Question 12

Hello Mrs. Lang,
You always say that singers should make their choice. How do you justify that?
Kind regards
R.S.

Hello Mr. S.,

a singer should be master of his decisions - to a greater extent in vocal and technical matters. Thus, in a sense, he should be "director" or "conductor" of his own singing.
As a singer, I am constantly in the situation of having to make decisions. F.e.:

• Do I sing forte or piano?
• What timbre do I want to create?
• How much squillo do I need for which phrase?
• Do I sing brighter or darker?
• How do I mix the registers?
• How do I "speak" the text so that the director/conductor is satisfied?
• Do I sing the phrase x more "singing"  (sound) or more "speaking"(words)
• How do I match the director's requirements with the vocal requirements for phrase/part x?
• How do I get the phrase x/high note stable?
• Can I sing part x now, in a year, in five years, or maybe never?
• Does my physical condition allow me to perform today/tomorrow?

The more autonomous I can shape my own life as a singer, the easier it may be to clarify questions concerning the organization of my career and "normal" life.
The fewer dependencies there are, the more directly and quickly a solution can be found. Because I myself know best what I need. Provided I know it. - Joking aside. This can also mean knowing where I can possibly find help.
There may be phases when one cannot walk a difficult path alone and a companion is helpful. In all this, it should never be forgotten: I sing myself. No one can or should take this away from me.
Franziska Martienssen-Lohmann calls it the "knowing singer" and speaks of voice education as human education. My teachers have exemplified this to me and it has helped me in many phases of my singing career.
It means that I prepare and educate myself as a singer in the best possible way and know "what I can sing when and where and how". 

I develop a menu of vocal solutions and mental strategies that I can fall back on in an "emergency" and, in a sense, make my choice. "Make your choice."

Sincerely
Yours

Petra Lang

*Initials changed