore” ("strictly as written"). With {{serif|'''''V'''''}}, Mazzocchi still permitted shifts in [[pitch (music)|pitch]], describing the execution as involving a rise by [[quarter-tone]] in the crescendo. The symbol {{serif|'''''C'''''}}, he wrote, denoted "to raise the voice only in volume and spirit".{{sfn|Gordon|2023|loc=viii, 26, 233, 249–258, 357}} |
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| ⚫ | By the |
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| ⚫ | It was popular in {{lang|it|[[bel canto]]}} opera, often as the opening dramatic flourish of [[aria]]s. "Casta diva" from Bellini's ''[[Norma (opera)|Norma]]'' is a famous example. Verdi's "Pace! Pace, mio Dio", from ''[[La Forza del destino]]'', is a later example in the transition from {{lang|it|bel canto}} singing. {{lang|it|Messa di voce}} became less common in the less stylized, speech-like singing of [[Romantic music]] of the mid- and late nineteenth century. |
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| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | It was popular in {{lang|it|[[bel canto]]}} opera, often as the opening dramatic flourish of [[aria]]s. "Casta diva" from Bellini's ''[[Norma (opera)|Norma]]'' is a famous example. Verdi's "Pace! Pace, mio Dio", from ''[[La Forza del destino]]'', is a later example in the transition from {{lang|it|bel canto}} singing. {{lang|it|Messa di voce}} became less common |
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In the [[popular music]] of the West, {{lang|it|messa di voce}} became even less common. It occasionally featured in some ornate styles, especially [[Gospel Music#Black gospel|gospel]] and its stylistic descendents.<ref>The New Harvard Dictionary of Music (1986)</ref> |
In the [[popular music]] of the West, {{lang|it|messa di voce}} became even less common. It occasionally featured in some ornate styles, especially [[Gospel Music#Black gospel|gospel]] and its stylistic descendents.<ref>The New Harvard Dictionary of Music (1986)</ref> |
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==Voice Therapy== |
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Gentle messa di voce exercises are sometimes used to help treat a variety of voice disorders, including nodules and polyps.<ref> Carroll, Linda M. "Application of singing techniques for the treatment of dysphonia." Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America 33.5 (2000): 1003-1015.</ref> |
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==Examples in recorded repertoire== |
==Examples in recorded repertoire== |
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Latest revision as of 18:49, 27 December 2024
Messa di voce [ˈmessa di ˈvoːtʃe] (Italian: placing of the voice) is a singing technique and musical ornament most idiomatically on a single pitch while executing a crescendo and diminuendo. It requires sustained control[1] and masterly singing technique. It should not be confused with mezza voce, meaning to sing at half voice or half strength. Messa di voce can also be used as a voice therapy technique.
Technique
[edit]The messa di voce is widely considered an advanced vocal technique.[2] To be properly executed, the only feature of the note being sung that should change is the volume, not the pitch, intonation, timbre, or vibrato. This requires an extremely high level of vocal coordination, particularly in the diminuendo. Thus the technique is not often explicitly indicated and is heard infrequently outside classical music.[citation needed] Currently the only known use case outside of classical music is in relation to trans voice work.[citation needed]
History
[edit]In Western art music, the messa di voce was historically associated with castrati. In the seicento, they performed both sacred and secular music. The papal court employed them in dramatic religious music, sometimes to promote religious conversion, as opera became a distinct genre. Popes and princes hired them from the Sistine Chapel.[3]
In the preface to Le nuove musiche (1602), Giulio Caccini detailed techniques of a new style of singing. He described the messa di voce as a "crescere e scemare la voce" ("crescendo and decrescendo of the voice") and linked it to vocal pedagogy as the main way to master intonation. Its use was expressive, not merely ornamental, technical, or virtuosic.[4]
Domenico Mazzocchi was likely first to mark it in a score. He applied it twice, using the symbol V, in the 1638 Lagrime amare: la Maddalena ricorre alle lagrime of his Dialoghi e sonetti.[a] In its three-page "Avvertimento sopra il precedente sonetto" ("Note on the previous sonnet"), Mazzocchi asked for performance "scritto à rigore" ("strictly as written"). With V, Mazzocchi still permitted shifts in pitch, describing the execution as involving a quarter-tone rise in the crescendo. The symbol C, he wrote, denoted "to raise the voice only in volume and spirit".[7] Loreto Vittori plausibly performed the Lagrime amare for Urban VIII in 1640.[b]
By the eighteenth century, Martha Feldman argued, the technique was a castrato hallmark entailing masterly breath control.[9] Having visited Italy, Charles Burney wrote in his 1789 General History of Music that "none of all Farinelli's excellencies ... so far surpassed all other singers, and astonished the public, as his messa di voce, or swell".[c] Farinelli's messa di voce inspired disbelief and even suspicion that he was somehow assisted by a musical instrument. Thus music historian Bonnie Gordon argued that the technique was also associated with instruments, to which singers were compared in terms of vocal control.[11]
In singing the roles of castrati (most popularly in Baroque opera), mezzo-sopranos and countertenors later adopted the technique.
