Thinking like an Artist.
For me, an artist paints, sculpts etc. I don’t like using the A word to describe myself. But secretly we must…
My amazing Guildhall Lieder coach, Thomas Helmsley used to tell a story about his first Rigoletto. He sang his heart out, put his passion into the role and ended his performance as the curtain fell, sobbing over the dead body of his daughter, Gilda. Afterwards the boss of the theatre came to him and said, “Sehr gut, Herr Helmsley, but Frau Schmidt pays her 50 marks for you to make her cry, not to watch you cry!” Harsh advice but wise. Whilst we must enjoy what we do, our focus should be on refining our art make our singing as emotionally powerful as possible, not demonstrate how passionate we ourselves are.
It’s called artistry.
If you are the sort of person that wishes to make yourself the end of your artistic endeavors, then you don’t need to read on. But don’t sing other people’s songs-at least not exclusively. Write your own music and make yourself part of the product. Be a Freddie Mercury, a Jean-Paul Gautier, a Boy George. Read last week’s blog instead. As vocal artists (uff! Just using the word makes me shiver), we bring our personalities to the poet’s and composer’s world. So (as I wrote last week) we must be free to absorb and assimilate all that is worthy around us but only in the service of someone else’s vision. This isn’t contradicting what I wrote, it’s losing the ego whilst keeping the interest.
The difference between the ego and the self.
Too often I see performers thrashing around on stage, thinking that more energy is all that’s needed to capture an audience. I often think about the first time I saw one of my favourite bands, AC/DC. The support band came on, a bunch of young long-haired rockers. And boy did they rock! They flounced, posed and paraded their stuff. And it was boring. Then the main band came on. AC/DC. The drummer and his two rhythm/bass guitarists positioned themselves in a triangle, with the lead guitarist and lead singer free to move and direct their energy. And it was riveting.
Of course, a young performer who can’t let go and go a little crazy will need unlocking. I remember one of my own ‘unlocking’ performances. I was 18 and sang the act 4 Figaro aria in a local singing competition. Well, I didn’t sing it, I shouted it angrily because the great baritone Robert Heywood had worked on it with me and let me know what it was about. I came last, was severely told off by an ignorant adjudicator and sent away without my tail between my legs, for I know he was only partly right-he should have pointed out my singing was horrid, but encouraged me to keep unlocking whilst refining. One of my most talented ever students sang the Phantom of the Opera when we was far too young for it. In the interval his parents asked me if I was worried he’d damage his voice-he put so much passion into it. I wasn’t worried-I was confident in our work together. I was overjoyed to see how Howard could unlock and give. And I knew he would be smart enough to refine and control as he developed. As he is, spectacularly.
This understanding of our performing artistry is something that I’m not sure can be learnt or taught. As I’ve written before, too often we get lost in the pursuit of the perfect sound to see why it’s important. Conservatoires can create perfect clones. Again, Thomas Helmsley (such a great man-sadly missed) used to implore us to carry on developing after we’d left his class until we STOOD FOR SOMETHING. But not our ego, not our lust for fame but us as Menschen, us as humans and part of humanity.
We live in rather depressing times. If you wish to have a career you can pump up some personal tragedy, get on Britain’s got Talent, shed a few tears and BAM-recording career. As singers of classical and musical theatre that shouldn’t be our world. The difference between our EGO and the beautiful soul is massive. And you’ve got to work it out for yourself.
Maybe it shows in my technique but I can honestly say the majority of my time thinking about my singing has been spent thus-trying to work out what singing and music should be about, what I am as a singer etc. Not about technique. Of course, I work very hard on getting the voice to work correctly and as someone who works as both a performer and a voice teacher it is SO important. But if I buy myself some expensive paint and brushes I won’t paint better. If some kind soul sends me a Hasselblad camera I won’t take better pictures. (Hint) These things are merely tools to become better at what we should be trying to do-move people emotionally through the composer’s skill.
I promise you, if you watch your favourite artist strut her or his stuff on the stage or screen and dream of emulating their success only to make yourself feel better or richer you will never succeed. You might-cruelly- be given a glimpse of what might have been, sell a few records etc. But those heroes of yours that move people and change lives are so much more than what you can see! It’s never about the fame darling. It’s never about the clothes and the applause. Not ultimately.
So the performing technique one develops as one ages and grows becomes something that one teaches oneself ONLY if one is aware of the need to develop-and is only developed by being open to outside influences and the need to separate one’s ego and the self, and be prepared to stand for something bigger and better than who one is! Simples.
After last week’s blog-which was my most read and shared (thank you to you all)-I know that this week’s is a little esoteric and abstract. This is a difficult concept to grasp. Maybe I’m practicing what I’m preaching-I’m not writing this for any personal sense of worth or gain. If I lose the readers i gained name-checking Freddie Mercury, then so be it. I’ll write about cat videos next week!
Many brilliant performers understand what I’ve written without even sensing it as a technical skill. But of one young kid reads this and if it helps them, then brilliant!
