Cornelius L. Reid Project

Singer I - Lesson Excerpt (6/16/07)

Fri, 07 Feb 2020 07:00:00 -0500

Comment: One can notice a marked improvement in this singer's voice in a relatively short period of time. The high notes are easier and the low notes not as heavy.

Quote: Self-Regulation: the inherent ability of an organism to recognize and respond favorably to a congenial environment; a self-corrective tendency which when conditions are right, takes place spontaneously. ...Self-regulation is an intrinsic characteristic of natural movement and can best be described as vocal self-interest. When exercises selected during training are thoughtfully constructed, the organic system will move spontaneously and willingly - it perceives that its best interests are being served and responds accordingly. The tendency of an organism to regulate itself, therefore, is simply a response which indicates that the demands placed upon it can be successfully carried out within the framework of its movement potential. Organic systems may thus be said to be capable of recognizing a distinction between use and abuse. (A Dictionary of Vocal Terminology)

Singer I - Lesson Excerpt (4/20/07)

Fri, 07 Feb 2020 04:00:00 -0500

Comment: The important thing to take away from this lesson is that there are no so-called front and back vowels in singing. All vowels are formed in the back. The use of the "oo" vowel here is interesting.

Quote: Vowels are of particular interest throughout training. Tonal impurities are easily detectable there, as well as misconcepts in the area of pronunciation and quality. However, as vowel distortion lies within the functional process as a whole and not within the vowel proper, purification of the vowel without regard for the condition of the registration or the resonance adjustment will be ineffective. A VOWEL WILL ONLY BE AS PURE AS THE COORDINATIVE PROCESS WILL ALLOW. Consequently, work on the vowel must move toward two major functional objectives: 1) it must improve the resonance adjustment, i.e., eliminate constrictor tensions, and 2) it must assist in making changes in the registration, whether it be for purposes of separation or unification. (Voice: Psyche and Soma)

Singer I - Lesson Excerpt (4/20/07)

Fri, 07 Feb 2020 02:00:00 -0500

Comment: In this lesson, one can hear a lighter, more tenor-like quality to the voice. Up to this point, this singer had sung exclusively as a baritone.

Quote: Everyone has heard of tenors who have become baritones, baritones who have become tenors, and, as was true with one singer who performed with the Metropolitan Opera Company, mezzo-sopranos who later sang coloratura rules. How? The answer to this question lies within the registration. Whereas a voice properly belongs to one classification and no other, an extreme shift from one type of register domination to another alters the range, resonance, intensity, and textural properties of the voice. This frequently enables the performer to choose between two possibilities of adjustment, one making the voice weightier, the other more lyric. (The Free Voice)

Singer I - Lesson Excerpt (4/17/07)

Fri, 07 Feb 2020 01:00:00 -0500

Comment: This lessons explains the real meaning of "appoggiare la voce" or the ability to "lean" on the voice. It has nothing to do with breath support as is the popular point of view. There is also a discussion of an "open" vs. a "covered" sound.

Quote: Appoggiare la Voce: Italian, "to lean on the voice." Taken at face value, this early pedagogic directive appears to be nonsense, since vocal tone, like that produced by all other instruments, is merely a series of complex sound waves that cannot be "leaned" upon. The structure of the vocal mechanism, however, suggests a possible explanation for the coinage of such a phrase. The larynx, a respiratory organ which is also a part of the digestive tract, can be moved up and down to permit swallowing and ingestion. When used as a vocal organ, this mobility permits it to function efficiently as a primary resonator. Four paired suspensory muscles participate in stabilizing these movements, and when held in balanced tension, they coordinate to provide the resistance necessary to energy economy. When the suspensory muscles are maintained in equilibrium, the singer is able to "lean on the voice" and sing without fatigue. (A Dictionary of Vocal Terminology)

Singer I - Lesson Excerpt (4/16/07)

Fri, 07 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Comment: The progression of this lesson is a great example of the usefulness of the falsetto in taming the chest voice. Listen to the WHOLE lesson to really understand what it means to listen functionally. Take note of the discussion about baritone vs. tenor.

