Bel Canto Topics

• lyric coloratura soprano
• vocal pedagogy
• beverly sills
• maria callas
• vocal exercises
• joan sutherland
• mezzo soprano
• performance repertoire
• voice teachers
• head voice
• chest voice
• vocal technique
• dexterity
• passaggio
• designations
• registers
• composers
• singers
• 19th century
• voices

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Bel Canto, Bel Canto

These men composed opera during what is sometimes called the bel canto era , which flourished from approximately 1805 to 1830.

These composers had gone out of fashion during the latter half of the 19th century and their works, while not completely leaving the performance repertoire, were staged infrequently. All of that changed with enterprising singers like Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland and Beverly Sills, who popularized the bel canto repertoire internationally.

The term bel canto technique is sometimes used to refer to vocal technique concepts developed during the bel canto era. That is not to say that there was a uniform opinion among all voice teachers during this time, but that there were developments in thought and practice within vocal pedagogy that have become associated with bel canto singing. For example, teachers during the bel canto era began to describe the voice as possessing three vocal registers. Chest voice was identified as the lowest and head voice the highest of three vocal registers: the chest, passaggio and head registers. Prior to the bel canto era the terms chest and head voice were used but with different meanings. The term 'throat voice' was used and 'passaggio' not used at all. Another example would be major changes within voice classification. Terms like mezzo-soprano and lyric coloratura soprano, along with many other designations were developed during this period and have had a lasting impact on the way singers and voice teachers classify voices. Writings on the voice and vocal exercises created to enhance vocal dexterity, range, and control during this period are still studied and used today by some teachers.

Source: Wikipedia > Bel Canto