On February 13, 1873, a man of rare talent, Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin, was born. The fame of his unique booming bass and powerful talent as a dramatic actor thundered throughout the world, but he was far from a unique person.
Ashamed of his origins
The fate of Fyodor Chaliapin is the story of how a peasant boy managed to rise to the heights of not only Russian, but also world fame. He became the embodiment of the national character and the Russian soul, which is as broad as it is mysterious. He loved the Volga, said that the people here are completely different, “not squanderers.” Meanwhile, according to the memoirs of contemporaries, Chaliapin seemed to be embarrassed by the peasants. Often, while relaxing with friends in the village, he was unable to have a heart-to-heart talk with the peasants. It was as if he was putting on a mask: here he is, Chaliapin, a shirt-sleeve guy with a great soul, and at the same time a “master”, constantly complaining about someone and hinting at his bitter fate. There was that anguish in him that is so characteristic of Russian people.
The peasants idolized the “golden guy” and his songs, which “touch the soul.” “If only the king would listen,” they said. “Maybe I would cry if I knew peasant life.” Chaliapin liked to complain that people were getting drunk, noting that vodka was invented solely so that “the people would not understand their situation.” And that same evening I got drunk.
Ingratitude
It is unknown how Chaliapin’s fate would have developed if in 1896 he had not met the great Russian philanthropist Savva Mamontov, who persuaded him to leave the Mariinsky Theater and go to his opera house. It was while working for Mamontov that Chaliapin gained fame. He considered Mamontov’s four years the most important, because he had at his disposal a repertoire that allowed him to realize his potential. Chaliapin was well aware that as a connoisseur of everything beautiful, Mamontov could not help but admire him. Wanting to one day test Savva Ivanovich’s attitude towards himself, Fyodor Ivanovich stated that he wanted to receive a salary not monthly, but as a guest performer, for each performance. They say, if you love, pay. And when Chaliapin was reproached for ingratitude, because it was thanks to Mamontov that he received his name, fame, and money, the bass exclaimed: “Should I also be grateful to the masons who built the theater?” They said that when Mamontov went bankrupt, Chaliapin never visited him.
Heavy character
Chaliapin had bad character. Not a day went by without him quarreling with someone. On one of these days, before execution main party in “Boris Godunov”, Chaliapin managed to quarrel with the conductor, the hairdresser and... the choir. That evening he sang especially delightfully. Chaliapin himself said that he felt like Boris on stage. Friends aptly noted that after quarrels, Chaliapin always sang magnificently. He didn't try to choose words or smooth over sharp corners. He often did not get along with conductors, believing that many of these “idiots” did not understand what they were playing: “Notes are not music! Notes are just signs. We still need to make music out of them!” Among Fyodor Ivanovich’s acquaintances there were many artists: Korovin, Serov, Vrubel, Levitan. Chaliapin could directly state that he did not understand what was in the picture: “Is this a person? I wouldn’t hang one like that!” As a result, he fell out with almost everyone.
Unwillingness to forgive
Chaliapin always repeated that he did not like to forgive: “Forgiving is the same as making a fool out of yourself.” He believed that if you allow it, anyone will start to “exploit” you. There is a known incident that happened to him in Baku. He had a big quarrel with the manager, who after the performance threw out the unknown singer without a penny with the words: “Drive him to the neck!” Much later, the woman, while in the capital, decided to visit a friend whose name had already become popular. Having learned who was asking him, Chaliapin said loudly: “Entrepreneur? From Baku? Drive her in the neck!”
Left his homeland
He always believed that Russian people should live better. But the events of 1905 only worsened the situation. Looking out the window, Chaliapin said that “it is impossible to live in this country.” “There is no electricity, even the restaurants are closed...” And despite the complaints, he will live in Russia for another 17 years - his whole life. During this time, he made his film debut, playing the role of Ivan the Terrible, repeatedly acted as a director and became the director of the Mariinsky Theater, and also received the title People's Artist. Chaliapin would be prohibited from returning to the Land of Soviets and deprived of the title of People's Artist in 1927 due to his alleged reluctance to “return and serve the people whose title of artist was awarded to him.” Yes, Chaliapin had not been to his homeland for 5 years - in 1922 he went on tour abroad, and on the eve of the “verdict” he dared to give money from the concert to the children of emigrants (according to another version, Chaliapin generously financed the monarchists in exile). Be that as it may, see home Chaliapin will no longer succeed.
Weighed down by fame
At the beginning of the 20th century, Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin was one of the most popular people not only in Russia, but throughout the world. Everyone loved him, regardless of rank and class: ministers and coachmen, composers and carpenters. They recalled that in the very first season of working for Mamontov, Chaliapin became so famous that any dinner in a large restaurant turned into a silent scene: Chaliapin ate and the public watched. Later, Chaliapin would complain that he was too tired of “all this nonsense”: “I can’t stand fame! It seems to them that it is very easy to sing. There is a voice, he sang and, up, Chaliapin!” Of course, there were those who did not understand Chaliapin. They said: “Good for him! Sing and welcome - here’s the money for you.” Apparently, those who slandered him forgot that talent alone will not get you far. To get to such heights, and even more so to stay, one had to work tirelessly. And Chaliapin, of course, was a great worker.
