Mario del Monaco vocal technique
Today, I have a very rare article based on interviews given by Mario del Monaco during his tours in Russia. The article was translated from Russian.
"During his tour in Moscow, Mario del Monaco introduced his method to the soloists of the Soviet Union’s Grand Theatre. He characterized this method as requiring physical and spiritual endurance, especially in the initial stages of training.
In this method, the voice is trained using the vowel U, and only later E, I, O, A. According to M. del Monaco, methods based on head resonance don’t fully develop the voice. These methods rob the singer of at least 30-50 percent of his volume. When singing, the chest should be the first to resonate. Only the chest voice gives the singer broad and deep support of the sound. This way, the voice gets stronger and acquires more overtones.
M. del Monaco divides vocal training into two stages: the first is mechanical evolution, and the second is musical evolution when the student has to start thinking about phrasing and music. He describes the vocal exercises as rough and violent. They irritate the throat and vocal cords, potentially causing hoarseness after sessions.
The first stage of a singer's development takes 3-6 months. The goal is to get the sound out of the throat, smooth it throughout the range, and consolidate the vowels. The student has to forget their natural timbre and should not sing with words to avoid losing the laryngeal position. The main goal of this stage is to establish a correct laryngeal position. After this training, the student won’t be able to lose the learned laryngeal position.
Exercises are sung with the vowel U, helping to liberate the constricted laryngeal muscles, support the sound with the breath, and unite the resonators. At the initial stage, the vowel U may seem false, constricted, and throaty. This, according to M. del Monaco, is a deceptive impression. A properly formed U vowel helps to stimulate and activate the laryngeal muscles that control the position of the larynx. This vowel makes the larynx elastic and flexible. When the larynx is trained to stay in the correct position, then breath support is naturally engaged.
The exercises should be sung as if pulling or inhaling the sound inward, towards the diaphragm. This sensation helps support the sound with the breath. The higher the pitch, the lower the larynx should be. It’s important that the U vowel is pure, deep, and concentrated, not resembling UO, UA. A wide and impure U vowel does not produce the right result. A singer needs to train with this vowel until the larynx will be obedient and flexible. Later, one can move on to exercises with the vowel E, and then I, A, O. By training the larynx in this manner, the laryngeal and chest muscles that control the voice are strengthened."
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