Quote: Functional Listening: aural perception in which the listener evaluates tonal qualities for their intrinsic health and as a reflection of a coordinative muscular process rather than for their aesthetic value. Not all healthy sounds yielded by the vocal organs are agreeable, or are all agreeable sounds healthy. In many instances, in fact, aesthetic judgment limits progress since some vocal qualities having little or no aesthetic value can be extremely useful when reconditioning poorly conditioned reflexes. (A Dictionary of Vocal Terminology)

Singer H - Lesson Excerpt (4/5/07)

Wed, 05 Feb 2020 09:00:00 -0500

Comment: This shows the culmination of study for this singer. He now has a singing voice where his tongue can move freely and the changing of vowels is easy.

Quote: Connection of the five basic vowel sounds, "ah," "ay," "ee," "oh," and "oo," on a single tone. The intent here should be to have each successive vowel flow logically out of the position formed by its predecessor while maintaining a solid underscoring of basic resonance. (The Free Voice)

Singer H - Lesson Excerpt (3/13/07)

Wed, 05 Feb 2020 07:00:00 -0500

Comment: This lesson is a great example of using the falsetto to fix the over aggressiveness of the chest voice, resulting in a fuller freer chest voice.

Quote: The choice of the expression 'falsetto' to indicate the higher of the two registers proved in many respects, however, to be misleading, because its very name encourages the belief that this register is not truly a part of the mature voice, but merely the remains of the boy's voice and quite outside the province of adult singing needs. Unless this misunderstanding is corrected the singer, unfortunately, is deprived of one of the greatest assets at his disposal. (Bel Canto Principles and Practices)

Singer H - Lesson Excerpt (2/8/07)

Wed, 05 Feb 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Comment: Not only has this singer smoothly crossed over the register break, but he is able to repeatedly sing the full, well resonated high note loudly and without strain.

Quote: There is another side to the character of resonance: its so-called "carrying power" and "projecting" ability. There is no mystery about this event. When tones of pure vowel quality are sung, efficiency of function is an undeniable correlative. By skillful resonation of the sound waves initiated by the vocal cords, vibrations are able to move out into the auditorium unimpeded by conflicting pulsations. As a result the tone is pure, and pure tone has carrying power, regardless of the intensity level. "Noisy" resonance, caused by "pushing" or other faulty coordinative processes, does not carry. (The Free Voice)

Singer H - Song Excerpt (Aria) (11/1/06)

Wed, 05 Feb 2020 05:00:00 -0500

Comment: From folk to opera. This singer now has a choice.

Quote: The stature of a singer is measured in technical terms by his ability to command AT WILL a wide variety of tonal coloration. This is made possible by associating his expressive aims with their physical counterparts as reflected in the texture of the registration, the resonance adjustment, and the vowel quality. These are his interpretive tools and cause the technique to be securely based upon functional freedom. (The Free Voice)

Singer H - Lesson Excerpt (7/4/06)

Wed, 05 Feb 2020 03:00:00 -0500

Comment: This exercise is designed to combine the registers. The octave ee vowel has a falsetto like sound, however, there is chest voice involvement because of how smoothly the voice descends back to the tonic. In the louder ah exercise the chest voice is trying to combine with the falsetto on the top note, hence the scratchy sound.

Quote: ...closing the gap between the registers in the male voice must be done with extra care. It is not enough just to bridge the gap. Unless the "break" is smoothed over properly permanent imbalances will result. An important preliminary exercise for introducing a factor common to both registers is the octave jump. What this does is to help establish a resonance adjustment which is the same for each of the two registers. At the same time it prepares the way for a realignment of the registers in the area of difficulty by appropriate use of intensity. Once the resonance adjustment has been prepared numerous other possibilities soon open up. (The Free Voice)

Singer H - Lesson Excerpt (4/21/05)

Wed, 05 Feb 2020 02:00:00 -0500

Comment: The voice is definitely developing. It now has power, depth, and fullness. It is a common occurrence that a student is astonished at the types of tonal qualities he is capable of making. One wonders if this student knew he could make such sounds.