Chaliapin felt especially tired towards the end of his life. IN recent months Before his death from leukemia, Fyodor Ivanovich dreamed of singing for a couple more years, and then, as he said, “to retire, to the village.” “There I will be called Prozorov, after my mother. But Chaliapin is not needed! Was and floated!”
I wanted to express the intonation
In his memoirs “Mask and Soul,” Chaliapin wrote: “There are letters in the alphabet and signs in music. You can write everything with these letters and draw with these signs. But there is an intonation of a sigh. How to write or draw this intonation? There are no such letters and signs!” Throughout his life, Fyodor Ivanovich perfectly conveyed this most subtle intonation. It was he who opened Russian opera not only to the world public, but also to Russia itself. It was almost always difficult, but Chaliapin possessed those qualities of national character that allowed him to become a Russian asset and pride: amazing talent, breadth of soul and the ability to hide the secret somewhere deep inside.
Chaliapin's art is a phenomenon
someone we've never met before, him
cannot be explained or described in words!
Daily Telegraph (1925)1
All theories begin and end with him
about singing and performing arts, and to
there is no other singer around right now
whose name such an oracle would sparkle
ol legends and tales, in total
creating a legend about the artist. No equal
good for him, since such a combination of profound
side artistic intelligence, go-
ryachego and sincere feeling, infinite
creative inquisitiveness, and most importantly -
God's spark of genuine genius and astonishment
personal charm - unique!
Prague newspaper "Narodni listy" (1932)"
2003 marks the 130th anniversary of the birth of the greatest of
singers - Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin. Truly brilliant art
istic and vocal talent made his name immortal
significant in the history of Russian and world vocal culture. Larger-
shiy Italian singer, La Scala soloist Giacomo Lauri-
Volpi called Chaliapin “a Russian giant who overshadowed the great
whom Caruso." “Chaliapin,” he wrote, “remains a lonely giant
Tom... He became the standard bass and his name spread across the continents"
(Lauri-Volpi, 1972).
Outstanding masters of vocal art
As is known, Chaliapin himself in his printed works is extremely
focusing primarily on the performing side of singing
art (see fragments of his statements in Appendix 1).
contemporaries, as well as his brilliant acting skills.
In this regard, of particular interest to us are statements about
the world famous opera house La Scala and other major
1 Statements are given according to the article: Malkov, 1998.
The art of resonant singing 109
the greatest opera scenes. The names of these outstanding singers are also
known all over the world: Toti Dal Monte, Beniamino Gigli, Tito
Skipa, Giacomo Lauri-Volpi, and the delightful
the greatest of the Italian prima donnas of her time, Adelina Patti.
But let us preface their statements with the words of our outstanding
masters of vocal art I.S. Kozlovsky.
Ivan Kozlovsky
“The name - Fyodor Chaliapin - is not only not forgotten, but, on the contrary,
takes on, as it were, all new content. Everything takes on sound
louder and filled with ever greater meaning...
Chaliapin - and in his beauty, in his folk style, peace
sparkling talent, and in that irreparable drama to which he condemned
la life of this great, moreover, brilliant talent - today
is comprehended by our consciousness that has grown over the years...
Indeed, it is difficult to imagine a more tragic figure,
than Chaliapin, despite all that all his life he heard and felt
words spoken by Stasov: “Immeasurable joy!” These words - blah -
gratitude to Chaliapin for his work, for his talent, for his creativity -
truly reflect the attitude towards Chaliapin not only of progressive
no Russia, but also the whole world..." (Kozlovsky, 1992).
Toti Dal Monte
"I've lived quite a long time stage life, giving those
Atr is twenty-five years old. My partners were best singers
peace. But the most vivid and exciting memory was the meeting
Cha with Chaliapin.
Oh, he was a brilliant artist, unsurpassed in talent
artist opera stage! In all his roles he was unique
Rome, original and grandiose! Yes, exactly grandiose! Such
the impression he left in the role of Boris Godunov, I
where I didn’t worry anymore.
It must be said that Italian viewers are perhaps the most demanding
vative in the world.<...>Even the most
famous singers. But I don't remember a single word of reproach,
expressed by someone to Chaliapin - everything he did,
it was so perfect, so bright and convincing that you would never
raised doubts or objections.<...>There is no doubt that art
in Chaliapin played a big role in increasing the demanding
the Italian public's affection for opera artists.
stage talent. Chaliapin still had a deep mind. He was
110_____________________ V.P. Morozov______________________________
a thinker in art, and this raised him even above the level of everything
the best that happened in his time on the opera stage.
If we talk about Chaliapin’s singing style, then we must admit that
her anger towards the Italian school, at least in the field of emission
indoor measures. I remember that in Cincinnati (America) we
they sang the play in a theater that could seat nine thousand spectators, and
We could be heard perfectly everywhere.
cheat Vocal sound formation does not tolerate any stress
ma, violence - it should be completely light and free,
timbre If the setting is incorrect, the sound will be tense,
violent, the timbre disappears, is erased, and the voice does not reach well
to the listener.
Chaliapin apparently had a naturally correct
and consolidate this natural style of singing, which brought her closer
to the Italian school, based on the principles of the natural,
natural sound production. True, in Chaliapin’s singing one hears
there was also something peculiar that probably came from the Russian
language. After all, he was a real Russian man and kept
his own native flavor in singing. Not only did it not spoil him,
but gave special expressiveness, beauty and originality
his art. Of course, this coloring was best manifested in
parts of the Russian repertoire.
