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Franco succeeded Monaco as a dramatic tenor, and he was also very lyrical, much better than the Three Tenors. Franco said the three of them were little crabs.

Tucker's last radio Brdcst of Forza complete was in 1961 with Merrill , from the Met. also he did the invano duet with Merrill on TV in 1972.

Thank you for your explanation, the great Tucker.

Oh, you're so young and knowledgeable, impressive! If you want to be recognized as a soprano and have any vocal issues, feel free to bring them up. We can learn and study together.

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They are singing their language. They invented the art of singing.

Only in Heaven perhaps!

@@Garwfechan-ry5lk We didn't have to wait that long.

Agreed, Schmidt is definitely the best. However, Pataky still falls short in terms of vocal line fluidity. As a teacher, I would tell him, "Koloman von Pataky, after finishing a phrase, your abdominal state returns to zero, almost like taking a fresh breath-don't do that!" The key issue is that after each phrase, you lack a proper close to restore the position of your vocal resonance to its lower state. During singing, you expand the resonance chamber, but when the phrase ends, you must reset the resonance chamber to its original form. Each time you sing, every breath inhaled and exhaled must be controlled. Koloman von Pataky, at the very moment you finish a phrase, you need to inhale back the lost breath and fill your body once again. How can you relax completely? The moment you relax, your tone quality will change, and this affects the smoothness and consistency of your sound. This is the method I would teach Pataky. I’m not sure if you understand what I mean.

Haha, you're very professional! I haven't listened to the ones you mentioned in detail yet. Go ahead and rank them, let's see.

During his time Lauritz Melchior was what Caruso is to tenors but in Melchior's case, heldentenors. Some may disagree and say Max Lorenz.

Melchior by a Universe in Wagner " Live or on Record " my Grandparents were Friends of Alfred Piccaver, so I will say that he did sing Lohengrin with great Beauty and in perfect German. my Grandfather heard Gino Penno and he exclaimed that he could be a great Heldentenor, for he actually WAS a Heldentenor and not a Verdian Tenor, Kozlovsky is incredible considering he sang the role on stage for Decades, but even though sounding light, live he was quite strong, he could be heard without Microphones at the Bolshoi, a Favourite of Stalin he was NOT allowed to leave the Soviet Union, a Truly Great Tenor, Thill was a very good Lohengrin, today Vogt tries to sing like Kozlovsky, but with Microphones " Ridiculous " I have seen Kaufmann in the Role and I would not recommend seeing him, AWFUL! Jadlowker was Cantor trained and virtually could sing any role, Fritz Soot was a Tenor who was much better in House than on Record, he often with Pistor and Sembach alternated with Melchior, much underrated Soot was a regular at Sopot " Zoppot " Melchior was Successful because he had something many Heldentenors did not have a Massive voice with Dynamics colours and Shadings, also he could act and move with athletic Elegance on the stage, sometimes he would also put Comedy in, mainly when Furtwangler was Conducting, he would always smile at him. They were not Friends, but did have great respect for each other.

@@amandajean7738 Lauritz Melchior's breath support is relatively low, and his resonance in the nasal and head cavities is good. However, his vocal cords are excessively narrowed rather than fully closing and opening 70% of the full closure. He completely bypasses the chest resonance, lacking any chest voice, with excessive nasal tone and overly drawn-back breath. His sound lacks brightness. I never consider him a model for learning.Max Lorenz good！

@@Garwfechan-ry5lk Melchior had excellent vocal technique and maintained it well even into his sixties. Alfred Piccaver was another Caruso. Gino Penno’s singing technique went astray, focusing too much on sound effects. Kozlovsky was one of the top Russian tenors. Vogt’s singing posture is incorrect-leaning forward, with incomplete vocal cord closure, causing reduced sound projection. Like Domingo, Kaufmann’s singing has deteriorated over time. Jadlowker narrowed his vocal cords significantly but ensured full closure, demonstrating excellent breath control, making it easy for him to sing any role. His voice was small but carried far, with fully open vocal cords and excellent resonance. Fritz Soot is still worth studying; his performance as Otello was unique. It felt like listening to a lyrical Sergei Lemeshev singing Otello (even though Lemeshev never performed it). He used neither the throat nor chest cavity resonance, showing that a lyric tenor can indeed sing Otello. Furtwängler was outstanding.

