Bel Canto as a Vocal Technique

What exactly do people mean when they say they teach Bel Canto? It comes from the Italian and means “beautiful singing”. It evolved out of the explosion of polyphonic music (multiple sounds) in the 16th century which means it’s been around for 500 years! Simply put it’s a technique that relies upon building the body up to support the voice. It relies on an emphasis on breathing and support which in turn allows the singer to sing for hours without vocal stress or fatigue. In fact, with Bel Canto, your body will tire out before your voice does! Pretty amazing, right?