Interview: Maestro Carlo Bergonzi

Click here for Full Issue of Fidelio Volume 2, Number 3, Fall 1993

---.. INTERVIEW _. ------

Maestro Carlo Bergonzi

Return to the Verdi tuning, 'or opera could be finished!'

Born at Polisene, near Palma, Italy, no longer have truly Ver Carlo Bergonzi debuted in Italy as a bari dian voices, because of to tone in 1948, and as a tenor in 1951, day's overly high tuning. and in the U.S. at the Metropolitan Opera in 1956 as Radames in "Aida." During Fidelio: Do you think his 45-year world careel� the beloved that the Schiller Institute's tenor has championed bel canto, and new textbook will help to fo ught against the modern rise in pitch. lower the pitch to the Following his fa rewell pelfO/mance Verdi A? of "L'Elisir d'Amore" at the Baltimore Bergonzi: I think so. I can Operain March, 1993, Maestro Belgonzi traveled to New Yo rk to help bring out 'When I debuted, there the Schiller Institute's new textbook, "A Ma nual on Tuning and Registration, " were 100 tenors of the which documents the need to return to first rank and 100 of the or even fo r Donizetti, even Puccini, if Guiseppe Ve rdi's A of 432 Hz. On April the tuning does not come down. This 6, he taped a master class and interview second rank, and those is very important. I admire this initia on the Ve rdi A at WQXR-Radio FM in of the second were better tive ofthe Schiller Institute. In fa ct, ifit New Yo rk (which aired later on June had not been fo r the Schiller Institute than the firstrank tenors 9), and on April 8, he gave a sold-out initiative, just fighting to at least put public master class, "Return to the Verdi of today. What has a damper on this situation, today we'd Tuning!"at Weill Recital Hall at Carne changed? It's the be at A-450, or A-455! gie Hall, sp onsored by the Institute. On April 6, Maestro Bergonzi sp oke tuning! In 1951, there Fidelio: Do you think it would be with Fidelio's Ka thy Wolfe and Nora were 200 great tenors. helpful to use the Schiller Institute's Hamelman. Manual on Tuning in the singing Today, there are two schools or high schools? Fidelio: Maestro, you have stressed and one-half!' Bergonzi: Certainly. The Schiller In that the "Verdi A-432" is the only sci stitute's Music Manual is, without any entific tuning. Can you tell our new only compliment the Schiller Institute doubt, an excellent initiative. It is par readers why it's "scientific?" fo r this initiative, because it is not un ticularly important to raise the ques Bergonzi: Certainly: Because it is the derstood that we are fa cing a very tion of tuning in connection with bel most natural one, because this A is the fr ightening situation. If we don't re ca nto technique, since today's high most natural fo r the human voice. Not turn to the natural lower tuning, we tuning misplaces all register shifts, and only fo r Verdi's operas-but fo r the will no longer have the voices fo r sing makes it very difficult fo r a singer to whole repertoire. The A-432 tuning is ing opera! People have to understand let the sound pass above the breath. ideal fo r voices, because Verdi wrote this. They can insist on A-442, 446, The sound does not have enough fo r the registral passage. If the tuning 448-but remember, that we are los space. When an Pi becomes a G, an is raised higher, this passagio is moved ing a great, enormous cultural heri A, becomes an Aq , a B, becomes a Bq , around. tage, because today in 1993 we already and a C becomes a [)I,, what comes I have a letter fr om Verdi in 1884, can hear that the voices are really start out is a fa lse sound. It is difficult to in which he placed his own A at ing to be missing, absolutely. distribute the sound, and to support it, 432 Hz. He said, "this A must be the Today you can no longer put to because everything is misplaced almost A fo r opera." This is why today we gether a cast as you should, fo r Verdi, half a tone-and the technique fa ils.

