Style in Singing Part 2

ACCENT

In singing, two kinds of accent are recognized, the Musical accent, and the Poetic, or Verbal, accent. The first appertains to the domain of sound; the second, to the domain of significance. The first, for aesthetic reasons, throws into relief certain tones of a musical phrase; the second brings into prominence the sentiment underlying the poem or text. Note, also, that in spoken declamation, accent applies to a syllable only; in singing, the verbal accent affects an entire word.

In its relation to Style, the Musical accent must be carefully distinguished from the Metrical accent which is determined by Time, or Measure, as well as from the Verbal accent whereby the import of a word is rendered clear to the listener. Here is an example of Musical accent, from Act III of Verdi's _Ballo in Maschera_:

[Music: Saper vorreste di che si veste quando l'e cosa ch'ei vuol nascosa.]

The accents (marked thus [accent symbol]) give to the musical phrase a piquancy that is admirably in keeping with the gay and careless character of the page, Oscar, who sings it. In fact, as regards Style, Musical accent is particularly valuable in song for the purpose of setting forth the true character of the music. Hence, it may be regarded as a means of characterization.

This use of accent for characterization is also quite distinct from its use with "accidentals," or tones foreign to the prevailing tonality. In the former case, sentiment dictates its employment; in the second, the accent guarantees, as it were, the accuracy of the singer's intonation. By the faint stress laid on the foreign tone, the listener is a.s.sured that the executant is not deviating from the true pitch. In the following examples, the tones marked [accent symbol] are "accidentals," and for that reason should receive a faint stress. The first example is from _La Forza del Destino_.

[Music: Verdi

Madre, Madre, pietosa Vergine, perdona al mio peccato, m'aita quell'ingrato]

[Music: "Je dis que rien"

Carmen: Act III

Bizet

Vous me protegerez, Seigneur!]

These different uses of accent are well ill.u.s.trated in the following example.

[Music: "Come unto Him"

Messiah

Handel

Take His yoke upon you, and learn of Him.]

The tone allotted to the second syllable of the word "upon" is accentuated to affirm the accuracy of the singer's intonation; the slight emphasis of the word "Him" brings into relief the meaning of the text. This latter, then, is an ill.u.s.tration of Verbal, or "Poetic" accent which, I repeat, throws into relief, without consideration of its musical value or position, some word of special significance in the verbal phrase. To render the poetic meaning of the text clear to the listener, a correct use of verbal accent is imperative. Its importance and effect, particularly in recitative and declamatory singing, are a.n.a.logous to the importance and effect of emphasis in spoken language. The example is from _Samson_ (Handel):

[Music: O loss of _sight_, of _thee_ I _most_ complain.]

Here I may point out that in _cantabile_ phrases the stream of sound, notwithstanding its division into syllables by the organs of articulation--lips, tongue, etc.--should pour forth smoothly and uninterruptedly. The full value of each tone must be allotted to the vowel; the consonants which precede or end the syllables are p.r.o.nounced quickly and distinctly. In declamatory singing, on the contrary, the consonants should be articulated with greater deliberation and intensity.

[Music: Handel (Messiah)

I _know_ that my Redeemer liveth.]

Here an emphatic accent on the consonant "n" irresistibly suggests the idea of knowledge; that is, of absolute certainty, not of mere belief.

Very frequently the metrical accent does not coincide with the syllabic accent: the musical accent will fall on an unaccented syllable, or vice versa. Particularly is this the case when the composer is not perfectly familiar with the rules that govern the prosody of the language to which he is setting music. In the operas of Meyerbeer many pa.s.sages occur in which it is necessary to readjust the syllables to the notes on account of their misplaced accent. Here is an ill.u.s.tration from Hoel's Grand Air in _Le Pardon de Ploermel_ (Meyerbeer), Act II. (Note that the tonic accent in French falls _always_ on the last p.r.o.nounced syllable.)

[Music: (as printed)

Et ranimez, ra_ni_mez ma foi.]

The error is easily remedied:

[Music: (should be sung)

Et ranimez, rani_mez_ ma foi.]

In the contralto aria "He shall feed His flock," in Handel's _Messiah_, the unaccented word "shall" falls on the most strongly accented note of the bar. If performed thus, it would give a most aggressive character to the pa.s.sage, implying that some one had previously denied the a.s.sertion. This would be entirely at variance with the consolatory and peaceful message that is contained in the text and shadowed forth in the music.

[Music: (as printed)

He shall feed his flock like a shepherd.

(should be sung)

He shall feed his flock like a shepherd.]

Instances of faulty syllabic accent abound in Handel's works, both his English oratorios and his Italian operas. Many examples could be quoted. Here is a phrase from the beautiful air for mezzo-soprano sung by Ruggiero in the opera of _Alcina_.

[Music: (as printed)

Verdi prati.

(should be sung)

Verdi prati.]

In Mendelssohn's _Elijah_, the following phrase is nearly always sung as written, unless the singer is familiar with the best traditions:

[Music: Give me _thy_ son!]

It may be that the artists who slavishly follow the published text fear being accused of altering the composer's music, or are ignorant of the fact that there exists a better version, which is this:

[Music: Give _me_ thy son!]

It will be seen that the music is not changed in the least; the musical and verbal accents have been merely readjusted and made to coincide.

In order to avoid the disagreeable effect of singing one half-bar _andante_ to the syllable "_si_" (p.r.o.nounced like "zee" in English), the following phrase of Marguerite de Valois in _Les Huguenots_ (Meyerbeer), Act II, is changed thus:

[Music: (as printed)

en aucun temps n'et choisi mieux.

(should be sung)

en aucun temps n'et choisi mieux.]