It has been said that singers of the early to mid 20th Century were perhaps better trained than singers of today.This sentiment is very difficult for me to address objectively, because of my own personal perspective.I am very much a product of that time and those particular teachings.If it were possible for me to have heard and evaluated all of those singers with the same knowledge and experience that I possess today, perhaps I could offer a better informed and more objective opinion.Truth to tell, I do not believe that it is the teaching and training of singers today (or the paucity thereof) that is responsible for what might be considered to be a dearth of truly outstanding or great world-class singers.It is what, for want of a better name, might be referred to as the “entertainment business” itself that has been so detrimental to the art – and in particular, the recording industry – creating premature stardom for artistically immature and unseasoned artists.Management for this new generation of singers has been allowed to demand ridiculously inflated fees - publicity hype is outrageous.Recording technology has become so advanced in the past few decades that it now has the ability to make virtually any voice “perform” brilliantly on recording – the problem occurs when these voices cannot be heard in the opera house or concert hall and therefore must be electronically amplified.Unfortunately, everyone seems to be interested only in making a great deal of money as quickly as possible – all too often, the price to be paid is the rapid rise and brutal fall of a “star” whose career lasts for a measly ten or twelve years.This is an unfortunate and a shameful waste.