But if Chaliapin’s vocal school was close to the Italian one,
Which is given to us by nature itself
– Each of us has our own, different tone of voice. Musicians call this special, unique “color” of the voice French word"timbre". Repeat this word. (Timbre.) Timbre (from French timbre - “mark, distinctive sign.” E then a special, unique “color” of the voice
– The pitch of the voice depends on the length of the vocal cords. Women and children have shorter vocal cords than men, which is why their voices are always higher. You already know that musical instruments are divided into groups. Likewise, singing voices are divided into male, female and children's voices. Let's take a closer look at each group.
(During the joint discussion, the table is filled out and fragments of arias performed by different operatic voices are sewn in - at the discretion of the teacher)
(The Duke’s song from G. Verdi’s opera “Rigoletto” in Spanish by I. Kozlovsky sounds)
This aria was very popular. And when I.S. Kozlovsky hit high notes, can you imagine what was happening in the hall?
What does it mean to be able to sing? (who do we consider a singer or a master of singing? and what is necessary for this?)
(In the form of a brainstorming session, the basic requirements for the ability to sing are identified)
must have talent, hearing, voice;
in order to learn to sing, you must first learn to breathe correctly; proper breathing helps you hold a note for a long time;
a voice must be cast, and to cast a voice is:
Hold your breath correctly;
To maintain health and prevent voice disorders, it is important to perform the following exercises.
Direct your inhalation through your nose to the abdominal area (as if feeling its filling). Exhale through a small hole between the lips, the abdominal muscles tighten. Repeat 5-6 times.
For the development of acoustic and timbre properties of the voice, it is necessary to develop the muscles of the pharynx and tongue, to identify the resonating properties of the body (do exercises).
Say silently A-E-O, trying to open the pharynx cavity wider, rather than the mouth. Repeat 10 times.
– Based on timbre and pitch, there are three types of male voices: tenor, baritone and bass.
– Tenor-altino (Countertenor) - the highest of male operatic voices. A man singing in a "female" voice. Until recently, it was relatively rare, but is now becoming increasingly widespread. (Oleg Bezinskikh, Pavel Plavich)
(Cherubino’s Aria from W. A. Mozart’s opera “The Marriage of Figaro” sounds)
–– Many of you probably know the name of Alexander Gradsky. This is a famous Russian singer, poet and composer. For many years now amazing voice excites a large team of his admirers, and all his songs are examples of vocal mastery. Alexander Gradsky (secondary timbre between altino tenor and characteristic tenor), Leonid Agutin, Pelageya, Dima Bilan (dramatic tenor ) (Sounds - “My friend plays the blues best”)
– On July 7, 1991, in Rome, at the opening of the World Cup, three outstanding tenors performed for the first time: Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo. The recording of the singers' performance sold a record number of copies in history classical music. (Voice recording sounds.)
– Muslim Magomayev is an Azerbaijani and Russian opera and pop singer and composer. He had an extraordinary in a beautiful voice. His repertoire included more than 600 works. To this day, he remains an idol for many generations of people. (A recording of the singer's voice is heard.)
– Dmitry Hvorostovsky is an outstanding Russian and British musician and one of the best baritones of our time, whom the whole world knows. He sings in the best opera houses in the world. (A recording of the singer's voice is heard.)
– Freddie Mercury (1946 –1991 ) - British singer Parsi origin Freddie died on November 24, 1991 from bronchial pneumonia, which developed against the background AIDS. One of the greatest rock singers and the owner of one of the greatest voices in the history of music."
– Fyodor Chaliapin- outstanding Russian opera singer. They wrote about him that in “Moscow there are three miracles: the Tsar Bell, the Tsar Cannon and the Tsar Bass - Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin.” Chaliapin was a multi-talented person - he was fond of painting, graphics, sculpture, had literary talent, and acted in films.
– Paul Robson – American singer (bass), actor, human rights activist, polyglot. He sang songs and spoke more than 20 languages, including Russian. (A recording of the singer’s voice sounds, the song “16 tons.”)
– Soprano– the highest female voice.
There is lyrical, dramatic, coloratura.
– Galina Vishnevskaya – world famous Russian opera singer, theater director, teacher, actress. Her beautiful voice conquered millions of people in different countries peace. Galina Vishnevskaya sang on all the biggest stages in the world. (Tchaikovsky’s recording of “Eugene Onegin” sounds, scene of Tatiana’s letter)
– LoveKazarnovskaya – one of the most famous modern Russian opera stars, with a voice of amazing beauty, Lyric soprano . The singer is vying with invitations from all the world's major theaters and festivals.
– Maria Callas– Greek and American opera singer ( dramatic soprano), one of greatest singers XX century. During her lifetime, enthusiastic spectators awarded her the title “Divine”.
– Mezzo-soprano– female singing voice, average between soprano and contralto. Repeat this word. (Mezzo-soprano.) This voice is characterized by a deeper and richer sound compared to a high soprano.
– Elena Obraztsova is a world-famous Russian opera singer, actress, and teacher. She is active concert activities in Russia and around the world. (Rachmaninov’s recording of “Spring Waters” is played)
– Tamara Sinyavskaya– Russian opera singer (mezzo-soprano), teacher. An outstanding representative of the Russian vocal school, possessing a unique, noble and in a strong voice. You heard her voice at the beginning of the lesson.
