Principles in Practice for Gentle, Relaxed Singing

Minimal Air

One of Lajos Szamosi's central ideas was inspired by the famous singing teacher of the 1920's, Paul Bruns, who wrote a number of books including Minimalluft und Stütze ("Minimal Air and Support").

Bruns maintained that the combination of ease, spontaneity and power for which the Italians were renowned for centuries was achieved by using the "reserve" air: the air that ordinarily remains in the lungs after exhalation. Bruns argued that the deep exhalation cultivated by the Italian school gives the singer an extended range of breath without creating excess tension.

The Italian manner of singing was in contrast to the German school of "Stauprinzip" ("damming principle"), in which singers were trained to breathe in as much air as possible and then, by holding the ribcage in the expanded position of inspiration, control the rate at which it flowed out during singing.

The work of the Szamosi approach is to enable singers to exhale more fully and freely during singing. The inhalation then takes care of itself.

Imagination

"Imagine, imagine, imagine… Nothing else." Edvin Szamosi.

The ability to hear or imagine music in the mind is the most vital guide in singing. If the imagination of the music is not clear, it is like sending your body out in the woods blind, without a guide. Many times, "technical" problems melt away simply by shifting attention from how you are singing to what you are singing, or what you are saying through the music.

One could say that making music no matter what the instrument happens above all in the mind. If you can imagine the music, hear it and feel it in your mind, and if you allow your body to respond, your body will find a way to manifest it. Conversely, when the body becomes freer, imagination becomes easier and clearer.

We often practice imagining music purely in the mind, without physically singing.

Relaxation

It is often necessary to induce people to relax, because so many people are restricted in their movement and in their breathing by excess tension. Relaxation, however, is only a point of departure.

As the process of relaxing becomes deeper and more differentiated, we discover that the release of tension is actually the liberation of energy, and it changes not only the condition of muscles but also the way they function. As we unravel patterns of tension, new possibilities of movement emerge within the body, and within the mind. This cannot be achieved by a direct act of will, but if we allow it to happen, then a kind of "technique" evolves that is unselfconscious and completely united with the musical, expressive impulse.

Play

What are children doing when they play?.

Sometimes they play with wild abandon, without any formal structure. At other times, they play with quiet, focused attention to every detail of a game. Play is experimentation and improvisation. It is trial, error, discovery, the revelation and enjoyment of possibilities. It is guided by imagination and curiosity.

Playing is not conforming to expectations. It is not repetition of an action with the goal of perfecting it, although this may happen as a result. Through playing children learn, without awareness of striving.

As adults, we learn best if we continue to value the attitude of playfulness that we had as children. What will I discover today about this piece of music? How will it affect my singing if I let go of the tension in my neck? What will happen if I experiment with a new attitude? Whether learning to sing or learning a piece of music, it is best to approach it with an attitude of open curiosity, with "beginner's mind".

La Compagnia Amarilli

The Path to Free Singing

Artistic Principles

Methodological Principles

Practices

Practices

Minimal Air

Imagination

Relaxation

Play