It was popular in bel canto opera, often as the opening dramatic flourish of arias. "Casta diva" from Bellini's Norma is a famous example. Verdi's "Pace! Pace, mio Dio", from La Forza del destino, is a later example in the transition from bel canto singing. Messa di voce became less common in the less stylized, speech-like singing of Romantic music of the mid- and late nineteenth century.
In the popular music of the West, messa di voce became even less common. It occasionally featured in some ornate styles, especially gospel and its stylistic descendents.[12]
Voice Therapy
[edit]Gentle messa di voce exercises are sometimes used to help treat a variety of voice disorders, including nodules and polyps.[13]
Examples in recorded repertoire
[edit]- Handel's Alcina, Act II, "Qual portento" (Anna Bonitatibus as Ruggiero, Marc Minkowski conducting Les Musiciens du Louvre, Pentatone 5187084)[14]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Mazzocchi set Mary Magdalene's anointing of Jesus as a lament using a text attributed to Roberto Ubaldini.[5] Athanasius Kircher lauded it as an example of the "metabolic style".[6]
- ^ The music closely fit Gian Vittorio Rossi's account; thus Bonnie Gordon judged its identity as Mazzocchi's Lagrime amare likely. Loreto Vittori was seeking (and obtained) papal pardon for an alleged 1637 abduction.[8]
- ^ Farinelli's messa di voce, Giovanni Battista Mancini observed in his widely translated Pensieri e riflessioni pratiche sopra il canto figurato (1774), made him "eternally famous among singers".[10]
References
[edit]- ^ "Messa di voce" Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
- ^ Stark, James (2003). Bel Canto: A History of Vocal Pedagogy. University of Toronto Press. p. 116. ISBN 0-8020-8614-4.
- ^ Gordon 2023, 249.
- ^ Gordon 2023, 257.
- ^ Gordon 2023, 233–255.
- ^ Gordon 2023, 233–234, 258–260.
- ^ Gordon 2023, viii, 26, 233, 249–258, 357.
- ^ Gordon 2023, 233–240, 248, 354.
- ^ Gordon 2023, 256.
- ^ Gordon 2023, 288, 364.
- ^ Gordon 2023, 128.
- ^ The New Harvard Dictionary of Music (1986)
- ^ Carroll, Linda M. "Application of singing techniques for the treatment of dysphonia." Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America 33.5 (2000): 1003-1015.
- ^ Goldoni 2024, ¶4; di Profio 2023, ¶3
Bibliography
[edit]- Goldoni, Daniela. 2024. "[Review] Georg Friedrich Händel: Milano - Teatro alla Scala: Alcina". OperaClick: Quotidiano di informazione operistica e musicale. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- Gordon, Bonnie. 2023. Voice Machines: The Castrato, the Cat Piano, and Other Strange Sounds. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-82515-1 (ebk). ISBN 978-0-226-82514-4 (hbk). doi:10.7208/chicago/9780226825151.001.0001.
- di Profio, Alessandro. 2024. "[Review] Parigi, Philharmonie de Paris – Alcina (con Kožená, Bonitatibus, direttore Minkowski)". Connessi all'Opera: Lirica e dintorni ai tempi del 2.0. Retrieved 27 March 2024.