–– Montserrat Caballe- Spanish opera singer. Experts believe that Caballe's repertoire is one of the most extensive among all soprano singers. She sings Italian, Spanish, German, French, Czech and Russian music. Her voice has both softness and unsurpassed power (A duet with Freddie Mercury sounds, Anthem "Barcelona")
– Contralto– the lowest female voice. Repeat this word. (Contralto.) This voice is quite rare and is particularly expressive.
– Beyoncé- popular American singer(contralto)
– Lina Mkrtchyan (contralto) - a singer distinguished by high musical culture and original interpretation of the performed works. Her warm, full-bodied voice has an exceptional range - from the lowest contralto notes to unexpectedly high soprano notes. The singer’s repertoire includes over forty programs, based on sacred and chamber works. This is ancient music of the 13th-18th centuries, Western European spiritual and opera music, Russian vocal classics, romantic and avant-garde cycles. Lina – the first Russian singer to perform Russian sacred music in Vatican. (A recording of the voice of the singer Ave Maria sounds. Bach-Gounod..)
– Treble– In the group of human voices, treble is the most high voice boys (Repeat this word. (Treble.)
Robertino Loretti- Italian singer. In the early 60s of the 20th century, as a teenager, he gained worldwide fame thanks to his charming, angelic treble voice. (A recording of the singer's voice is heard.)
– Alto- low childish singing voice. Repeat this word. (Alto.)
|
Male voices |
Women's voices |
Children's voices |
|
Tenor – the brightest male voice; the performer is a handsome hero, a brilliant favorite of women. (I. Kozlovsky, S. Lemeshev, Placido Domingo, L. Pavarotti, Jose Carreras,Alexander Gradsky, Dima Bilan).
Bass
– low male singing voice. The lowest of all voices, heavy, large, beautiful, smooth (F. Chaliapin)
|
|
|
Let's summarize: the main thing is to deeply understand and feel that it is not the mechanical, but the psychoacoustic model of the voice that works. This is what works for newborn children and for outstanding singers, speakers and actors. Only in this case the power of the voice and its range will constantly increase.
Some useful tips:
1. Don’t overeat before doing exercises, especially before a match. If your stomach is full, it will be more difficult to control your voice.
2. Prepare key phrases in advance and work them through all the studied stages.
3. Create phrases of support for your team with maximum number sonorant consonants (M, N, L, R).
6. It would be ideal, guided by these principles, to learn to sing the Russian anthem, as well as the anthem of your team (if it does not exist, then it must be created). Singing the anthem in chorus at the stadium is an effective way to relieve unnecessary stress and the best form of psychological support for your team.
Chapter 8
How Chaliapin combined speech with singing
"...in Russian art Chaliapin is an era like Pushkin" (Gorky)
Singing is the same speech, but vocal. In the section of the book devoted to the third secret of voice tuning, this was discussed in detail. To understand how to translate a speaking voice into a singing voice, it is best to turn to the legacy of Chaliapin. Now not everyone knows that Chaliapin created himself, as a singer and as a person. Let's try to open the curtain on the mystery of the Chaliapin phenomenon.
During his lifetime, Chaliapin is still a misunderstood genius. The essence of any phenomenon can be known only if this phenomenon is considered in time. In relation to the creator of a new approach, which was Chaliapin in the art of singing, this means familiarizing himself in detail with his biography. Let's look at the most important milestones in his life.
The great Russian singer Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin was born in Kazan on April 13, 1873 in the family of the zemstvo clerk I.Ya. Shalyapin. Until September 1892 - life in the most difficult living conditions. I did not receive an education due to poverty. My first musical impressions are from my mother’s singing. Started singing at the age of 8. He sings in the church choir, at weddings, and is keenly interested in the theater. Participates in various enterprises in Kazan and other provincial cities of Russia as a choir member. In 1892, as a result of an unsettled, wandering life, he was close to suicide. As a result of meeting in 1892 in Tiflis with vocal teacher D. Usatov, who took part in the fate young singer, Chaliapin quickly becomes famous in local musical circles. In 1894, he moved under contract to St. Petersburg for the summer season in the Arcadia garden, then sang at the Panaevsky Theater. In 1895 he became a soloist at the Mariinsky Theater. He becomes close to the leading actor of the same theater, Mammoth Dalsky, from whom he adopts acting techniques. In the summer of 1896 in Nizhny Novgorod During a tour at the Nizhny Novgorod fair, Chaliapin meets S. Mamontov, a major industrialist and owner of the opera house, and agrees to join his troupe, in which he remains a member until December 1899. In the summer of 1998, he married the Italian ballerina Iola Tornaghi, who danced in S. Mamontov’s troupe.
During these three years, Chaliapin, with the active support of S. Mamontov, developed new approaches to opera art and becomes the most famous and revered Russian singer. From 1900 to 1922 he was a soloist at the Mariinsky Theater.
Foreign tours: Milan, La Scala - 1904, 1909, 1912; Monte Carlo - 1907, 1908, 1910, 1911, 1913; Berlin, Royal Theater -1907; Paris, "Diagelev's Seasons" at the Grand Opera - 1907, 1908, 1909, 1911; "New York Metropolitan Opera" - 1907, 1908; London - 1914.
