I love watching Luciano Pavarotti sing “Nel cor più non mi sento” from Giovanni Paisiello's 1788 opera La Molinara Hello friends, If you mention the “yellow book” to any current or former vocal student, they would know exactly what you were talking about.
Here is the full list of songs from the book. I may start posting some other favorites in the comment section. So many beautiful ones to choose from! If only my younger self could see this! 🙈
When I first started reading your comments about the "yellow book," I groaned to myself, "This sounds like another example like 'The Art of the Fugue.' " Bach's voluminous works on the fugue are characterized as superb examples of great composing, surely require great virtuosity, and are also boring as hell. So, I had very low expectations while I listened to your yellow book examples, and I was surprised and delighted to hear them. Of course, the singers you chose could make singing a telephone book sound wonderful - if there still were telephone books.
Wow! Just listened to this recording - what a beauty. The piece felt like one big meditation. So much for a young singer to learn from here (text/tone and music). Thank you for sharing.
Sadly, many voice teachers (mine included) do not tell their students that some of the works in the 24 Italian Songs and Arias come from actual operas of the 17th century. That is, the arias are part of an opera & that they fit within a larger narrative work with characters, emotions, etc. The great singers who still sing these songs and arias learn/know this and they bring all their craft to them. Pavarotti was one who performed these arias in recital. A great example is a recital one can fine on YouTube at the Brooklyn Academy of Music early in his career (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPJisqcDgDg&list=PLNvlNmiC23ap6MZGghkDvFeZqwLE37rVM) and on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Luciano-Pavarotti-Recital-York-1973/dp/B0000019VI). In this recital the first THREE works are from the 24! A fascating glimpse of what these Song and Arias can become when approached with the right perspective. I wish that EVERY voice teacher would impress on their students their absolute seriousness as works of art (as they certainly were when they were written in the 17th century). I'll never forget hearing Pavarotti sing "Caro mio ben"!! What a revelation after having heard so many frestman voice students sing it (or attempt to sing it). Give those YouTube vidoes some time; you'll not regret it (only caveat is that the recording is by an audience member, I think, so that quality is lacking, but the sincerity of the performers is obvious).
I love this point you are making. When I started taking voice lessons, my teacher often made me feel like the yellow book was like "eating my vegetables". I am not sure she was entirely wrong as vegetables are good for you. But what she left out was how AMAZING vegetables are (how great they make you feel, how some can be so delicious) In my teacher's defense (and in all teachers defense) I think they have heard hundreds of bad "O del mio dolce ardor's" 😂 I love that you shared that link! (I think) Another member emailed me yesterday about this same recital you shared here! Thank you!
I'll go a step farther - no freshman/sophomore voice student should ever be given these to sing. They simply do not know enough to sing them well and bad habits of their youthful approach would be very hard to overcome later). The arias come from a 17th century singing style in which legato and portamento was a part of how a singer approached their craft. No freshman/sophomore knows how to sing like this. In fact, most professional singers IMO, do not know how to sing like this because I don't think it's taugh any longer, which is a shame (cp. https://voice-lessons.com/old-school-vocal-training/ and https://www.shigovoicelessons.com/voicetalk//2017/03/mastering-portamento.html). YouTube is a great tool for exploring this there are so many vidoes now of opera singers. Take "Una furtiva lagrima" for example - there are dozens of vids of tenors singing this Donizetti aria. Donizetti is after the 17th century by a full century, but the bel canto technique his works require is founded on 17th century practice (I mean, no singer could sing an Aria di Capo aria with the embellishments expected in that time without the necessary techinical mastery). YouTube has vids of Caruso, Scipa, Bonci, Taglivini, and Gigli (old school) singing it. Then vids of the next generation (di Stefano, Bjoerling, Gedda, Kraus, Tucker, etc.) singing it. Then the next (Pavarotti, Carreras, Domingo, etc.). And the present generation (Grigolo, Alagna, Kaufmann, Bernheim, Calleja, Villazon, etc.). Listen to the differences in how the first group approach this simple formally structured aria (LOTS of portamento, for example)! Later generations is a mix and match (Alagna, for example, has no legato or portamento -- which, frankly, is unsurprising as he's self taught). For funzies, I've made a YT Playlist of these vids: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJxd5QY58kkivKfTOsRJszAx92k5FJ_1G
It is quite interesting to listen to them (aside from the obvious differences in voice and sonic quality). I think Pavarotti's love of the arias in the 24 is his desire to follow the Old School (he certainly does use portamento and legato in his singing of Una furtiva lagrima).
In all this I should note I am not a voice teacher. But I am a student of opera and I took lessons for six years as an undergrad and masters student (though never as a voice performance major). I regret very much I did not apply myself better in those years (I never did learn how to practice).
P.S. I remember reading an interview with Caballe and she said that for her entire first year of voical study she sang no arias -- scales and breathing only. Compare that with the "old school" link above. I cannot imaging any teacher today, where students have to perform on juries and recitals each semester, teaching their students following this "old school" approach.
