Wobbly Women Spoil My Music

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It's a sad characteristic of growing older that vibrato increases with age for most singers. Kiri Te Kanawa described the effect at some length in a master lass, when she herself was at her peak, with some ironic remarks about the methods older singers used to maintain their singing careers.
Men are luckier than women in that they often are able to maintain good voices for longer, and it's the sopranos who come off the worst, Monserrat Cabaille being one who bucked the trend.

[johnb]

I'm afraid that Elin Manahan Thomas' vibrato in the Dowland gave me a distinctly queasy feeling, as though I was on board a ship, rolling in heavy seas.

That said, the white voice of the (reputedly) blessed Emma does very little for me either. In fact I am usually disappointed whenever I hear Dowland being sung.

One of the constant gripes I have (even with EK) is diction. In this music the words really do need to be clearly intelligible. It's a pity that singers seem to regard consonants as their mortal foes.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Enunciation.

[doversoul1]

That said, the white voice of the (reputedly) blessed Emma does very little for me either. In fact I am usually disappointed whenever I hear Dowland being sung.

Sting any good?

I suppose it is extremely hard to sing Dowland in a way that sounds ‘right’ in a concert, as his songs were not intended to be performed on the stage to a large audience.

I'm afraid that Elin Manahan Thomas' vibrato in the Dowland gave me a distinctly queasy feeling, as though I was on board a ship, rolling in heavy seas.

I don’t think Elin Manahan Thomas was that bad but this concert was certainly not her best imv.

[ed.] We could have this discussion on

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?10910-Early-Music-at-Saturday-Lunchtimes&p=418676#post418676

[Old Grumpy]

Plenty of wobby men on here - but given the frequencies involved, perhaps not surprising!

[gamba]

St. Velo,


In my case, the only exemption, an early Haydn qt.

[Sir Velo]

St. Velo,


In my case, the only exemption, an early Haydn qt.

[vinteuil]

... a Scarlatti sonata, an early Haydn quartet.

I wd add - also one of the "48"...

[gamba]

... a Scarlatti sonata, an early Haydn quartet.

I wd add - also one of the "48"...

This cannot be - in such exalted company I shall just float away..........

[CallMePaul]

Men are luckier than women in that they often are able to maintain good voices for longer, and it's the sopranos who come off the worst, Monserrat Cabaille being one who bucked the trend.

Emma Kirkby is another, still going strong at 65!

[cloughie]

If female singers have not got enough power in their voices to fill a hall without pumping up the vibrato perhaps a 21st Century solution would be miking up! ...or is that unHIPP?

[Richard Tarleton]

Emma Kirkby is another, still going strong at 65!

There may be a moral there - she's never sung anything later than Mozart. Over-extending yourself in terms of repertoire, frequency of performance and size of venue must be part of the story....

[Mary Chambers]

There may be a moral there - she's never sung anything later than Mozart. Over-extending yourself in terms of repertoire, frequency of performance and size of venue must be part of the story....

She's sung Schubert..

[Richard Tarleton]

She's sung Schubert..

Ah, my mistake - I remember her saying in an interview that she was happy never singing anything later than Mozart, but I daresay that was a while ago....

[Stanfordian]

If female singers have not got enough power in their voices to fill a hall without pumping up the vibrato perhaps a 21st Century solution would be miking up! ...or is that unHIPP?

Hiya cloughie,

I often wonder if this will come in time. After all if the concert is being recorded the balance between of singer and orchestra is invariably altered. From what I see in theatre productions singers in musicals are always miked-up.