“As the Old Italians Said—”

Abstract

This chapter comments on the use of the phrase “as the old Italians said” when introducing different singing techniques during voice lessons. Some North American singers feel that unless they study in Italy with a maestro or maestra, or on this continent with an American who bears an Italian surname, all of whom purport to teach bel canto, they cannot master the art of singing. They mistakenly view vocal technique as the assimilation of layers of stylistic information. The term bel canto should not be misused as a mystical incantation muttered over a host of contradictory contemporary pedagogical assumptions, in which case it ceases to have any historical meaning. Beautiful singing—bel canto—must be based on beautiful vocal function associated with beautiful artistic imagination.