A beautiful gift of nature –  the singing voice! Is it possible to preserve it for many years of singers’ careers?

The longevity of the singing voice, preserved in its youthful state is attainable!

Professional vocal art began more than three centuries ago and singers reached the level of mastery that is hard to imagine now-- the Golden Era in the Operatic Style. Without amplification singers were able to project their voices reaching the last rows of Opera houses. At the same time singers were concerned not to overuse the vocal cords and preserve the beautiful color of their voices. Singers could achieve these goals working on the mastery of the vocal art. Singing art during the Golden Era established a high criteria for the quality of produced sound that served as inspiration for performers-instrumentalists as well—the best praise from a music critic would be a statement that a musician succeeded in obtaining a “singing tone” from his/her instrument.

Operatic and the newly developed Pop Style in the first half of 20th century continued the essential principles of the Golden Era. Many singers in both styles enjoyed long and productive careers and some of them even made it into history as legends!

Drastic change in the singing art occurred with the invention of amplification. Amplification was welcomed with enthusiasm by the emerging new styles and larger audiences in bigger halls or outside venues. Music Theater and Jazz, Pop and Rock and Roll, Country and Folk, all these styles benefitted greatly from the power of amplification.

At last the complicated singer’s profession was simplified. No more concern for the volume of the voice and projection of the sound in the big space! However, there was a dramatic unintended consequence during this time: the singers’ mentality toward vocal mastery in general changed. Concern about the source of the voice—the vocal cords, was soon forgotten. Careful treatment of vocal cords that was the focus of attention for centuries became neglected. However, the singing voice has an objective part that is based on human anatomy, on laws of the inner work of its organs and muscles. This objective part is permanent, is not dependent on time or style and thus has a life of its own. The objective part represents effective and secure work of the vocal apparatus. The vocal apparatus is responsible for the quality of sound, clear articulation, and longevity of the singing voice, preserved in its youthful state.

Another substantial change occurred in the 20th century concerning the role of articulation in the singing process. The Golden Era considered the speaking process as a secondary skill, focusing primarily on the beautiful, smooth line of singing in the famous “Bel Canto” style. In the 20th century attitude of singers changed and singing and speaking became equally important. Some singers achieved outstanding results balancing these two processes. To name a few, in the Operatic Style, it was the genius singer-actor Feodor Chaliapin who transformed Opera with his beautiful approach to singing, combined with very clear articulation, truthful intonation, and unsurpassed acting. In the Pop Style it was Frank Sinatra who became an inspiration for a generation of singers who admired his expressive singing and articulation, always with truthful intonation. However, in the second half of the 20th century, articulation began to prevail often even eclipsing the melody itself. Nevertheless nobody will dispute that music has the power to convey more nuances of human emotions than words do. Melody alone is able to touch people’s hearts and elevate people’s spirit.

What happens with the source of the voice, the vocal cords, when this objective part is ignored? For a certain period of time (unique for every singer) vocal cords can endure a lot. They are able to endure overstretching beyond capacity, extreme pressure on the throat and consequently extreme tension of muscles around the throat and the larynx. However, after some time of vocal cords abuse, medical complications often follow, career of the singer is cut short and audiences witness a loss of a beautiful singing voice.

A balanced approach to singing and speaking is explained in our Video Course, that is dedicated to the objective part of the singing process and demonstrated by clear exercises for muscles. Consequently this modern knowledge is available to singers of any style. The impediment to success is the willingness of singers to admit to the importance of the objective part of singing for the sake of the health of vocal cords and the longevity of the voice. Singers in the previous centuries were forced to work very hard for years to build an effective vocal apparatus. It was a time when the work of inner muscles was not yet sufficiently understood. Fortunately, there is a quite short period of time that separates us from the mastery of singing. We are constantly reminded about master singers while listening to their recordings. We also know stories of their long and successful careers.

This is an incomplete list of master singers:

Feodor Chaliapin and Amelita Galli-Curci in the Operatic Style

Marian Anderson in the Classical Style

Paul Robeson in Music Theater and Pop style

Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline in the Country Style

Frank Sinatra in the Pop Style

Ella Fitzgerald in Jazz and Pop Styles

Roy Orbison in Rock ‘n’ Roll

These singers had very different voices and belonged to different styles. Each of them possessed a unique artistic temperament. Nevertheless they had one essential element in common. They all possessed a true mastery that resulted in seemingly effortless singing that allowed them fully to express their artistic intentions. The control of vocal apparatus was minimal, invisible for audiences. It was an indication that for these singers it was almost second nature.

Roy Orbison who was a magic singer, even called the “Caruso of Rock ‘n’ Roll” would amaze audiences visually. His vocal apparatus worked with utmost precision. His breath control was undetectable; his face maintained a natural, pleasant expression. His mouth was almost closed with only slightly more opening for high notes. He had clear articulation without excessive manipulation of the lower jaw. He succeeded in creating a special atmosphere that seemed like a musical meditation and audiences were mesmerized by the soft, beautiful sound of his voice and touched by the simplicity of his great performance.

Return to building an effective vocal apparatus is inevitable! We have hit rock bottom and cannot continue to abuse the precious gift of the singing voice any longer. We live in a transformative period of time that urges us to change our mentality toward planet as a whole, its plants, oceans, animals, etc.

Transformation needs to take place in the singing art as well. This newly discovered knowledge is necessary for singers who truly care about the health of their voices and who feel responsible for the longevity of the voice, preserved in its youthful state. We cannot ever forget that the voice is only raw material, while the ART OF SINGING requires mastery!