PRINCIPLES OF APPOGGIO: THE INTERRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN .

PRINCIPLES OF APPOGGIO: THE INTERRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THEORYAND PRACTICE FOR TODAY’S YOUNG OPERA SINGERSbyPaul HanSubmitted to the faculty of theJacobs School of Music in partial fulfillmentof the requirements for the degree,Doctor of MusicIndiana UniversityDecember 2018

Accepted by the faculty of theIndiana University Jacobs School of Music,in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degreeDoctor of MusicDoctoral CommitteeMary Ann Hart, Research DirectorCostanza Cuccaro, ChairBetsy BurleighJane DuttonOctober 22, 2018ii

Copyright 2018Paul Haniii

To Hye Jung and Claraiv

AcknowledgementsI cannot express all my gratitude to people who have made it possible for me to finishthis document. I thank my teacher, Prof. Cuccaro, for teaching me with her unceasing love andpassion. Her knowledge and method of Bel Canto singing is unparalleled to any other teachings Ihave encountered. I have learned more than I ever thought I could. My gratitude also goes to Prof.Hart, who provided innumerable insights into the study. Without her help, this document wouldhave been simply impossible.I was lucky to have my singer colleagues who gladly helped me with this documentthrough their interviews. They are not only some best singers I know, but the nicest people. I lookfor the continued success in their careers, which I have no doubt. The information they providedis priceless.The biggest blessing for me is my family, my amazing parents who support me in everypossible way they can. I am grateful for my loving wife who encourages me with her unwaveringfaith. She made it possible for me to find time to work on this document by taking care of ourdear baby, Clara. And lastly, thank you, Clara, for being our precious child!v

Table of ContentsAcknowledgements. vTable of Contents .viList of Tables .ixList of Appendices . xINTRODUCTION . 1CHAPTER 1: MILLER’S CLASSIFICATION OF BREATHING TECHNIQUES . 4German Breathing Techniques . 5English Breathing Techniques . 8French Breathing Techniques . 10Italian Breathing Techniques . 10CHAPTER 2: TEACHING OF EARLY EUROPEAN VOICE TEACHERS . 12Before Tosi . 12Italian Sources . 12German Sources . 13French Sources . 14English Sources . 15Teachings of the Garcia School . 15Teachings of the Lamperti School . 21Conclusions . 25CHAPTER 3: MODERN VOICE PEDAGOGY AND SCIENCE . 27Posture and Alignment for Optimal Singing . 27Chest . 28vi

Abdomen . 29Back . 29Shoulders . 30Pelvis . 31Conclusions . 31The Art of Inhalation . 32Clavicular Breathing . 37Thoracic Breathing (Intercostal) . 38Abdominal Breathing (Diaphragmatic) . 42Back Breathing . 44Natural Breathing . 46Nose Breathing vs Mouth Breathing . 47Noiseless Breath . 48Slow Inhalation vs Fast Inhalation . 49Conclusions . 50The Art of Exhalation. 51Breath Support . 51Lung Volume in Singing . 54The Art of Holding Back the Air . 59Breath Pressure vs Airflow . 61Conclusions . 65CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH ON ACTIVE PERFORMERS . 67About the Research . 67The Inspiratory Methods . 68vii

Which Inspiratory Methods Do They Use? . 68Voluntary or Involuntary? . 72Evaluation . 73The Expiratory Methods . 74Which Expiratory Methods Do They Use? . 74Holding Back the Air vs Letting the Air Flow . 79Evaluation . 80Conclusions . 81BIBLIOGRAPHY . 116viii

List of TablesTable 1 Miller's Classification of Various Breathing Techniques . 4Table 2 Points of Expansion for Sopranos during Inhalation. . 69Table 3 Points of Expansion for Mezzo-Sopranos during Inhalation. . 70Table 4 Points of Expansion for Tenors during Inhalation. 71Table 5 Points of Expansion for Baritones, Bass-Baritones, and Basses during Inhalation. . 72Table 6 Expiratory Strategies of Sopranos. . 75Table 7 Expiratory Strategies of Mezzo-Sopranos. . 76Table 8 Expiratory Strategies of Tenors. . 77Table 9 Expiratory Strategies of Baritones, Bass-Baritones, and Basses. . 78Table 10 Singers’ Preference between Holding back the Air and Letting the Air Flow. . 79ix

