Recitative is a musical form written as a conversational speech. It is found in the operas of Purcell, Mozart, and even Stravinsky, and in the sacred music of Bach and Handel.
Many young singers I’ve worked with think of the operatic recitative as the filler between the important parts, and tend to skip over it to get to meaty arias or duets. But he’s usually there to drive the plot forward and it can be a very emotional experience.
Recitative can harbor some terrors for the young (and even experienced) singer, 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 out the words somehow. But in reality, this takes more time and you are more likely to make mistakes that are difficult to undo.
These are the five simple steps I use in my studio to help a singer sight-read, understand, and memorize the recitative. The Italian recitative sample comes from Come Scoglio, Fiordiligi’s aria in Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte. You can view a full vocal score online for free at Indiana University’s excellent music library.
1. Start with the words, in whatever language it is written. Read them aloud, listening for the correct vowels and looking for strange pronunciations or unusual strings of letters. In Italian, multiple words are often joined together, resulting in three or four vowels in a row. Make sure you know 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 out loud again, but this time emphasize each syllable that changes pitch. Although this may seem a bit unmusical, it is the most vital part of the entire process. It will allow you to find out in which word the pitch movements actually occur. Your brain will already be learning the structure of each phrase, even if you’re not singing yet. “Te-MEra-RI, SORti-TE FUORi di quesTO LO-CO
3. Now go to the melody and hum or “ng” as you go. See/hear/feel the architecture or the form of the phrase, and the tonality. Don’t worry if you can’t play the piano or put the chords under what you’re singing, it’s 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 pitch moves. Again, this helps you accurately embed where things change (as opposed to where they stay on the same note).
5. Finally, look for the long notes in each sentence. Most classical recitatives are written in eighth notes (quavers), so look for crotchets (quarter notes) or minims (half notes), and be sure to include them. 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 recitative is to consciously identify 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 do steps 1 to 5 under tempo (speed of thought). Once you have completed these steps, you will find that you can confidently and effectively sing the recitative at high speed.
And if you don’t believe me, try it!
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