After leaving abroad in 1922, Chaliapin continuously performed in performances and concerts around the world and was a huge success everywhere. He considered the role of Boris Godunov from the opera of the same name by M.P. to be his highest creative achievement. Mussorgsky. The music library of Chaliapin's voice recordings includes more than 150 works. At the end creative path starred in a sound film as Don Quixote in English and French versions. Fluent in Italian, French and English languages. He constantly improved in drawing and sculpting, considering these activities an integral part of working on an artistic image, which he embodied through the means of voice and plastic arts. To work on the role I used numerous literary sources. His personal library consisted of more than a thousand books, of which more than a hundred were thoroughly studied by him. He died in Paris on April 12, 1938 at 17:15. Last words Chaliapin: “It’s hard for me. Where am I? In the Russian theater? To sing you have to breathe, but there’s no breathing,” and a minute later, taking his wife’s hand, who was at the head of the bed, he said: “Why should I suffer like this? Masha, I’m lost.” ".
Chaliapin was buried in the Batignolles cemetery in Paris. On October 29, 1984, a ceremony for the reburial of the ashes of the great Russian singer took place at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow.
The great Russian singer Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin is still one of the most mysterious natures of humanity. From 1900 until his death, his undeniable genius was obvious to everyone. Those who were lucky enough to hear Chaliapin alive at least once in their lives considered those minutes incomparable to anything in their lives and tried to ensure that the people dear to them, at any cost, experienced the same pleasure from this divine voice, just like them. Long before the sale of tickets to a performance with Chaliapin or to his concert began, the public took a place in a huge queue and stood for weeks just to hear the great singer and preserve these memories for the rest of their lives. unforgettable experience. People were not stopped either by the incredibly high prices for tickets, which were sometimes equal to a month’s earnings, or by night vigils in the winter cold, or by other trials.
Due to the imperfection of the technology of that time, the surviving sound recordings cannot give a true idea of the full richness of the singer’s voice. And even with all this, Chaliapin is far ahead of any modern opera singer in terms of the number of records sold.
It is known that Chaliapin failed to create his own school. There are many reasons for this. The main thing is the lack of free time (his performances and concerts were scheduled for years in advance both in Russia and abroad.). Shortly before the revolution, Chaliapin tried to realize his dream of creating his own school, but for obvious reasons these plans were not destined to come true. He had complete disgust for Western singing, which worshiped the Italian vocal school, and did not think of changing anything about it.
This is what Chaliapin writes to his beloved daughter Irina from Naples in 934: “...Here for the first time (alas!) the Prince is being staged
Igor" is quite grandiose (theatre S. Carlo), but, of course, as everywhere else in Italy, careless - I, as best I could, short term taught everyone to act (actors so-so). “Italian bel canto” prevents them from being even mediocre actors, everyone bawls in a “mask” and sings, of course, in the same voice - I hate and love - they work with their legs thrown back and alternately spreading first one or the other hands in the air. Disgusting. I'm tired of this deep idiocy."
When you listen to the unforgettable voice of Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin, especially his performance by Russians folk songs, then all the time you catch yourself thinking that some ingeniously simple solution lies behind this phenomenon, which no one has been able to approach for more than a hundred years. It seemed that after V. Drankov defended his doctoral dissertation on the nature of artistic talent and the publication of his book “The Nature of Chaliapin’s Talent” in 1973, the secret was revealed. Let us recall that the author convincingly proves that the basis of Chaliapin’s phenomenal success lies art system, based on the interaction of literary, graphic, sculptural, directing, and acting abilities. It is advisable to designate this system as psychological component- “alpha” of the Chaliapin phenomenon.
But about 25 years have passed - time during which, using the existing knowledge about Chaliapin's system, it would be possible to achieve some kind of similarity - but we do not see anything close and similar. Consequently, the thought has not left me all these years: there is still some unsolved mystery - the “omega” of the Chaliapin phenomenon. This secret, the “omega” of Chaliapin’s phenomenon, most likely, is the physiological component of his system, since singing, like any performing art, is a psychophysiological process.
However, the physiological component of Chaliapin’s system, apparently, differed sharply from the known ones, since he was always skeptical about such unshakable concepts for any vocalist as “breathing support”, “singing into a mask”, etc.
The key to unraveling the physiological component of the Chaliapin phenomenon was a careful reading of the works of Chaliapin himself and his memoirs. The main impetus for the development of his singing talent is, in my opinion, the fact that as a listener he got into opera somewhat later than into the drama theater. I especially want to emphasize that the first and therefore the strongest impressions he received from the production, in which the actors performed their roles in a declamatory manner, with pathos, in a loud voice, as was required when performing ancient Greek tragedy"Medea". “I am a queen, but a woman and a mother” - Medea’s phrase, remembered by twelve-year-old Chaliapin and constantly recited by him, to the surprise of the night watchmen and random passers-by on the street. Soon he gets into the opera and here he is stunned not by the fact that the artists sing (by that time he already had considerable experience of singing in a church choir), but by the fact that drama and singing, close and equally dear to Chaliapin, come together on stage. Very soon he turned his everyday life into an opera. Turning to his father and risking a scolding, he sang: “Daddy, get up and have some tea!” This is how he learned intoned singing, based on live speech, from which Chaliapin’s system was later born.
