Declamation
Declamation is a stage art like theater and dance . This is so, in the sense that it takes place in front of an audience that observes and listens, that participates as an eye and auditory witness to the art represented.
It could be said that the definition of declamation is the interpretation of a poem , seeking to deepen its message with the harmonious use of the voice and the subtlety of the gesture and the use of mime , all with the aim of highlighting the emotion contained in the text.
It seeks to captivate the viewer so that they vibrate with the sound and meaning of the words, accentuating with gesture and movement those verses or words that highlight the feeling and emotion contained in the poem.
Many authors have tried to differentiate declamation from recitation , although both terms are currently used as synonyms . These authors emphasize that recitation excludes the use of gestures and concentrates all their art on the voice and its modulation .
In the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, this difference was very noticeable in that the gesticulation within the declamation was very expressive , with a lot of hand movement, movement on stage, use of visual elements and in some cases the use of various costumes in the performance. course of the same representation.
With the passage of time, all this has been disappearing in modern declamation and today classical declamation is considered excessive and theatrical , or very histrionic.
Declamation Examples
And as always, the best way to understand declamation is through audio and video examples. First of all, the poem “Give me a kiss” recited by Manuel Vega Jiménez in video format:
Secondly, the declamation of the poem « En la Carcel » by Ismael Cerna , in the interpretation of Victoria Sulbarán , from the Club Oradores.
Now, so that we can see that the concept of declamation is not only a topic for young people and adults, an example of declamation carried out by a child, Gerardo Gálvez Solís , as part of a declamation contest.
Also an excellent declamation by Camila Valencia , of the poem « Caricia », by the Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral .
Tips on how to utter a poem correctly
To finish understanding what recitation is, we will see seven tips on how to utter a poem correctly.
#1 The poem must please you and understand it perfectly
One must like the literary text and understand it in such a way that one can reproduce the poet’s intention at the time of writing it.
#2 You must have the poem memorized
The memorization of the poem is fundamental, since if we do not manage to learn a poem, the intention that the poet had will not be represented as he did. It is important to try to understand the poet’s intention when writing each verse and, having memorized the poem, it will be easier to focus on its correct interpretation.
#3 Pay attention to the rhythm of the poem
Pay attention to the rhythm that the poem has, this rhythm is found in the punctuation marks that the poet has put in his poem. Commas, periods, question marks or exclamation marks are key pieces to be able to adjust the rhythm of the poem, we should not go too fast or too slow.
#4 The modulation of words
Point number 4 is modulation, raising and lowering the volume when declaiming is essential, because if it is not possible to modulate the voice, the problem will be that we are going to keep it on one line and then the receiver that listens to us is going to boring, it will be somewhat monotonous. We must have it in a rising and falling voice so that it can recognize where the important thing is and where what is not so interesting.
#5 The gesticulation
That is, that the jaw muscles move and we can make ourselves understood correctly, since no consonant or vowel will remain inside it, but rather they will be expelled in order to make ourselves understood. Or also, it is enough to read the lips and we will know what the person is trying to communicate.
#6 The vocalization
Vocalization, defined by the Royal Spanish Academy, is divided into two, the first is the correct way to pronounce the vowels and consonants in a word. In this it helps us when a word has an accent but if it does not it is also important to know, according to the orthographic rules , when a word is marked and when it is not, so we can have a correct vocalization.
#7 Pronunciation problems
Continuing with the definition of vocalization, in terms of music, the Royal Spanish Academy clarifies that it is the way in which we manage to prepare ourselves before singing a song.