Quote: For the singer, objective judgments are of lesser importance than those which are subjective. Training must begin, therefore, with an effort to improve and perfect subjective concepts. In this program the student must be taught what to listen for; then, when he becomes capable of making right value judgments among aural phenomena and functional laws, both objective and subjective judgments will have been brought into agreement. The questions that arise are: what influences have been at work in the development of conceptual attitudes, and what does one learn to listen for? (Voice: Psyche and Soma)

Singer H - Lesson Excerpt (11/1/04)

Wed, 05 Feb 2020 01:00:00 -0500

Comment: You can hear the over dominant chest voice here. Cornelius is using the oo vowel to temper the aggressiveness of the chest voice.

Quote: ...the physical contour of the vocal folds is strongly influenced by certain vowel phonemes...although these muscle systems are involuntary, they can be stimulated by means of appropriately selected patterns of pitch, intensity and vowel, and made to respond in a spontaneous, yet predictable, manner, making it possible to control laryngeal muscular activity through the construct of a vocal exercise. (Essays on the Nature of Singing)

Singer H - Pre-Reid Song Excerpt (4/04)

Wed, 05 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Comment: This is a very pleasant voice with no obvious constrictions. There is some breathiness in the sound at times, but all in all, a lovely sound for the music he is singing. However, is this the limit of the voice's potential?

Quote: As a reflector of the emotions the expressive capacity of the vocal organs is virtually without limit. And this is how it should be. Art is not primarily concerned with beauty, but with life, and functional freedom is a necessity if the drama of life is to be communicated with all its tension, excitement, and poesy. When the vocal organs are being used properly they are free to express far greater meaning than can be conveyed by the traditional "pear-shaped tone." By itself, beauty of tone is of limited importance. It fails to touch upon the most meaningful aspects of communication. (The Free Voice)

Singer G - Lesson Excerpt (8/26/07)

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 20:00:00 -0500

Comment: This lessons shows the importance of making the head voice dominant, especially in the upper passaggio and how different vowels have different register balances.

Quote: The essential factor in singing is lyricism, and it is the so-called "head" register which infuses the voice with its lyrical properties. Thus, to drop out this mechanism and CHANGE to the "chest" register only serves to destroy the properties of lyricism which should be present even when the action of the "chest" register is dominant. In a correctly functioning registration the upper of the two registers never ceases to be an active participant, and vice versa. The concept of the register function as "changing" from one to the other is invalid. A correct technique always finds its expression in a DUAL registration in which the ratio and proportion of tension shared between them are ADDED and SUBTRACTED. (The Free Voice)

Singer G - Lesson Excerpt (4/28/07)

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 20:00:00 -0500

Comment: Establishing the chest voice on the bottom, then establishing more head voice in the middle, the result being freer high notes.

Quote: In principle, a "mixed" registration is in place when within a given pitch range the ratio of tension shared between the cricothyroids and the arytenoid muscular complex is inequitable. ... Most vocal faults can be directly attributable to a "mixed" registration, whose cure is solely dependent upon two processes; one which separates (isolates) and another which combines the two register mechanisms, so that the ratio of tension distributed between them can be made more equitable. (Essays on the Nature of Singing)

Singer G - Lesson Excerpt (3/24/07)

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 18:00:00 -0500

Comment: The role of the cricothyroids and other pedagogic gems.

Quote: ...the sole function of the cricothyroid muscle system ...is to regulate the pitch, for which reason this muscle system is often referred to as "the stretcher of the vocal folds." (Essays on the Nature of Singing)

Singer G - Lesson Excerpt (2/14/07)

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 17:00:00 -0500

Comment: Using the oo vowel to get more head voice and a functionally more efficient quality.

Quote: Although the possibilities of vowel manipulation are almost endless, especially when used in conjunction with the principles governing registration, several common and predictable reactions are to e observed: .....4. That the so-called "closed" vowels elicit more head register response; (A Dictionary of Vocal Terminology)

Singer G - Lesson Excerpt (10/25/06)

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 16:00:00 -0500

Comment: The chest voice on the bottom is used aggressively to help the bracing action needed from the chest voice for the high soft notes. Cornelius says, "Here, we study voice" which refers to functional listening.

