Filar il suono

What it means

Filar il suono literally means to spin the tone: a held note is executed with perfectly constant volume, colour, and pitch, without wavering and without exaggerated vibrato, like a thread drawn evenly. The term comes from the Italian doctrine of singing and describes an exercise and a means of expression at once. Related, but not synonymous, is the messa di voce, in which the same note swells and diminishes.

Musical use

The ability to hold a note calmly counts as the touchstone of vocal technique, because breath control, support, and laryngeal position show themselves in it. Musically it serves wherever a long note is to radiate calm — in slow arias, in sacred music, at the beginning or end of a phrase. In the bel canto tradition it is a deliberately used means: the calmly held note stands in contrast to agile coloratura and thereby gains weight. Instrumentalists too know the task, for instance string players with the long bow stroke.

Performance practice

Practise the held note in the middle register and at medium volume before tackling extremes. Keep the airstream even; the most common source of error is to give off too much air at the beginning and to have to push at the end. Take care that vowel colour and laryngeal position do not change during the note — use a recording to help, because it is hard to hear this yourself. Begin without an audible attack and end without a break-off. Plan the breath so that reserve remains at the end, otherwise the note becomes unsteady in the last seconds.

Remember that this ability is not only a singing exercise but a musical means: a calmly held note at a phrase boundary works more strongly than any ornament. Use it where the music demands calm. When practising, check with a recording whether tone colour and pitch really stay the same, because one judges this poorly oneself. Plan the breath so that reserve remains at the end. With instruments the same goal holds with other means: even bow speed or calm air guidance.