Yintoni Efunekayo Ukuze Ube Yimvumi Yeopera Egqwesileyo?

NGUMBHALI KAVUKANI! EITALY

IMVUMI imi nkqo, ithe qhiwu intloko, ithe ga isifuba, ikhangele phambili. Emva kokubhulelwa umbethe yiokhestra, imvumi itsho ngelizwi elimnandi ekukudala lilindelwe. Ilizwi liyaziphumela, ngoxa kuvakala ngathi kucula omnye umntu. Kutsho intswahla yezandla xa igqiba ukucula. Iopera ngumdlalo weqonga odlalwa ngabalinganiswa abaculayo uphelekwa ngumculo weokhestra. Ngaba uyawuthanda umculo weopera? Ngaba wakha wazibukela iimvumi zeopera? Ucinga ukuba yintoni, eyenza iimvumi zeopera zibe nelizwi elimnandi?

Ilizwi—Isixhobo Somculo

Ilizwi sisipho esimangalisayo esisiphiwe nguThixo, ngesizathu esiqondakalayo sibizwa ngokuba sisixhobo somculo. Nangona beliqaqobana abantu abayimilonji njengemvumi yeopera, abantu abaninzi bayakwazi ukucula kanye njengokuba bekwazi ukutya okanye ukulala. Enokuba ungumlonji okanye akunjalo, ngokuqinisekileyo unomdla wokwazi ukuba sisebenza njani esi “sixhobo.”

Imiphimbo, esemqaleni, kulapho ilizwi liphuma khona. Ilizwi liveliswa yintlala engqonge imiphimbo. Liphuma njani ilizwi? Ngokuqhelekileyo xa siphefumla, imiphimbo iyakhululeka kuze kusebenze uqhoqhoqho. Xa ucula, umthamo womoya uyanda, aze ugovane anciphe lize ilizwi liphume kwimiphimbo. Xa imiphimbo icinezelekile, ilizwi liyangcangcazela lize lintyiloze. Xa umkhamo womoya uncipha ize nemiphimbo iyekelele, ugovane uyavuleka, ilizwi liyehla.

Ubugcisa Nesiphiwo

Xa wayeselityendyana lomfana uEnrico Caruso wayenelizwi elimnandi, kodwa wayengenamxhino xa ecula. Ngenxa yokuzilolonga wada wanawo. Ilizwi elimnandi sisipho, kodwa xa uyimvumi yeopera kufuneka ulilolonge. Kufuneka imvumi ifunde indlela yokusezela umoya ize ifunde nendlela yokuwubamba. Kuthiwa imvumi edumileyo yenkulungwane ye-18 uCarlos Broschi obizwa ngokuba nguFarinelli wayekwazi ukucula iinote ezili-150 engaphefumli.

Ngendlela efanayo iimvumi zeopera kufuneka zifunde ukukhwaza xa zicula. Ezinye iingcali zithi, xa imvumi icula iinote eziphantsi, kusebenza amathambo esifuba, ngoxa isebenzisa imihlathi nawobuso xa icula iinote eziphezulu.

Abantu abaninzi bacinga ukuba kuculwa ngomqala. Kodwa kuye kwafunyaniswa ukuba xa umntu ecula uwasebenza onke amalungu omzimba, ekubeni ewasebenzisa onke amandla akhe. Kufuneka ulungelelane wonke umzimba. Imvumi yeopera kufuneka ibe nomzimba owakhekileyo ize ibe namandla, mhlawumbi yilonto le yenza ezinye iimvumi zeopera zibe zizigantsontso. UMaria Callas wayeyeyona mvumi yeopera idumileyo kwinkulungwane yama-20, abantu abaninzi bakholelwa ukuba ukuwohloka komzimba wakhe ngenxa yohlobo lokutya awayekutya kwamenza akakwazi ukucula.

Utshintsho Kumculo WeOpera

Ukutyhubela iminyaka, umculo weopera uye waqhubek’ utshintsha. Makhe sixubushe imizekelo emibini. Xa kwayekwa ukuculwa iopera ezicaweni okanye kwezinye iindawo yaza yaculwa kwizindlu zeopera, yathatyathelw’ indawo yindlela entsha yokucula. Olu tshintsho lwabalasela kuba lwatshitshisa iokhestra encinane eyayisetyenziswa nguMozart yaza yathatyathelw’ indawo ngamaqela amakhulu eokhestra njengekaVerdi noWagner. Ngenkulungwane ye-17 neye-18 nenxalenye ethile ye-19, umculo weopera waxhomekeka kwisiphiwo nakubugcisa bemvumi leyo. Indlela yokucula yenkulungwane ye-19 nenxalenye yokuqala yenkulungwane yama-20 yayahluke kakhulu. Ngeli xesha, ngoxa ilizwi laliseyinxalenye ebalulekileyo yomculo weopera, kodwa lalingasatshili lodwa.

