| The messa di voce, or swell on a single note, was an ornament of expression used by both singers and instrumentalists during the late Renaissance, Baroque, Classic, and early Romantic periods. Despite the conclusions of several musicologists to the contrary, the device was commonly used on long notes, and sometimes on short ones, in European music during this entire period, especially on the viol, violin, trumpet, flute, recorder, oboe, and voice. It occurred in sacred and secular music, popular and serious, recitative and aria, opera and cantata, solo suite and concerto, affective and dance music.;Excerpts or descriptions from treatises by the following were utilized to describe its use: Agricola, Avison, C. P. E. Bach, Bacilly, Bailleux, Baillot, Beriot, Bernhard, Blanchet, Bremner, Brosses, Burney, Caccini, Cambini, Campagnoli, Cartier, Concone, Corrette, Corri, Couperin, Danoville, Dont, Dotzauer, Fantini, Fiorillo, Galeazzi, Galliard, Ganassi, Gavinies, Geminiani, Gunn, Habeneck, Herbst, Heron, Hiller, Jousse, Kastner, Kreutzer, L'Abbe le Fils, Le Blanc, Lecuyer, Loulie, Mancini, Manfredini, Marais, Marpurg, Martinn, Mazas, Mazzocchi, Monteclair, L. Mozart, Muffat, North, Petri, Piani, Praetorius, Quantz, Raguenet, Raparlier, Rode, Rossini, Rousseau, Simpson, Spohr, Tarade, Tartini, Toinon, Tosi, Tromlitz, Veracini, Wragg. The messa di voce was paired with the following other ornaments: appoggiatura, vibrato, trill, anticipation, separation, fermata. By drawing more attention to each of these ornaments, it heightened their effectiveness. It often occurred on the first note of a cadenza or aria. French solo viol players ca. 1680--1740 cultivated a messa di voce, called enfle, in at least eight functional varieties.;The swell was used as a technical exercise on long notes for vocalists and instrumentalists. The purpose of such an exercise, however, was to gain the skill necessary to perform with an appropriate degree of musical nuance and expression, which included using the device in musical contexts. While various signs for it were used, it most often was performed without any written indication. It originated in Italy and spread with the influence of Italian music, gradually dying out in instrumental use after the first third of the nineteenth century. |
