Tuesday, March 29, 2011

WHAT'S NEXT?

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

THE END OF THE VOICE PARADE AND CONCLUSION

 

 

Major Soprano Roles in Opera

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Major Mezzo-Soprano Roles in opera

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Contralto roles in opera

True operatic contraltos are rare, and the operatic literature contains few roles written specifically for them. Contraltos sometimes are assigned feminine roles like Angelina in La Cenerentola, Rosina in The Barber of Seville, and Olga in Eugene Onegin, but more frequently they play female villains or assume trouser roles originally written for castrati. A common saying among contraltos is that they may play only "witches, bitches, or britches."[5]
Examples of contralto roles in the standard operatic repertoire include the following:[5].

Male Soprano, Countertenor, Falsetto, and Treble Roles

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Major Tenor roles in opera

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Baritone roles in opera

 

 

Bass roles in opera

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END OF CONSTRUCTION

A PARADE OF VOICES IN GILBERT AND SULLIVAN

 

 

Bass roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operettas

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

THE DRAMATIC BASSO PROFUNDO

Dramatic basso profondo

English equivalent: dramatic low bass. Dramatic basso profondo is a powerful basso profondo voice.
Roles

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

THE LYRIC BASSO PROFUNDO

Lyric basso profondo

Basso profondo (lyric low bass), is the lowest bass voice type. According to J. B. Steane in Voices, Singers & Critics, the basso profondo voice "derives from a method of tone-production that eliminates the more Italian quick vibrato. In its place is a kind of tonal solidity, a wall-like front, which may nevertheless prove susceptible to the other kind of vibrato, the slow beat or dreaded wobble."
Roles

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

THE SCHWERER SPIELBASS

Schwerer Spielbass/dramatic buffo

English equivalent: dramatic bass
Roles

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

THE BASSO BUFFO

Basso buffo/bel canto/lyric buffo

Buffo, literally "funny", basses are lyrical roles that demand from their practitioners a solid coloratura technique, a capacity for patter singing and ripe tonal qualities if they are to be brought off to maximum effect. They are usually the blustering antagonist of the hero/heroine or the comic-relief fool in bel canto operas.
Roles

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

THE JUGENDLICHTER BASS

Jugendlicher Bass

Jugendlicher Bass (Juvenile Bass) denotes the role of a young man sung by a bass, regardless of the age of the singer.
Roles

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

THE HOHER BASS

Hoher Bass/dramatic high bass/dramatic bass-baritone

Hoher Bass or "high bass" or often a dramatic bass-baritone.
Roles

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

THE BARYTON NOBLE

Baryton-noble

  • Description: French for noble baritone and describes a part that requires a noble bearing, smooth vocalisation and forceful declamation, all in perfect balance. This category originated in the Paris Opera, but it greatly influenced Verdi (Don Carlo in Ernani and La forza del destino; Count Luna in Il trovatore; Simon Boccanegra) and Wagner as well (Wotan; Amfortas).


UNDER CONSTRUCTION

THE DRAMATIC LOW-BARITONE

Dramatic Bass-baritone/Low Baritone

  • Common Range: From about the F below low C to the F above middle C (F2 to F#4)




UNDER CONSTRUCTION

THE LYRIC LOW-BARITONE

Lyric Low Baritone/Lyric Bass-baritone

  • Common Range: From about the F below low C to the F above middle C (F2 to F#4)
Some bass-baritones are baritones, like Friedrich Schorr, George London, James Morris and Bryn Terfel. The following are more often done by lower baritones as opposed to high basses.




