Squillo
Encyclopedia
Squillo is a technical term attached to the resonant, trumpet-like sound in the voice of opera singers. The purpose of the squillo is to enable an essentially lyric tone to be heard over thick orchestrations, e.g. in late Verdi, Puccini and Strauss operas. Achieving a proper amount of squillo is imperative: too much and the tone veers towards the sharp; too little and the purpose of the squillo cannot be achieved.
Training the squillo involves increasing the intensity of the higher formants of the voice without altering the fundamental i.e. without altering the pitch of the note. This is done mainly by using the head resonance, which provides very little volume but ample opportunity for projection. Among methods employable to achieve this include messa di voce
. Voices with naturally acquired squillo, i.e. having naturally strong higher formants, are especially prized in opera because they maintain certain lyric qualities e.g. limpid high notes, homogeneous registers etc even in dramatic singing. Voices which have properly trained squillo are also easier to record.
Squillo is easily recognizable by a certain piercing quality in the basic timbre of the voice, especially in the high tessitura. The difference between a true dramatic singer and a spinto
singer - apart from capability to sustain a large volume over the course of an entire opera - is the spinto voice itself may not be produced very loudly, but due to this squillo it is able to be heard over a full orchestra. It is a known fact that squillo can only be achieved after a voice is fully warmed up, which is why most demanding passages in an opera tend to appear later in each acts, e.g. a forte note over a chorus. However some famous arias in which squillo may be used to an advantage may appear comparatively early, e.g. Laggiù nel Soledad from La fanciulla del West
.
The sonic effects of squillo includes:
Uses of the squillo includes:
Famous singers who personify this technique include Renata Tebaldi
, Giuseppe di Stefano
, Jussi Björling
and Luciano Pavarotti
. Certain dramatic singers may also employ squillo as opposed to volume over the course of a performance, for example Birgit Nilsson
.
In reviews squillo is usually referred to as laser, ping, shimmer, siren, spear (as in pointed spear with a thick core behind it, a contemporary description of Franco Corelli
's voice), and steel.
Squillo may also refer, in current Italian
:
Training the squillo involves increasing the intensity of the higher formants of the voice without altering the fundamental i.e. without altering the pitch of the note. This is done mainly by using the head resonance, which provides very little volume but ample opportunity for projection. Among methods employable to achieve this include messa di voce
Messa di voce
Messa di voce is a musical technique that involves a gradual crescendo and decrescendo while sustaining a single pitch. That is, a note is sung at a very quiet volume, gradually and smoothly made louder until it reaches a high volume, then similarly made quiet again...
. Voices with naturally acquired squillo, i.e. having naturally strong higher formants, are especially prized in opera because they maintain certain lyric qualities e.g. limpid high notes, homogeneous registers etc even in dramatic singing. Voices which have properly trained squillo are also easier to record.
Squillo is easily recognizable by a certain piercing quality in the basic timbre of the voice, especially in the high tessitura. The difference between a true dramatic singer and a spinto
Spinto
Spinto is a vocal term used to characterize a soprano or tenor voice of a weight between lyric and dramatic that is capable of handling large musical climaxes in opera at moderate intervals...
singer - apart from capability to sustain a large volume over the course of an entire opera - is the spinto voice itself may not be produced very loudly, but due to this squillo it is able to be heard over a full orchestra. It is a known fact that squillo can only be achieved after a voice is fully warmed up, which is why most demanding passages in an opera tend to appear later in each acts, e.g. a forte note over a chorus. However some famous arias in which squillo may be used to an advantage may appear comparatively early, e.g. Laggiù nel Soledad from La fanciulla del West
La fanciulla del West
La fanciulla del West is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Guelfo Civinini and Carlo Zangarini, based on the play The Girl of the Golden West by the American author David Belasco. Its highly-publicised premiere occurred in New York City in 1910...
.
The sonic effects of squillo includes:
- a sung high note sounds higher than it is - this is attributed to the singer's formant phenomenon.
- an impression that the singer's voice is coasting over the waves of sound produced by the orchestra - an effect best experienced in a live un-amplified performance.