Here is the full list of songs from the book. I may start posting some other favorites in the comment section. So many beautiful ones to choose from! If only my younger self could see this! 🙈
Alma Del Core
Amarilli, Mia Bella
Caro Mio Ben
Che Fiero Costume
Comme Raggio Di Sol
Danza, Danza, Fanciulla Gentile
Gia Il Sole Dal Gange
Il Mio Bel Foco
Lasciatemi Morire
Le Violette
Nel Cor Piu Non Sento
Nina
Non Posso Disperar
O Cessate Di Piagarmi
O Del Mio Dolce Ardor
Per La Gloria D'Adorarvi
Pieta, Signore
Pur Dicesti, O Bocca Bella
Se Florindo E Fedele
Se Tu M'ami
Sebben, Crudele
Tu Lo Sai
Vergin, Tutto Amor
Vittoria, Mio Co
When I first started reading your comments about the "yellow book," I groaned to myself, "This sounds like another example like 'The Art of the Fugue.' " Bach's voluminous works on the fugue are characterized as superb examples of great composing, surely require great virtuosity, and are also boring as hell. So, I had very low expectations while I listened to your yellow book examples, and I was surprised and delighted to hear them. Of course, the singers you chose could make singing a telephone book sound wonderful - if there still were telephone books.
I loved hearing about your journey reading the piece! And that is so true about the singers I chose 😂
If only my younger self could see me now - I can not get enough of these pieces today :-)
Another favorite shared by a reader this morning: Teresa Berganza singing Le violette from Scarlatti's opera "Pirro e Demetrio" (1694)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAb_qkTO3-E
Pavarotti recorded Beethovens' In Questo Tomba Oscuro which is unforgettable and deeply moving that students could sing as well.
Wow! Just listened to this recording - what a beauty. The piece felt like one big meditation. So much for a young singer to learn from here (text/tone and music). Thank you for sharing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9cAEyND-TU
Sadly, many voice teachers (mine included) do not tell their students that some of the works in the 24 Italian Songs and Arias come from actual operas of the 17th century. That is, the arias are part of an opera & that they fit within a larger narrative work with characters, emotions, etc. The great singers who still sing these songs and arias learn/know this and they bring all their craft to them. Pavarotti was one who performed these arias in recital. A great example is a recital one can fine on YouTube at the Brooklyn Academy of Music early in his career (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPJisqcDgDg&list=PLNvlNmiC23ap6MZGghkDvFeZqwLE37rVM) and on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Luciano-Pavarotti-Recital-York-1973/dp/B0000019VI). In this recital the first THREE works are from the 24! A fascating glimpse of what these Song and Arias can become when approached with the right perspective. I wish that EVERY voice teacher would impress on their students their absolute seriousness as works of art (as they certainly were when they were written in the 17th century). I'll never forget hearing Pavarotti sing "Caro mio ben"!! What a revelation after having heard so many frestman voice students sing it (or attempt to sing it). Give those YouTube vidoes some time; you'll not regret it (only caveat is that the recording is by an audience member, I think, so that quality is lacking, but the sincerity of the performers is obvious).
I love this point you are making. When I started taking voice lessons, my teacher often made me feel like the yellow book was like "eating my vegetables". I am not sure she was entirely wrong as vegetables are good for you. But what she left out was how AMAZING vegetables are (how great they make you feel, how some can be so delicious) In my teacher's defense (and in all teachers defense) I think they have heard hundreds of bad "O del mio dolce ardor's" 😂 I love that you shared that link! (I think) Another member emailed me yesterday about this same recital you shared here! Thank you!
I'll go a step farther - no freshman/sophomore voice student should ever be given these to sing. They simply do not know enough to sing them well and bad habits of their youthful approach would be very hard to overcome later). The arias come from a 17th century singing style in which legato and portamento was a part of how a singer approached their craft. No freshman/sophomore knows how to sing like this. In fact, most professional singers IMO, do not know how to sing like this because I don't think it's taugh any longer, which is a shame (cp. https://voice-lessons.com/old-school-vocal-training/ and https://www.shigovoicelessons.com/voicetalk//2017/03/mastering-portamento.html). YouTube is a great tool for exploring this there are so many vidoes now of opera singers. Take "Una furtiva lagrima" for example - there are dozens of vids of tenors singing this Donizetti aria. Donizetti is after the 17th century by a full century, but the bel canto technique his works require is founded on 17th century practice (I mean, no singer could sing an Aria di Capo aria with the embellishments expected in that time without the necessary techinical mastery). YouTube has vids of Caruso, Scipa, Bonci, Taglivini, and Gigli (old school) singing it. Then vids of the next generation (di Stefano, Bjoerling, Gedda, Kraus, Tucker, etc.) singing it. Then the next (Pavarotti, Carreras, Domingo, etc.). And the present generation (Grigolo, Alagna, Kaufmann, Bernheim, Calleja, Villazon, etc.). Listen to the differences in how the first group approach this simple formally structured aria (LOTS of portamento, for example)! Later generations is a mix and match (Alagna, for example, has no legato or portamento -- which, frankly, is unsurprising as he's self taught). For funzies, I've made a YT Playlist of these vids: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJxd5QY58kkivKfTOsRJszAx92k5FJ_1G
It is quite interesting to listen to them (aside from the obvious differences in voice and sonic quality). I think Pavarotti's love of the arias in the 24 is his desire to follow the Old School (he certainly does use portamento and legato in his singing of Una furtiva lagrima).
In all this I should note I am not a voice teacher. But I am a student of opera and I took lessons for six years as an undergrad and masters student (though never as a voice performance major). I regret very much I did not apply myself better in those years (I never did learn how to practice).
P.S. I remember reading an interview with Caballe and she said that for her entire first year of voical study she sang no arias -- scales and breathing only. Compare that with the "old school" link above. I cannot imaging any teacher today, where students have to perform on juries and recitals each semester, teaching their students following this "old school" approach.
P.P.S Turns out I'm not so far off base (which makes me somewhat releived): https://www.jstor.org/stable/4140308