I have a question -- and it is a sincere one to all voice aficianados, and I'm but a dilettante. There are clearly tenors who can seam to go seamlessly into falsetto and those less successfully so. Is it that their lower register is already vibrating "nonmodally" for lack of a better word?
My background is engineering and I see membranes vibrating (yes, I've seen vocal chords in action). Why is it some tenors do it seamlessly and others not?
@lskarin From my own humble experience in vocal performance and by no means professional I'll state my opinion. The human voice is created by using the diaphragm to send air through the hollow cavities creating vibration. I call these cavities resonance chambers. There are several resonance chambers in the body, located in the chest, head, nasal, and adenoidal areas. Vocal chords come into play at the final stages of voice production and I'm sure you know how they work. Continued
@Supernorelation The falsetto is produced by using only the outlying folds of the vocal chords. Personally I do not understand how the vocal chords are manipulated in such a way, only that it works. To answer your specific question, some singers tend to work on their voice far more than others. They work on making everything natural and relaxed. They work on negotiating the break in their voice so they never run into trouble going in between registers. I hope that was helpful in some way.
@Supernorelation It was helpful in several ways. In your second sentnce you used the phrase "hollow cavities." I think you meant "vocal chords." The vocal chords and the energy behind them are the "excitation." The "hollow cavities"s are the resonance chambers.
When performers have the vocal chords and the ability to coordinate the two with artistic sensibility, you've got a singer.
Funny (meaning curious) bit: Most performers who do it well (as you implied) dont know how they do it.
Lovely voice, new to me but I will add this performance to my list. I feel like a gold digger finding a good nugget every now and then...like this one
@PmItS22 Utter bullcrap! Try it sometime, instead of sitting in a chair, muttering opinions on something you seem to know little about. Integrating either the head voice or falsetto voice in with the chest voice is sheer hell to learn. Legay does it superbly, as did Gigli. John McCormack was a master of the technique-listen to his version of Ganymed. My music director seems to know nothing about it either, so you're in good company.
@jpow890 i disagree. i thought it was gorgeous. granted its probably a preference thing but he's a lyric tenor thats just how they sound. that bright light sound is pretty much ideal for a piece like this. you could make it darker but i feel like it would take away from what the piece is actually going for.
@corky7090 I understand what you mean. But I think you misunderstood me. Yes, Legay has a very lyric tenor voice, but the high note sounds almost pinched or forced. That is compared to the rest of the song. It seems to me almost like he completely switches vocal styles. But it's still beautiful.
@jpow890 i see what you mean. it does sound a little forced but a high A at pp is not the easiest thing the world. i'm a tenor and i'm doing this piece for my juries this semester at college. its so pretty. :D
What a magnificent lyric tenor!!! Splendid voice and a French diction so clear and refined. Eminently suited to be a marvellous Chevalier Des Grieux in Manon.
interpretation remarquable à tout point de vue, diction parfaite, souplesse de la voix dans l'aigu,pureté du timbre, conduite impeccable du phrasé, .presque trop bien. Ecoutez le dans les pécheurs de perles et manon.Belle voix parfaite pour les opéras français qui n'imposent pas des hurlements.
He is not singing with the complete fullness and potential of his voice, and many of the French nasals are too nasal. I like his sensibility and sensitivity, however, and he ultimately convinces me; the very last phrase is very endearing indeed. It's nice to hear the original context of this lovely aria; is it from a complete recording of this unjustly neglected opera?
You're French, yes? You will never understand my statement about the nasal vowels. All the great French singers of the past understood very well how to sing them and stil be authentically "French;" for example, listen to Georges Thill.
@billyguns2 Ridiculous effort to appear an 'expert'. He 'ultimately convinces you'? His French nasals are too nasal? Get over yourself and stop this rubbish. Enjoy it or not but don't pretend you know more than he about this lovely aria.
Listen, you insulting piece of garbage, I AM an expert, one of the most respected and most sought after voice coaches, conductors and pianists in the world and I am certainly entitled to my opinion. Get over YOURself, you nasty, self righteous piece of crap. Do you ever feel the need to learn anything?
Did you even bother to read my comment: "I like his sensibility and sensitivity...and he ultimately convinces me...very endearing indeed." No, you only seize upon something of which you KNOW NOTHING. People such as you are what is wrong with the sorry state of affairs on this planet. Depopulation now!