It is said that in his later years, he underwent weekly hemodialysis to sustain his life. A tragic fate for a great tenor. He was the tenor I first studied when I began learning.

@lisaszxu1961 Yes, during the 60s he had an almost fatal car accident where he suffered many injuries. After the accident, he never fully recovered.

Projecting sound through the throat, mask, mouth, and nasal cavity is equivalent to destroying one's vocal wealth. Doing so sacrifices three-quarters of the noble resonance space. My approach revolves around abdominal breath support, as only abdominal breath support can engage the entire body's resonance. Therefore, the sound of today's tenors is akin to the chirping of little chicks, with amplifiers used to boost volume. So, my answer is that with the current state of tenors, even after 1,000 years, they will not surpass Caruso.

I do agree with that. The Golden age has gone and will not return.

Exactlly my point.

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@lisaszxu1961 Thanks! ♥

I completely agree with your statement. Martinelli’s performance at the age of 82 can be considered one of humanity's finest examples of advanced-age singing-far superior to Volpi. There is no one else in the world who could achieve what he did. Although I have not checked the recordings of every song along with the singers' ages, I can feel the extraordinary level of vocal technique involved. You mentioned the undulating pulse in his singing-yes, others simply cannot achieve that. It involves a mastery of tone color and layering, concepts beyond most people’s understanding. I am thinking of analyzing Caruso in detail and writing a book to serialize here. I wonder if anyone would read it. Without studying Caruso, it is impossible to reach his level. Caruso’s delicate manipulation of tone color and layers is something modern tenors simply do not possess physiologically. It’s not that Caruso was born superior to others-his natural singing conditions were not particularly remarkable. His greatness was the result of intelligence and relentless effort. Today’s tenors rely on force in the throat, pushing their breath toward the mouth, nasal cavity, mask, and forehead. The distance between the vocal cords and these resonance chambers is too short, lacking both depth and breadth. As a result, the sound produced by today’s tenors comes from only about one-quarter of the body’s resonance capacity. This makes it impossible to achieve the flowing, undulating pulse you described. Their tone is monotonous, with limited projection and weak volume.

"Great professional tenor, your evaluations are always correct!"

FRT, that's definitely NOT you speaking Italian at the end. You ain't THAT good!

Oh, great teacher, you are truly outstanding! I’m amazed by your videos-how incredible it is to find correct teachings of vocal technique online. In fact, many tenors, like Corelli and Monaco, were mostly self-taught up to a certain point and then refined their skills with only a few lessons. There are many methods for mastering extreme high notes (C and above), but some concepts are shared. For instance, the higher one sings, the more the abdominal diameter must expand, and there must be increased pressure at the lower abdomen. Additionally, lifting the soft palate and raising the back of the head are crucial; without deep breath support, it becomes very strenuous. In my opinion, practicing above high C is not about training the voice directly but first about developing the ability to expand the resonance chamber upward. Pavarotti once claimed that on performance days, he would start at 5 a.m., using breath to “attack” the high note position, and if he couldn’t find it, he would try again five hours later. This is pure nonsense-he was too amateurish and lacked true vocal understanding. Caruso never did such a thing. Instead, practice without making sound by using breath to expand the resonance chamber. Strengthening this kind of power is the key. On performance days, it’s only necessary to do exercises to lift and open the resonance chamber-there’s no need to worry about hitting high C. I agree with your point that for high C and beyond, the position and shape of the resonance space must be specially adjusted. It’s helpful to start with falsetto and gradually transition into full voice, practicing regularly so the body adapts. I’m 67, and I sing high C every day with ease. Sometimes, using proper abdominal breath support, I can absolutely hit high C with different vowels, but high D is the human limit. Some tenors who lack proper breath support and scream their notes can actually sing it more easily. For example, Monaco’s high C was weak and often drowned out by sopranos. This shows that for high C and beyond, special adjustments in the position and shape of the resonance chamber are necessary. I only study real tenors born in 1920. Who is Anthony Frisell? I’m unfamiliar with him and couldn’t find much information. In my view, tenors born after 1921 generally departed from the principles of Italian bel canto. Most singers taught by Melocchi also abandoned the true Italian style, even though Melocchi claimed his method was developed from Caruso and Gigli’s techniques. From then on, there were almost no authentic bel canto singers of note. It’s a great pleasure to discuss vocal techniques with you-thank you!

