Bernhard Warner’s excellent long read (10 August) about the vocal problems of singers such as Adele refers to our work, commenting: “Their research pointed Brilla and Paglin to a surprising conclusion: that responsibility for the modern decline of the voice lay at the feet of Verdi, Wagner and Puccini.” This warrants clarification. For their groundbreaking operas, Verdi, Wagner and Puccini, while emphasising dramatic authenticity, expected singers to meet their high standards: agility, nuance, perfect intonation and natural, expressive words on a legato line, based on the principles of the old Italian method.
Wagner died in 1883, Verdi in 1901, Puccini in 1924. They couldn’t have imagined the future. The Old Masters of singing died. No one replaced them. Their pupils, who had debuted their scores, attempted teaching, mostly unsuccessfully. They taught expression and phrasing, neglecting technique. Singing styles, partially influenced by emotionally charged plots and music, more so by increased orchestral power, began to change from the fluent, versatile emission of the past to concentration on volume. New vocal theories about resonance and volume emerged. A surface crack had formed between the singing of the past and that of the future generations. It has since widened into an abyss.
The difference between the singing that Verdi, Wagner and Puccini knew and loved and that which we hear today, is gargantuan.
Lisa Paglin, Marianna Brilla
New Voice Studio Brilla-Paglin,
Osimo Ancona, Italy
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