The German School of Singing: a Compendium of German Treatises 1848-1965
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THE GERMAN SCHOOL OF SINGING: A COMPENDIUM OF GERMAN TREATISES 1848-1965 by Joshua J. Whitener Submitted to the faculty of the Jacobs School of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, Doctor of Music Indiana University May 2016 Accepted by the faculty of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Music Doctoral Committee ______________________________________ Costanza Cuccaro, Research Director and Chair ______________________________________ Ray Fellman ______________________________________ Brian Horne ______________________________________ Patricia Stiles Date of Approval: April 5, 2016 ii Copyright © 2016 Joshua J. Whitener iii To My Mother, Dr. Louise Miller iv Acknowledgements I would like to thank Professor Costanza Cuccaro, my chair and teacher, and my committee members, Professors Fellman, Horne, and Stiles, for guiding me through the completion of my doctoral education. Their support and patience has been invaluable as I learned about and experienced true scholarship in the study of singing and vocal pedagogy. Thanks too to my friends who were also right there with me as I completed many classes, sang in many productions, survived many auditions and grew as a person. Finally, I would like to thank my international colleagues with whom I have had the opportunity to meet and work over the past 15 years. Their friendship and encouragement has been invaluable, as have the unparalleled, unimagined experiences I have had while living and performing in Germany. It has been this cultural awareness that led me to the topic of my dissertation - to define a German School of Singing. Vielen Dank! I would like to give a special thanks to my mother without whom this paper would not have been possible. I cannot thank you enough for your countless of hours of editing and encouragement. v The German School of Singing: A Compendium of German Treatises 1848-1965 The German school of singing is often characterized by the principles of a muscular approach to respiration, an overexpansion of the chest, a darker tonal preference, fabricated laryngeal position, and the emphasis on text over vocalism. Singers, teachers of singing, musicologists, composers, and conductors rely on astute observations and intensive study of historical artifacts, including original writings, translated work, and secondary analyses to understand the German approach. English-speaking audiences typically "know'" German technique through English language writings or translated versions of scholars such as Richard Miller and German pedagogues such as Marchesi, Stockhausen, and Lehmann. However, omission of some seminal writings by German pedagogues not yet translated to English limit a full understanding of both the evolution of German technique and its applicability to teaching singing today. This analysis documents the approach to singing advocated by nine German pedagogues beginning in the mid-1800's through the middle of the twentieth century. Using original German writings from these authors as sources for this review, it becomes clear that as the German style developed, there was a desire to move away from other European techniques, particularly Italian principles, to create a unique German method. Yet ultimately, many Italian ideas remained in the German approach. By comparing the beliefs and singing techniques of important German authors, a chronological appraisal of German style identifies the essentials of a German school of singing. These include Italian fundamentals of diaphragmatic-costal breathing, elastic tension of the breath musculature, imposto (breath-resonance connection), chiaroscuro tonal quality, an importance of head voice in blending registers, use of consonants in balancing a tone, and a gestalt approach to singing. These principles were modified to fit German preferences and taste. vi Table of Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. v The German School of Singing: A Compendium of German Treatises 1848-1965 .......... vi Table of Contents .............................................................................................................. vii List of Figures .................................................................................................................. viii List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... ix List of Appendices .............................................................................................................. x Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Mechanics of the Singing Voice ....................................................................... 6 Chapter 3: Heinrich Ferdinand Mannstein ........................................................................ 21 Chapter 4: Friedrich Schmitt ............................................................................................. 35 Chapter 5: Ferdinand Sieber ............................................................................................. 49 Chapter 6: Julius Hey ........................................................................................................ 59 Chapter 7: Bruno (Benno) Müller-Brunow ....................................................................... 72 Chapter 8: George Armin.................................................................................................. 81 Chapter 9: Paul Bruns ....................................................................................................... 96 Chapter 10: Franziska Martienßen-Lohmann ................................................................. 108 Chapter 11: Frederick Husler .......................................................................................... 121 Chapter 12: Richard Miller ............................................................................................. 133 Chapter 13: Summary of Other Key Treatises ................................................................ 139 Chapter 14: Conclusion: A Definition of the German School of Singing ...................... 145 Appendix: Glossary of Terms ......................................................................................... 164 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 170 vii List of Figures Figure 2.1. Interplay Between Registers ........................................................................... 17 Figure 3.1. Tetrachords of the Tenor Voice ...................................................................... 29 Figure 6.1. Vowel Color ................................................................................................... 66 Figure 8.1. Vowel Development ....................................................................................... 88 Figure 8.2. Use of Vowels to Achieve an Even Scale in the Tenor Voice ....................... 92 Figure 8.3. Use of Vowels to Achieve an Even Scale in the Soprano Voice ................... 93 Figure 11.1. Sympathetic Resonance Placement Points to Correct Vocal Faults ........... 127 viii List of Tables Table 14.1. Italian Characteristics of the Castrati Tradition ........................................... 162 Table 14.2. Attributes of the German Approach to Singing ........................................... 162 ix List of Appendices Glossary of Terms ........................................................................................................... 164 x Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION The prevailing view of the German approach to singing over the past fifty years has been that it is a singular, stand-alone set of principles. What has not been accounted for however is the impact of other European traditions on the development of the German method. It is intuitive to think singing traditions coming before, such as the Italian method or perhaps others, would influence German pedagogues. Yet, that influence is unclear. If and how, then, did other singing traditions influence German singing, and if so, to what degree? Or was the German method created independently? This review details seminal writings of German authors who designed, developed, and refined a German approach to singing. Authors selected were those who made substantial contributions to the evolution of this singing style. As an overall German approach to singing developed, there was disagreement among teachers as to which elements were foundational to "correct technique" and how these should be practiced and delivered by the singer. For example, George Armin felt the answer to singing was in his Stauprinzip, a muscular storing and damming of the breath against the vocal folds. However, contemporaries such as Paul Bruns strongly criticized this idea, saying instead the use of Minimalluft (minimal air) and relaxation of the breathing muscles (e.g., abdominals) was the solution to problems associated with singing. What we know in the English speaking world about the German approach to singing is through translated German language writings and English language summaries. While these are valuable to understanding German technique, original German treatises not published and unavailable in English can further extend and expand this understanding. The purpose,