Her last recordings are some of her best simply because the equipment was better🙂people really be thinking her voice was “small” “wouldn’t project in modern theater” my ass.
No wonder she captures the sadness and pathos of imminent death. This was the night, in the presence of the King and Queen, and broadcast to so many, where Melba said goodbye to her beloved Covent Garden, after ruling as Prima Donna Assoluta for four decades, top of the bill and invited into the highest society in the Empire. In her farewell speech, also recorded, she breaks down and thanks even the humblest workers at Covent Garden.
This is different from the newer singers. Her voice is much clearer and open, and the phrasing is better. This is probably what they mean by Bel Canto. I hope they bring it back.
I just bought the bel canto book her teacher Mathilde Machesi wrote with a few pages explaining the voice and how to sing followed by vocal exercises. I am really enjoying it so far. No talk about lowering the larynx just that it needs to come out naturally. No modifying of the voice, which is not what is taught today. Everyone sounds the same. These golden age sinners did not. You can hear the individualism in each voice, something that is lost today. It’s sad
Hmmm. Probably with a recording this old, only a small percentage of her resonance comes through. But, I detect a silvery shimmer to her sound, similar to what I hear in Carol Vaness. And, there is a definite sweetness to her tone. I wonder what she sounded like live... Many, many lovely things! Thanks for posting this! It is a wonderful thing to hear singers from the golden age, and try to imitate their technique!
Critics in the audience at Covent Garden used to liken her notes to silver stars projected out into the auditorium, and the Garden's good acoustic no doubt helped. I can't think of many singers today whose notes would be compared to silver stars.
Reminds me a bit of Toti dal Monte and other very bright voices of that time. One could even argue that some of Callas’s singing used this very forward placement. I suspect that the tight corsets they wore caused them to rely on this very mask oriented production. The sound was on the white side for sure, but remained very youthful.
Some voices just don't record very well. The only true way is to hear a voice live in the theater. A friend of mine who heard all the greats says you can be fooled both ways. Small voices sound big in recordings and vice versa.
![Gabriella Gatti - Willow Song & Ave Maria [Otello] - 1947-48](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/gUDkE7eREVI/mqdefault.jpg)
![Gabriella Gatti - Willow Song & Ave Maria [Otello] - 1947–48](/img/tr.png)
Her last recordings are some of her best simply because the equipment was better🙂people really be thinking her voice was “small” “wouldn’t project in modern theater” my ass.
Today is Nellie's 123rd birthday. A great artist, a great supporter of artists and a true world treasure. Thank you Nellie after all these years.
162nd birthday… but yes!
❤❤❤❤Si!
In inglés it, my mother‘s favourite opera, singer name, Nellie Melba
Dame Nellie Melba. ❤❤❤
She is spectacular here. This recording helped me understand, at last, what the Melba craze was all about.
Nothing forced...clear resonance makes one wonder what it sounded like live?probably 100% even more beautiful.
No wonder she captures the sadness and pathos of imminent death. This was the night, in the presence of the King and Queen, and broadcast to so many, where Melba said goodbye to her beloved Covent Garden, after ruling as Prima Donna Assoluta for four decades, top of the bill and invited into the highest society in the Empire. In her farewell speech, also recorded, she breaks down and thanks even the humblest workers at Covent Garden.
It's a very emotional speech Robert and only the hardest heart could fail to be affected by her conveyance of her sentiments in that.
This is different from the newer singers. Her voice is much clearer and open, and the phrasing is better. This is probably what they mean by Bel Canto. I hope they bring it back.
I just bought the bel canto book her teacher Mathilde Machesi wrote with a few pages explaining the voice and how to sing followed by vocal exercises. I am really enjoying it so far. No talk about lowering the larynx just that it needs to come out naturally. No modifying of the voice, which is not what is taught today. Everyone sounds the same. These golden age sinners did not. You can hear the individualism in each voice, something that is lost today. It’s sad
Heavenly...
What a find this is! And so good to bump into you online after such a long interval!
Beautiful…. We’re related to Dame Nellie by marriage going way back.,,
Hmmm. Probably with a recording this old, only a small percentage of her resonance comes through. But, I detect a silvery shimmer to her sound, similar to what I hear in Carol Vaness. And, there is a definite sweetness to her tone. I wonder what she sounded like live... Many, many lovely things! Thanks for posting this! It is a wonderful thing to hear singers from the golden age, and try to imitate their technique!
Critics in the audience at Covent Garden used to liken her notes to silver stars projected out into the auditorium, and the Garden's good acoustic no doubt helped. I can't think of many singers today whose notes would be compared to silver stars.
@@robertmwoodley1502 That is so great! She must have been a wonder to behold!
👏👏👏👏💐🌺❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🎶🎵👍💐💐💐
Reminds me a bit of Toti dal Monte and other very bright voices of that time. One could even argue that some of Callas’s singing used this very forward placement. I suspect that the tight corsets they wore caused them to rely on this very mask oriented production. The sound was on the white side for sure, but remained very youthful.
Some voices just don't record very well. The only true way is to hear a voice live in the theater. A friend of mine who heard all the greats says you can be fooled both ways. Small voices sound big in recordings and vice versa.
Lily Pons is a perfect example of a small voice, that sounded larger in recordings.
Pristine.