Uses of the squillo includes:
- projecting a small timbre e.g. Alfredo KrausAlfredo KrausAlfredo Kraus Trujillo was a distinguished Spanish tenor of partly Austrian descent, particularly known for the artistry he brought to opera's bel canto roles...
, Juan Diego FlórezJuan Diego FlórezJuan Diego Flórez is a Peruvian operatic tenor, particularly known for his roles in bel canto operas. On June 4, 2007, he received his country's highest decoration, the Gran Cruz de la Orden del Sol del Perú.... - underscoring a dramatically important passage e.g. No, non voglio morir in Sola, perduta abbandonata from Puccini's Manon LescautManon LescautManon Lescaut is a short novel by French author Abbé Prévost. Published in 1731, it is the seventh and final volume of Mémoires et aventures d'un homme de qualité . It was controversial in its time and was banned in France upon publication...
- singing through a thickly textured orchestration, e.g the final bars of Libera me from Verdi's Requiem, in which a soprano has to compete against a tutti orchestra and full chorus
- supporting a pianissimo note floated over an orchestra (which also demands a secure breathing technique) e.g. Montserrat CaballéMontserrat CaballéMontserrat Caballé is a Spanish operatic soprano. Although she sang a wide variety of roles, she is best known as an exponent of the bel canto repertoire, notably the works of Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi....
- supporting a long trill
- simulating a scream without compromising the timbre, especially in a verismic opera; however it is not unheard that a bona fide scream be used in operatic setting, e.g. Tosca's final jump in ToscaToscaTosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
- giving an impression of 'youth' to an aged voice, mainly via a cultivation of the head register, ref. Section IX Meine Gesangskunst, by Lilli LehmannLilli LehmannLilli Lehmann, born Elisabeth Maria Lehmann, later Elisabeth Maria Lehmann-Kalisch was a German operatic soprano of phenomenal versatility...
; best exemplified vocally by Mirella FreniMirella FreniMirella Freni, birth name Mirella Fregni, is an Italian opera soprano whose repertoire includes Verdi, Puccini, Mozart and Tchaikovsky...
Famous singers who personify this technique include Renata Tebaldi
Renata Tebaldi
Renata Tebaldi was an Italian lirico-spinto soprano popular in the post-war period...
, Giuseppe di Stefano
Giuseppe Di Stefano
Giuseppe Di Stefano was an Italian operatic tenor who sang professionally from the late 1940s until the early 1990s. He was known as the "Golden voice" or "The most beautiful voice", as the true successor of Beniamino Gigli...
, Jussi Björling
Jussi Björling
Johan Jonatan "Jussi" Björling was a Swedish tenor. One of the leading operatic singers of the 20th Century, Björling appeared frequently at the Royal Opera House in London, La Scala in Milan, and the Metropolitan Opera in New York City as well as at other major European opera...
and Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti
right|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...
. Certain dramatic singers may also employ squillo as opposed to volume over the course of a performance, for example Birgit Nilsson
Birgit Nilsson
right|thumb|Nilsson in 1948.Birgit Nilsson was a celebrated Swedish dramatic soprano who specialized in operatic and symphonic works...
.
In reviews squillo is usually referred to as laser, ping, shimmer, siren, spear (as in pointed spear with a thick core behind it, a contemporary description of Franco Corelli
Franco Corelli
Franco Corelli was a famous Italian tenor who had a major international opera career between 1951 and 1976. Associated in particular with the spinto and dramatic tenor roles of the Italian repertory, he was celebrated universally for his powerhouse voice, electrifying top notes, clear timbre, a...
's voice), and steel.
Squillo may also refer, in current Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
:
- when the grammatical genderGrammatical genderGrammatical gender is defined linguistically as a system of classes of nouns which trigger specific types of inflections in associated words, such as adjectives, verbs and others. For a system of noun classes to be a gender system, every noun must belong to one of the classes and there should be...
is masculine (uno squillo) word for "ring" (as in "telephone ring"), currently a slang term for missed callMissed callA missed call is a telephone call that is not answered by its intended recipient prior to the termination of ringing on the recipient's end. The ringing may be terminated by the caller simply by hanging up the receiver of a landline phone, or pressing the appropriate button on a mobile phone, or if... - when feminine (una squillo) a slang term for prostitute