Five quick and easy steps to learn the recitative

The recitative is a musical form written as conversational speech. It is found in operas by Purcell, Mozart, and even Stravinsky, and in church music by Bach and Handel.

Many young singers I have worked with think of the recitative in opera as the filler between the important parts, and may tend to skip it to get to meaty arias or duets. But it is usually there to carry the plot forward and it can be a very emotional experience.

The recitative can have some terrors for the young singer (and even the experienced one), as its rhythmic and melodic structures often differ from the surrounding music. Singers are musicians at heart, and the temptation is to start with the melody and throw the words out in some way. But in reality, this takes longer and you are more likely to make mistakes that are difficult to correct.

These are the five easy steps I use in my study to help a singer read, understand, and memorize the recitative. The sample Italian recitative comes from Come Scoglio, Fiordiligi’s aria in Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte. You can view a complete vocal score online for free at Indiana University’s excellent music library.

1. Begin with the words, in whatever language it is written. Read them out loud, listening for precise vowels and looking for strange pronunciations or strings of unusual letters. In Italian, many words are linked together, resulting in three or four vowels in a row; make sure you know them and can pronounce them all. “Temerari, sortite fuori di questo loco” [If you have a word-for-word translation, use it now only to get the flavour of the emotions you are portraying: “You reckless man, leave here immediately”]

2. Now read the words aloud again, but this time emphasize each syllable that moves the tone. Although this may seem a bit musical, it is the most vital part of the whole process. It will allow you to find out in which word pitch movements actually occur. Your brain will already be learning the structure of each sentence, even if you are not singing yet. “Te-MEra-RI, SORti-TE FUOri di quesTO LO-CO

3. Now go to the melody and hum or “ng” your way. Look / listen / feel the architecture or the shape of the sentence, and the tonality. Don’t worry if you can’t play the piano or put the chords under what you are singing, it is enough to understand the form. [If you do play the piano or can think harmonically, notice where the tonality or chord changes and emphasise that too].

4. Now put the words and the melody together, taking time to emphasize the words where the tone moves. Again, this helps you embed precisely where things change (as opposed to where they stay on the same note).

5. Finally, look for the long notes in each sentence. Most classic recitatives are written in eighth notes (eighth notes), so look for interlinking (black) or minimal (half notes) and be sure to put them. The long notes will give you the rhythmic structure of the sentence that the composer wants. In this example, the first syllable of Temerari is the longest note in the phrase. [You don’t need to pay too much attention to long notes at the ends of phrases – they are often put there by editors trying to fill the bar].

The trick to learning the recitative is to consciously identify the patterns and shapes in words and music. Once you’ve figured out exactly where the different patterns start, you can use them as hooks to speed through the non-moving sections

I recommend that you perform steps 1 to 5 under tempo (speed of thought). Once you have completed these steps, you will find that you can sing the recitative confidently and effectively at great speed.

And if you don’t believe me, give it a try!

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