As opposed to musicians, who use an instrument to create their sounds, singers must first and foremost forge their own instrument from within their own body.
Singers do not dispose of bows, reeds or hammers: they must simply imagine the sound of their voice without being able to touch it, or without even the confidence it will be of similar quality the following day, as an instrument might.
Even singers who are sure of their vocal quality can suddenly find their voices made vulnerable within a few seconds, for a thousand different reasons: yet we demand that they perform without fail at every concert or opera production.
Singers must re-create their instrument again and again each time, and must sustain its quality despite all the feelings and thoughts that might colour the voice. |