Quote: Learning to hear functionally means that one judges and evaluates tone qualities for their intrinsic health, and as a reflection of a coordinative process, rather than for any aesthetic value. Not every healthy sound yielded by the vocal organs is lovely, any more than all sounds judged to be agreeable to the hearing are functionally healthy. Purely aesthetic listening limits progress, as many qualities having little or no aesthetic value can often be extremely useful to the training program. Two such cases in point are the rather crude chest register sounds that sometimes appear in the initial stages of training when working with a badly coordinated female voice, and the male falsetto. Neither possesses aesthetic value, but each is important to the restructuring process. (Voice: Psyche and Soma)

Singer G - Lesson Excerpt (7/15/06)

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 14:00:00 -0500

Comment: At a certain point the singer runs out of breath, so Cornelius changes the exercise, without even addressing the fact that the student ran out of breath. Her running out of breath had nothing to do with how she was breathing, but the imbalance of the registers. Once her voice was more efficiently balanced, she didn't run out of breath.

Quote: From what is now known of functional mechanics it is clear that the proper closing of the glottal space is caused by a correctly balanced registration. When the muscles drawing the cords into tension for the required pitch and intensity coordinate effectively, the end result finds the edges of the cords running parallel. No technique of breathing is capable of closing the glottal space properly unless the registers are well-balanced. (Voice: Psyche and Soma)

Singer F - Coaching (7/18/07)

Sun, 02 Feb 2020 19:00:00 -0500

Comment: This excerpt shows how technique and music are intertwined. By working technically, the piece becomes not only easier for the singer, but is more musical. By not pushing on the low notes, the top notes are better.

Quote: That bodily functions are by nature rational is beyond dispute. Consequently, unless the procedures adopted during both the process of learning how to sing and while engaged in the art of singing succeed in making contact with that rationale, the development of technical skills and their artistic use will fail of their purpose. In the absence of a consonance between the nature inside ourselves and the nature outside ourselves, neither the development potential of the student nor a full release of an expressive potential will be possible. (Essays on the Nature of Singing)

Singer F - Lesson Excerpt (6/9/07)

Sun, 02 Feb 2020 18:00:00 -0500

Comment: Cornelius hears an improvement in the sound of a high note when the singer makes a diminuendo on it and immediately says, ""Let's investigate that."" It is then that he decides to swiftly change the exercises, obviously working on lightness and flexibility.

Quote: Functional listening, a capability which is refined through experience and training, is the ability to associate various tone qualities with the underlying mechanical processes which have produced them. ...Learning how to listen is indispensable to both teaching and technical training. (A Dictionary of Vocal Terminology)

Singer F - Lesson Excerpt (1/18/07)

Sun, 02 Feb 2020 17:00:00 -0500

Comment: Using the ee vowel to find a better ah quality.

Quote: Once the student has learned to gain control over different sounds representing vowel changes he has learned to directly control the involuntary muscular action of the vocal organs. When Tosi warned against singing 'through the nose,' or having the tone 'choked in the throat,' while offering the constructive suggestion that the tone pass 'free and clear' with the vowels 'produced purely,' he implied that the change in vowel quality would establish a more healthful and beneficial physical adjustment of the vocal organs themselves. (Bel Canto: Principles and Practices)

Singer F - Lesson Excerpt (7/13/06)

Sun, 02 Feb 2020 16:00:00 -0500

Comment: The voice is too "heavy." Cornelius lightens it up using la la's. The exercise induces the tongue movement at the tip to be flexible enough so as not to interfere with the sound.

Quote: ...the tongue functions in a dual capacity during phonation. Its forward part, or blade, must be free-moving for the articulation of consonants, whereas its root area, which forms the forward wall of the oropharynx, must maintain a constant adjustment in order to sustain a constant vowel quality. It is this physical and neurological independence that enables the singer to produce a legato flow of tone which does not interfere with the articulatory processes, and that prevents articulation of consonants from interfering with the free flow of vocal tone. (A Dictionary of Vocal Terminology)

Singer F - Lesson Excerpt (1/4/06)

Sun, 02 Feb 2020 15:00:00 -0500

Comment: Here Cornelius makes the student aware of her vibrato and how being aware of what you do makes it possible to conceptually repeat it.

