Liza Lehmann was a successful soprano, voice pedagogue, and composer in the late Victorian era[1]. Her mother was a naturally talented musician, having studied with Manuel Garcia (a notable pedagogue), and was her first voice teacher[2]. She later studied with Jenny Lind. After studying for several years and performing in small recitals, she realized that her voice and body were not meant for the operatic stage, but that she was well-suited to give recitals. Not only did she give recitals, but also travelled all over the United Kingdom and sang for the Novello Oratorio Concerts, Crystal Palace Orchestral concerts, the London Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, and sang under the baton of Charles V. Stanford in a performance of the Brahms’ Requiem.
Lehmann retired from the public stage around the time she married Herbert Bedford. It is interesting that she gave up a performance lifestyle at the onset of her marriage, but she also notes that she suffered a temporary facial paralysis at the same time, which lamed some of the muscles of her throat and ended her consistency in singing. Her descriptions of her husband paint him as very supportive and in awe of her abilities. She began composing on their honeymoon, and composed her very successful song cycle In a Persian Garden within a year[3].
Lehmann was approached by the publishers Enoch and Son, who were interested in a voice pedagogy text[4]. In the introduction, Lehmann begins by stating, “When I was asked to write a book on Singing, I felt reluctant to comply. There are so many admirable technical and scientific books upon the subject of singing, written by men and women who have spent their lives in training voices. Can anything new be said? Perhaps not. …possibly the circumstances of my life and career…may enable me to offer some additional “hints” of a purely practical nature.[5]” Though the text is over one hundred pages, more than half of it is made up of musical examples taken from Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, etc. and vocalises of her own for each voice type. Very little of the book is devoted to her actual beliefs about singing and pedagogy; what little information she does offer aligns with other voice pedagogues. Lehmann claims in her autobiography that she read about other methods of teaching after she had written the text[6], but within the first few pages she admits that her ideas are most similar to those put forth by Lilli Lehmann, no relation, in her book How to Sing.[7]
It is my intention to compare Liza Lehmann’s pedagogical ideas with those of Mathilde Marchesi and Lilli Lehmann, two other esteemed female voice pedagogues. Marchesi is famous for writing thirty-six vocalise books. Lehmann references them in her text,[8] proving that she had done at least minimal preparatory research before writing. Lehmann also includes some of her own vocalises in her book. A major difference between Marchesi and Lehmann is that Marchesi only worked with females, and had no ideas about the male voice. Lehmann includes a section on male voices in her text. Marchesi believed that there are three female registers to the voice: chest, medium, and head[9]. Lehmann also describes three registers: chest, medium, and head[10]. Both Marchesi and Lehmann suggest that the female chest voice be taken up no higher than the e above middle c[11],[12].
Conversely, Lilli Lehmann, the pedagogue Liza most closely identified with, had slightly different beliefs. She believed in voice registers, but she opted not to address them. She felt that the terminology was a huge part of the issue in unifying the registers as a student[13]. She also believed in the importance of the head register, saying that it was essential in surviving a lengthy career or when rejuvenating the voice[14]. Similarly, Liza Lehmann puts quite a bit of emphasis on the head register, stating that “One of the ‘secrets’ of successful placement and preservation of the voice is…the proper use of the ‘Head voice’ and the capacity to use it throughout the whole compass[15].” The two disagreed about the [a] vowel, however. Lilli said that this vowel was treacherous: “…one should never attempt to sing an open ah, because on ah the tongue lies flattest[16].” Liza, on the other hand, states that the best vowel sound for practice was the open Italian ah. She said, “…a good ‘ah’ is the best foundation[17].”
Though Practical Hints for Students of Singing is filled with many useful ideas, there are also some statements that are not quite pedagogically correct. Lehmann references the uvula and its importance in singing. She writes, “Its mobility, and the power to raise it, are of inestimable importance in controlling the voice and adding resonances[18].” There are two things wrong with this idea: first, the ability to raise the uvula; second, the idea of adding resonance. I assume that by “uvula” she includes the soft palate, or solely means the soft palate. While it is true that the soft palate needs to be raised during classical singing, it can only be raised so high and only by employing the correct breathing techniques. It is not an all-powerful muscle that can be trained. One raises the soft palate in a yawn – it is much the same idea in singing. By raising the soft palate, the singer closes off the nasopharynx and avoids any nasal resonance. Resonance, while very important in singing, cannot be “added” to sound. Resonance is a result of proper technique. It involves the breath, the vibrating vocal folds, and the proper shape of the vocal tract[19]. It only happens when everything else is aligned.
Liza Lehmann was an important figure in the musical world, especially as a female performer, composer, and pedagogue. She was well-respected and well-connected during her life, and did many things to further the education of women in music during the Victorian era.
[1] Lehmann, Liza. The Life of Liza Lehmann.
[2] Lehmann, Liza. Practical Hints for Students of Singing.
[3] Lehmann, Liza. The Life of Liza Lehmann.
[4] Ibid. 183.
[5] Lehmann, Liza. Practical Hints for Students of Singing. 1.
[6] Lehmann, Liza. The Life. 185.
[7] Lehmann, Liza. Practical Hints. 2.
[8] Ibid. 9.
[9] Coffin, Berton. Historical Vocal Pedagogy Classics. 34.
[10] Lehmann, Liza. Practical Hints. 10.
[11] Coffin. 34.
[12] Lehmann. Practical Hints. 10.
[13] Coffin. 116.
[14] Ibid. 116.
[15] Lehmann. Practical Hints. 2.
[16] Coffin. 117.
[17] Lehmann. Practical Hints. 8.
[18] Ibid. 3.
[19] McCoy, Scott. Your Voice: An Inside View. 27.
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