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Squillo is the resonant, trumpet-like sound in thevoices of opera singers. It is also commonly called "singer'sformant", "ring", "ping", "core", and other terms.[1]Squillo enables an essentially lyric tone to be heard over thick orchestrations (e.g., in late Verdi, Puccini and Strauss operas). Achieving a proper amount ofsquillo in any performing context is imperative: too much and the tone veers towards the shrill; too little and the purpose of thesquillo cannot be achieved.[2]
Squillo is recognizable by a distinctive brilliant, ringing quality in the timbre of the voice. This perception is caused by the presence of a peak in the 2–5 kHz frequency range, to which the human ear is particularly sensitive. The amplification of these particular harmonics is believed to be a result of a narrowing of thearyepiglottic fold just above the larynx. Voices with naturally acquiredsquillo (i.e., having naturally strong higherformants) are especially prized in opera because they allow a singer to sustain lyric qualities such as limpid high notes and consistency of tone throughout the vocal range, even in dramatic singing.
Uses of thesquillo include:
Singers known for their mastery of this technique have includedMaria Callas,Kirsten Flagstad,Renata Tebaldi,Giuseppe di Stefano,Jussi Björling andLuciano Pavarotti. Some dramatic singers may also employsquillo rather than volume in the course of a performance, for exampleBirgit Nilsson.
