TREMOLO IN SINGING.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19177, 7 December 1927, Page 13

TREMOLO IN SINGING.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS. Sir, —I wonder whether we who are obligeG to listen to-our own singers could persuade Mr H. M. Lund to use his facile and powerful pen in the endeavour to cure our singers of the deplorable tremolo habit so irritating to sincere music lovers. Why is it that about ninety per cent, of our singers are addicted to the tremolo, or as it is sometimes called the vibrato? Nearly all our local concert singers, broadcasting "artists," and drawingroom singers use it right through their numbers, sad or gay. We havo some highly qualified teachers of singing here. Why do not they and our musical critics raise their voices against this horrible habit? For horrible it certainly is under any circumstances. We are told that tremolo was first introduced by a great artist, who, overtaken by age and infirmity, yet reluctant to retire from public life, confined his repertoire to pathetic songs, sung in a tremulous voice, and that his audiences mistook his artfulness for art, and since then the tremolo has passed on from emotional portrayal to a general use in any and every class of vocal solo work. Often it is of so pronounced a nature that the singer is practically "off pitch" from beginning to end, yet he or she is applauded by a deluded and defrauded public, who from hearing constant repetition of this kind of thing, is led to believe that it is artistry, forsooth! It is. the antithesis of true art. it is as'false # as it can possibly be. Surely our voices were meant to be produced in singing, as naturally as in speaking; then why this constant wobble? If depth and colour, or brilliancy, are to be portrayed, surely these fan be achieved if drawn from a steady, pure tone. If our young singers could only be made to realise that once acquired this habit (like all bad ones) is extremely difficult to cure; and if they could also bear in mind .that , tremolo, makes blend in part singing impossible, they would not so .readily fall into this shocking habit. Will Mr Lund please come to their rescue?— Yours, etc.,

' J.S.B Christchurch, December 6th, 1927.