© 1993 Schiller Institute, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission strictly prohibited. This is why it is correct to raise the When Verdi wrote Aida, he wrote suit anyone today, but to point out: issue of the Verdi tuning in connection it fo r the lower pitch. He respected the What has changed today? It's the tun with bel canto technique. Young voices passagios of the voices, and the human ing! In 1951, there were 200 great ten coming to my Bel Canto Academy in vocal chords. That explains why Giu ors. Today, there are two and one Busseto, fa ce serious problems later, seppe Verdi has written so many half! when they start singing in the public things, which today seem to hover opera theatres. pas agio right around the s -because he Fidelio: Have you tried the Verdi A- I also like the hypothesis in this actually wrote them at the lower pitch. 432 at your Bel Canto Academy in Ma nual that instrumental music is an If he'd been at a tuning of A-442 or Italy? imitation, a derivation, of vocal music. 444, he would never have written so Bergonzi: For the moment, in my Instrumental music, too, sounds fa lse, much in this tessitura. Academy I am using 440. when played at a high tuning. The I explain this because it's our young I cannot use the lower tuning, be sound is as unnatural in instruments, people who are at stake. If you are cause afterward the students will as it is in voices. A violin can play a studying singing at this high tuning, go to sing elsewhere, and they will high tone which is as dull and flat, as you have changed the entire vocal hurt themselves. What can one do? a sung high tone. In the attempt to spectrum. If you sing on the passagio You are giving singing lessons. You sound more brilliant, a violin can pro at F, you are actually singing an F# . use 432-then the poor fe llow goes duce a sound which is too tight, and That shifts the entire technique by a out to sing at 442, and what will he not soft. What is true fo r the voice, is half-tone, from the low notes to the do? I use 440 or even a little lower, also true fo r instruments. middle notes to the high notes. It is but lower than that I cannot use, fo r not the natural position. now. Fidelio: You've said that in the 1950's The great conductor you regularly sang the original duet Tullio Serafinonce said cadenza with the tenor's D above high during the intermission C from Lucia di Lame/moor, which is of Il Trovatore, in a de not sung anymore. Many who sang at bate among friends, the Met in the 1950's remember the "They are starting to pitch at around A-435. They say voices raise the tuning, and were much richer. Do you remember I'm sorry about one the pitch being lower then? thing: the day will ar Bergonzi: Yes, yes it was lower in the rive, when true singers 1950's. Yes, I think it was around A- will no longer be heard. 435 or A-438. We are saying that the I nstead of tenors, they composers are wrong-but we're the will hear castratif" I ones making the mistake! think that Maestro Ser afin was a prophet. Fidelio: Now, in Europe how high The Verdi tuning is does it go? You said that in Vienna the one we need to de they were at A-450 a fe w years ago. velop young voices, and Bergonzi: Yes, yes! There are opera if we return to it, we houses which even have A-452. La will hear the great Scala is at A-442. Florence is very high, voices which existed at 'If we don't return to the natural A-448. Because in Italian concert halls one time. If not, it could they don't have separate orchestras, the be that opera will be lower tuning, we will no longer orchestra that plays symphonies also finished. have the voices fo r singing opera ! plays fo r the opera. So they tune their When debuted, You can no longer put together a instruments up fo r the symphonies, to there were I 00 tenors of make the violin "vibrant." the first category, and cast for Verdi, or Donizetti, or even For example, "Celeste Aida." This I 00 of second rank, and Puccini, if the tuning does not come aria at the beginning of Aida is fr ight those of the second ful fo r the tenor because it is one of the rank at that time were down. And if it had not been fo r most beautiful arias, yet so difficult.At better than the first the Schiller Institutue initiative, the Verdi A, you can still sing this aria rank tenors of today, we'd be at A-450 Hz or A-455 Hz at age seventy. At A-442, when you because of the tuning get to be about fo rty-five, you start question. today!' thinking it over very carefully. I don't say this to in-

87 'I like the hypothesis in your Music Manual that instrumental music is an imitation, a derivation, of vocal music. Instrumental music also sounds false when played at a high tuning. The sound is as unnatural in instruments, as it is in voices.'

EtRNSIJessica Primack will have to fo llow your advice. But if Master class, with student participants. The Institute's Kathy Wo lfe is at right. you don't insist on the singing schools, they don't give a hoot. Fidelio: What if we succeed in imple ever there are singing schools! And menting the Verdi tuning, however, then invite all the singing teachers. We Fidelio: Italy, the fa therland of bel at the major conservatories? should hold a conference fo r the sing canto, is right now as a nation itself in Bergonzi: Yes, that's the point! ing teachers, and show the musical ex a serious crisis. People are afraid fo r Whenever I speak publicly about sing amples at A-442, and A-432. This is the republic. Do you believe that we ing, I always say we have too high a very important. can use the revival of the Verdi tuning, tuning. At all the conservatories, at of great music, to save Italy? Is the Boston [University School of Music], Fidelio: We had the petition to the political situation more open now? at Yale [School of Music], I always say, Italian Senate to lower the pitch. Is it Bergonzi: It would be good fo r poli "We are tuning too high, and we don't possible to re-start this now? tics. It would be a beautiful thing, be have the natural voices. We can teach Bergonzi: Yes-insist, and never cause the public needs this, needs all we want, but if the tuning fo rk back down. Because you will end up beautiful music. The public needs art. here does not come down, there is losing your cause. If we want to save The public needs something, not nothing we can do." the vocal heritage, in which Italy is "new," but "renewed." We are talking still in the first rank, we must adhere about the tuning fo rk. This is some Fidelio: We must lower the pitch first to the A-432 tuning. Italy has always thing that we have to renew, because at the major music schools, that's been an exporter of voices and even it already exists-right? It's higher but where the high pitch is imposed? though all the other nations are in dif it exists. We want to go back to the Bergonzi: Yes, necessarily. What's the ficulty like us, we are still the fa ther lower tuning, the right tuning. So also use of teaching singing, if the big land of bel canto, and I think that it's in political life, we need a renewal, we schools go on teaching at A-442? If also in the government's interest to need to get back to something honest, their standard pitch does not come safeguard this heritage. and clean, in politics as well. down, it's worthless. Students must study from the beginning at the natu Fidelio: Would it be good for those Fidelio: Without great culture It IS ral tuning, that's the point! who signed the petition to endorse the hard to have a good society. Do you The Schiller Institute should do Manual on Tuning fo r use in schools? think that if we improve the quality these lectures in all the singing schools Bergonzi: That would be great. You of music, we'll improve society? and conservatories in America! This could bring out a little booklet which Bergonzi: Without doubt! There IS is important. And we should give would relate the tuning question to not the slightest doubt. Surely. demonstrations, such as we did today tally to vocal technique. on the radio, and as we will do April 8. You should send the Manual on Fidelio: Do you think that it is right You have to take this right into the Tuning, and also send leaflets with a fo r a political statesman like Lyndon singing schools, not just to the opera fe w of these musical examples, to the LaRouche to try to help art in the way halls and the conductors. European singing schools. Not just to that he has, with the lowering of the For example, next month we'd go schools in America. This is universal. pitch? to Boston University and to Yale Most important is to make the sing Bergonzi: Of course. Moreover, it's School of Music. The month after that, ing schools understand these things. very important. LaRouche deserves to we'd go to Chicago, and then-wher- Then even the orchestra conductors be complimented fo r his insisting on

