Bel Canto

Bel Canto (Italian, “beautiful singing”), term used loosely to describe a particular vocal style. Broadly speaking, the expression covers the operatic style considered ideal by many composers and musicians between the late 17th and mid-19th centuries—although the term was not commonly used until the 19th century.

As vocal music developed during the 17th century, mainly in the newly emerging genre of opera, the singer became the main focus of attention. The original monodic style of the earliest operas, consisting of a simple vocal line based on natural speech patterns, quickly split into two distinct and alternating elements: recitative, which signalled dramatic movement, and aria, an expressive melody for the soloist. Arias, which were immensely popular with audiences, quickly became the most important dramatic attractions and, by the 18th century, opera composers were writing technically difficult, virtuosic melodies as vocal showcases for singers—usually castratos, such as Farinelli and Caffarelli. The style reached its peak in the early 19th century with the works of Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti, and Gioacchino Rossini. Bel canto, therefore, came to refer to the qualities that were especially prized in soloists at this time: flexibility and lightness throughout the vocal range, trained technical virtuosity enabling the singer to perform in the prevailing coloratura style (see Soprano), and a certain smoothness and clarity of tone.

As concert halls and opera houses became larger, and the scale of operatic works increased in turn, singers were required to produce a larger sound. By the mid- and late 19th century, bel canto had become marginalized in favour of a weightier tone and more dramatic range, such as would be required to perform operas by Giuseppe Verdi or Richard Wagner. Much of the bel canto repertoire remained unperformed until the 20th century, when it was revived by singers such as Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland, and Montserrat Caballé.