@@lisaszxu1961 I realised quite early on that I wasn`t going to learn old school singing from a teacher so I had to do it myself and then become the teacher for others since nobody was doing it! Anthony Frisell was based in New York and wrote 4 books on singing, The Tenor Voice, The Baritone Voice, The Soprano Voice and his last book The Verismo. It`s interesting that you use the term Bel Canto. In Frisell`s opinion the Bel Canto wasn`t the era of great technique but it was the singers of the 19th century who rebelled against it who created the new technique (fully coordinated registration) which allowed the Verismo style to emerge. Bel Canto wasn´t really a technique but a style of florid singing which used a separate register technique ie. falsetto for the high notes. Have you heard the tenor Bruce Brewer? His teacher trained with a student of Rubini and so his singing is probably closer to Bel Canto than Caruso. Caruso was a product of Verismo technique ie. fully coordinated registers with Appoggio. I`m in the process of writing a book and I`d be happy to email you a copy of it. It´s not finished though as I still need to add chapters on vibrato and tongue position but you`re welcome to read it in it`s current form.

@@JussiPaul Teacher, I would like to share some of my views; if you disagree, you don’t have to read it. I am very grateful for the vocal perspectives from America that you provided. I have always believed that the level of vocal technique in America is very high. After listening to Bruce Brewer, I understood - this is the level of America. I want to study American singers like Rosa, John McCormack, Jan Peerce, Richard Tucker, and many other outstanding singers, and understand how it happened that, later on, good tenors disappeared. Now I’ve found the reason - Bruce Brewer is solely focused on pursuing a certain vocal effect, without abdominal breath support to express inner emotions slowly. Furthermore, I currently cannot listen to recordings of Giovanni Battista Rubini, but I am confident that Giovanni Battista Rubini can indeed be seen as the beginning phase of Italian bel canto. Many aspects of his singing were not yet mature, but there are historical records of his influence. On the other hand, Enrico Caruso represents the peak of this tradition in the modern era. Giovanni Battista Rubini (1794-1854) lived in the early 19th century, and his vocal style and technique represent the initial form of Italian bel canto. His vocal interpretations not only laid the foundation for later bel canto traditions but also deeply influenced the singers of his time. Rubini excelled in high notes, vocal range control, and emotional expression, and many Romantic operas were tailored for him, marking the increasing importance of the tenor voice in Italian opera. It can be said that Rubini was one of the founders of Italian bel canto technique and style, and his influence provided a solid foundation for later singers. Enrico Caruso (1873-1921) belongs to the peak phase of Italian bel canto, and he reached unprecedented heights in early 20th-century opera. Caruso not only inherited the techniques of Rubini and other predecessors but also developed and perfected bel canto, showcasing it to its fullest extent. His voice control, rich timbre, precise technique, and emotional depth reached the highest standard of Italian bel canto. Through recordings, broadcasts, and world tours, Caruso's influence spread globally, and he became synonymous with Italian bel canto, representing the ultimate expression of this art form. Bruce Brewer can never be considered Italian bel canto. His breath is too shallow, and there is no abdominal support at all. He relies too much on the mouth, nasal passages, mask, and head resonance. His vibrato lacks the sense of tension and support that should be carried by the vocal cords. It is purely a product of the mouth. A tenor like this has nothing to do with Italian bel canto. Thank you for providing me with a lead to research American vocal techniques.

@@lisaszxu1961 I`m no fan of Brewer but he does offer a little window into the old (technically flawed) style of singing which Frisell calls Bel Canto. We will never no for sure how those 19th century singers sounded though we do have the recordings of Moreschi which also give us a clue. What do you think of the later Caruso recordings? Frederik Husler in his book on the anatomy of singing thought that Caruso went astray towards the end of his life.

