| Share page | Visit Us On FB |
|
CONCEPTS OF BREATHING 79
prompted emotionally by the phrase which is to be sung with that breath.'1 The phrase then becomes the unit of breathing and each unit begins, "not with the first note but with the intake of breath before that note." [118, p. 34] When two very fast phrases occur in succession, the breath may not be renewed between them, even when a minute pause is provided. Thus, breath endurance is developed as a concomitant of correct phrasing. [Maurice-Jacquet 376] Jessica Dragonette, in an interview, insists that the quantity of breath taken must always suit the length and intensity of the musical phrase and that the interpretation must therefore govern the breathing behavior. [146] Mursell and Glenn favor working exclusively through interpretation in promoting breathing habits. Their advice is that we should always "work for control of breath by a phrase-wise attack." [413, p. 286]
By synchronization with the music. As the singer progresses, his phrasing, and therefore his breathing, can be improved by synchronizing his breathing rhythms with the rhythm of the music he is singing. [Wither-spoon 677, p. 66] His pauses will then automatically coincide with rhythmical points in the melody and phrasing will never become disjointed. [Hemery 238, p. 122]
Expressional intent regulates breathing. Expressional intent refers to the thought content of a song, which thought is best expressed by understanding the meaning and mood of the words. Irene Hibbs, in discussing Rameau's viewpoint on singing believes that breathing functions as an expressional reflex, whether for speech or for song. Therefore, if the singer is preoccupied with the thought of his song he will breathe in a manner that is appropriate to its expression. No more breathing effort is needed than when he desires to speak its message. [271] Drew is of the same opinion. He claims that the breathing habits of singing are not unique. We all know that we unconsciously provide sufficient air for each phrase we speak. Then why not sing your phrase as you would speak it and breathing will take care of itself. [147, p. 150] "Breathe to pronounce rightly and you breathe rightly/' says Davies. [127, p. 119] Thought and feeling impulses always tend to generate appropriate vocal impulses and proper breathing coordinations are thus automatically brought into play or, as Harper puts it, "the thought takes its own breath." [228, p. 131] "Know what you are going to say and the breath will not fail," says Clark. [102]
Margit Bokor, leading soprano, in an interview advances the interesting theory that emotional fluctuations closely affect the respiratory function. In moments of emotional stress the system burns up more oxygen |
||