This system, as follows from the achievements of modern psychological science, is based on psychophysiological mechanisms other than the singing methods practiced in educational musical institutions here and abroad. Without going into details of the psychophysiological mechanisms of this kind of phenomena, the study of which began with the Leningrad psychological school under the leadership of its founder, Academician B. Ananyev, we will only note what concerns the issue directly under consideration. Chaliapin's singing was, in fact, a speech-mental activity, the regulation of which occurs through information channels that do not require even a hundredth of the energy expenditure that is usually required when singing, especially when taking the “top”. Based on this, it can be assumed that the main factor of the physiological component - the "omega" of Chaliapin's system - was the conscious minimization of all physical efforts associated with sound production. This is confirmed, in particular, by the fact that vocal specialists and singers who observed Chaliapin’s breathing patterns did not identify any system in his breathing (clavicular, thoracic, abdominal, mixed). One gets the misleading impression that his “physiology” had nothing to do with it. And in this “as if it had nothing to do with it,” in my opinion, “the dog is buried.” I'll try to prove it.
As you know, Chaliapin, who did not receive an education due to poverty, had the rare ability, like a sponge, to absorb the most valuable things from the environment, which he himself sometimes shaped for himself. Chaliapin did not abandon his attempt to combine speech and singing when he got to the stage of the Mariinsky Opera House. And here, as in his childhood, he had to listen, but from the musical authorities, to criticism and ridicule. He had to listen to such comments, from which many would have given up and would have lost the desire to do “not like everyone else,” i.e. pull the note evenly, following first of all the sound, and not the meaning, as the searching Chaliapin tried to do. Of the directors, I.I. especially pulled him back. Palechek. As soon as Chaliapin tried to bring something of his own into the role, he rudely stopped him: “Why are you still playing some kind of game here? Do it as prescribed! There were people more talented than you, but they didn’t invent anything! It won’t be better anyway!” "
Convinced that the combination of speech and singing was not very successful, Chaliapin all his free time(and there was plenty of it, since he was taken to the theater for a long time) he began to spend time at the Imperial Alexandria Theater, trying to comprehend the secrets sounding word And acting. We can safely say that Chaliapin’s best school was the absence of one, because he did not have time to develop the wrong skills, from which it is then very difficult to free himself. The manner of speech delivery he acquired in early childhood vocal sound successfully coincided with the main principle of the physiology of the human voice - minimizing physical effort during sound production. That is why, I think, he approached work on the role with such care. Chaliapin constantly emphasized that while he was on stage, he did not for a second lose control over his actions, and therefore, we would add, over his emotions. It is the loss of emotional control that leads to changes in breathing and, consequently, to all the resulting negative consequences. And this is how he explains it in his book “Mask and Soul”: “When I sing, the embodied image is always in front of me. It is before my eyes every moment. I sing and listen, act and observe. I am never on stage one... There are two Chaliapins on stage. One plays, the other controls. “Too many tears, brother,” the proofreader says to the actor. - Remember that it is not you who is crying, but the character who is crying. Turn down the tears." Or: "It's not enough, it's a bit dry. Add." It happens, of course, that you can’t control your own nerves. I remember how once, in “A Life for the Tsar,” at the moment when Susanin says: “They tell you to go, you must obey,” and, hugging his daughter Antonina, he sings:
"Don't worry, my child,
Don't cry, my beloved child,
I felt tears running down my face. At first I didn’t pay attention to it - I thought it was Susanin crying - but suddenly I noticed that instead of the pleasant timbre of his voice, some kind of plaintive squeal was beginning to emerge... I was scared and immediately realized that I was crying, touched by Chaliapin , I felt Susanin’s grief too intensely, that is, with unnecessary, unnecessary tears, and I instantly restrained myself and cooled down. “No, brother,” said the controller, “don’t be sentimental. God be with him, with Susanin. You’d better sing and play correctly...”
This case in the most vivid form confirms our idea that there are two components in the phenomenon of Chaliapin’s singing - psychological and physiological - the simultaneous interaction of which gave rise to a phenomenon that no one has been able to approach for more than a hundred years. And in this regard, how can we not remember our outstanding compatriot Vladimir Stasov, who wrote about Chaliapin: “He was not in any school, did not sit in any classes, did not learn any prejudices. By some miracle he was saved from pedagogical training, bad tasks and examples, especially he protected himself from Musical Italy, which devoured and disfigured so many generations.”
Let's summarize. Chaliapin achieved such outstanding results only because at the very beginning of his creative career he was able to understand that singing is the same speech, but expressed by other, more subtle intonation and musical means, which requires not training in mechanical methods of sound production, but harmonious development personality. The constant desire for self-improvement, dissatisfaction with what has been achieved, the constant readiness to change what seems to have already developed into a completely artistic form, becomes an integral property of Chaliapin’s talent. His style of singing can be expressed by the formula “talking and singing at the same time.”
Important advice from Chaliapin. How to learn singing byrecords (sound recordings)
According to the memoirs of S.F. Strelkov, ourcompatriot, great lover of singing and admirerChaliapin, who ended up in America after the revolution.