UNDER CONSTRUCTION

THE DRAMATIC BARITONE

Dramatic baritone

  • Common Range: From the G half an octave below low C to the G above middle C (G2 to G4).
  • Description: A voice that is richer and fuller, and sometimes harsher, than a lyric baritone and with a darker quality. This category corresponds roughly to the Heldenbariton in the German fach system except that some Verdi baritone roles are not included. The primo passaggio and secondo passaggio of both the Verdi and Dramatic Baritone are at Bb and Eb respectively, hence the differentiation is based more heavily on timbre and tessitura. Accordingly, roles that fall into this category tend to have a slightly lower tessitura than typical Verdi baritone roles, only rising above an F at the moments of greatest intensity. Many of the Puccini roles fall into this category. However, it is important to note, that for all intents and purposes, a Verdi Baritone is simply a Dramatic Baritone with greater ease in the upper tessitura (Verdi Baritone roles center approximately a minor third higher). Because the Verdi Baritone is sometimes seen as subset of the Dramatic Baritone, some singers perform roles from both sets of repertoire. Similarly, the lower tessitura of these roles allow them frequently to be sung by bass-baritones.




UNDER CONSTRUCTION

THE VERDI BARITONE

Verdi baritone

  • Common Range: From the G below low C to the A above middle C (G2 to A4).
  • Description: A more specialized voice category and a subset of the Dramatic Baritone, a Verdi baritone refers to a voice capable of singing consistently and with ease in the highest part of the baritone range, sometimes extending up to the C above middle C, or "High C." The Verdi baritone will generally have a lot of squillo, or "ping"




UNDER CONSTRUCTION

THE KAVALIERBARITONE

The kavalierbariton

  • Common Range: From the A below low C to the G above middle C (A2 to G4).
  • Description: A metallic voice, that can sing both lyric and dramatic phrases, a manly noble baritonal color, with good looks. Not quite as powerful as the Verdi baritone who is expected to have a powerful appearance on stage, perhaps muscular or physically large.




UNDER CONSTRUCTION

THE LYRIC BARITONE

Lyric baritone

  • Common Range: From the A below low C to the A or A above middle C (A2 to A/A4).
  • Description: A sweeter, milder sounding baritone voice, lacking in harshness; lighter and perhaps mellower than the dramatic baritone with a higher tessitura. It is typically assigned to comic roles.




UNDER CONSTRUCTION

THE BARYTON MARTIN

Bariton/Baryton-Martin

  • Common Range: From the low C to the A above middle C (C3 to A4)[8]
  • Description: The Baryton-Martin lacks the lower G2-B2 range a heavier baritone is capable of, and has a lighter, almost tenor-like quality. Generally seen only in French repertoire, this fach was named after the French singer Jean-Blaise Martin. Associated with the rise of the baritone in the 19th century, Martin was well known for his fondness for falsetto singing, and the designation 'Baryton Martin' has been used (Faure, 1886) to separate his voice from the 'Verdi Baritone', which carried the chest register further into the upper range.[9] It is important to note that this voice type shares the primo passaggio and secondo passaggio with the Dramatic Tenor and Heldentenor (C4 and F4 respectively), and hence could be trained as a tenor.




UNDER CONSTRUCTION

THE TENOR BUFFO OR SPIELTENOR

Tenor buffo or Spieltenor

A tenor with good acting ability, and the ability to create distinct voices for his characters. This voice specializes in smaller comic roles. The range of the tenor buffo is from the C one octave below middle C (C3) to the C one octave above middle C (C5). The tessitura of these parts lies lower than the other tenor roles. These parts are often played by younger tenors who have not yet reached their full vocal potential or older tenors who are beyond their prime singing years. Only rarely will a singer specialize in these roles for an entire career.[2] In French opéra comique, supporting roles requiring a thin voice but good acting are sometimes described as 'trial', after the singer Antoine Trial (1737–1795), examples being in the operas of Ravel and in The Tales of Hoffmann.[11]
Tenor Buffo or Spieltenor Roles in Opera & Operettas:[2]


Tenor Buffo or Spieltenor singers:


[edit] Operetta

Tenor Roles in Operetta: All of the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operettas have at least one lead lyric tenor character; other notable roles are:

