VIBRATO

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25300, 27 September 1947, Page 3

VIBRATO

Sir,—l am not a musician in the large sense. At the same time I am very fdhd of good music and have an ear for it. I should like to ask your musical critic this question: Why is it that in nearly every case an artist will quaver? My recollection is that Dame Clara Butt, Kenherley Rumford, and indeed Dame Nellie Melba would be perfectly straight over a note. I consider our musical items are ruined by this fault.—Yours, etc., MUSIC LOVER.

September 22, 1947. [Mr C. Foster Browne, to whom this letter was referred, said: “ ‘Music Lover’ has hit upon one of the most serie us artistic faults in singing. There is controversy over the physical causes of tremolo and vibrato. Some maintain that it is due to faulty breathing, but many singers of the highest standing, who have most flexible voices, also have this fault. It seems, therefore, that it is not only a matter of breathing, although faulty breathing can be a strong contributing factor. A more likely explanation is that it is due to an upsetting of the delicate balance between the various muscles involved in sounding a note. The action of these laryngeal muscles is involuntary but the effect that they produce can be heard and can be controlled by’ the will. Nearly all singers who have a tremolo are not aware that their tone is unsteady. This means that they have not concentrated upon steadiness of tone by listening acutely to their voices for this specific purpose. Timbre and intensity have occupied their attention to the exclusion of steadiness. Trying to get a big tone too early in their training and attempting notes beyond their comfortable range are the ways in which this natural muscular balance can be upset. Hence a tremolo develops and as time goes on it becomes worse and worse.”]