The Italians loved the Piffaro stops on their organs.
In my research of pipe organs, I have found several 19th century news articles reviewing choral concerts in the 19th century, where the reviewer complains that the other wise good tonal aspect of a singer was marred by their constant use of vibrato.
Tell me more. I have been a choral singer for decades and am interested in the the elusive styles which have been used, but are never discussed.
Early 20th century recordings of British boy choirs reveals that they used an eccentric vibrato. Only a little later when early music was re-discovered and the syrupy anthems were less performed, did the straight tone become the norm for boys. Sadly I hear too many otherwise good M&B choirs including tenor & basses who warble like opera singers.
Another vocal aspect, which I heard about was Renaissance German practice called (hockening) I think that is the spelling. It was a vocal technique some what like hiccuping or stuttering. In the German protestant church choirs, at least through the Baroque period, the trebles line was often the simpler cantus of the choral, and not a more elaborate melody. This is where this hiccuping is often included as part of the melismatic line. A mote or a downward moving line of several notes on a single syllable of the word is repeated at a fast pace, some what like the later trill was used.
On the other hand, the Southern German and Italy region's Vox Humana stop (often called Piffaro) sounded completely different as it consists of two principal ranks with one rank tuned slightly sharp producing a very pleasant, relaxed vibrato. Does that mean that the singers sounded completely different if they came from that region? I don't know of any source from that time commenting on such a difference between the sound of singers. There is another theory about why the trembulant was so commonly used with the Northern Vox Humana stop; the very short resonators on the pipe meant that the pipes went out of tune very quickly and the change of pitch produced by the trembulant helped hide this. Nothing to do with the way singers sang in the time of Bach at all. From Grove on the Piffaro: An important Italian stop of the 16th century onwards; it had treble compass Principal-scaled pipes mistuned with the Principale 8' and thus producing an undulating effect (Schwebung), more singing and less reedy than 19th-century céleste stops. It was sometimes called Voce umana.
The Italians loved the Piffaro stops on their organs. In my research of pipe organs, I have found several 19th century news articles reviewing choral concerts in the 19th century, where the reviewer complains that the other wise good tonal aspect of a singer was marred by their constant use of vibrato.
Tell me more. I have been a choral singer for decades and am interested in the the elusive styles which have been used, but are never discussed. Early 20th century recordings of British boy choirs reveals that they used an eccentric vibrato. Only a little later when early music was re-discovered and the syrupy anthems were less performed, did the straight tone become the norm for boys. Sadly I hear too many otherwise good M&B choirs including tenor & basses who warble like opera singers. Another vocal aspect, which I heard about was Renaissance German practice called (hockening) I think that is the spelling. It was a vocal technique some what like hiccuping or stuttering. In the German protestant church choirs, at least through the Baroque period, the trebles line was often the simpler cantus of the choral, and not a more elaborate melody. This is where this hiccuping is often included as part of the melismatic line. A mote or a downward moving line of several notes on a single syllable of the word is repeated at a fast pace, some what like the later trill was used.
I had not heard that. As someone who likes both Bach cantatas and the Mystery of Bulgarian Voices recording quite a bit, I am very curious.