Adams Vocal Master Class
By
Lyn Bronson
David Gordon
The institution of the master class has a long history, and
among the most famous were the nineteenth-century piano master classes of Franz
Liszt in Weimar, and Theodor Leschetitzky in Vienna. Sometimes these were cruel
affairs where a nervous student would stumble painfully through a performance in
front of his peers, and then would have the maestro push him off the bench and
demonstrate how it “really” should be performed. In the past many of these
teachers came from an authoritarian European tradition and were stern, strict
and merciless in exposing any flaws observed in performances. Well, things have
changed. Although there may be a few tyrants remaining out there, the best
teachers today tend to approach advanced students as colleagues and treat them
with respect.
Such a master teacher is David Gordon, the Carmel Bach
Festival’s Education Director, who presided over the first in the series of
master classes on Monday, July 18. Gordon has had a long and illustrious career
both as a singer and as a teacher. We discovered on this occasion that to
observe him in action is a both an entertaining and a valuable learning
experience. What are the qualities of a master vocal teacher? Naturally, the
first and most important aspect is a thorough knowledge of the craft of singing
and the vocal repertoire, but beyond that is required an ability to bring out
the best in each student and help them stand on their own two feet. These last
qualities are summed up in the humanity of an individual and the ability to be a
supreme tactician and diplomat. With musicians (as with actors), when a person
performs in public they are baring their souls and exposing their egos, so a
teacher has to work around this vulnerability, and, if possible, not increase
it, but to control it.
Greeting the audience Gordon started out by saying that
since singers live inside their instrument they can’t hear their voices as
others hear them, thus it is not unusual for singers to work with coaches on an
occasional basis for most of their lives. What we were to hear this day was a
coaching session, not a series of private lessons. Assisting the singers would
be Michael Beattie, a distinguished keyboardist, vocal coach and conductor.
Robert Samels
The first singer of the afternoon was baritone Robert
Samels singing Hier ist das rechte Osterlamm, from Bach’s cantata BWV
4, Christ lag in Todesbanden. When he had finished, Gordon began working
with him on diction. He recommended that Samels be careful about the hardness of
his consonants and to work for an unceasing tone with less aspirated
interruptions. As they worked together singing text on one unchanging pitch, we
observed how gradually Samels was able to adapt and develop a smoother legato.
They also worked together on a concept described by the German work
Differenzierung, meaning that if we have to sing the same word many times,
we need to do something different each time — the trick, of course, doing
something different that is meaningful and not gimmicky. In the aria Samels
sang, the word “nicht” appears four times, and they worked together to
find the most satisfactory solution. Gordon also mentioned how the singer and
the song have to be so naturally entwined that they become one.
Sonia Gariaeff & David Gordon
The next singer was mezzo Sonia Gariaeff, the grand
prize winner of the Carmel Music Society’s 2002 Vocal Competition singing
Ombra mai fu from Handel’s opera “Serse.” Gordon asked her about the central
emotion of the song and was satisfied with her understanding of the significance
of the text. He reminded her to always stay on the beat and not get behind and
run to catch up with it. He told her that she was fortunate to have Mike Beattie
as accompanist who was sensitive enough to adjust the musical pulse for her
jumps upward, but to prepare for the time when she does not have such a
sensitive ensemble partner — perhaps a conductor in the pit conducting in a
square unforgiving manner.
They also worked together to focus her tone so that it rode
an imaginary silver thread like a laser beam. This was the most interesting part
of her session with Gordon, because gradually they achieved remarkable results.
After a few attempts, she caught on and would begin a note softly and build it
in intensity — finally, each time I found she was giving me goose bumps (not
once but several times). An important piece of advice developed from Gariaeff’s
session with Gordon, and this was about preparing for a dangerous leap, and that
you don’t want to give your brain the signal that something terrible is going to
happen. Gordon said, “Work out and conquer a difficult spot before you go out on
stage.” But, he also cautioned that if a spot doesn’t come out exactly as you
planned, try to convince your audience that it was.
Brigham Timpson & David Gordon
Next was tenor Brigham Timpson singing O
Seelenparadies from Bach’s cantata BWV 172, Erschallet ihr Lieder.
Gordon’s first question to Brigham was about breathing. “Don’t grab a breath,
snatch a breath or hide it” he said, “just breathe! Nobody notices when you
breathe, only where you should have breathed.” He also advised him to take
little sips of breath and to learn how sometimes to take a small breath in the
middle of a word. There was a discussion of some of the problems peculiar to
tenors — to keep their voice from becoming too heavy and keep it in a bright
tenor place, hopefully with little or no physical effort. By the end of the
session Timpson’s performance was more natural and flowing. Gordon’s final
advice was, “Now, try to remember how this feels and be able to replicate it.”
Jacqueline Horner
The last singer of the session was soprano Jacqueline
Horner singing Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben from the St.
Mathew Passion. Gordon liked her singing, but recommended that they work on
breathing. He observed that she took several breaths that she didn’t need, and
she admitted ruefully that these were “panic” breaths. After they worked on
breathing more efficiently, we observed a gradual improvement. He noticed that
she tended to beat time as she was singing, and he cautioned that this would
invariably affect the flow of her musical line.
Unfortunately, I had to leave to attend the harpsichord
recital and was unable to hear the end of the session. As an observer, I found
it fascinating to hear an aria worked over in detail with sections repeated
several times. I have to say that I will never be able to hear Handel’s aria
Ombra mai fu in the same naïve way I did in the past. Now that I have heard
in great detail some of the nooks and crannies of this aria, the next time I
hear it, it will be a whole new experience — enhanced and more intimate
