Maestro Lord has embarked upon a journey of writing a book about the details in various scores, arias, scenes that are many times overlooked by singers, coaches and conductors.

A sample from La traviata (opening of Act II)

A careful look at this recitative will show us that it is in three distinct parts. Allegro vivo, an Andante and an Adagio. Three parts – three different attitudes. Three different tempi.

In bars 17-23 we get a lot of information – what she has done, how long it has been and what she has given up. Let’s take into consideration the tessitura. Where do the notes go higher and why? Aha! They go higher when the old days in Paris are talked about. “E le pompose feste “ – odd that they are on repeated notes. Repeated notes have no melodic value so what DO they have? Text! But why set this text to those rhythms? Maybe some comment by Alfredo about all those stuffy dances and parties (remember in act one when this rhythmic figure is used by the Baron and Violetta “Vi conosco da un’anno soltanto… ed ei solo da qualque minuto” – maybe harken back to the barbs people give to each other in those parties full of false sentiment?

And later in the act.

This leads to another sidebar. Tessitura. All too often singers and conductors and coaches forget to consider just where on the staff notes are set and concern themselves with other things. Unless they are above the staff, they seem to rouse little curiosity. But notes on the staff can also be high in emotion – in fact, often  higher as here words can be better understood. Today many composers of new opera stress any word with an accent by going above the staff when this is not a display of emotion that is natural and leads to a certain boredom and unsubtlety for the singing actor. Not to mention fatigue and audience ennui.

And still later.

The next phrases are fascinating in that there are no rests between the lines, one goes right into the other between characters. It’s interesting to note this overlap from the end of Germont’s” invero...” with ellipsis and the beginning of her line “Oh” so the vowels dovetail in this sort of extremely polite truce between the two conflicting parties. And yet, almost as soon as the white flag is up, the challenge comes again. “Ed a tai sensi un sagrifizio chieggo”. See the tessitura on the word “Ed”. How often does “And” begin a phrase at this height and length? Not often and so this is back to business for Germont. But what is the highest note of this phrase? It is on the word “Un” that most times goes for naught. And the crescendo/diminuendo over that part of the phrase. Is this the article “A” or is this the number “One?” The answer to this is obvious and it should not be thrown away. He doesn’t w! ant everything, just one thing which, of course, to her is everything.

This book will include the complete Act II of La traviata, Arias and duets from Norma, Lenozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte, Vanessa, Rigoletto, Carmen, etc.