The Classical Music group put this one in my head today by mentioning the Merry Widow. I refuse to take responsibility for the humming, singing, and smiling! Then again, Lehar did write Land of Smiles as well. Here, then, is the Merry Widow Waltz.

First, we have an instrumental version from 1907, very close to when the original operetta was written.

youtube.com/watch?v=Uig1bseIjS…

Now, from Richard Tauber, with words in the original German. Lehar and Tauber worked so closely that it was like Novello and Hassall, only instead of writing the lyrics, Tauber sang them, and very beautifully, I might add. There are many other videos of him, including several with Lehar himself at the piano!

youtube.com/watch?v=-s4Fd3i1It…

#FranzLehar #MerryWidow #operetta #RichardTauber

This is a mini review of only three singers. Two were intended to be reviewed, and the third sneaked in, taking me completely by surprise.
I just had some champagne, so if I seem a bit off, that's why.

One of my favourite voices in the world, regardless of genre, is that of Trefor Jones. It is sweet, yet strong, clear, yet commanding, and all-around perfect, unless a truly heavy voice is required. I know they are for some songs, but if you were to ask me, personlly, which voice I could hear for hours at a time, it would definitely be a light one such as his. Sadly, I can find precious little from him. He is most well-known, perhaps, for his work with Ivor Novello, particularly Fold Your Wings, and Shine Through My Dreams, from Glamorous night. However, he did perform in several films. He also recorded a few extra songs. When I first heard the voice of John McCormac, I was amazed at how similar it was! I wanted to do a review of them. As luck would have it, I found a song that both recorded! It's worth noting that McCormac also has a Novellian connection through Keep the Home Fires burning, and for his performance of Londonderry Air/Danny Boy, which Ivor loved (he chose it as a Desert Island Disk). Richard Tauber has another connection, through his recording of We'll Gather Lylacs, as well as singing the songs of Lehar, whom Novello loved as well!

John McCormack - Maire, My Girl (1912) 4
youtube.com/watch?v=p5wCNWapS3…

Trefor Jones In ＂Maire My Girl＂ (1932)youtube.com/watch?v=bWb-eBjNUn…
youtube.com/watch?v=GYjPxaq4u7…

Richard Tauber - Maire, My Girl (1944)
youtube.com/watch?v=GYjPxaq4u7…

Analysis

John McCormack
Since this is an Irish song, it's worth noting that McCormac was actually Irish. He may have heard this growing up. I don't know when it was written. Despite its age, this recording is very clear and shows off his diction for which he was well-known. His voice is musical and lyrical. He performs the song at a slow, measured pace. His rs are also very pronounced and rolled. However, it's worth noting that, at this time, even Americans did this, so it may have been part of his vocal training. He hits the high note with complete ease. and his voice becomes very powerful as the song progresses and ends.

Trefor Jones
He is from Wales, and again, he has an accent, but it is quite different. Still, his rs are rolled slightly. As with McCormac, he slies his notes perfectly and his voice is extremely powerful. His rhythm is much quicker, and I would say his emotion is a bit stronger. He also sings that a higher pitch. His dynamics are a bit different from McCormac's but he definitely manages to keep the strength and power of the notes, hitting the high one without any difficulty.

Richard Tauber
And now, we turn to the German, Richard Tauber, who really doesn't belong here, but whom I simply couldn't resist adding. His voice is entirely different from those of the first two. Despite his remarkable strength and power, He can also sing lightly, as evidenced by his Serenade from Frasquita, and here, he puts this skill to good use. While his voice simply won't allow him to sound as light as the other two, he does manage to sound soft throughout most of the song. He, too, has an accent. His pitch is lower than both McCormac and Jones, and He doesn't really slide his notes here. That said, some of his words are very quiet. Toward the end, his voice becomes extremely powerful, and of course, he has no problem hitting the high note. However, here, it sounds more natural than in Che gelida manina.

And my personal winner is.. Trefor Jones. As I had originally planned, it's really between Jones and McCormac, but I love how the first one sings it. Still, they are so close in voice that either one could have won. It's really about little things in this case, like rhythm and delivery.

#JohnMcCormac #review #RichardTauber #TreforJones

Due to the anniversary of the writing of La Boheme on 1 February), I am going to do another comparison of a single song by some of the best singers in history. I didn't know about this until yesterday morning, so it actually works out well that I have these! Again, I am new to opera, (my theatrical love is operetta), so take any comments I make with that in mind. That, or just ignore them entirely and enjoy the wonderful music. Now, on to the comparison! A few voices will be familiar from last time, while a few wil be new to the mix. These are in chronological order.

