Billie or Ella? Maria or Renata? Technique or feeling?


I stand back to no one in my admiration for Ella Fitzgerald's technique but all the vocal fireworks make for precious little emotion. Billie Holiday on the other hand makes you feel she's singing just for you.

Technique vs emotion also goes in listening to Renata Tebaldi (superb technique) and Maria Callas who like Lady Day makes you feel she's singing just for you.

David Oistrakh was a violinist who combined flawless technique with raw emotion. Sviatoslav Richter was his counterpart on piano. Their modern day successors are Julia Fischer on violin and Daniil Trifonov on piano.

chowkwan

Feeling vs. techniques -- a false distinction.  Both woman were sublime in their own particular way.

@chowkwan 

Thanks for the vid. I don't want to be disrespectful and listening to the  differences   only proves I don't know  anything about opera.  To me it was like which cat food do you prefer?

Sarah or Ella?  At first I like Sarah more for more interesting way of singing - vocalizing, suspending timing etc., but at the end Ella won me over with her immaculate timing and swing (discipline).  It is all matter of acquired taste, for instance, Jimmie Scott, that I adore, is not for everybody.  He had poor voice and at the same time was regarded by other Jazz singers as "Singers singer"  - not Sinatra or anybody else, but him.