@@JussiPaul You are right; we can only rely on the limited and fragmented historical records. However, since Caruso belonged to the early era of Italian bel canto, many of the techniques from that time were not even as refined as those of Italian folk singing, because opera itself was born from the foundation of bel canto-style folk songs. A tenor who can only sing opera but not folk songs, or performs folk songs poorly, is not a true bel canto tenor. Caruso possessed both capabilities. Frederik Husler believed that Caruso's later singing lacked certain ideal technical elements, primarily related to breath support, vocal cord coordination, and vocal freedom and fluidity. I disagree with these opinions. Husler was a vocal theorist who could not produce Caruso’s voice himself, nor did he understand the fundamental difference between Caruso and other tenors. So how could he critique him? Caruso maintained excellent breath support until the end of his life. Husler’s comment about "vocal cord coordination" misses the point entirely. Caruso intentionally exerted maximal control over his vocal cords. In fact, Lauri Volpi was known for the greatest vocal cord intervention, while Caruso used the resonance of an internal column of air within his body to create sound, akin to a raven’s voice. His mouth and vocal cords simply performed the task of converting raw sound into articulated words and lyrics. Beyond this, they had no other function. This approach represents the most efficient, natural, and far-reaching vocal technique, using minimal breath. Caruso never talked about "vocal cord coordination" in the modern sense. It cannot be denied that his heavy smoking in later years reduced the lyrical quality of his early recordings, but it also added tonal richness, strength, emotional expression, and dramatic power that were not as prominent in his youth. His signature chest resonance and seamless phrasing remain elements that no theorist could fully capture or reproduce. Overemphasizing power might alter a singer’s sense of vocal freedom and fluidity, but this does not mean that his voice lacked either. Even at 47, Caruso produced many recordings that retained a lyrical quality, with soft abdominal vibrato. At that age, most tenors would only be capable of shouting. Thank you for this exchange!

Oh, great teacher, I completely agree with you. My description is that, regarding today’s tenors, I can no longer find any with a correct vibrato. They are all like zombies, with a constricted vibrato confined within the oral cavity, creating a weak, tense oscillation that feeds back to the upper part of the vocal cords and glottis. This is not true vibrato. True vibrato must have breath flow, and this flow is not the shallow movement near the mask at the uppermost part of the vocal tract. Instead, it should be a large stream of breath originating from the abdomen, passing through the vocal cords, and generating a vibrato with greater harmonic amplitude and resonance. That’s why I tell my students that vibrato must have a sense of airflow traversing the vocal cords-this is the correct vibrato. I am deeply concerned about the vibrato of today’s tenors-all of it is wrong. I haven’t heard your vibrato, but I imagine it would be correct. Corelli, for instance, used his throat as the driving force for breath, pushing the sound from above the vocal cords into the oral cavity, nasal cavity, and mask-this is entirely incorrect. So, when you say that students surpass their teachers, my conclusion is that neither the student nor the teacher is correct.

@@lisaszxu1961 For all Corelli`s faults he had the best vibrato of the modern recording era. His diminuendo at the end of Ah leve toi in the live recording is phenomenal. I think that was the best note he ever sang and it`s a shame he wasn`t able to achieve the same freedom throughout the rest of the voice. To be honest I used to be more critical of his technique but once I became aware of how much work goes into creating good vibrato I came to ignore his faults and just revel in his wonderful vibrato!

@@JussiPaul th-cam.com/video/x3Cls1UlPG4/w-d-xo.html Oh, teacher, my view on this aria is completely different. Corelli's breath is all concentrated in the strong nasal and head resonance, bypassing the delicate nasal tone (with a breathy sound) that French opera requires. His loud resonance and the forceful use of his throat destroy the elegance and nobility of French opera. The final diminuendo, without vibrato, is merely a display of technique; it's not about expressing emotion. I believe that all singing technique should be used to convey emotion, not to perform vocal exercises. I think it is very difficult for Italian tenors to express the noble, elegant, delicate, and refined timbre required for French opera. The main reasons for this are differences in technique, timbre, language pronunciation, and artistic expression. I feel these differences are especially noticeable in performances, particularly with great masters like Corelli, whose style focuses on nasal and head resonance. My feeling is that while this powerful resonance is striking, it lacks the refinement that French opera demands. First, I believe that in terms of technique, Corelli’s breath management relies more on strong abdominal support and chest resonance, which is in stark contrast to the finer breath flow and light high-note resonance that French tenors emphasize. The fluidity and airiness of French tenors' sound are very important, not just relying on strong resonance to convey passion and power. I think French tenors focus more on fine control of breath and sound to create an elegant atmosphere, while Corelli, in this respect, seems too rigid. Next, I feel that the timbre difference is also a significant factor. French tenors usually possess a more delicate, softer timbre, one that depends more on nasal resonance and breath flow. Italian tenors, on the other hand, often have a heavier sound with strong resonance. To me, this natural timbre difference makes it difficult for Italian tenors to replicate the lightness and delicacy of French tenors, especially in the higher register, where Italian tenors' sound tends to be more powerful but lacks the elegance of French tenors. I also think that the pronunciation of French is key to French tenors being able to create that refined and elegant quality in their sound. French opera requires delicate, fluid articulation, with singers needing to master finer breath support and a rounded sound. Italian pronunciation is more direct and clear, especially in the high notes, where Italian singers tend to emphasize the strength of the sound rather than its delicacy. This is why they often struggle to achieve the softer tone required by French opera when singing in French. Furthermore, I believe the cultural differences between French and Italian opera are another important factor. French opera tends to be more introspective in emotional expression, focusing on subtle changes and transitions between notes, while Italian opera emphasizes direct emotional expression and vocal power. This difference often causes Italian tenors to struggle with capturing the delicacy and elegance required in French opera. I feel that this contrast between directness and subtlety creates a significant difference in sound between the two styles. In conclusion, I think that Italian tenors often find it difficult to showcase the refined, delicate, and elegant timbre needed for French opera, mainly due to differences in technique, vocal production, timbre, and emotional expression. I believe French tenors focus more on lightness and refinement in their sound, while Italian tenors rely more on power and resonance, which makes it hard for them to fully achieve the elegance and nobility that French opera seeks in its sound.

