Chiaroscuro (music)
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' (Italian for "light-dark") is part of
bel canto Bel canto (Italian for "beautiful singing" or "beautiful song", )—with several similar constructions (''bellezze del canto'', ''bell'arte del canto'')—is a term with several meanings that relate to Italian singing. The phrase was not associat ...
, an originally Italian classical
singing Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
technique in which a brilliant sound referred to as ''
squillo ''Squillo'' is the resonant, trumpet-like sound in the voices of opera singers. It is also commonly called "singer's formant", "ring", "ping", "core", and other terms. ''Squillo'' enables an essentially lyric tone to be heard over thick orchestr ...
'' is coupled with a dark
timbre In music, timbre ( ), also known as tone color or tone quality (from psychoacoustics), is the perceived sound quality of a musical note, sound or musical tone, tone. Timbre distinguishes different types of sound production, such as choir voice ...
called '. The overall sound is often perceived as having great depth or warmth.
Chiaroscuro Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to achi ...
is commonly used in
opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
. Within operatic singing, especially in Italian, the vowel "Ah" provides an example of where chiaroscuro can be used: the vowel must have a bright Italian sound, as well as depth and space in the tone, which is achieved through the use of breath and the body.


History


Origins

The initial creation of chiaroscuro is not clear because the term was only used by 18th-century Italian composers. Some have argued that the concept of chiaroscuro was initially created in the 14th or 15th century. Early composers and theorists, such as
Lodovico Zacconi Lodovico (or Ludovico) Zacconi (11 June 1555 – 23 March 1627) was an Italian composer and musical theorist of the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras. He worked as a singer, theologian, and writer on music in northern Italy and Austria; fo ...
in 1592, described their preferred tonal sound in detail that mirrored the Italian chiaroscuro style. Their discussions of a bright ringing in a vocalist's chest voice are arguably the earliest depictions of the light and dark singing style. Many artists such as
Giulio Caccini Giulio Romolo Caccini (also Giulio Romano) (8 October 1551 – buried 10 December 1618) was an Italian composer, teacher, singer, instrumentalist and writer of the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras. He was one of the founders of the genre ...
would reinforce Zacconi's beliefs; in his ''Le nuove musiche'', Caccini described the ideal sound as "a full natural voice, avoiding falsetto, and without being constrained to accommodate himself to others." Many German authors echoed this description of ideal Italian singing style: for example, in music theorist and composer
Michael Praetorius Michael Praetorius (probably 28 September 1571 – 15 February 1621) was a German composer, organist, and music theorist. He was one of the most versatile composers of his age, being particularly significant in the development of musical forms ba ...
' 1619 ''
Syntagma musicum ''Syntagma Musicum (1614-1620)'' is a musical treatise in three volumes by the German composer, organist, and music theorist Michael Praetorius. It was published in Wittenberg and Wolfenbüttel. It is one of the most commonly used research sources ...
'', which was reiterated by Johann Andreas Herbst in 1642, and again by in the early 19th century. In the 19th century, singer and teacher Manuel García began to delve deeper into the physical changes and challenges of singing in the Italian chiaroscuro style.


Early uses

The term chiaroscuro comes from the Italian school of singing. It was the ideal voice type quality in the 18th and 19th centuries for classical singers. The first time the term was used was in 1774, in
Giovanni Battista Mancini Giovanni Battista Mancini (1 January 1714 – 4 January 1800) was an Italian soprano castrato, voice teacher, and author of books on singing. Mancini was born at Ascoli Piceno, Italy. He studied singing in Naples with Leonardo Leo and in Bolo ...
's singing treatise ''Pensieri e riflessioni pratiche sopra il canto figurato'', which was later translated into French, German, and English. Mancini wrote scales to be practiced slowly in order to master the art of coloring musical phrases with chiaroscuro. Composer and theorist
Giovanni Battista Lamperti Giovanni Battista Lamperti (24 June 1839 – 18 March 1910) was an Italian singing teacher and son of the singing teacher Francesco Lamperti. He is the author of ''The Technics of Bel Canto'' (1905) and source for ''Vocal Wisdom: Maxims of Giovan ...
established chiaroscuro as the ideal tonal sound, believing it should always be present when singing. This is evident in written scores that encouraged vocalists to sing with a "light, dark tone", either at their own discretion or as required by the composers.


Modern uses

Today, chiaroscuro has become a standard of singing for modern vocalists across classical vocal genres. Richard Miller, a professor at
Oberlin Conservatory of Music The Oberlin Conservatory of Music is a private music conservatory in Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. It was founded in 1865 and is the second oldest conservatory and oldest continually operating conservatory in the United States. It is one of ...
, describes modern chiaroscuro as the "cultivated artistic sound of the highly trained professional singing voice".