Quote: The student need only concentrate on the pitch, intensity, and vowel patterns suggested by the teacher and respond freely without regard for aesthetic goals. Quality, expressed in terms of "my quality," "forwardness," "point," "ping," "nasal resonance," or any other exotic concept that inhibits progress, must be ruthlessly discarded from the preconception. ...Many changes can be brought about in the technique by following this procedure. Of especial interest is the fact that these changes, while anticipated by the teacher, should be a totally new experience for the student. Thus, new physical adjustments and new sounds never before conceptualized, falling as they now should within the experience of the student, can, as such, be evaluated and embraced as an exciting new conceptual adventure. (The Free Voice)

Singer E - Coaching (6/21/07)

Sat, 01 Feb 2020 22:00:00 -0500

Comment: More musical interpretation from a master. Unfortunately, you cannot see what is happening, as Cornelius actually conducted his students while they were singing. Many times he showed them what to do by his gestures.

Quote: To help bring the student to the point at which he is able to identify with the expressive movements initiated within the deepest recesses of his being is the ultimate challenge of vocal pedagogy. Emotion, awakened through free organic and muscular movement, guided by intelligence, refined by sensitivity and taste, and directed with imagination and understanding, comprises the essence of an effective interpretation. Free rhythmic articulation binds function, intelligence, emotion and musical material into an entity - and, as Ffrangcon-Davies (1855-1918) put it so succinctly, "The whole muscular system from head to feet will be in the wise man's singing, and the whole man will be in the tone." (A Dictionary of Vocal Terminology)

Singer E - Coaching (5/30/07)

Sat, 01 Feb 2020 21:00:00 -0500

Comment: A great example of learning how to approach musical interpretation.

Quote: When a stage of training has been reached where the voice is produced spontaneously and without conscious effort, the singer is free to give his entire attention to musicianship and interpretation. Habit patterns of the kind described are known as a CONDITIONED REFLEX, which is the only sound basis for a reliable and consistent vocal technique. Mannstein had this in mind when he said, 'It must be remembered that by practice all art becomes second nature after long continued study, so that the experienced artist thinks, not of the manner and the means of execution, but devotes himself entirely to expression without fear of singing wrongly.' (Bel Canto: Principles and Practices)

Singer E - Coaching (5/9/07)

Sat, 01 Feb 2020 19:00:00 -0500

Comment: You can hear how this singer's voice is more flexible and capable of more nuances, in other words, it is functionally freer.

Quote: In no field of creativity is the artist able to communicate effectively without adequate technique. A correct technique not only RELEASES expressive potential, but AWAKENS it. Without technical freedom the performer is no better off than Thomas Gray's flower which was "born to blush unseen and waste its sweetness on the desert air." In singing, particularly, the textural properties of a correctly used voice identify perfectly with a wide range of expressive content. (The Free Voice)

Singer E - Lesson Excerpt (5/2/07)

Sat, 01 Feb 2020 18:00:00 -0500

Comment: Use of the octave jump to make the voice less chest oriented and allow for a better register coordination.

Quote: An important preliminary exercise for introducing a factor common to both registers is the octave jump. What this does is to help establish a resonance adjustment which is the same for each of the two registers. At the same time it prepares the way for a realignment of the registers in the area of difficulty by appropriate use of intensity. (The Free Voice)

Singer E - Coaching (10/4/06)

Sat, 01 Feb 2020 17:00:00 -0500

Comment: Smoothing out the different vowels to make fast singing with words more easy.

Quote: Acoustically, each vowel is defined and resonated because of a special arrangement, concentration and distribution of energy within the overtone structures. When one conceptualizes a vowel, the appropriate muscle systems adjust the vocal tract (the trachea, the larynx, the laryngo- and oropharynges and the mouth) so that they energize certain frequencies while suppressing others. In this way it becomes possible to both "color" and resonate a great many vowel phonemes over an extensive pitch range. (Essays on the Nature of Singing)

Singer E - Lesson Excerpt (10/2/06)

Sat, 01 Feb 2020 17:00:00 -0500

Comment: Using the falsetto to take away the aggressive quality of the chest voice. Showing that loud singing does not equate with greater physicality.