Have a great week,
Mike.
For me, an artist paints, sculpts etc. I don’t like using the A word to describe myself. But secretly we must…
My amazing Guildhall Lieder coach, Thomas Helmsley used to tell a story about his first Rigoletto. He sang his heart out, put his passion into the role and ended his performance as the curtain fell, sobbing over the dead body of his daughter, Gilda. Afterwards the boss of the theatre came to him and said, “Sehr gut, Herr Helmsley, but Frau Schmidt pays her 50 marks for you to make her cry, not to watch you cry!” Harsh advice but wise. Whilst we must enjoy what we do, our focus should be on refining our art make our singing as emotionally powerful as possible, not demonstrate how passionate we ourselves are.
It’s called artistry.
If you are the sort of person that wishes to make yourself the end of your artistic endeavors, then you don’t need to read on. But don’t sing other people’s songs-at least not exclusively. Write your own music and make yourself part of the product. Be a Freddie Mercury, a Jean-Paul Gautier, a Boy George. Read last week’s blog instead. As vocal artists (uff! Just using the word makes me shiver), we bring our personalities to the poet’s and composer’s world. So (as I wrote last week) we must be free to absorb and assimilate all that is worthy around us but only in the service of someone else’s vision. This isn’t contradicting what I wrote, it’s losing the ego whilst keeping the interest.
The difference between the ego and the self.
Too often I see performers thrashing around on stage, thinking that more energy is all that’s needed to capture an audience. I often think about the first time I saw one of my favourite bands, AC/DC. The support band came on, a bunch of young long-haired rockers. And boy did they rock! They flounced, posed and paraded their stuff. And it was boring. Then the main band came on. AC/DC. The drummer and his two rhythm/bass guitarists positioned themselves in a triangle, with the lead guitarist and lead singer free to move and direct their energy. And it was riveting.
Of course, a young performer who can’t let go and go a little crazy will need unlocking. I remember one of my own ‘unlocking’ performances. I was 18 and sang the act 4 Figaro aria in a local singing competition. Well, I didn’t sing it, I shouted it angrily because the great baritone Robert Heywood had worked on it with me and let me know what it was about. I came last, was severely told off by an ignorant adjudicator and sent away without my tail between my legs, for I know he was only partly right-he should have pointed out my singing was horrid, but encouraged me to keep unlocking whilst refining. One of my most talented ever students sang the Phantom of the Opera when we was far too young for it. In the interval his parents asked me if I was worried he’d damage his voice-he put so much passion into it. I wasn’t worried-I was confident in our work together. I was overjoyed to see how Howard could unlock and give. And I knew he would be smart enough to refine and control as he developed. As he is, spectacularly.
This understanding of our performing artistry is something that I’m not sure can be learnt or taught. As I’ve written before, too often we get lost in the pursuit of the perfect sound to see why it’s important. Conservatoires can create perfect clones. Again, Thomas Helmsley (such a great man-sadly missed) used to implore us to carry on developing after we’d left his class until we STOOD FOR SOMETHING. But not our ego, not our lust for fame but us as Menschen, us as humans and part of humanity.
We live in rather depressing times. If you wish to have a career you can pump up some personal tragedy, get on Britain’s got Talent, shed a few tears and BAM-recording career. As singers of classical and musical theatre that shouldn’t be our world. The difference between our EGO and the beautiful soul is massive. And you’ve got to work it out for yourself.
Maybe it shows in my technique but I can honestly say the majority of my time thinking about my singing has been spent thus-trying to work out what singing and music should be about, what I am as a singer etc. Not about technique. Of course, I work very hard on getting the voice to work correctly and as someone who works as both a performer and a voice teacher it is SO important. But if I buy myself some expensive paint and brushes I won’t paint better. If some kind soul sends me a Hasselblad camera I won’t take better pictures. (Hint) These things are merely tools to become better at what we should be trying to do-move people emotionally through the composer’s skill.
I promise you, if you watch your favourite artist strut her or his stuff on the stage or screen and dream of emulating their success only to make yourself feel better or richer you will never succeed. You might-cruelly- be given a glimpse of what might have been, sell a few records etc. But those heroes of yours that move people and change lives are so much more than what you can see! It’s never about the fame darling. It’s never about the clothes and the applause. Not ultimately.
So the performing technique one develops as one ages and grows becomes something that one teaches oneself ONLY if one is aware of the need to develop-and is only developed by being open to outside influences and the need to separate one’s ego and the self, and be prepared to stand for something bigger and better than who one is! Simples.
After last week’s blog-which was my most read and shared (thank you to you all)-I know that this week’s is a little esoteric and abstract. This is a difficult concept to grasp. Maybe I’m practicing what I’m preaching-I’m not writing this for any personal sense of worth or gain. If I lose the readers i gained name-checking Freddie Mercury, then so be it. I’ll write about cat videos next week!
Many brilliant performers understand what I’ve written without even sensing it as a technical skill. But of one young kid reads this and if it helps them, then brilliant!
Have a great week,
Mike.