UNRAVELING THE DISCUSSION OF VOCAL ONSET: STRATEGIES FOR THE CULTIVATION OF BALANCED ONSET BASED UPON HISTORICAL AND CURRENT VOCAL PEDAGOGICAL TEACHINGS. by ABBIGAIL KATHARINE COTÉ ii A LECTURE-DOCUMENT Presented to the School of Music and Dance of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts June 2017 iii “Unraveling the Discussion of Vocal Onset: Strategies for the Cultivation of Balanced Onset Based Upon Historical and Current Vocal Pedagogical Teachings,” a lecture- document prepared by Abbigail Katharine Coté in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in the School of Music and Dance. This lecture- document has been approved and accepted by: Dr. Ann Tedards, Chair of the Examining Committee Date Committee in Charge: Dr. Ann Tedards, Chair Professor Milagro Vargas Dr. Marian Smith Accepted by: Leslie Straka, D.M.A. Director of Graduate Studies, School of Music and Dance iv © 2017 Abbigail Katharine Coté v CURRICULUM VITAE NAME OF AUTHOR: Abbigail Coté PLACE OF BIRTH: Walnut Creek, Ca DATE OF BIRTH: October 5, 1981 GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOLS ATTENDED: University of Oregon Florida State University University of Montana DEGREES AWARDED: D.M.A in Vocal Performance, 2017, University of Oregon M.M. in Opera Production, 2012, Florida State University B.M. in Vocal Performance, 2004, University of Montana AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST: Vocal Performance Vocal Pedagogy Opera Direction and Production PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Graduate Teaching Fellow, University of Oregon, 2014-2017 Class Voice, Studio Voice, Lyric Diction, Introduction to Vocal Pedagogy Assistant Professor, Umpqua Community College, 2016-2017 Aural Skills, Studio Voice, and Studio Piano Executive Director, West Edge Opera, 2013 vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express sincere appreciation to my advisor, Dr. Ann Tedards for her guidance and support on this project and for her commitment to my development as an artist and pedagogue these past three years. Special thanks to Professor Milagro Vargas for her continued guidance in my development as a vocal artist and scholar. I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Melissa Redford, who helped guide my research of voice science, and Dr. Frank Diaz, who has shaped me as an educator. Finally, I would like to sincerely thank Dr. Marian Smith for her support on this project and for encouraging my development as a scholar. vi GRANTS, AWARDS AND HONORS: Outstanding Graduate Performer in Voice, University of Oregon, 2017 Kathleen Lacy Bezinover Opera Scholarship, University of Oregon 2016 Showcased Artist, Bel Canto Master Class, National Opera Association 2015 Graduate Teaching Fellowship, University of Oregon, 2014-2017 viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 1 II. EARLY THOUGHTS ON PHONATION ............................................................... 8 Ancient Greece- the 14th Century .......................................................................... 8 The 14th – 17th Centuries ...................................................................................... 10 The 18th Century ................................................................................................... 13 III. THE 19TH CENTURY ............................................................................................ 22 The Early 19th Century ........................................................................................ 22 The Coup de glotte ............................................................................................... 28 Another Approach- Expiration and Vocal Attack ............................................... 36 The Medical Community and the Coup de glotte ................................................ 41 The Turn of the 19th Century: Salvatore Marchesi .............................................. 47 IV. THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURIES ...................................................................... 51 The Swedish/Italian School of Singing ............................................................... 52 Cornelius Reid and Proponents of the Natural Voice .......................................... 58 The 1980’s: McKinney, Dayme, and Miller ........................................................ 62 Clifton Ware and David Jones, Leaders of Modern Pedagogy ........................... 68 V. PRESCRIPTIVE EXERCISES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF BALANCED ONSET ....................................................................................... 74 Setting the Condition for Effective Listening ..................................................... 76 A. Listening .................................................................................................... 79 B. Setting an Efficient Auditory Feedback Loop ........................................... 80 Preparing the Throat for a Balanced Onset ......................................................... 81 A. Stretching the Base of the Throat .............................................................. 81 B. Finding a Free, Low Larynx ....................................................................... 83 C. Opening the Top of the Throat ................................................................... 85 D. Vocal Cord Approximation ........................................................................ 88 E. Putting the Postures Together in a Vocalise ............................................... 92 VI. ARTICULATORS AND VOCAL ONSET .......................................................... 94 A. Addressing the Root of the Tongue ................................................................ 95 B. Developing a Relaxed Jaw Position ............................................................... 98 C. Working with the Soft Palate as an Articulator ............................................... 99 D. Using Consonants for Onset Practice ............................................................ 101 VII. BREATH SUPPORT AND ONSET EXERCISES ........................................... 103 VIII. BRIDGING THE GAP BEWTEEN ONSET PRACTICE AND REPERTOIRE LEARNING ............................................................................ 108 ix IX. CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................... 111 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................ 113 x LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: J.B. Fauré, La Voix et Le Chant, (1886) ............................................................. 34 Figure 2: Giovanni Lamperti, Die Technik des Bel Canto (1905) ..................................... 39 Figure 3: Delle Sedie, A Complete Method of Singing (1876) ........................................... 41 Figure 4: Browne and Behnke, Voice, Song, and Speech (1883) ....................................... 42 Figure 5: Browne and Behnke, Voice, Song, and Speech (1883) ...................................... 43 Figure 6: Henry Holbrook Curtis, Voice Building and Tone Placing (1896) .................... 45 Figure 7: William Vennard, Singing, the Mechanism and the Technique (1967) .............. 55 Figure 7.1: William Vennard, Singing, the Mechanism and the Technique (1967) .......... 55 Figure 8: Berton Coffin, Coffin’s Sounds of Singing (1976) .............................................. 58 Figure 9: Domenico Corri, The Singer’s Preceptor (1810) ................................................ 79 Figure 10: Richard Miller, The Structure of Singing (1986) .............................................. 80 Figure 11: Barbara Mathis, Selected Vocal Exercises and their relationship to specific laryngeal functions (1986) ...................................................................................... 86 Figure 12: “Every Orange” Exercise (2017) ....................................................................... 91 Figure 13: J.B. Fauré, La Voix et Le Chant (1886) ............................................................. 92 Figure 14: Barbara Mathis, Selected Vocal Exercises and their relationship to specific laryngeal functions (1986) ...................................................................................... 96 Figure 15: Estelle Liebling, Vocal Course for Tenor ......................................................... 97 Figure 16: [ku] [gu] [ju] Exercise (2017) ............................................................................ 99 Figure 17: Allan Rogers Lindquest, Lindquest Vocal Exercises #4 (2013) ..................... 101 Figure 18: Abbigail Coté, [ri], [re], [ra], [ro], [ru] Exercise (2013) ................................. 102 Figure 19: Musical Notation of the Nickol Breath Squat ................................................. 104 Figure 20: Allan Rogers Lindquest, Lindquest Vocal Exercises #2 (2013) ..................... 107 Figure 21: Ferdinand Sieber, 36 Eight-Measure Vocalises for Class or Private Practice .................................................................................................... 108 Figure 22: [tu] [la] Exercise (2017) .................................................................................. 110 I. INTRODUCTION This paper is a study of pedagogical approaches for the cultivation of an efficient, balanced onset. The research will provide a historical survey of onset discussions from various pedagogical sources and conclude with a compendium of exercises