Quote: (To) Force: the use of excessive energy to compensate for an absence of muscular equilibrium within the vocal tract; to "push." ...since the mechanism is not in a state of balanced tension, lost energy must be replaced by an excessive use of force. ...Since energy dissipation and forcing are caused by muscular interference within the laryngeal pharynx, this problem cannot be solved by withholding energy, but by redirecting it. When, through training, the coordinative process yielding vocal tone has been brought into equilibrium, it is impossible to force - regardless of the intensity being sung or the amount of energy being expended. (A Dictionary of Vocal Terminology)

Singer E - Coaching (5/12/06)

Sat, 01 Feb 2020 16:00:00 -0500

Comment: Obviously, this singer has a very good voice, however, if you listen carefully, there is a "pushed" sound to the loud singing. Compare this to the next lesson excerpt, where this singer sings a very full, easy, F natural.

Quote: (To Push): during phonation, to expend energy that is improperly channeled or improperly absorbed by the vocal mechanism. Pushing is caused by the misdirection of energy during phonation, not by the expenditure of a particular AMOUNT of energy. ...When the mechanism is in equilibrium, it is literally impossible to "push." (A Dictionary of Vocal Terminology)

Singer D - Coaching (7/18/07)

Fri, 31 Jan 2020 16:00:00 -0500

Comment: Here Cornelius works with musical interpretation.

Quote: As a reflector of the emotions the expressive capacity of the vocal organs is virtually without limit. And this is how it should be. Art is not primarily concerned with beauty, but with life, and functional freedom is a necessity if the drama of life is to be communicated with all its tension, excitement, and poesy. When the vocal organs are being used properly they are free to express far greater meaning than can be conveyed by the traditional "pear-shaped tone." By itself, beauty of tone is of limited importance. It fails to touch upon the most meaningful aspects of communication. ....Beauty of tone quality, therefore, should never be looked upon as the initial, or even the ultimate goal of vocal instruction. The first aim must be to establish correct functional principles whose application will make the voice, or better, ALLOW IT TO BE, free. The result of this procedure will be reflected in sounds of great tonal beauty - beauty which has not been MADE, hence artificial, but which IS by the very nature of its constitutional make-up. (The Free Voice)

Singer D - Lesson Excerpt (5/28/07)

Fri, 31 Jan 2020 15:00:00 -0500

Comment: Ascending arpeggios to bring the head voice quality down making the voice more lyric. Change of vowels on a single note, the sequence bringing a more lyric quality into the other vowels.

Quote: Since under certain conditions the physical dimensions of the vocal folds adjust to the acoustic properties of the surrounding resonators, it is apparent that vowel manipulation, especially when used in conjunction with the principles known to govern registration, is both theoretically and practically significant to vocal pedagogy. (A Dictionary of Vocal Terminology)

Singer D - Song Excerpt (4/25/07)

Fri, 31 Jan 2020 14:00:00 -0500

Comment: Here, Cornelius is working the voice to get a fuller sound in the middle, so it matches the top of the voice.

Quote: Briefly stated, the vocal pattern to be sought after should include full-bodied low tones which gradually increase in power as the scale is ascended while, in addition, the performer should possess an absolute control over changes of dynamics. When the technique fails to meet these requirements it is faulty, as either the registers lack development and are out of balance or the vowels are impure. (Bel Canto: Principles and Practices)

Singer D - Song Excerpt (2/14/07)

Fri, 31 Jan 2020 14:00:00 -0500

Comment: The voice is much more lyric and the lower notes match the upper notes. There is a buoyancy to the sound, despite the fact that the singer has a "big voice."

Quote: Big Voices: a term used to describe voices that are well resonated and opulent, as opposed to those that are loud and somewhat noisy. ...Acoustically, a big voice is the product of regular vibratory impulses; a loud voice produces vibrations which are irregular and diffused. (A Dictionary of Vocal Terminology)

Singer D - Lesson Excerpt (1/29/07)

Fri, 31 Jan 2020 13:00:00 -0500

Comment: Explanations by Cornelius about his pedagogic philosophy. The importance of spontaneity and rhythm (singing like dancing). Getting the heaviness, i.e. too dominant chest voice out of the sound.

