# Do we undervalue analysis in the world of opera?



## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Sorry in advance if this comes off a bit disorganized. This is a somewhat broader topic than I'm used to discussing. Additionally, existing discussion on the topic is minimal, and when it's there it generally tilts strongly in the opposite direction, so my sense of clarity here isn't quite as crisp as I would like. 

Anyway, the recent thread about Deborah Voigt sparked something that had been in the back of my head for years: we in the classical world don't over-analyze and over-compare. The problem is precisely that we do too LITTLE analysis and comparison, and this holds triply true for anyone actually wanting to become a singer (although, in all fairness, this site is far more intellectual than the majority of the opera world. It's one of the few places I've found where people enjoy going into some amount of detail and don't look at you like you're crazy when you want to make a more complicated point). Career planning takes strategy, honest evaluation, a realistic assessment of one's abilities, limitations and potential, yet all of this is discouraged in the field of music (at least classical musicians understand concepts like discipline and patience. Most pop musicians are hopelessly screwed XD). Students are taught to "see where life takes you", "follow your passion", "make (100% unnecessary) mistakes" and "never let anyone tell you no". 

This advice isn't just anti-intellectual, it's arrogant. It teaches students that they don't have to be rational or strategic and that studying the mistakes and successes of those who came before holds little value. In fact, it's one of the major reasons why I decided a career as an opera singer wasn't for me. I would come to people with problems, issues I was confused about or just relevant things I was thinking about, and people largely dismissed me with rhetoric. No one seemed interested in thorough discussion on the technical or analytical aspects I was missing. The culture was one of "just do it", and, while that works for something like drilling music theory, scales or languages into one's head, it doesn't work for things like career planning, vocal techniques with different approaches to the same thing or inferring general principles for skillfully living the life of a singer based on analyzing singers from the past. The most I would get was something like "you'll learn that from experience"....except that doesn't make any sense, because you want to AVOID the experience of doing vocal damage, choosing harmful repertoire, etc, not charge head first into them. I realize that the answers to certain questions are highly individual and that they can't just give you the answers like a test, but I think the least we can do is compare other people's experiences in some capacity and see if we can deduce anything. 

As competitive, stressful and emotionally taxing as singing as a career is, I don't know why it's not commonplace for young singers to to ask themselves questions like
1) "how did singers A and B handle overly demanding directors? what was the result?"
2) "do I want to be super strict about what I sing and aim for a longer, healthier career in a more conservative repertoire (ex: Kiri te Kanawa), go for the glory with a wide-spanning and exciting range of repertoire (ex: Callas), or somewhere in between (ex: Renee Fleming)?
3) "what do I do if a role isn't quite right for me but I need to eat/pay rent? should I make sure I have another source of income from the get go?"
4) "what should I do if my voice changes considerably for some reason due to age, childbirth, wear/tear, etc?"
5) "how should I cope if I get a vocal injury? who are some examples of singers who successfully came back after vocal surgery and what did they do (hint: Sondra Radvanovsky is a wonderful example)?"
6) "Do I have any mental health issues which could impede my work? If so, how can I deal with them? (in particular, singers have always been over-represented among people with Bipolar)
7) "What autobiographies of singers can I read? What helped them? Kept them sane? What are some hurdles life thew at them that DIDN'T pan out well, and how might I potentially avoid the same result?"

......I could come up with probably 20 more paramount questions which students should be asking to prepare as much as possible. Obviously, answers to these questions can change over time, and others can't be answered from the onset (ex: "what changes to my career should I make if I fall in love?" or "what if my voice gets heavier? At what point should I transition to heavier rep?" aren't really possible to answer at 20. singers are not oracles), but it seems like less and less singers go into the business with any kind of GAME PLAN, at precisely the time in history where the most information is available. Musicians know better than most that success is 1% inspiration and 99% blood, sweat and tears, so why aren't we encouraging more about learning these kinds of things in advance? Singers have faced many of the same challenges for hundreds of years, so even if they don't know all the right questions to ask, surely they should be searching for more people who do.


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

Interesting post! In my experience I've asked many questions such as these, & fortunately I have 2 mentors in particular who are happy to answer them. But I know I've been lucky in this. I'm also part of a program that takes the time to answer some of your questions so the singers can avoid the pitfalls. But from your post & other things that I've read, not all programs are like this :-(


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

I've read about pros who have carefully managed the arc of their careers to keep from burning out their voices -- and most have coaches/teachers/mentors who have helped them along the way -- and assumed that was a fairly standard approach. Frederic Pohl wrote a nivel (Narabedla, LTD) about a company of aliens who would medically repair career ending vocal injuries in exchange for joining an intragalactic opera circuit and performing exclusively for extraterrestrials.


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

MarkW I'm thoroughly intrigued!!!


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> Sorry in advance if this comes off a bit disorganized. This is a somewhat broader topic than I'm used to discussing. Additionally, existing discussion on the topic is minimal, and when it's there it generally tilts strongly in the opposite direction, so my sense of clarity here isn't quite as crisp as I would like.
> 
> Anyway, the recent thread about Deborah Voigt sparked something that had been in the back of my head for years: we in the classical world don't over-analyze and over-compare. The problem is precisely that we do too LITTLE analysis and comparison, and this holds triply true for anyone actually wanting to become a singer (although, in all fairness, this site is far more intellectual than the majority of the opera world. It's one of the few places I've found where people enjoy going into some amount of detail and don't look at you like you're crazy when you want to make a more complicated point). Career planning takes strategy, honest evaluation, a realistic assessment of one's abilities, limitations and potential, yet all of this is discouraged in the field of music (at least classical musicians understand concepts like discipline and patience. Most pop musicians are hopelessly screwed XD). Students are taught to "see where life takes you", "follow your passion", "make (100% unnecessary) mistakes" and "never let anyone tell you no".
> 
> ...


Good post. I'm not a singer, but there's a book I've read entitled ON THE ART OF SINGING, written by a voice teacher/opera professional named Richard Miller. In the section of the book called "Building a Career," Miller goes into many of the same questions you raise.


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