Yes, language matters in opera, holy sh*t

Many moons ago, I had a "voice teacher" who insisted to me that "language didn't matter" in opera.

Thankfully, I managed to Brer Rabbit my way away from the living embodiment of the Dunning-Kruger Effect and all of their bad misinformation.

When you're in the thick of it, you don't always realize how bad something is sometimes until you have made your way to the Briar Patch to get out of it.

It remains curious to me that someone would present themselves as  a "master voice teacher" would make such a erroneous proclamation with their whole chest, especially since they have a vocal degree. Part of getting a degree in voice, let alone operatic performance, is the extensive study of languages. Even if one is not fluent in the language, the study, diction, and pronunciation of the language is required. Or, you would think.

It's not about a difference in opinion, it's just that it's objectively, patently false.

That's not to say that I am an elitist- ableist- purist who demands that the pieces be performed with period-accurate instruments. (Although the American Classical Orchestra actually performs pieces with period-accurate version of the instruments, as well as with the correct historical techniques, and I think that's actually really neat!) I think on top of a historical artform with centuries of dedication to preserving it, opera is also this living, breathing, ever-evolving thing.

There have been some efforts in recent years to make opera more accessible by having certain performances in English, let's say. Pocket Opera in the Bay Area does marvelous work in this sector, committed to giving the Bay Area accessible and audience-friendly performances. Before supertitles, many opera companies throughout Europe would perform the opera in the language of the hosting country. I think these examples are great; I think they are far less intimidating to newer audiences, can be enjoyed by children who might not be able to read yet.

However, fundamentally at its core, the music and the language are irrevocably connected. They are connected to the different epochs of the Western Classical music canon, the countries they originate from (and the regions therein), the background of the composers, their relationship with the librettists, the socio-political climate. An opera is not just a performance with bombastic singers roaring over bloated orchestras (although, let's be fair, that is what almost all of Wagner is, NGL). Operas are cultural and history lessons as much as they are also music lessons on top of being a form of entertainment.

It is the responsibility of the singer to do justice to the material, to honour the composers' integrity and intentions, and to uphold the cultural contexts of what they're singing.  Bel canto is not just a style of or a technique for singing, it is a source of Italian national pride. Opera buffa requires extensive study of not just Italian, but regional dialects. Unlike both German and Italian, the French operatic singing style is heavily removed from the way that French is spoken. Even operas that are in English require the same responsibility to uphold the context in which they were written, understanding of what informed the composers' decisions, and their connection to the language.

Similarly to  many of the operas of Europe, which were informed heavily by its regional folk melodies, so many of America's operas find their foundations in the same way. Operas that would fall under this category would be The Ballad of Baby Doe, Susannah, Treemonisha (which I have spoken about at length here), and Four Saints in Three Acts. American opera is heavily influenced by African American musical and choral traditions, as well as Appalachian folk melodies, as in the case of Susannah. So, again, even if the opera happens to have English as the language in which is was composed in, that specific flavour of English is integral to the piece.

A wonderful case in point: Street Scene by legendary composer Kurt Weill.

Street Scene is an American opera that takes place over the course of one day during a  brutal heatwave in New York City in 1946. It largely considered a  watershed moment in both opera and American musical theatre by being the first American work of its kind, has contributed several pieces into the Great American Songbook musical canon (such as "Lonely House" and "What Good Would the Moon Be?"), and would represent yet another personal reinvention for Weill himself.

The legacy of Weill cannot be understated, influencing everyone from David Bowie to Danny Elfman. A man of immeasurable talent at stark contrast to his dorky and diminutive stature, Weill was a gay Jewish man who fled N@zi Germany in the 1930's for the United States. His father had been a cantor, and his works reflected Jewish, Yiddish  theatre sensibilities and traditions. Street Scene marries Black American jazz and blues, Yiddish musical sensibilities, the European operatic tradition, and contemporary music (which is now considered the "traditional pop" category at the Grammys). There are also allusions to Puccini's composition style sprinkled throughout. The achingly beautiful lyrics of the libretto were written by the incomparable Langston Hughes, who is not only consider the leader of the Harlem Renaissance, but who is also considered a queer icon (although much debate and ambiguity surrounds this topic). All of these elements pulled in--the musical styles, historical contexts, ethnic backgrounds, and the realism of the play the opera is based on (author Elmer Rice returned to work on the opera) not only inform each other, but come together to create a masterpiece. "Lonely House" and "What Good Would the Moon Be" are not just beautiful pieces of music (although, yes, of course, they are stunningly beautiful pieces of music), dramaturgy is still required.

Weill also acutely understood the importance of language, and made exhaustive efforts to observe the people of New York City and document his experiences to ensure that his portrayal would be the most authentic possible.

I think, for me, personally, as an opera singer, I recognize that I am a guest in this space. It truly is a responsibility to be given a gift of an ability to sing some of the most complicated and  beautiful pieces of music that have been written by some of the most brilliant composers to have ever lived. I think that's part of the reason why the Bel canto revival of the 1950's was so special, because you had a handful of singers--the likes of Beverly Sills, Maria Callas, and Joan Sutherland, whom are consider some of the best and greatest singers and interpreters who have ever lived--taking the responsibility to revive a largely forgotten artform. Not only did they revive interest in it, but truly imbued the intrinsically emblematic hallmarks and what makes Bel canto Bel canto. The core of Bel canto is beautiful singing with beautiful phrasing, sweeping legato passages, precise and articulated staccato, and florid passages of just sweepingly, stunningly, achingly beautiful music. We can only hope we can live up the legacy of the gifts we have been given.

(*In case you're wonderful, yes,  this "voice teacher" was the same one who mercilessly slaughtered those African American spirituals. Again, the Dunning-Kruger effect in full force.)