Umculo weopera walixuma kanobom ishishini lomculo. Abaqambi abanjengoPaisiello, uCimarosa, uGluck, uMozart, uDonizetti, uRossini, uBellini, uWagner, uVerdi, uPuccini, uBizet, uMeyerbeer noMascagni, baqamba inkumbula yamaculo angalibalekiyo nachukumisayo.

Intlonti Eyenziwa Ngenxa Yomculo

Ebekwakho namaxesha angathandekiyo kulo mculo weopera. Cinga ngokuthenwa kwamakhwenkwana okwagqugqisa kangangenkulungwane kumculo weopera eItaly.a Amakhwenkwana ayethenwa ngaphambi kokuba akhahlele ukuze amazwi awo ahlale ekhenkceza angangqokoli. UGuido Tartoni uthi: “Yicawa eyakhuthaza lo mkhuba, ngokungabavumeli abafazi ukuba . . . bacule ezicaweni.”

Iimvumi zeopera ezaziwayo ziye zaduma kakhulu yaye bambi kubalandeli bazo baye bazinqula. Umngcwabo kaLuciano Pavarotti ngumzekelo obalaseleyo. UMaria Callas kwakusithiwa nguLa Divina gama elo elithetha (uthixo), uJoan Sutherland yena kwakusithiwa nguLa Stupenda gama elo elithetha (Omangalisayo). Umculo weopera uthandwa ngenxa yokuba, uyakwazi ukubenza babe nemihlali abantu abawubukeleyo.

Mhlawumbi kwixesha elizayo xa usiva ilizwi elitsho kamnandi, kuya kufuneka unqumame uze uzikise ukucinga ucinge ngengqeqesho efunekayo ukuze kuveliswe ilizwi elimnandi ngolo hlobo. Linokukwenza uqalise ukucinga ngomculo weopera njengokuba wenzayo omnye umbhali owubiza ngokuba “kukuhlanganisa amazwi omculo nombongo . . . iimpiko zengoma.”

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

[Ibhokisi/Umfanekiso okwiphepha 12]

UKUHLELWA KWAMAZWI

IColoratura soprano: Ilizwi lomntu obhinqileyo elikwaziyo ukucula iinote eziphezulu. Ngokuqhelekileyo imvumi idla ngokuba ngumntu ondwebileyo.

ILyric soprano: Ilizwi lomntu obhinqileyo elimnandi. Le mvumi idla ngokuba ngumntu oneemvakalelo okanye ibe ngumntu onothando.

IDramatic soprano: Lilizwi lomntu obhinqileyo oliqina. Le mvumi idla ngokuba ngumlinganiswa odlamkileyo.

IMezzo-soprano: Ngumntu obhinqileyo onelizwi eliqine ngakumbi kunelomntu ocula idramatic soprano. Le mvumi idla ngokuba ngumntu obhinqileyo osele ekhulile okanye libe ngumlinganiswa onefuthe kocula isuprano.

Contralto: Lilizwi lomntu obhinqileyo elinqabileyo. Le mvumi idlala indima efanayo neyemezzo-suprano.

ITena: Lilizwi lomntu oyindoda elifana nesuprano—limyoli, liyakhenkceza lize libe namandla. Le mvumi idla ngokuba yintandane okanye iqhawe.

IBaritone: Olu hlobo lelizwi liphakathi kwetena nebhesi. Le yona imvumi idla ngokuba ngubhuti, utata okanye utshaba.

IBhesi: Yeyona ndoda inelizwi elingqokolayo, lahlulwa libe ngamacandelo amathathu ibrilliant, icantante, neprofundo. Elokuqala lidla ngokuqava lize liphaphe. Elesibini nelesithathu ngabantu abaneemvakalelo.

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 10]

Iqonga leOpera

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 10]

Indlu ekuculelwa kuyo iOpera

[Inkcazelo Ngemifanekiso ekwiphepha 10]

Stage: Philip Groshong for The Cincinnati Opera; Courtesy of Tourism Office of Budapest