ROFL! 'I AM' an expert...' And don't you want to convince everyone. 'Self righteous'?. Because I suggest that Legay knows more about french vowels than you? And that results in me being garbage? Let the reader judge. :-)
and Devries, Vezzani, Trevi, D'Arkor, Gilles, Micheletti etc etc you patronising moron. Experts dont shout 'I am an expert!' Listening is apparantly not an art you have yet mastered so you presume to impress by being an expert on French vowels! Time you realised everyone is an expert - on what they enjoy! I like Legay and yes I have Thill singing it! Get over it and stop making an idiot of yourself,
I don't shout "I AM AN EXPERT" unless swine such as you, with no knowledge of who I am, cast aspersions. Your original comment said: "Ridiculous effort to appear an 'expert'." What gives you the authority to make such an insulting statement? I am only defending myself against such scurrilous charges! Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am modest and humble in the face of our great art, but you wouldn't know about that. "Everyone is an expert?" ROFLMAO!
U really should read before shouting back. I will say it again O modest and humble being. Everyone is an expert ON WHAT THEY ENJOY! Got it yet? Yes? No? Do I care? Now go away while I listen and enjoy what I choose. A tenor singing in French with poor French vowels - Caruso. Or am I not allowed to like it? Teach me O Master. Then again have the last word as you clearly wish to. Byeeeee :-)
I am sorry that you are such a negative and obviously suffering person; sour grapes perhaps? You ignore everything positive I said about the beautiful voiced M. Legay; I should be so lucky to have as beautiful voice as he had! Negative comments are like weeds spoiling a beautiful garden and I am ashamed that I responded in such manner to your negative and demeaning comments. My only aim is to share and educate, not control. Have a good life.
Beautiful voice, supple phrasing, and graceful, elegant, stylistically assured singing. Much better than Gigli's version in butchered French. (Otherwise, I love Gigli's singing.) This is nearly my favorite performance, with the only possible exception being Melba's first version of the aria. It's all wrong stylistically and the French is not as good; but Melba's tone, vocal line, breath control, and trill at the close are miraculous.
I recently heard Gigli's earlier recording of this air--thanks to GermanOperaSinger--also sung in French. Beautiful tone and somewhat better overall than his later recording, but still without the style Legay displays and the French is far from ideal.
Beautiful- what a fine effortless singer he was- you probably have the Manon that he recorded with Victoria de los Angeles under Monteaux- a great recording. This opera is superb throughout- I saw it once in the early 1980's in NYC- a great work- cannot understand why it is not done more. Thank you for this posting.
Legay's singing of En fermant les yeux (the dream aria) is nothing short of perfection. His voice was built for the light tenor French repertoire. Where as most tenors have to work so hard to develop those E, F, F#, G notes, he sings them with complete ease and effortlessness.
Wow. Never heard this voice before. Beautiful!
marchesano 9 months ago
I have a question -- and it is a sincere one to all voice aficianados, and I'm but a dilettante. There are clearly tenors who can seam to go seamlessly into falsetto and those less successfully so. Is it that their lower register is already vibrating "nonmodally" for lack of a better word?
My background is engineering and I see membranes vibrating (yes, I've seen vocal chords in action). Why is it some tenors do it seamlessly and others not?
And don't be afraid to say "No one knows."
Tx.
lskarin 11 months ago
@lskarin From my own humble experience in vocal performance and by no means professional I'll state my opinion. The human voice is created by using the diaphragm to send air through the hollow cavities creating vibration. I call these cavities resonance chambers. There are several resonance chambers in the body, located in the chest, head, nasal, and adenoidal areas. Vocal chords come into play at the final stages of voice production and I'm sure you know how they work. Continued
Supernorelation 11 months ago
@Supernorelation The falsetto is produced by using only the outlying folds of the vocal chords. Personally I do not understand how the vocal chords are manipulated in such a way, only that it works. To answer your specific question, some singers tend to work on their voice far more than others. They work on making everything natural and relaxed. They work on negotiating the break in their voice so they never run into trouble going in between registers. I hope that was helpful in some way.
Supernorelation 11 months ago
@Supernorelation It was helpful in several ways. In your second sentnce you used the phrase "hollow cavities." I think you meant "vocal chords." The vocal chords and the energy behind them are the "excitation." The "hollow cavities"s are the resonance chambers.
When performers have the vocal chords and the ability to coordinate the two with artistic sensibility, you've got a singer.
Funny (meaning curious) bit: Most performers who do it well (as you implied) dont know how they do it.
lskarin 11 months ago
Comment removed
Supernorelation 1 year ago
Lovely voice, new to me but I will add this performance to my list. I feel like a gold digger finding a good nugget every now and then...like this one
Thanks for posting.
neelsdp1 1 year ago
Beautiful sung , but the high notes sung only in falsetto are a farce .
