After reading Shirley Verrett’s book, Leontyne Price’s Book, Renée Fleming’s book, all of the histories of opera, complete with a guide to masterful singers, I started to wonder, “What sets apart the great singers? What makes one great, famous, celebrated artist better than another.” I came across this article from 2010, which disputes BBC’s choice of the top 20 female sopranos of the recorded era. It not only gives the list, but it highlights reasons for choices as well as reasons for absences.
It is clear to me, after my research, that at least in semi-modern times, the “golden age” of opera singers was the mid to late 20th century. For the writing, production etc. many consider that the mid to late 19th century, but I am interested in the singers. When I saw the list, I of course saw familiar names, but I also was shocked by some singers that seemed to be snubbed. The article itself highlights Renée Fleming’s mysterious absence from the list, but of course, BBC had to have its reasons.
The list includes: 1) Maria Callas 2) Joan Sutherland 3) Victoria de los Angeles 4) Leontyne Price 5) Birgit Nilsson 6) Montserrat Caballé 7) Lucia Popp 8) Margaret Price 9) Kirsten Flagstad 10) Emma Kirkby 11) Elizabeth Schwarzkopf 12) Régine Crespin 13) Galina Vizhnevskaya 14) Gundula Janowitz 15) Karita Mattila 16) Elizabeth Schumann 17) Christine Brewer 18) Renata Tebaldi 19) Rosa Ponselle 20) Elly Ameling. This is when I began to wonder how they chose Maria Callas over Joan Sutherland for the premier spot on the list.
The article seems to find it non-sensical for anyone other than Callas to be given the top slot. I have researched Callas, and I do understand where they are coming from. She was from Greece, and then came in to greater prominence in the US. She was known for striking dramatic portrayals and “bel canto” (beautiful singing). The article suggests that what set her apart was her, “Unique timbre, extraordinary artistry.” The article even concedes that she could not always be counted on to be her best, she did have an unusual sound, and critics did not always love her. However, she had a remarkably special ability to make each and every vocal line special. I read that people were entranced by her sheer musicianship skills. She was perhaps the most musical soprano of the twentieth century. Also, people loved her. She must have put on a good show.
One of the article’s key points is that there were only three singers included who are on the stage today. Well, I’m not as experienced and knowledgeable as the BBC critics, but I certainly would have chosen Renée Fleming or Cecilia Bartoli to be on the list. The author of the article even ponders if anyone really knows who Emma Kirkby is. I certainly don’t know who she is. Not that being well known makes you a great singer, but usually singers get to be well known for a reason: because the are good singers.
The article touches on something that I think is central to the entire idea of this field: sometimes people may not like you, not because you aren’t talented enough, but because of something arbitrary, like where you’re from, the kind of shoes you’re wearing etc. The article says that the reasons Renée Fleming and even Anna Netrebko, both currently singing at the Metropolitan Opera, weren’t on the list is because the list is heavy on the past, “The Golden Age” as well as European singers. Fleming and Netrebko are both contemporary and American. However, this is just one list that BBC published, and I’m sure some other major network has their own list. After all everyone has their own opinion, and generally everyone thinks they are right.
The article closes with a justification for the lack of contemporary singers. It says that, “We are living in much thinner times.” It then goes on to an interview with Joan Sutherland from 2002 discussing the lack of good vocal teachers and good singers today. “She is generous and encouraging to young singers. But she was uncompromising in her distress. ‘I'm afraid the rot is setting in," she told me. ‘Today the young singers do not develop a basic vocal technique. They don't know how to breathe and support and project the sound... It's so unrelaxed. There seems to be no repose, no feeling of ease, no feeling of continual line, of breathing and projecting the sound, and the excitement of singing and giving it to the public.’” Well perhaps that is true, but who knows what could happen in 20 years, and still yet, that itself is a generalization. Of course there are singers today who know what they are doing and are good at it.
This article made me very curious in the end. It made me go listen to every single one of those women and listen for myself. Sometimes the best teacher is your ear. I just wanted to listen to the subtle differences between these extraordinary women. You could spend hours splitting hairs over who did a certain aria better. So, I suggest you go listen to these women, even some singing the same song. Of course they are all magnificent, that is not in question, but how great is it that we do have recordings of these women to compare, contrast and learn from them.