Enrico Caruso (1906) - La Bohème_ Che gelida manina
youtube.com/watch?v=8FFRrfUUCh…

John McCormack ~ Che gelida manina. 1910 4
youtube.com/watch?v=mmnakODRH0…

Tito Schipa - Che gelida manina (1913)
youtube.com/watch?v=zadVt0UgmG…

Richard Tauber La Boheme Che Gelida Manina HMB 75 M x xxB6981 2 enregistré le25 avril1924
youtube.com/watch?v=GQB3zsdkJj…

Louis Graveure - La Boheme Che Galida Manina Your Tiny Hand Is Frozen Sung In French 4
youtube.com/watch?v=QnWwfMMZvk…

Beniamino Gigli - Che gelida manina (H.M.V. 1931)
youtube.com/watch?v=vZEe4lLAST…

Analysis

Enrico Caruso
I actually read that Puccini himself loved this version, and I am not surprised. Caruso could sing anything placed before him and make it seem effortless. As usual, his control is perfect, being not too strong and not too quiet. At the same time, he conveys great emotion without being overly dramatic. He hits the high note with ease, then slides down with only the slightest embellishment.

John McCormack
I first heard of this singer through Ivor Novello's song Keep The Home Fires Burning. I loved his voice and immediately noticed his incredibly clear diction. But I had no idea he sang opera, until I learned more about him. While he was primarily known for much lighter music, he did sing several opera pieces early in his career. Apparently, he sang sixty-four notes in one breath in Il mio tesoro from Don Giovanni!
His voice is lighter than Caruso's, so of course, this lends a different feeling to things. But like the former, the control of his emotions and voice is flawless. I am not surprised that he hit the high note so easily, given his voice type. But he doesn't do much with it, and just slides back down. His version is very sweet and gentle, but powerful in its own right.

Tito Schipa
Here is another light voice, though of a different kind. I will admit, when quickly previewing these before writing this review, this version actually brought tears to my eyes, and it's doing it again as I listen to it! There is simply something magical about this man's voice. I notice control, yes, but such sweetness and smoothness that I can only listen in wonder. I also notice he rolls his rs a lot and really slides his notes. He hits the high note so naturally that he seems made for it, then modulates a bit, making it all more pronounced.

Richard Tauber
Now, we return to the heavy weights with regard to voice. Of course, Tauber had to do things his own way, and sang this in German, which was a unique and interesting touch. Considering how long he lived and that, unlike McCormac, he continued to record opera (among other genres), I was surprised not to find a later recording of this. But at least it puts him on even footing with the others.
Right away, I notice his heavier voice. This is someone who could sing very powerfully and compete with Caruso himself! Unlike the former, however, Tauber really uses dynamics. His emotions are far more pronounced than others we've heard so far, and he is more dramatic. He reaches the high note, but due to the darkness of his voice, it has a heavier feeling to it. He then slides back down without much embellishment.

Louis Graveure
This man needs a bit of an introduction. He is very close to my heart for a specific reason. He was among the most well-known and best students of Clara Novello Davies, from whom I am learning, using her book You Can Sing as a guide. In it, she wrote of him with glowing praise. But when he started with her, he was so badly conjested that he could barely sing at all, and even she was hesitant to take him as a student! (It was a serious problem, not a head cold.) Look what her methods and his hard work produced! It's also worth noting that he actually switched from a baritone to a tenor for the last few years of his recording career, which I didn't even realise was possible!
I am accustomed to his lower voice, so to say that this shocked me is an understatement. He is singing in French, which actually makes sense, given the title and subject of the opera, though I read the original was in Italian. Another thing I notice is that while he can clearly hit the high notes, his voice does crack a tiny bit at least twice when doing so. That said, it's strength is palpable, even through an acoustic recording. His technique is much more agressive than even Tauber's, giving his version a very different feel. He reaches the high note beautifully, which is astounding, given how low his voice could go. Interestingly, it's not as dark as Tauber's. He also adds a tiny bit of modulation before sliding down. I am impressed with the flexibility of his voice, to be sure, but it does seem a product of extremely hard work, rather than being natural.