PmItS22 1 year ago
@PmItS22 imbecilic comment
BernardProfitendieu 1 year ago
@PmItS22 Utter bullcrap! Try it sometime, instead of sitting in a chair, muttering opinions on something you seem to know little about. Integrating either the head voice or falsetto voice in with the chest voice is sheer hell to learn. Legay does it superbly, as did Gigli. John McCormack was a master of the technique-listen to his version of Ganymed. My music director seems to know nothing about it either, so you're in good company.
dynomax101 1 year ago
Je comprend CHAQUE MOT! Alors ... Chapeau. Merci ! AV
ALEXISVASSILIEV 1 year ago
The tone on the high a flat is terrible...like musical theatre terrible. Why not just head voice a darker tone?...way to bright for me...
jpow890 1 year ago
@jpow890 i disagree. i thought it was gorgeous. granted its probably a preference thing but he's a lyric tenor thats just how they sound. that bright light sound is pretty much ideal for a piece like this. you could make it darker but i feel like it would take away from what the piece is actually going for.
just my opinion.
corky7090 1 year ago
@corky7090 I understand what you mean. But I think you misunderstood me. Yes, Legay has a very lyric tenor voice, but the high note sounds almost pinched or forced. That is compared to the rest of the song. It seems to me almost like he completely switches vocal styles. But it's still beautiful.
jpow890 1 year ago
@corky7090 Listening to it again....it could be the recording. It almost sounds like an overtone...perhaps it doesn't sound like that live at all.
jpow890 1 year ago
@jpow890 i see what you mean. it does sound a little forced but a high A at pp is not the easiest thing the world. i'm a tenor and i'm doing this piece for my juries this semester at college. its so pretty. :D
corky7090 1 year ago
Comment removed
corky7090 1 year ago
Comment removed
corky7090 1 year ago
What a magnificent lyric tenor!!! Splendid voice and a French diction so clear and refined. Eminently suited to be a marvellous Chevalier Des Grieux in Manon.
manrico29 1 year ago 6
j'aime !
baddene 1 year ago
interpretation remarquable à tout point de vue, diction parfaite, souplesse de la voix dans l'aigu,pureté du timbre, conduite impeccable du phrasé, .presque trop bien. Ecoutez le dans les pécheurs de perles et manon.Belle voix parfaite pour les opéras français qui n'imposent pas des hurlements.
barytontaine 2 years ago 2
Ici, on ne parle pas juste de langue mais de sensibilité française. Tout un art!
sdegrace 2 years ago
Savez-vous comment c'est difficile de chanter clairement en français pour que tout le monde comprenne?
sdegrace 2 years ago
stop it before. Merveilleux ténor, tendre, FRANÇAIS.
sdegrace 2 years ago
Merveilleux!
tomwestbrook 2 years ago
Excellent.
Thunnder111 2 years ago
that last A was BEAUTIFUL!
bishopdr 2 years ago
He was absolutely superb in Lakmé as well as in Manon.
monpitt500 2 years ago
He is not singing with the complete fullness and potential of his voice, and many of the French nasals are too nasal. I like his sensibility and sensitivity, however, and he ultimately convinces me; the very last phrase is very endearing indeed. It's nice to hear the original context of this lovely aria; is it from a complete recording of this unjustly neglected opera?
billyguns2 2 years ago
Bizarre ce que vous dites sur les nasales. Elles sont magnifiquement bien placées...
Erismena 2 years ago
You're French, yes? You will never understand my statement about the nasal vowels. All the great French singers of the past understood very well how to sing them and stil be authentically "French;" for example, listen to Georges Thill.
billyguns2 2 years ago
Effectivement, je suis français...
Vous avez peut-être raison mais Georges Thill est le meilleur tenor francophone du XXe siècle...
Mais il y en a d'autres de très bon : Michel Sénéchal, Alain Vanzo, Gabriel Bacquier... Effectivement, parmi les nouveaux, c'est plus délicat!!
Erismena 2 years ago
@Erismena Gabriel Bacquier was a baritone, sorry.
manrico29 1 year ago
@billyguns2 Ridiculous effort to appear an 'expert'. He 'ultimately convinces you'? His French nasals are too nasal? Get over yourself and stop this rubbish. Enjoy it or not but don't pretend you know more than he about this lovely aria.