Quote: Here is a perfect example of the principle behind gaining spontaneity through release. Cut away all that is superfluous and that which is essential will remain. Help the singer avoid unnecessary involvement and the real voice will be discovered. Relinquish unhealthy controls and natural controls will appear obvious. Eliminate impurities one by one, and that which is left will be pure. Breaking down wrong involvement helps free muscular reflexes and leads to spontaneity. (The Free Voice)

Singer C - Song Excerpt (6/7/06)

Thu, 30 Jan 2020 16:00:00 -0500

Comment: The difference is astonishing. Better vibrato, better vowels, more flexibility, more lyric high notes without losing the full baritone quality.

Quote: The fact is, a truly beautiful tone finds its expression not only in qualities of sheer loveliness, but in complete vocal, that is, functional, freedom. It is almost self-evident, granted a musical personality, that all tones truly free are either beautiful or legitimately expressive. Deeper insight into this phase of the vocal problem will be gained if a new type of equation is set up. This equation must enable both teacher and student to recognize the intrinsic healthfulness of tones toward which they may be drawn quality wise, and to discover their true value as expressed in terms of comparable vocal freedom. (The Free Voice)

Singer C - Song Excerpt (8/22/02)

Thu, 30 Jan 2020 15:00:00 -0500

Comment: A big difference in the vibrato which is no longer a tremolo. Completely in tune. Easier high notes.

Quote: Tremolo: a tonal movement generally produced by unrelieved muscular tension...Tremulous tones are harmonically impoverished, nervous in aspect, qualitatively monotonous, and functionally unhealthy. (A Dictionary of Vocal Terminology)

Singer C - Pre-Reid Song Excerpt (1982)

Thu, 30 Jan 2020 14:00:00 -0500

Comment: You can hear the potential in this voice. You can also hear he is out of tune and there isn't much nuance in the singing, because his voice is not free enough to allow it.

Quote: Singing in tune is a reflexive event which occurs whenever there is perfect consonance between concept and mechanical response. Ideally, therefore, accuracy of intonation does not require control, but is a self-regulatory aspect of function. When the technique is efficient, intonation will always be a duplicate of the tonal concept that has set the physical forces in motion. (A Dictionary of Vocal Terminology)

Singer B - Song Excerpt (3/5/07)

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 16:00:00 -0500

Comment: Compare this with the excerpt recorded before taking lessons with Cornelius.

Quote: You don't judge a teacher by his best pupil, you judge a teacher by what a pupil sounded like when he entered that teacher's studio and what he sounded like when he left it. (Personal communication from CLR)

Singer B - Lesson Excerpt (2/2/07)

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 14:00:00 -0500

Comment: High notes much easier. Stronger head voice. Compare this vibrato with the first two examples of this singer.

Quote: ...when the contractions of the muscles involved in phonation are not working harmoniously and co-operatively, the conditions necessary to produce a vibrato action have been destroyed. When this happens the vibrato disappears and is replaced by another type of voice movement less favorable to beautiful singing and reflecting the degree of disunity within the mechanism itself. (Bel Canto Principles and Practices)

Singer B - Song Excerpt (11/1/06)

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 14:00:00 -0500

Comment: Same song excerpt as before with noticeable improvement.

Quote: The practical working out of any training program must begin with the mental concept. ...by the time vocal study is begun, the student recognizes and accepts certain tonal qualities as being peculiarly his own; the sounds associated with the coordinative response with which he has lived so long a time become fixed in his mind as 'his quality.' What he only vaguely realizes, however, is the extent to which his conceptual image has to be altered in order to meet in agreement with nature's laws. To the degree to which he is capable of adapting to new conceptual images, to that degree will radical technical improvement be made. (Voice: Psyche and Soma)

Singer B - Lesson Excerpt (5/11/06)

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 12:00:00 -0500

Comment: Notice how, as the exercise sequence progresses, Cornelius increases the rhythmic tempo to help the voice along.

