In it Caccini prescribed the articulation of notes through the opening and closing of the glottis (a technique not normally advocated in 21st-century vocal pedagogy), which enables the execution of rapid and wide-ranging ornaments.
Using a relatively small dynamic range, bel canto singing was based on an exact control of the intensity of vocal tone, a recognition of the distinction between the "diapason tone" (produced when the larynx is in a relatively low position) and the "flute tone" (when the larynx is in a higher position), and a demand for vocal agility and clear articulation of notes and enunciation of words.
Starting on the low E string, play a series of 16th notes (4 beats per click) using downs strokes only, and strive for smooth, accurate timing and clean articulation of each note.
Sometime later, Mengelberg fine-tuned some of those markings, perhaps to assure a clear articulation of the note in the acoustics of the Concertgebouw.
"I am in no doubt that what Mahler wanted was a clear articulation of the note without totally abandoning the reigning dynamic," writes Donald Mitchell, the author of many authoritative texts, including a book devoted to the Fifth Symphony.
But from the first phrases of the orchestral sinfonia that begins the piece, played with crisp but unexaggerated articulation of the dotted-note rhythms, the music-making was beguilingly natural.
Try swinging the notes,changing the articulation of them, add a few new notes, play more bass, or play it an octave higher (or vice versa).
The fine French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet ably traversed its varying moods, his hands flashing across the keys with volcanic force and unleashing cascading volleys of notes with crystalline articulation, his feet frantically tap dancing under the keys in energetic agreement.
As Bunniss and Kelly [ 25] note, articulation of underlying assumptions is needed if researchers are to critically engage with study findings.
On the excellent EMI CD (recorded live in 1993 and now out of print in the United States but still available in Germany), the textures are so gossamer that you can hear the creaking of chairs and the articulation of consonants louder than the notes themselves.
Mr. Watts has a burnished tone and a razorlike articulation; even when he unfurls a fast string of notes, each one feels clipped off at the end.
