REFLECTIONS ON THE FIGURATIVE A R T O F S ING ING BY GIAMBATTISTA MANC INI Singing Master at the Imperial Court of Vienna Translated by PIETRO BUZZI Founder and Director of the Verdi School of Singing , Los Angeles RICHARD G . BADGER THE GORHAM PRESS BOSTON REFLECTIONS ON THE FIGURATIVE A R T O F S ING ING GIAMBATTISTA MANCINI Singing Master at the Imperial Court of Vienna Translated by PIETRO BUZZI Founder and Director of the Verdi School of Singing , Los Angeles C RI HARD G . BADGER THE GORHA M PRESS BOSTON GIAMBATTISTA MANCINI, singing mast er at the Imperial Court of Vienna, st udied the art of singing under Antonio Bem acchi s of Bo logna and Leonardo Leo of Naple . Born in Ascoli Piceno (Ita ly) in the year MDCC XVI and died in Vienna in t he year MDCCC . Third edit ion reviewed, c orrected and augmented by t he aut hor was published in Milan (It aly) in the year MDCCLXXVII,by Giuseppe Galeaz z i, Print er of t he Royal House. This work has been t ranslated int o t he French lang uage by t wo different writ ers; one edit ion was published in th e year MDCCLXXVI under the “ ’ ” t it le L art du chant figure and another edit ion was printed also in Paris in t he year MDCCLXXXXVI under the t it le of ‘ fl s fi ure Re exion prat iques sur le chant g . TO HER ROYAL HIGHNESS The serene Mary Eliz abeth Archduchess of Aust ria , r t . Princess of Hunga y, Boheme, et c . e c Among t he many gift s and virt ues which so luminously adorn t he heart of your Royal Highness, t he art of music occupies no lit t le part of your t is t s a t hought s and t ime. I for hi reason t h t I dedicat e t hese thought s t o you,which are a co llect ion formed from experience and medit at ions, and which I consider t o have been of most use in my profession This book has been published wit h t he aut horit y of your g reat name T o no great er honor and glory o e er i re n or could I aspire . H w v , n viewi g my w k , I found reasons for modificat ion and enlargement . I t rust , Serene Princess, t hat y ou will b e indulgent Permit me again t o present and dedicat e t o you t his public humble t ribut e of respect , grat it ude and . venerat ion. L TO COMMANDER A ESSANDRO BONCI. My love and devot ion t o art ,led me t o devot e fiv e years of t horough search throughout the libraries of r Eu ope, before I found t his precious manuscript . I have spent t he great er part of t he last t wo years in t ranslat ing it int o t he English language , assisted - by my most devot ed pupil , Miss Lucy La Cost a I feel that this is one of t he most important works e er r t rn n th rt f n v w i t en conce i g e a o singi g . It comes t o prove t o us that t he art of t he great It alian masters has not disappeared ,for t his book was writ ten by t he Dean of these great masters, when t he golden era of s ong was in it s full glory in It a ly . There is a t endency t oday among t he English speaking people, and even t o some ext ent in our beloved It aly, t o t each voice cult ure by sc ient ific and mechanical met hods, and as a result our old t radit ions have been nearly dest royed I have unbounded fait h t hat t he publicat ion of t his classic will be of vast import ance in rest oring t he old and only correct method of t he art of t raining voices,and s inging . To you, t he only living exponent of t he art t hat made It aly famous during t he XVI and XVII cent uries, I dedicat e t his endeavor for t hree reasons : First , yo u and your sublime art complet ely corro r t borat e t he rules and p ecept s se fort h in t his book . Secondly, for t he int erest you are showing t he English spea king people in helping t hem solve t he “ ” problem of combining t he art of Bel Cant o wit h l t heir anguage . Thirdly, under t he pat ronage of so excellent a musc ial authorit y as you , I may have t he assurance t hat my feeble effort s will meet wit h indulgence . P mrno Bo z z r, - Lyric Tenor Director of the Verdi School of Singing, e Los Ang les, Calif ornia . Signor Pietro Buzzi, Singing Mactor and Director Mr Dm n PROFESSOR -I have just finished read ing your splendid t ranslation of Giambat t ista ’ ’ Mancini s Osserv az ioni prat iche sul cant o fig urat o and must congrat ulat e you upon your success The odd st yle of t he ancient writers is difficult t o t ranslate int o modern English . While you have made a lit eral t ranslat ion, you ha ve also made it very plain and easy t o underst and . Undoubte dly,this book will prove a great enlight enment t o t he whole musica l profession and more part icularly t o t his young and wonderful nat ion in which at the present t ime t here is such a widespread movement in favor of the liberal art s, especially of music and song . This work appears at a propit ious moment , as not one of t he many new met hods h as proved as good or i successful as t he old Ita l a n met hod . If the modern scient ific discoveries would blend themselves wit h the old It alian method , using the latt er as a founds t ion,t hen the art of song would again be raised t o its I st rongly recommend your work t o the English speaking people,as it will show them how t o broaden the vowels wit hout sacrificing t he consonant s, and also how t o cont rol t he syllables at the front of t he “ ” mout h wit hout tight ening t he Faneis, an ac t that r in our inva iably mars the purit y of t one . Even It alian Lang uage, which is so liquid and pure, t he vowels are often emphasiz ed in order t o insure t he t one at it s right place and pit ch , t hus making it ro und and so norous t hro ughout , in soft as well as in l oud passages. Wishing you t he success t o which your earnest endeavor ent it les you, I accept your kind dedicat io n and endorse t he book most heart ily . ALESSANDRO Boner. PREFACE CCIDENTALLY, now and t hen ut ilit y has g iven life t o the arts, which have s e their usefulness. These art hav been s f i ruined and buried by t he succ es ion o cent ur es. Some of t hem have not grown beyond a mediocrit y, in which st at e t hey were born ; especially t his is t rue t se a n of ho in China . Many of t hem h ve bee at different t imes more or less cult ivat ed , according t o t heir ut ilit y and t he degree of int erest taken in t hem by nat ions and individuals On t he other hand many r ot her arts have g adually been brought t o perfect io n . The larger part of the art s, however, t hat have had their birt h in a fa vored and beneficial climate , have had with hardly any except ion t heir prosperous life fro m Africa t o Europe, from Egypt t o Greece, and r ro t At s B we e b ugh from hen t o Rome . ut the north ’ ern people s desire for pillage and devastation broke and dest royed the Roman dominions, and laid t he burying in t heir barbarism the arts, t heir founders and supporters. They annihilated the st ores of 11 12 PREFACE product s of the talents and indust ries of our great When the liberal art s were reca lled t o a new life, after such a disast rous epoch and cent uries of oblivion it was st ill necessary t o recover and assemble the few fragments left intact from t he rascalit y of man,and t o imitat e these remains . Through t he imit at ion of perfect models, one can Al as acquire great knowledge and cult ure . ( though ” Marmont el says in his art icle Crit ique, o ne may misconst rue the word imit at ion by carrying it t o such an ext reme t hat one becomes a sla ve t o models, and t hus dest roys his own creat ive abilit y .