Haley Cox

Vocal Coaching

Prof. Christopher Lovely

M 1-1:30

Vocal Coaching Paper 1

“Oh! Quante Volte”:

Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835) is one of the most notorious composers of the bel canto

style and influenced a large portion of other famous composers both during and after his life.

Called the “Swan of Cantania,” Bellini’s signatures were his unusually long melodic lines and

his ability to expertly match the text to music. His operas were wildly popular and successful,

some of his most beloved works including I Puritani, Il Pirata, Norma, La Sonnambula, and I

Capuleti ed I Montecchi.

I Capuleti ed I Montecchi is an operatic production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet,

written in the 19th century and set in the 13th century. In this version, it is set in Italy, and the

Capulet and Montague houses are of opposing political beliefs rather than just rivalling

households. The Capulets are Guelph, supporters of the Pope, and the Montagues are

Ghibellines, supporters of the Holy Roman Empire. Much of the music in this opera is recycled

from Zaira, a less-successful opera of Bellini’s that had premiered earlier in Parma.

“Je Veux Vivre”:

Charles Gounod (1818-1893) was a French composer proficient in sacred, secular, and

instrumental works, heavily influenced by Bach. His Ave Maria is widely known, and his

operatic setting of Goethe’s play Faust is one of the most performed operas in the entire operatic

repertoire, being the 8th most performed opera at the Met. Georges Bizet, the composer of
infamous operas like Carmen and The Pearl Fishers, was a student of Gounod, influenced by the

man’s passion for music. Gounod had a well-rounded career between all of his different types of

compositions, and he was popular among his French compositional colleagues. At his funeral,

Camille Saint-Saëns played the organ and Gabriel Fauré conducted. His opera Romeo et Juliette

is another crowd-pleaser, premiering in 1859 and staged many more times after.

Gounod’s Juliette is a very difficult sing because of the contrast between her two major

arias. “Je Veux Vivre” is a coloratura anthem, fitting well into both lyric and dramatic coloratura

voices. The Poison Aria (“Dieu! Quel Frisson cours dan mon vaines) is starkly different, being

much more dramatic and requiring a larger voice. The energy of the song is polar opposite of “Je

Veux Vivre.”

The character of Giulietta/Juliette is bubbly, young, and naïve. She’s thirteen years old,

so there’s not a lot of maturity to be expected from her. However, that doesn’t mean she’s unable

to be emotionally aware and intelligent. The character has a young, pure heart and singing her

should be a joyful experience. This is a character that you should be able to play with, focusing

too much on the music/perfection dampens the energy that the character naturally exudes from

the music composed.

Bellini’s Giulietta is a bit more pensive than Gounod’s Juliette, the first aria from her

being more of a lament than a celebration. Giulietta pines after Romeo, wondering when he’ll

finally come to her and relieve her burning heart. Juliette, in contrast, bursts into the opera in a

joyous celebration of youthful excitement and hope.

Learning both of the coloratura arias should be a rewarding challenge, the two songs

having fine details that make the difference between an amateur and a professional. The florid

passages should be sung slowly first, ensuring that the correct pitches are committed to one’s
muscle memory before speeding them up to tempo. With both arias, careful preparation is a must

and will ensure that the performer can properly focus on capturing the energy of Juliette/Giulietta

while singing.

“Oh! Quante Volte” was the first aria I ever learned to sing, so it was essentially a

teaching piece that turned into an aria that I really enjoy. It taught me to be studious in learning

repertoire and that I was indeed a coloratura (and not a mezzo as once considered). This aria also

introduced me to bel canto singing, which is the genre that I most enjoy now and will (likely)

one day grow into completely. It is an excellent way to further hone my grasp on chiaro scura,

bel canto music a near-perfect vehicle to channel the technique.

“Je Veux Vivre” was among the first of the French arias that I learned, and it is

something that I enjoy singing for auditions; the nervous, excited energy of the piece is

something I can mask the crippling terror of auditioning behind. It’s celebratory and jubilant, and

I believe that that attitude should be at the core of one’s singing, regardless of the song. I also

learned the Poison Aria, the role being something I wish to take on someday. Singing them

within the same hour has helped me with both stamina and learning to be economical with my

voice.