@@lisaszxu1961 I agree with you about the rest of the aria ie. it is often ugly but the final tone sung live is a miracle! When I sing live I can never achieve the perfection I manage in the studio so I am in awe of anyone who can achieve such a feat!

@@JussiPaul I share Rosa's viewpoint. In the recording studio, the fundamental tone always overpowers the overtones, such as with Jan Peerce, Joseph Schmidt, Richard Tucker, and others. Live recordings always sound better because, for tenors who rely on full-body resonance, the overtones cannot be captured in the studio. These overtones need space to fully manifest. The studio is only suitable for tenors with a softer volume, like Jussi Björling, Pavarotti, Domingo, etc., where amplifying their voices is effective. I am very sensitive to sound, and I have all the melodies of thousands of symphonies stored in my mind. I can tell the rest of a piece after hearing the first movement, which becomes quite boring. When it comes to studio recordings, I can distinguish the sound, and the better the recording quality, the more I dislike it. It simply sounds unreal.

Ahahaha, grande tenore professionista, fai sempre i commenti giusti, grazie!

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Exactly! Nowadays, people don’t even understand what made Caruso so great. How is his singing technique different from today’s tenors? The tenors of today are truly disappointing.

@@lisaszxu1961 When you mess around with or replace a winning recipe, you'll likely fail. My ironclad principle is: "I never argue with success!" Disaster is at hand.

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You are right. If there were videos, it would be a more direct way to understand these aspects. However, for me, just by listening to the voice, I can determine a singer’s posture, chest position, head, and neck alignment. Most importantly, I believe I can judge a singer's height based on their voice. I can recognize it. Schmidt’s high notes are filled with the tonal quality of middle and low notes, with an excellent sense of vocal unity from the bottom to the top, so he must be short. In contrast, singers like Eugenio Fernandi, Nicolai Gedda, and Georges Thill, who are over 180 cm tall, lack the lower register's resonance in their high notes due to physiological factors. Nicolai Gedda’s voice shows a complete disconnect between low, middle, and high registers - each seems to operate independently, and this, too, is determined by physical characteristics. I’d like to hear your opinion on the essential differences between Pertile and Caruso. Lauri-Volpi believed himself to be Caruso’s heir, but his vocal technique was entirely different. Of course, Pertile also differed from Lauri-Volpi. I can demonstrate these three types of voices on Skype if there is a chance, as I have already shown my students. The best way to understand these tenors' posture, mouth cavity, and resonance chamber configuration is to produce the same kind of sound. You must match their vocal tract configuration; otherwise, it’s impossible to reproduce the same voice. Currently, I can replicate over 100 voices of tenors I consider true greats without needing to see their videos. This allows me to identify Pertile’s flaws and what Lauri-Volpi lacked. When singing the same piece, I also know how I would improve upon their renditions. Lauri-Volpi’s issue lies in forcing his vocal cords into his windpipe with too much muscle tension around the vocal folds. In contrast, Caruso maintained extreme abdominal tension while keeping everything else completely relaxed. This shows that Lauri-Volpi’s breath support was not deep enough. I will analyze this more in the future.

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