# "Problem" with vocal classical music



## ZJovicic (Feb 26, 2017)

I love classical music. I enjoy listening to many keyboard works, chamber music, and especially orchestral music and symphonies.
However, I find most of the vocal classical music to be not so appealing. Is it just me, or there is indeed some kind of "problem" with vocal classical music?

What exactly do I mean by "problem" ?

Well, I find most of the vocal classical music a bit too harsh and incredibly difficult to sing. Yes there are some beautiful operatic arias and lieder that I enjoy, but I find them too, a bit harsh and artificial. The only type of vocal classical music that sounds natural to me is choral music.

Does it really have to be so for music to be considered artistic? Why are vocals in classical music so schooled and rigid, and yes, maybe, artificial sounding?

When it comes to instrumental music, I really love classical music... and I think that instruments, being artificial by definition can offer much more freedom of expression without it sounding odd. But when you take human voice, which is a natural thing, something that we are all accustomed to, and school it and train it to the extreme extent... well, I think the final result is a bit artificial and in many cases not so appealing.

Of course, maybe enjoying vocal classical music is a bit of an acquired taste, but my main point is that in many cases harshness and artificiality of vocals might be unneeded and the same artistic effect could be perhaps achieved with softer and more natural sounding singing. Does anyone feel the same?

When it comes to vocal music, I still prefer popular music to classical, with some exceptions. But generally I find pop and rock vocals much more appealing. (and other popular music genres too... like folk, country, singers-songwriters, etc...)


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## Boston Charlie (Dec 6, 2017)

My theory is that the full-voiced, operatic style of singing that is characteristic of classical music comes from a time that predates the microphone where in order to be heard throughout the church or concert hall, the vocalists had to sing that way. Yes, it doesn't sound natural to a person who is used to hearing popular music, but with some time and effort it does begin to make sense and grow on a person, at least that's the way it happened with me. Barber's "Knoxville: Summer of 1915", Britten's "Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings", Richard Strauss' "Four Last Songs", Mahler's "Das Lied Von Der Erde", "Wagner's "Weisendonck-Lied", are all wonderful pieces that I can listen to over and over again.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

I much prefer individual voice and duets over choir, mainly because choral parts seem to get muddled and too loud on my music player. At Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, choral parts sound wonderful and have great clarity, though still a lot louder. It is different live than on recording and I wish they would attenuate the volume for choral parts as they are way louder than the rest.


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

Someday you (the OP) may hear a voice by accident that you fall in love with despite yourself, especially if you happen to be young in years, because the voice can convey qualities that most instruments never can, such as the full range of human emotions that includes anguish, longing, and seduction. For me it was accidentally hearing Anna Moffo sing Turandot. The serendipity of that luck opened up the whole world of opera and vocal music, and not as something harsh or artificial. I have never had that experience. I suspect that you will someday change your mind regarding how you feel about vocal music if a certain lovely voice happens to captivate you with its sensual beauty. But if not, there’s plenty of other music left over to capture your imagination.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

If they sound artificial, it may have to do with us being in generation used to popular music, where natural range and timbres are used, and the style and content of music, which is less idealized, and more “realistic”, dealing with more relevant themes as sex, drugs, and violence.

The vocals in classical are suited for music in a more idealized context. For me, Sarah Brightman more contemporary vocals are not as effective in Dvorak’s Song to the Moon. Where the voice is to be used as a refined instrument than a blunt tool, although Sarah’s is already more refined.

But a lot of it has to do with the outdated usage in our contemporary times. The idea of recitatives where people sing while conversing with each other is a stretch to some, but when you buy into the drama, there is no problem. It is easier to buy drama and context in a live performance than just hearing in your living room.

I also like choral music better, as the voices are less affected than in opera to me,


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## eugeneonagain (May 14, 2017)

You aren't alone OP, not by a long chalk. Opera is not the most popular form for classical listeners, but its aficionados get very catty about this when it is mentioned.
I've never been an opera fan, but of late I've managed to listen more without feeling like I'm going to die. I think almost anyone can tolerate one of Mozart's most popular operas, but I have always had great trouble listening to Wagner.

There's a lot said about how marvellous the voice is as an instrument, and it probably is. Also that other instruments mimic the qualities of a human voice: most notably the cello. I don't know about this, but I think instruments surpass the voice. As a solo instrument anyway; when voices are massed as in choral (which you mentioned favourably) the effect can be very powerful. I once heard a choir from Kalinigrad at a Christmas mass and it was goosebump-inducing.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Haven't we noticed that many people have a problem with classically trained voices? Well, the unfortunate truth is that many classically trained singers have problems making their voices do what great music-making requires. As a singer and a lover of singing and of opera, I'm forever lamenting the state of singing and the vocal art. Classical singing is not easy, and the singer with the vocal ease and technique to play the voice like a violin, drawing from it all the expressive subtleties we demand of the great instrumentalists, is by far the exception. The demands made upon the human voice in classical music, opera especially, are far greater than virtually anything required by popular musical styles, and few singers are fully up to them. The combination of perfect tone with freedom of expression is elusive.

I would recommend seeking out the very greatest singers we have on recordings, from the very beginning of the recording era (around 1903), to see what the human voice can do. It will give you a perspective on the art of singing, it's potentialities and its difficulties. With technical mastery comes the ability to make the difficult sound easy, and the greatest singers seem to sing as naturally as they speak.

Here are some of my favorite vocal recordings on YouTube, beginning with an elderly yet touching Adelina Patti (1843-1919), who sang for Rossini and for Abraham and Mary Lincoln. (Keep in mind that the oldest recordings couldn't capture the true sound of voices, especially female voices.) In the early years of the 20th century, classical music and popular song were not as far apart as now; opera singers often included popular melodies in their recitals, and no one thought "crossover" was an issue. I've included both "classical" and "popular" numbers here.

Adelina Patti 




Mattia Battistini 









Enrico Caruso 









Rosa Ponselle 









Tito Schipa 









Elisabeth Schumann 




(with Friedrich Schorr, Lauritz Melchior and others) 




Claudia Muzio 




Riccardo Stracciari 




Elisabeth Grummer 




Jussi Bjorling 




(with Renata Tebaldi) 




Maria Callas 









I think the human voice can speak to us as no instrument can. No style of singing is unnatural when it penetrates to the heart of music. This is just a sampling to illustrate that point. Many other singers and recordings could have been chosen. I hope some of these artists will touch you and open up a greater awareness of what singing can be.


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