Vocal application

The body parts that are associated with creating chiaroscuro are the
vocal tract The vocal tract is the cavity in human bodies and in animals where the sound produced at the sound source (larynx in mammals; syrinx (biology), syrinx in birds) is filtered. In birds it consists of the Vertebrate trachea, trachea, the Syrinx (bio ...
and
larynx The larynx (), commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the top of the neck involved in breathing, producing sound and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. The opening of larynx into pharynx known as the laryngeal inlet is about ...
. Chiaroscuro is made in the voice through the mix of a ringing brighter sound, a lowered larynx, and a dark
oropharyngeal The pharynx (plural: pharynges) is the part of the throat behind the mouth and nasal cavity, and above the oesophagus and trachea (the tubes going down to the stomach and the lungs). It is found in vertebrates and invertebrates, though its struct ...
resonance working in equilibrium. To produce the desired effect, one will have a slightly lowered and relaxed larynx, a raised
soft palate The soft palate (also known as the velum, palatal velum, or muscular palate) is, in mammals, the soft tissue constituting the back of the roof of the mouth. The soft palate is part of the palate of the mouth; the other part is the hard palate. ...
, a released forward tongue, and correct breathing support/technique. In addition, coordination by the muscle in the
vocal folds In humans, vocal cords, also known as vocal folds or voice reeds, are folds of throat tissues that are key in creating sounds through vocalization. The size of vocal cords affects the pitch of voice. Open when breathing and vibrating for speech ...
as it contracts creates the ability to sing in a
chest voice Chest voice is a term used within vocal music. The use of this term varies widely within vocal pedagogical circles and there is currently no one consistent opinion among vocal music professionals in regard to this term. Chest voice can be used in ...
(
thyroarytenoid muscle The thyroarytenoid muscle is a broad, thin muscle that forms the body of the vocal fold and that supports the wall of the ventricle and its appendix. It functions to shorten the vocal folds. Structure It arises in front from the lower half of the ...
), and the
head voice Head voice is a term used within vocal music. The use of this term varies widely within vocal pedagogical circles and there is currently no one consistent opinion among vocal music professionals in regard to this term. Head voice can be used in re ...
(lengthening of the
cricothyroid muscle The cricothyroid muscle is the only tensor muscle of the larynx aiding with phonation. It is innervated by the superior laryngeal nerve. Its action tilts the thyroid forward to help tense the vocal cords. Structure The cricothyroid muscle orig ...
) allows for the creation of the mixed voice.


Examples

*
Franco Corelli Franco Corelli (8 April 1921 – 29 October 2003) was an Italian tenor who had a major international opera career between 1951 and 1976. Associated in particular with the spinto and dramatic tenor roles of the Italian repertory, he was cel ...
– "L'amour... Ah! leve-toi, soleil!" from '' Roméo et Juliette'' * Franco Corelli – "
Vesti la giubba "" (, "Put on the costume", often referred to as "On With the Motley", from the original 1893 translation by Frederic Edward Weatherly) is a tenor aria from Ruggero Leoncavallo's 1892 opera '' Pagliacci''. "" is sung at the conclusion of the fi ...
" from ''
Pagliacci ''Pagliacci'' (; literal translation, "Clowns") is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who m ...
'' *
Leontyne Price Mary Violet Leontyne Price (born February 10, 1927) is an American soprano who was the first African Americans, African American soprano to receive international acclaim. From 1961 she began a long association with the Metropolitan Opera, where s ...
– "Chi il bel sogno di Doretta" from ''
La rondine ''La rondine'' (''The Swallow'') is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Adami, based on a libretto by Alfred Maria Willner and . It was first performed at the Grand Théâtre de Monte Carlo (or the Théâtr ...
'' * Dolora Zajick – "O don fatale" from ''
Don Carlo ''Don Carlos'' is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French-language libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on the dramatic play '' Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien'' (''Don Carlos, Infante of Spain'') by Friedri ...
'' * Enrico Caruso – "
Recondita armonia "Recondita armonia" is the first romanza in the opera ''Tosca'' (1900) by Giacomo Puccini. It is sung by the painter Mario Cavaradossi when comparing his love, Tosca, to a portrait of Mary Magdalene that he is painting.Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1 ...
'' * Maria Callas – "Casta diva" from ''
Norma Norma may refer to: * Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Astronomy *Norma (constellation) * 555 Norma, a minor asteroid *Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral arm in the Milky Way galaxy Geography *Norma, Lazi ...
''


References


External links

* {{Portal bar, Opera Singing techniques Italian opera terminology