# The Trill



## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Is there anyone around here who has majored in Anatomy or something similar who can answer why it is such a difficult thing to do for a majority of singers -- especially males?
I cannot think of many alive today who can do a really great trill -- and what is Gilda without one?
(or do you even care?)


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

According to Joyce di Donato, anyone can learn to trill. However, some singers, like Sutherland and Sills, have “natural” trilling ability. If you listen to Sutherland, for instance, hers is like it’s placed deep in her throat and it’s akin to a flutter. I think Sills has the same ability. 
Men can also trill, if they train, but they’re not usually trained, unless they’re “Rossini“ tenors like Gimenez or Flores, or someone like Ramey among the lower regions. 
Alas, think of all the tenors who sing, “Ah si ben mio, col essere” and don’t or can’t trill!

You’re right, what is Gilda, or Leonora (Trovatore) without a trill?


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Ruth Ann Swenson did a superb trill as Gilda.
Magda Olivero managed pretty solid ones.
Marilyn Horne studied hard and conquered it.
Sondra Radvanovsky can produce a pretty good one.


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## Open Book (Aug 14, 2018)

What is a trill? Is it something rare?


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

You have to keep the throat open to trill and the more you practice, the easier it becomes. (However, I haven't studied anatomy and so can't comment on what the muscle groups are doing exactly.)

N.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Open Book said:


> What is a trill? Is it something rare?


See if this can help you: Opera terms


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

nina foresti said:


> Ruth Ann Swenson did a superb trill as Gilda.
> Magda Olivero managed pretty solid ones.
> Marilyn Horne studied hard and conquered it.
> Sondra Radvanovsky can produce a pretty good one.


Both Ruth Ann and Magda were trained "right." Ruth Anne's training was as a coloratura, though, so she'd need a trill! 
Horne was and is an anomaly 
I was impressed when I saw Radvanovsky as the Trovatore Leonora. I thought she was close to perfect in the role.


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## vivalagentenuova (Jun 11, 2019)

Can't answer your original question. Can give the most impressive trill I've heard.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

^^^Fantastic. A trill that isn't just a flutter but is actually an alternation of distinct pitches is a real rarity. Callas did it at the end of "Caro nome" (at about 7:00):


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## silentio (Nov 10, 2014)

Emmy Destinn in D'amor Sull'ali (from 4:12)






Nellie Melba in the Ophelia Mad Scene (from 8:57)






Lillian Nordica in her favorite opera Hunyadi László (from 2:46). Mind you this is also one of the greatets Brunnhildes!


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

MAS said:


> Both Ruth Ann and Magda were trained "right." Ruth Anne's training was as a coloratura, though, so she'd need a trill!
> Horne was and is an anomaly
> I was impressed when I saw Radvanovsky as the Trovatore Leonora. I thought she was close to perfect in the role.


MAS: You are telling me something I never knew about Ruth Ann Swenson. I could have sworn her trill was from the manner born.
As for Olivero, could you point out to me something that says she was trained to do trills? I thought hers was also totally natural.
Marilyn Horne and Joyce di Donato on the other hand, were self taught.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

nina foresti said:


> MAS: You are telling me something I never knew about Ruth Ann Swenson. I could have sworn her trill was from the manner born.
> As for Olivero, could you point out to me something that says she was trained to do trills? I thought hers was also totally natural.
> Marilyn Horne and Joyce di Donato on the other hand, were self taught.


Sorry, I don't mean to say that Magda was trained specifically on trills, but that she received full training in all aspects of singing by her teachers. That's what I meant by she was trained "right." 
Some singers have a natural facility for trills, but surely they have to have some instruction, don't you? I doubt even Sutherland could just spontaneously trill one day (but we know her mother was a singer).

I can do some trills, though I have no voice or training, but I can imitate Callas's trills on slow music (you don't want to hear me!) by alternating two notes slowly, then more rapidly. "com'aura di spera(trill)nza," etc.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

MAS: You just contradicted yourself.  You said you have a "natural" trill. That's a rare gift -- few people are born with that. I happen to have one too. I don't know how I got it -- it's just there. 
So I tend to believe that if it is an innate gift you don't need any training.
Marilyn Horne did not have a natural born trill and said she worked like mad to acquire one -- and was successful, but it is long and arduous work. Joyce diDonato did a class on how to acquire a trill. She, herself, has a good one.
Magda Olivero was born with hers. Although I can't know for sure about Swenson, I'll bet hers was natural too.
Sills, Sutherland, Callas were all natural -- no training necessary.


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## Duncan (Feb 8, 2019)




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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

55 Sonnambula, Maria is invincible this night at La Scala, at 2:56 mark a string of ascending scale trillls capped with climatic trill of devastating power and amplitude.......thank the opera gods we have this recorded


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