The Mechanics of Messa di Voce by Dr. Françoise Chagnon, Saima Hassan & Winston Purdy
/ December 1, 1998
Version française...
One of the most difficult exercises for singers is the messa di voce which The
New Harvard Dictionary of Music (1986) defines as "a gradual crescendo and
decrescendo on a sustained [sung] note." Messa di voce, "placing
the voice," comes from the Italian mettere (to place). Various experts,
including Will Crutchfield, consider this skill the ultimate test for a singer. The effect
was first discussed by Giulio Caccini (Le nuove musiche, 1601-2) who used the
phrase "crescere e scemare della voce." It was one of the primary
exercises leading to the mastery of nuance of tone, which was one of the most essential
elements in bel canto singing. Many 18th century arias begin with a long messa
di voce, as did the classical vocal cadenza, and it was prescribed as late as 1831, in
Bellini’s Norma.Ideally, the tone in messa di
voce should remain constant and full in both piano and forte, as well as
during crescendo and decrescendo. The vibrato rate, intonation and resonance
should also remain as close to constant as possible. During messa di voce, breath
support must be adjusted to the change in intensity in order to produce a constant pitch
and compensate for natural tendencies such as straining and pushing. In other words, the
singer must not go sharp during the crescendo and flat during the decrescendo.
Western operatic singers normally perform messa di voce using
one of two different vocal techniques. In the first approach, the vocal folds are brought
to their optimum state and are kept there for the entire exercise. The sound quality
remains constant throughout the phonation without breathy initiation. The second technique
involves a breathy beginning followed by a gradual closing of the vocal folds during crescendo
and a gradual opening of the folds during decrescendo. The breathy sound eventually
attains full timbre.
In the laboratory, among beginners and experienced singers, we found
that few could control pitch and loudness independently. All singers encountered
difficulties in maintaining resonance as well as consistency of vibrato with decrescendo;
the decrescendo generally caused the most problems. The second technique lacks
power and projection at piano as verified by weak spectral resonance, especially in
the range of the singer’s formant.
TECHNOLINGOThe Singer’s Formant is the
peak of sound energy in the 3 kHz to 4 kHz frequency range found uniquely in professional
opera singers’ voices (and not in amateur voices), which allows their sound to
project over an orchestra (whose sound energy tapers off above 3 kHz). The tenor Jussi
Bjoerling was a singer whose formant allowed his seemingly smallish voice to carry over an
orchestra. This may also explain why Bjoerling and Pavarotti’s voices record so well.
- Wah Keung Chan
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