Sinatra And Caruso’s Conversational Singing

Sinatra's singing has been described as “conversational”—that is, his phrasing, enunciation, and spontaneous pitch modulations sound as natural as those in a typical conversation (recall word melody). Unlike many performers, Sinatra never sacrifices being understood for alleged artistic motives. Rather, his words are sung as clearly as has ever been accomplished in the English language. One of my close friends from Paris once told me that when he was a young boy, he, along with a number of his friends, learned to speak English by listening to Frank Sinatra songs.

Caruso’s singing has been described in similar terms, and must also be seen as a sort of word melody singer. A defining aspect of his art was that it was not for the exclusive enjoyment of the musical or cultural elite, but was accessible to the ordinary man and woman. When he sang, in other words, they felt as though he was conversing with them. He had a particular fondness for singing in his lower register and exploring its gorgeous colors, which contributed a great deal to the power of his conversational style.

There is another aspect of conversational singing that needs to be mentioned with respect to Sinatra and Caruso. When you engage in an honest, heartfelt conversation, a genuine person is expressed—a distinctive, one-of-a-kind personality—and what comes through are your attitudes, emotions, and moods. These qualities give color, definition, and weight to your individual identity. Genuine singers have the special ability to express vividly—viscerally—their distinct personalities in their song interpretations.

The greatest singers, in fact, are the most present in their performances; they have powerful, charismatic personalities that, in addition to their tonal qualities, are what is most identifiable about their artistry. In the conversational singing of both Sinatra and Caruso, we have the most dominant artists in modern singing history. When we hear their best performances, they come to life. Who they are comes to life, and we are suddenly confronted with two very imposing personalities who are conversing with us, engaging us, moving us, and charming us.

Image source: wikipedia.org