"...And Chaliapin gave me one more piece of advice that evening: "What better voice, - the more you have to work." I boasted that I bought his record "The Sun Rises and Sets." He smiled and asked:
Do you know how many options I had for at least the words “The sun rises and sets”? A whole lot! And if you work hard, you will understand that even one word: “rises”, “sets”, “raven”, “chains”, etc., etc. - can be sung with different shades, change intonations syllables of the same word many times. “You boasted,” he said, “that you often listen to my records.” This is good, but you have to be careful not to fall into the almost always beginner mistake of imitation. For example, only after many years of working on my voice and all the other means necessary for an artist did I achieve, say, exactly the sound of the phrase “Farewell, my son, I’m dying...” - well, you will begin to try to sing the same way, they say, not There's no point in praising. And this will not be learning, but simple imitation, without any of your meaningfulness, your understanding. Better listen to the poor bass first. You hear a record playing, some bass is trumpeting at the top of its lungs: “Farewell, my son, I’m dying,” and you think: “This is such rubbish, why listen further?” And you need to not only listen to everything to the end, but also understand: why did you think that singing was rubbish, what mistakes would you not make in your performance? If you found all the flaws in this record, put on another one, by a better singer. Look there and see if you find anything wrong. And just like that, one record after another. Time will pass, and you will see for yourself what enormous benefits such studies will bring you. Well, then listen to Chaliapin again and do this also very carefully, they say, maybe I won’t find something in him that turns out to be not entirely successful.”
Chapter 9
The method of translating speech into singing that will be offered to you may seem unusual and even ridiculous to some. However, this is not true. I advise my students to first learn to sing poetry in an improvisational manner. The fairy tales of Korney Chukovsky and the great Pushkin are very suitable for this purpose. Great benefit can be extracted from the combination of speech and singing at the everyday level, as Chaliapin did in childhood and as film actors do in the French film The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. So the composer Legrand is not a pioneer here. After passing this stage (from 1 to 3 months), I advise you to turn to the experience of the outstanding Russian singer, Chaliapin’s main competitor, V.I. Kastorsky. Here's his short creative biography, placed in the collection of records of the first series “Outstanding Russian Singers of the Past”.
Vladimir Ivanovich Kastorsky (1871-1948), after graduating from the Penza Theological Seminary in 1890, entered the Abkhaz regiment as a volunteer, from where ten months later he emerged as a reserve ensign. Having accumulated a small amount of money over the years of service, he entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1893. However, lack of funds forced Kastorsky to leave his studies and join an opera troupe touring the Western Territory. Soon, due to illness, he had to quit the stage altogether. But the desire to become a singer won out. In 1897 he performed in Bolshoi Theater, and in 1898, without a debut, he was accepted into the Mariinsky Opera House, on the stage of which he sang successfully for about half a century.
The owner of a beautiful “velvety” voice, distinguished by a wide range and remarkable evenness in all registers, Kastorsky performed high and low bass parts (and even baritone ones) with equal ease. He was an excellent performer of the roles of Susanin, Ruslan ("Ivan Susanin", "Ruslan and Lyudmila" by M. Glinka), Melnik ("Rusalka" by A. Dargomyzhsky), Pimen ("Boris Godunov" by M. Mussorgsky), Tomsky ("The Queen of Spades" " P. Tchaikovsky) and many others. Kastorsky also carried out pedagogical work and was a professor at the Leningrad Conservatory.
The period of his life from 1893 to 1897 can be called the period of his illness and passionate desire to become a singer. Losing my voice as a result vocal lessons with teachers and despairing at the futility of all his attempts to restore his voice - the most precious thing he had from birth, the singer decided to commit suicide. Half-dead, his closest friend, a wealthy man, took him out of the noose. He had a good understanding of singing, knew about the method of the outstanding Italian vocal teacher and composer XVIII century Porpora. Let me remind you that Porpora became famous for training the most outstanding tenor of that time, Farinelli. Farinelli himself became famous not only on the opera stage. He received an unprecedented fee from the Spanish King Philip VI. The king was ill, as everyone thought, with an incurable form of schizophrenia. The doctors tried everything, but nothing helped. It got to the point where he kicked them all out and didn’t let anyone near him. They even brought him food into the next room. Someone from the inner circle suggested inviting a singer to conduct vocal therapy sessions. At that time, the healing properties of the human voice were better known than now. For several days, with short breaks, Farinelli sang from the next room, and a miracle happened: the king recovered, the illness disappeared, as if it had never existed. To celebrate, Philip VI presented the singer with huge estates. The singer became one of richest people of that time.
At the end of the 70s there was an exhibition of famous Italian paintings in the Hermitage. A portrait of Farinelli was announced. I spent almost all the time allocated for visiting this exhibition peering at the image of this singer. Probably, this image entered my subconscious and somehow (sorry for the involuntary tautology) played a role in the development of the theory and methodology. The singer was depicted in full height. By all accounts, he was a man of average build. Light, soft, relaxed posture. Right hand on the chest (about the same as Chaliapin's). No athleticism, which struck me then. After all, the idea of the need to maintain high athletic shape was hammered into my head, which is what I did.
This picture was the first impetus, not yet conscious, but ultimately awakening new ideas about the nature of singing. If what you learn about the Kastorsky method is not officially recorded anywhere, then the Farinelli method, more precisely the Porpora method, which developed the voice of the future world singer, is well known in the history of music. Porpora gave his student a sheet of music paper on which were five vocal exercises. Apart from these five exercises, the singer did not have to sing anything for five years. At the same time, Porpora firmly promised his student that he would become the most outstanding singer in the world. The student fulfilled the teacher’s commandment, and we know that this is what happened.
