Getting the most out of your vocal coaching, a short guide for the young singer (Part 2/2)

This is the second part of our discussion about how to prepare for a vocal coaching (if you missed Part 1, you can find by clicking HERE).

In this installment, I wanted to expand a little on some ideas to consider regarding character development. While it might seem like this would be something to worry about more with a director, and more with operatic repertoire, in reality, I spend a lot of time talking about this in vocal coachings, and not only when it comes to opera arias. Clear ideas about character will lead to very stimulating discussions with your coach, and have a direct impact on how you interpret a certain piece, how you approach text, phrasing, diction, etc. Too often, singers come into a coaching and only try to prove that they are singing the right words and notes, rather than showing us the finished product--all of the character and text choices you make will also affect the music as well as vocal production.

In the previous blog post, I talked about "doing your research", and suggested asking the following questions about your character:

• When/where does the aria/song happens in the opera, or the song cycle
• What is the character doing/thinking during the musical prelude and postlude
• Who is the character, and who are they talking to

To go further, a great tool to consider is a character worksheet. Here is the one I have been using (borrowed from stage director Carleen Graham). Please note that this can be used just as well for a lied or artsong as for an aria, or even an entire role.

  

CHARACTER ANALYSIS WORKSHEET

Prior to completing this worksheet, please make sure you have done the following: 

- Read and listen to the entire work following along with the score.

- Do a word-for-word translation of your text if it is in a foreign language.

- Based on your translation, create your own version of the text that is meaningful to you.

- Once the text is in English, write it out and be able to recite it dramatically.

Answer the following as specifically as you can.  You can always change your mind later.

Character’s Full Name & Age
Ethnic Background & Family Relationships
Socio-Economic Level & Health
Education Achieved & Travel Experience
Religious/Spiritual Beliefs
What Are Your Most Significant Relationships, And Why?
Fondest Memory & Most Tragic Event In Your Life
Favorite Pastime
What Year Is It?  What Other Major World Events Are Taking Place And How Do They Impact You?
What Does Your Character Really Want?  Why?
How Can Your Character Attain This Goal?
What Obstacles Keep Your Character From Attaining Desired Goal?
What State Of Mind (Mood) Are You In At The Start Of The Scene?  Why?
Does Your Mood Change During The Scene?  When?  How?
Does Your Relationship To Others Change During The Scene?  When? How?
Where Does The Scene Take Place?  What Is Going On Around You?
What Do You Look Like?  Any Distinguishing Features?  What Are You Wearing?  What Do You Smell Like?  How Is Your Hair Styled?
What & When Was Your Last Meal?
Additional Thoughts Or Important Things To Remember

A FEW MORE IDEAS

• What triggers you to sing that aria/song? In other words, what was said just before, and by whom, or how does the piano introduction move you to express the first words of your text? Is the piano representing a specific sound, like a bird's song or the rustling of a brook? It can be very useful to create a little inner monologue to play in your mind during musical introductions, so as to not just "stand there" and wait.

• What is your character trying to achieve by the end of the aria/song? How does she go about it?

• If you are singing an aria from an anthology, be aware of the interjections that other characters might be uttering and that have been removed in the aria format. A famous example of this comes in Puccini's "Quando me'n vo'", Musetta's aria from La Bohème when Marcello and Alcindoro exchange the following aside: "Legatemi alla seggiola! / Quella gente che dirà" ("Tie me down to this chair / What will people think?), and then later, the whole last part of the aria is extensively underscored by Alcindoro and Mimì. Knowing this, and what the other characters are saying will certainly have an impact on how you deliver Musetta's lines, even as a stand alone aria.

If you have any strategies that you like using for your character work, please share them in the comments, we would love to hear from you!

-- François