88 this matter, and who feels it, and who Bergonzi: I sang in church, and I had Fidelio: So to sum up, you're concen does it with his heart, and doesn't do a darker voice always, and sang as a trating now on fu ture generations? it so he can show off, but because he contralto. Bergonzi: This is not a battle which fe els strongly about and wants to carry I'm carrying fo rward because I'm try it fo rward. Fidelio: Do you think that singing in ing to make a career! My career is Church is a good experience fo r coming to an end. I'm doing this fo r Fidelio: Some people say you can't children? the young people. mix art and politics. Bergonzi: For sure. It is a great expe The people singing when my career Bergonzi: : This does not mean mix rience to sing in church, to get a pas was born, included Tito Schipa, Lauri ing art and politics. In this, he speaks sion fo r it. A singer is born with an Volpi. But don't tell me that there are of art, and politics is something else. innate passion fo r singing. In school, no longer being born voices such as If LaRouche talks about bringing the you can teach, but if there is no passion, these, voices like those of De Stefano, tuning fo rk to normalcy, to help the it's hard. Corelli, del Monaco, Jussi Bjorling, whole sound, to help the voices, then Richard Tucker. There are many you have to compliment him. You Fidelio: The fa ct that you at 68 are beautiful voices here in America and have to say that he is a person fo r still singing, and still singing well, is many excellent teachers, although whom one must have great esteem and a proof of a certain technical basis there are some bad ones. approve that fo r which he is cam which in many cases today is missing. But the singing teachers have to paigning. And you have to campaign Many singers start well but end after carry fo rward this battle, to save the to carry fo rward his discussion. a very short career. voices of the young singers, to save the Bergonzi: One cause is the tuning fu ture of opera, and to return again Fidelio: The Schiller Institute and fo rk, which strains the voices. Second, to the true opera of fo rmer times. Mr. and Mrs. LaRouche are concerned they are in too big a hurry to debut, If we receive support fo r this initia especially about the children. How do to make money singing, singing works tive, we can save this entire heritage. you see the fu ture of children in the not suited to their voices, wrong reper If we go back to the right tuning, you schools today without classical music? toire. The third is the fa ult of theater will see, that within five years there Bergonzi: That's bad. Classical music directors who cast voices which are will be a major change ID Improve ought to be put into the elementary not right fo r the repertory they give ment of the voices. schools to give the youngster a culture. them to sing. They take We have to start from when the child the light tenor who firstgoes to school. If you change him should sing the Conte there, you can give him a culture. You D'Almaviva in the Bar can't take an adult who likes rock, and ber of Seville, who has tell him he has to listen to symphonies. a high C, and they say, He won't go any more at his age. You "We have fo und a have to catch the children in elemen Manrico" [the dramatic tary school and give them this instruc tenor in II Trovatore]. tion, and teach them solfeggio so they No matter that the get excited about music. voice is small, large, or medium. For them, he Fidelio: And you were a singer as a has a high · 0, and so boy ? he's Manrico.

'Classical music ought to be put into the elementary schools, we have to start from when the child first goes to school. If you change him there, you can give him a culture. You can't take an adult who likes rock, and tell him he has to listen to symphonies. He won't go any more at this age. You have to catch

the children in elementary school.' Aaron levin Peiforming with Andrea Rost in the Baltimore Opera production of Donizetti's "L'Elisir d'Amore. "