V.I. had a similar situation. Kastorsky. His friend, savior and benefactor said that he would provide Kastorsky with full board for three years on his estate, but on the condition that during these three years he would not perform any other vocal exercise other than the phrase “Lord, have mercy!”, which he can pronounce and sing as much and as he wants. V.I. Kastorsky passed this difficult test and became an outstanding singer.
So, to translate speech into singing, pronounce and sing the phrase “Lord, have mercy!” in any options convenient for you. Phonetically, it can be sung in Church Slavonic (i.e., pronounce tai as it is written) or in ordinary literary pronunciation. This task is not for three years, but for three months. During these three months, your voice will level out, the so-called registers and transition notes will disappear. You will receive a tool with which you can get started. Much will become clear to you on its own. You will learn to work not with sound, notes, but with the meaning of sound, with music.
After three months, two more must be added to this phrase: “Oh, give!” and "Hallelujah!" These three phrases must first be spoken and then sung in the following combinations: the first phrase is pronounced in a low voice, the second in a comfortable medium voice, the third in a high voice. After each phrase (fragment), both in speech and in singing, we inhale. At the same time, you need to make sure that your voice does not have sharp breaks and is uniform. Such a voice is instrumental. In other words, the skills that you have developed for middle sounds must be transferred to the lows and highs. It is necessary to ensure that the chest register is the basis for the lower and upper parts. This will be the so-called “triune” voice, which the most outstanding singers possessed. First of all, this is Garcia the father himself, the founder of the great singing dynasty, which included his daughters Maria Malibran and Pauline Viardot, as well as his students and followers: Roubini, Nurri, Mario de Candia.
Let me remind you that Chaliapin in the vocal school was the “great-grandson” of Garcia the son and always, when the opportunity arose, he listened to the sound of the cello. He said that he was learning to sing from her. U bowed instruments As you know, there are no sharp transitions between adjacent sounds, as, for example, in a piano, and therefore the nature of the sound of a cello is very close to the sound of the human voice. Having learned to sing the sequence 1 “Oh, give!”, 2 “Hallelujah”, 3 “Lord have mercy!”, we combine the sequence of fragments. There are not so many combinations - not 54,700, like Garcia's son in his "Complete School of Singing." Thus, this exercise includes 6 sequences: the first - 1-2-3, the second - 1-3-2, the third - 2-1-3, fourth - 2-3-1, fifth - 3-1-2, sixth - 3-2-1 We will devote another three months to this exercise.
Don't rush. Check every sound. Sing the first sound several times and if you feel it sounds good, add the next one and so on. Those who overcome this easy obstacle will be able to make their voice instrumental. This will be your singing voice.
My personal experience restoration of the singing voice began with the simplest songs of Bulat Okudzhava. Words and music are fused in them in an ideal way, and besides, in his songs there are no vocal difficulties associated with high sounds. Sang with a guitar. But I am sure that it is useful to sing without accompaniment - the way Chaliapin liked to do for his closest friends: quietly, falsetto. He sang in full voice only in concerts and performances. I never tire of repeating: the main thing is the meaning of the sound, the intonation. That's what you need to work on, not your voice. The main thing is to be able to develop the skill of intonation using simple material.
In the future, the voice will ask for more complex tasks. These can be Russian folk songs, romances, arias. Always sing in your native language. On foreign language You can only sing what you understand in the same way as in your native language. The articulatory system when singing is similar to the speech voice: no tension. Only the “second mouth” is open a little wider when singing. Control of the singing voice (its mechanical component) occurs, in essence, through regulating the degree of opening of the “second mouth”. The higher the tone, the wider the “second mouth” opens, thereby increasing the depth of sound production. You should constantly feel yourself as a singing bell, which begins at the place where the diaphragm separates the respiratory system from the digestive system. This place is easy to feel if you press your stomach. This is the main art. In this case, the “first mouth” does not open so significantly (no more than the width of the folded index and middle fingers).
"Ave Maria" by Giulio Caccini is the ideal piece for developing an outstanding voice. This is the testament of a great singer, composer and vocal theorist. Earlier we have already cited his opinion that it is necessary to sing as well as speak. I will add that in singing he put first place word, for the second - movement, on the third - gesture, A voice allocated only fourth place. This is, in essence, Chaliapin’s system in one phrase. Therefore, if you want to succeed in singing, you need to devote most of your time to the first three components. It is they who increase the beauty of the voice, its dynamism and ensure its endless variety.
Themselves technique voice control is as simple as the truth. All outstanding speakers and singers possessed these three secrets. I am sure that you too will own them soon. It is possible that, having mastered the basic skills of voice tuning, during your lessons you will experience incomparable pleasure from the process of sound production itself. This is evidenced by my own experience and the statements of many students during and after the end of classes at the speech level.
But what happens at the singing level has no analogues. The soul sings. These words probably best convey the harmonious fusion of body and psyche that
occurs during singing, when there is not the slightest physical tension, but only sound vibrations of your entire being. The first noticeable changes in the voice occur a week after the start of classes and then occur regularly as the classes continue (for example, my voice has been improving every week or two for the entire eight years since I made this discovery). These activities increase your resilience to all life's adversities and make you just a different person. This applies to both your health and your worldview.