List of AppendicesAppendix A: Survey Questions. .83Appendix B: Answers. 84x

INTRODUCTIONThis study seeks to find the most effective strategy to perform appoggio technique inoperatic singing. The Italian term appoggio is one of the most essential concepts pertinent tosingers’ breathing methods. Its advocates state that it ensures singers will maximize the potentialsof proper inhalation and exhalation, which aid optimal phonation. Some regard the appoggiotechnique as the breathing method which the old Italian singers used. However, the termappoggio confuses many singers. First, there is a question of whether it is a concept or an actualtechnique. Many singers question whether it is tangible.Once singers embrace it as a certain muscular strategy for optimal breathing, the literalconnotation of appoggio becomes puzzling. One of the definitions of appoggiare, the verb formof appoggio, is “to support.” Another meaning is “to lean,” which is also adopted in voiceteaching. Since leaning implies a physical action, singers are likely to have questions about whatit means to lean with their body. I suppose that some singers confuse appoggio with techniqueswhich induce reckless efforts to push out the surface of the body from the inside.Thanks to recent scientific research, we have a better understanding of how breathingtechniques contribute to the breath mechanism for singing. However, how to do the appoggiotechnique remains controversial. Young opera singers often struggle to find the correctapplication of their breathing technique even after years of study. Paul T. Klingstead summarizesthe questions which the voice students of his generation had to face:One teacher will tell you that you must protrude your abdomen so that yourdiaphragm has room to operate. The next will contradict this you shouldcontract the muscles of the abdomen causing it to flatten. Another group will tellyou to fill your lungs full of air and go ahead and sing.Their ideas of breath expulsion are just as divergent. One says to push out theabdomen and use force in contradicting the muscles around the lower ribs.Another will tell you you must forcibly flatten the abdomen and give a bigpush with the diaphragm. Still another suggests that you let the chest sink asbreath is expelled, keeping a steady pressure upon the lungs with the rib1

muscles Is it any wonder that voice pupils get the idea that singing is anabnormal art and not founded on nature at all? 1The dilemma still applies to the voice students of current generation.2 Even some of themost successful young singers reveal their lack of knowledge about appoggio. Why do we havesuch variances in teaching appoggio and breathing methods? Klingstead claims that the Italianmasters, until the rise of vocal science around 1750, had almost unanimous opinions on breathingtechniques. They asked their students to take a deep breath without noise or strain, and theirmuscles and organs would know how to support the voice. He believes that divergent scientificapproaches to breathing methods are not as successful as the approach of the old Italian masters.Although I agree with him that singers need to trust their bodies, I first wonder if abeginning singer would know how to take a deep breath without noise or strain. I also question ifa deep and quiet inhalation is the only important aspect of respiration. There are many voiceteachers and singers who think that the process of exhalation is as important as the process ofinhalation. The higher demands for proper breathing techniques are due to the following factorswhich opera singers must face: 1) the increased size of the opera houses; 2) the extended rangeand length of the singing phrases; 3) the shift from the baroque pitch to the modern concert pitch;and 4) the emergence of male singing voices which in nature require a higher breath pressure thanfemale voices.3 These factors may have caused modifications of modern breathing techniqueswhich allow singers to sing higher and louder.How did breathing techniques change throughout the history? Which breathing methodsdo singers of our generation use? This study investigates various sources to find comprehensiveanswers. The first chapter will look into Richard Miller’s classification of the German, English,1Paul T. Klingstedt, Common Sense in Vocal Pedagogy As Prescribed by the Early ItalianMasters (Stillwater, OK: Edwards Brothers, Lithoprinters, 1946), 44.2This assumption is based on the responses to the question #20 in the survey.3Let us not forget that male roles in an opera were sung by castrati who had the voice of a boy andthe lung power of a full-grown man.2

French, and Italian schools of singing. 4 It is a perfect introduction to look over a wide range ofdifferent breathing techniques. After studying Miller’s classification, a chronologicalinvestigation will discuss the earliest written sources by Tosi, Mancini, and other earlier teachers.It will reach later teachers such as Garcia, Lamperti, and their students who became some of themost famous voice teachers of their time. This concludes the second chapter.In chapter three, the study will investigate modern pedagogical sources about breathingmethods. Most of the authors of the written sources are American voice teachers, pedagogues,and scientists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Many of their books are used as textbooks for vocalpedagogy class throughout the United States. The investigation will focus on summarizing theiropinions and making comparisons of their preferred methods.The last chapter will finish with the research on breathing methods adopted by currentopera singers. This chapter will analyze and compare breathing methods of twenty-six successfulopera singers, who provided explanations of their breathing strategies through a personalinterview. The complete survey questions and their answers are included in the appendices. Theseanswers provide valuable information which allows this study to make a comparison betweenbreathing techniques from the books and practical breathing techniques adopted by singers. In theend, the study will aim to find the optimal method of appoggio which individual singers can use.Richard Miller, National Schools of Singing: English, French, German, and Italian Techniquesof Singing Revisited (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 1997).43

CHAPTER 1: MILLER’S CLASSIFICATION OF BREATHINGTECHNIQUESMiller presents detailed classification of techniques in German and English schools. ForFrench and Italian, he presents a single method for each school. The following is the tableillustrating the techniques of four schools.Table 1 Miller's Classification of Various Breathing TechniquesGermanLow Dorsal BreathingLow astric DistentionHypogastric DistentionStauprinzip(Breath Damming)Induced Exhalation(Delayed Inhalation)Minimal Breath SystemEnglishUpper DorsalBreathingFixed DiaphragmaticBreathingElevated Chest andContracted AbdomenCostal ArrestFrenchNatural breathingItalianAppoggioMiller’s classification of breathing techniques covers a wide variety of maneuvers asinger can use. He states that each method is a tendency of the specific school and not limited tothe singers of the region. He says, “Although recognizable characteristics distinguish nationalpreferences and the techniques by which they are accomplished, no nation or region displaysmonolithic conformity in any area of vocal technique.” 5 He further explains the need formodification of regional techniques for a singer to meet international standards at theinternational performance scene. One may find his classification subjective because it is mostlybased on his experience. 656Ibid., xiv.Miller tries to support his statements with extensive quotes from historical documents.4