SteveBell1942 2 years ago
Listen, you insulting piece of garbage, I AM an expert, one of the most respected and most sought after voice coaches, conductors and pianists in the world and I am certainly entitled to my opinion. Get over YOURself, you nasty, self righteous piece of crap. Do you ever feel the need to learn anything?
billyguns2 2 years ago
Did you even bother to read my comment: "I like his sensibility and sensitivity...and he ultimately convinces me...very endearing indeed." No, you only seize upon something of which you KNOW NOTHING. People such as you are what is wrong with the sorry state of affairs on this planet. Depopulation now!
billyguns2 2 years ago
ROFL! 'I AM' an expert...' And don't you want to convince everyone. 'Self righteous'?. Because I suggest that Legay knows more about french vowels than you? And that results in me being garbage? Let the reader judge. :-)
SteveBell1942 2 years ago
Listen to Georges Thill. Do you eve know whoi that is?
billyguns2 2 years ago
and Devries, Vezzani, Trevi, D'Arkor, Gilles, Micheletti etc etc you patronising moron. Experts dont shout 'I am an expert!' Listening is apparantly not an art you have yet mastered so you presume to impress by being an expert on French vowels! Time you realised everyone is an expert - on what they enjoy! I like Legay and yes I have Thill singing it! Get over it and stop making an idiot of yourself,
SteveBell1942 2 years ago
I don't shout "I AM AN EXPERT" unless swine such as you, with no knowledge of who I am, cast aspersions. Your original comment said: "Ridiculous effort to appear an 'expert'." What gives you the authority to make such an insulting statement? I am only defending myself against such scurrilous charges! Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am modest and humble in the face of our great art, but you wouldn't know about that. "Everyone is an expert?" ROFLMAO!
billyguns2 2 years ago
U really should read before shouting back. I will say it again O modest and humble being. Everyone is an expert ON WHAT THEY ENJOY! Got it yet? Yes? No? Do I care? Now go away while I listen and enjoy what I choose. A tenor singing in French with poor French vowels - Caruso. Or am I not allowed to like it? Teach me O Master. Then again have the last word as you clearly wish to. Byeeeee :-)
SteveBell1942 2 years ago
I am sorry that you are such a negative and obviously suffering person; sour grapes perhaps? You ignore everything positive I said about the beautiful voiced M. Legay; I should be so lucky to have as beautiful voice as he had! Negative comments are like weeds spoiling a beautiful garden and I am ashamed that I responded in such manner to your negative and demeaning comments. My only aim is to share and educate, not control. Have a good life.
billyguns2 2 years ago
Beautiful voice, supple phrasing, and graceful, elegant, stylistically assured singing. Much better than Gigli's version in butchered French. (Otherwise, I love Gigli's singing.) This is nearly my favorite performance, with the only possible exception being Melba's first version of the aria. It's all wrong stylistically and the French is not as good; but Melba's tone, vocal line, breath control, and trill at the close are miraculous.
meltzerboy 2 years ago
I recently heard Gigli's earlier recording of this air--thanks to GermanOperaSinger--also sung in French. Beautiful tone and somewhat better overall than his later recording, but still without the style Legay displays and the French is far from ideal.
meltzerboy 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
1:43 is pure falsetto, not "mixte" or whatever.
caribolas 2 years ago
I think you're wrong.
brendant19 2 years ago
What a voice. Beautiful. I usually prefer a bit more on the A but this is wonderful.
MrGOPERA 2 years ago
wow. :) beautiful.
santinocorleone12 2 years ago
He would have been superb as Gerald in Delibes Lakme- surely he sang it at the Opera Comique, I wonder if there are any recordings....
baltoman24 3 years ago
Beautiful- what a fine effortless singer he was- you probably have the Manon that he recorded with Victoria de los Angeles under Monteaux- a great recording. This opera is superb throughout- I saw it once in the early 1980's in NYC- a great work- cannot understand why it is not done more. Thank you for this posting.
baltoman24 3 years ago 4
Legay's singing of En fermant les yeux (the dream aria) is nothing short of perfection. His voice was built for the light tenor French repertoire. Where as most tenors have to work so hard to develop those E, F, F#, G notes, he sings them with complete ease and effortlessness.
castodivo 3 years ago
Very nicely done, beautiful.
reduxmisc 3 years ago
Beautiful! I love this aria. Tenors tend to sleep on this gorgeous work. Easily a winner in auditons if it is sung with passion and energy.
muzikalguy19 3 years ago 4
You make such a valid and correct point! I agree!
castodivo 3 years ago 2
Beyond precious...how I would love to see this opera performed. Gorgeous chorus and orchestration. Thank you SO much for posting this.
Mamasan41 3 years ago
You're very welcome! It's a crazy shame that LeGay isn't better known. His mix is so gorgeous!
castodivo 3 years ago 2
most beautiful version
Danetenor 3 years ago
Très beau
JOSQUINMA 3 years ago
MAgnifique...perfect.
senilangakali 3 years ago