Che bella voce! Schipa was one of the finest Italian lyric tenors of any era.His voice was not big but very well projected and controlled.He had seamless legato and wonderful technique.And no one sang mezza voce and pianissimi more beautifully than he did.Grazie mille and Bravissimo Schipa!
I think that this performance gives a great overview of what made Schipa great. He was an artist who made the most out of his natural gifts. This singing is a lesson in tasteful elegance, seamless legato, and beautiful, stylish use of dynamics.
GreekCallas It's a shame, isn't it, but fashions in singing are a long way from acknowledging the old style (not that I wish to imply that this was uniform) at present, and an approach such as Schipa's is so rarely taught in conservatoires, where the Pavarotti/Alvarez model (which undoubtedly has merits of its own but reflects a different musical taste) is dominant, for all that it is rarely well-attained.
As for the replacing of the 'Si', different singers reach the top better on different vowels. Traditional bel canto techniques tend to favour more closed vowels at the very top - as here, 'meh', effectively 'muh'. Some later singers such as Kraus and Di Stefano tended the other way, towards the more open 'ee' vowel (different from the 'ee' sound produced through an 'oo').
Voices and techniques differ, thankfully. As high notes are particular showpieces, and are also difficult to sing well, it makes sense for tenors to adapt them to their strengths. For some tenors the 'si' will undoubtedly be a better vowel, but as 'ahime!' (here), 'si' and (as Gigli sometimes sang) 'ah!' are all exclamations, the sense is not much affected.
I hope this is of some interest. At least now the views for this video seem to be stacking up a little better - unless the same five people are watching it twenty times every day!
Thank you for this wonderful performance. I agree that Schipa's technique in the old style reflects a sensitive musical taste that is an absolute pleasure to listen to. Now I know why he was so famous! Bravo!