Quote: Training in rhythmic response, used in conjunction with principles governing registration, makes it possible to restructure and revamp all aspects of vocal technique, and it constitutes one of the basic training procedures. Unlike pedagogic practices which attempt to directly regulate the tonal product ("nasal resonance," "tonal placement," ETC. ), rhythmic training allows the tone-producing mechanism to react. Because interfering tensions have been removed, the mechanism restructures itself, thereby refining the singer's tonal concepts and coordinating the muscle systems involved, as well as releasing many physical and psychological impediments to the communicative experience. (A Dictionary of Vocal Terminology)

Singer B - Song Excerpt (9/12/05)

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 12:00:00 -0500

Comment: The voice is freer and therefore able to be more flexible, rhythmic, and have more musical nuances.

Quote: The substance of an effective performance is rhythm. Rhythm is inseperable from tempo (movement) and is instrumental in tracing the design of a musical phrase. It is also a factor in tone quality, since the vibrato oscillates in rhythmic patterns. Rhythm, synonymous with movement, is also associated with emotional expression. Thus, tempo, phrasing, tone quality and emotion may be said to possess a rhythmic essence from which the character of each is derived and without which vocalization would be empty and meaningless. (Voice: Psyche and Soma)

Singer B - Lesson Excerpt (3/11/05)

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 11:00:00 -0500

Comment: Use of the "ee" vowel.

Quote: ...ee tends to coordinate the registration, but at the same time exposes weakness in the resonance adjustment (constrictor tensions are readily detectable with ee)... (A Dictionary of Vocal Terminology)

Singer B - Lesson Excerpt (3/10/05)

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 11:00:00 -0500

Comment: Use of the "oo" vowel.

Quote: ...the so-called "closed" vowels elicit more head register response; (A Dictionary of Vocal Terminology)

Singer B - Lesson Excerpt (6/22/02)

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 11:00:00 -0500

Comment: Resonance adjustment conditioned by the vowel. Changing vowels on a single tone.

Quote: ...control over the resonance adjustment through its correlative association with the vowel becomes a consideration of major importance. ...The intent here [singing different vowel sounds on a single tone] should be to have each successive vowel flow logically out of the position formed by its predecessor while maintaining a solid underscoring of the basic resonance. (The Free Voice)

Singer B - Lesson Excerpt (3/19/01)

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 10:00:00 -0500

Comment: More lyric sound. Upper harmonics more dominant in the voice, i.e. the voice is less "heavy."

Quote: The essential factor in singing is lyricism, and it is the so-called "head" register which infuses the voice with its lyrical properties. Thus to drop out this mechanism and CHANGE to the "chest" register only serves to destroy the properties of lyricism which should be present even when the action of the "chest" register is dominant. In a correctly functioning registration the upper of the two registers never ceases to be an active participant, and vice versa. (The Free Voice)

Singer B - Lesson Excerpt (2/25/00)

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 09:00:00 -0500

Comment: Stronger sound much freer. Use of the pure falsetto.

Quote: Since ... the falsetto is usually undeveloped and poorly integrated, it must be disengaged if technical progress is to be made. As a consequence of this separation the entire coordinative process, even though largely involuntary, can be restructured. (A Dictionary of Vocal Terminology)

Singer B - Song Excerpt (1/3/99)

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 08:00:00 -0500

Comment: A big improvement from the first song.

Quote: The unassailable logic of the body is made evident by the fact that it rebels when it is abused and responds willingly when used in a way that is functionally compatible. (The Free Voice)

Singer B - Lesson Excerpt (3/5/98)

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Comment: A vibrato starting to come through with a much more musical and free sound.

Quote: Because it is a reflection of correct vocal technique, I.E., reflexive organic activities based upon an innate functional logic, the vibrato awakens and gains contact with those instinctual processes without which one could not be a singer. The vibrato, therefore, is an indispensable adjunct of a correct vocal technique. (A Dictionary of Vocal Terminology)

Singer B - Pre-Reid Song Excerpt (1997)

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 04:00:00 -0500

Comment: This is what Singer B sounded like before taking lessons with Cornelius

Quote: Straight tone: a vocalized sound that lacks tonal pulse..."Straight" tones make the mature voice sound lifeless, and go against the grain of natural function and health. Although they can be effectively used to create special interpretive effects...(A Dictionary of Vocal Terminology)