Beniamino Gigli
He begins with a sound that is almost as sweet as Schipa! Very light and calm, it immediately makes me think of something relaxing. But then, he becomes himself, and sings in the classic opera style that I described in the last review. That said, it works very well with this song, and the power of his voice can be felt. His is the richest of the recordings with relation to dramatic performance and emotion. It's as if he combines various elements of the other singers. His voice is powerful like Tauber's but less dark. When he hits the high note, it's with great ease, and he embellishes a bit afterward. One thing about Gigli is that, while he can be emotional, he does keep things under control, even if it may seem less so than the other singers.

And my personal winner is... Tito Schipa! I think he added the perfect amount of everything. However, it was incredibly difficult choosing between him and Enrico Caruso, and had someone chosen the latter, I would never have argued the point. I think any time Caruso is involved in a comparison, it makes things far more difficult than if he weren't because I have to look beyond the obvious perfection to find another version of what is perfect. In my case, I am also extremely partial to the voice of Schipa, so it was a double problem! Ultimately, for this song, I think it depends on whether you want a powerful treatment or a softer, smooth one. Perhaps, if I knew Italian, French, or German, I would have used that to guide me.

#BeniaminoGigli #EnricoCaruso #JohnMcormac #opera #LaBoheme #RichardTauber #TitoSchipa

Let's have a bit of musical fun! This is all the same song, but sung very differently, by the best opera singers in the world, plus an American who would either make them laugh or scream. It's not that I adore this song, but it's one that all of these singers sang, and as you'll see later, it's what got me started in opera (I'm still very new at it). Just a little from each is fine for this experiment.

Let's start with Enrico Caruso. For those who love Mary Ellis, yes, this is the same man she sang with early in her career. Notice how differently he sings from everyone else on this list!

Enrico Caruso - O Sole Mio

youtube.com/watch?v=u1QJwHWvgP…

Now from Richard Tauber. For my fellow operetta lovers, he is very good to know, as he sang with Lehar at the piano many times (including a concert in 1947), along with recording many other lovely songs by other composers, even in English! But back to this one, he actually sings it in German!

Meine Sonne (O Sole Mio) - RICHARD TAUBER (1927)

youtube.com/watch?v=9O1Z3LX1gb…

Now from Beniamino Gigli.

Beniamino Gigli-O sole mio

youtube.com/watch?v=4QG0HK1CTM…

Now, from Pavarotti. Normally, I don't include people born as late as he (1935) in my opera adventures. But he was literally the only opera singer I knew of until a few months ago. Remember, I'm an operetta lover, and that's a whole different thing.

Luciano Pavarotti_ 'O Sole Mio'

youtube.com/watch?v=eQSNVBLTXY…

One of these is not like the others, and here it is! For powerful voices in popular music, I would recommend Tom Jones (he's from Wales, so that's a given), Roy Orbison, or Tony Williams (from the Platters). Nevertheless, this is how I always knew the song, until I heard that it was originally in Italian. One day, I decided to research it, found the version by Caruso, and my opera journey began.

elvis presley - its now or never (1960)

youtube.com/watch?v=QkMVscR5YO…

Here, then, is my very quick analysis, as a listener, not any sort of expert in either singing or opera, so the rest of the world will probably disagree with me.

Enrico Caruso: This performance is flawless. He slides his notes perfectly and doesn't add or subtract too much of anything. Yet his voice is strong, and would be clear if the recording equipment had permitted it.

Richard Tauber: Right away, the difference in language is noticeable, and it is quite interesting. Again, the recording removes some of the clarity, but his voice shines through and is strong. He is a bit more dramatic than Caruso, but is still perfectly balanced.

Beniamino Gigli: Normally, I like his singing. But here, he seems to overdo it. His voice is strong, but he's much too dramatic. That said, this is exactly what I would have expected opera to sound like prior to learning anything about it, so let's call him the classic.

Luciano Pavarotti: His voice is clear and sweet, and his diction is lovely. I'm sure he normally sings wonderfully. But to me, this is void of emotion and is very uninspiring, especially after hearing the others. Had I herd it on its own, my opinion may have been different.

Elvis Presley: It's not really fair to judge him on the same lines as the others. He had no formal training in opera, and he didn't pretend to. He took an operatic song and turned it into a popular one, and on those grounds, he did a good job. His voice is tender and sweet, yet strong when it needs to be.

And my personal winner is... It's a tie between Caruso and Tauber! I really can't decide between them, as both are perfect!

#BeniaminoGigli #ElvisPresley #EnricoCaruso #opera #LucianoPavarotti #RichardTauber