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Jeanette—The Greatest Soprano

by

Gio

            From the moment Jeanette arrived on the world’s musical stage, people have tried in every way to describe what made her a star so supreme above all sopranos.  Jeanette had it all: charm, class, beauty, talent, and a voice. But so did thousands of other great sopranos. They embodied the same superb qualities that raised a voice to the top of the world. And yet, where all of the greatest-of-great sopranos who sang opera, carved their names in the operatic world, Jeanette, who only performed two operas on stage, carved her name in Gold as the greatest soprano of all.

            We will take a look at why this was so and why no one has ever been able to take her place. There are many types of soprano voices: coloratura, lyrical, Spinto, dramatic, musical stage, concert, etc. One of the most important requirements is the purity of sound. A soprano’s voice should be clear like sheer crystal—pure like a perfect diamond, and smooth like luscious velvet.
           Next, she has to possess an even vibrato in which each note floats in exact tempo with the music. The higher the soprano sings, the more exacting the vibrato has to be in order to give the tone the fullness required, and still keep the voice buoyant and sparkling.
          Diction is an element that distinguishes one singer from another. The way a soprano’s jaw and lips shape the lyrics is what separates the best from just the greatest.
Clarity, brightness, and ease of the lyrics play a major part in drawing an audience into the performance.
            Agility and the ability to sing each note of one’s registry exactly the same, with no straining, stretching, or flattening of the sound, is imperative for a soprano, or else there is a pushy edge to the voice, almost as if it is being choked.

            These are just some of the gems that make up a great soprano voice.  If you include one’s acting ability, stage presence, magnetism, the twinkle in the eyes, and the flirtatious smile, you would pretty much conclude what makes up a soprano.  What makes up a great soprano is her drive, soul, and creative artistry, which has been disciplined into a fabulous voice.  But we haven’t hit upon the one thing that separates Jeanette from all the other great sopranos—heart.  Even though every singer sings with heart, only Jeanette sings with her heart in her throat. 

            It is her golden throat and the way she pours her heart out from it that the world loves.  Her voice is as pure as her heart, and her heart is as pure as an angel.  In essence—Jeanette’s singing is angelic.  It is a voice that belongs to the universe, for it sparkles like the millions of stars in the heavens. 

            Jeanette is a singer who, although she is part of our world, her voice is out of this world.  It is a voice that was born to be heard, and when the world heard it in all of its royal majesty, they immediately were captivated and enraptured by it.  That was more than seventy years ago, and what was true then—is just as true today.

            No matter what age a person is, they instantly fall in love with her when they see or hear her.  This is really super star quality.  And yet, what makes her the greatest of all sopranos—no one has ever had the gift to sing from their heart in their throats, and it is precisely this miracle of nature that sets her high atop the pinnacle of the world's great sopranos.  Where Jenny Lind was the “Nightingale”, Jeanette is the Golden Nightingale.  Where Galli-Curci was a coloratura who possessed a pure bell voice, Jeanette possessed a crystal-pure bell voice. 

            Jeanette is not the queen of music just because she is the most gorgeous star to ever grace a stage—no this is not why; it is because her voice is her heart, and she sings to us from her heart, sharing all of her being with us.  The greatest gift a singer can give to one is their heart—and it because of this that she reigns as the world's Greatest Soprano.