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

THE HELDENTENOR

Heldentenor

A rich, dark, powerful and dramatic voice. As its name implies, the Heldentenor (English: heroic tenor) vocal fach features in the German romantic operatic repertoire. The Heldentenor is the German equivalent of the tenore drammatico, however with a more baritonal quality: the typical Wagnerian protagonist. The keystone of the heldentenor's repertoire is arguably Wagner's Siegfried, an extremely demanding role requiring a wide vocal range and great power, plus tremendous stamina and acting ability. Often the heldentenor is a baritone who has transitioned to this fach or tenors who have been misidentified as baritones. Therefore the heldentenor voice might or might not have facility up to high B or C. The repertoire, however, rarely calls for such high notes. A Heldentenor is sometimes less a true tenor than a baritone with an unusually strong top register. Lauritz Melchior epitomises the Heldentenor sound in this regard.
Heldentenor Roles In Operas & Operettas:[2]


Heldentenor Singers:


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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

THE SPINTO TENOR

Spinto tenor

This voice has the brightness and height of a lyric tenor, but with a heavier vocal weight enabling the voice to be "pushed" to dramatic climaxes with less strain than the lighter-voice counterparts. (They are also known as "lyric-dramatic" tenors.) This fach is divided into lirico-spinto and drammatico-spinto, though it is an old-school Italian tradition to do so and Spinto tenors today are simply labeled "Spinto". Spinto tenors have a darker timbre than a lyric tenor, without having a vocal color as dark as many (not all) dramatic tenors. However, other spinto tenors, such as Jussi Björling or Carlo Bergonzi have brightly colored and lyrical sounding voices, but are nevertheless able to perform spinto roles due to fairly large vocal size[2]. Spinto tenors have a wide range of flexibility within the fach system being able to perform such roles as Radames in Aida and Don Alvaro in La forza del destino as well as lighter roles such as the Duca in Rigoletto and Werther. The German equivalent of the Spinto fach is the Jugendlicher Heldentenor and encompasses many of the Dramatic tenor roles as well as some Wagner roles such as Lohengrin and Siegmund. The difference is often the depth and metal in the voice where some lyric tenors age or push their way into singing as a Spinto giving them a lighter tone and Jugendlicher Heldentenors tend to be either young heldentenors or true lyric dramatic voices giving them a dark dramatic tenor like tone. Spinto tenors have a range from approximately the C one octave below middle C (C3) to the C one octave above middle C (C5), and, like the lyric tenors, they are often capable of reaching D5 and sometimes higher. Similarly, their lower range may extend a few notes below the C3.[2]
Spinto Tenor Roles In Opera & Operettas:[2]


Spinto Tenor Singers:


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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

THE LYRIC TENOR

Lyric tenor

A warm graceful voice with a bright, full timbre that is strong but not heavy and can be heard over an orchestra. Lyric tenors have a range from approximately the C one octave below middle C (C3) to the D one octave above middle C (D5) with some able to sing up to E5 and higher. Similarly, their lower range may extend a few notes below the C3. There are many vocal shades to the lyric tenor group, repertoire should be selected according to the weight, colors, and abilities of the voice.
Lyric Tenor Roles In Opera & Operettas:[2]


Lyric Tenor Singers:


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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

LIRICO LEGGIERO TENOR

Leggiero tenor

The male equivalent of a lyric coloratura, this voice is a light lyric instrument, is very agile and is able to perform difficult passages of fioritura. The Lirico-Leggiero tenor has a range of approximately the C one octave below middle C (C3) to the D above tenor C (D5), with a few leggiero tenors being able to sing F5 and even higher while maintaining quality to the sound. Similarly, the lirico-leggero may be able to sing a little lower than the C3. The voice is the highest operatic tenor voice and is sometimes referred to as "tenore di grazia". This voice is utilized frequently in the operas of Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti and the highest Baroque repertoire for tenors.
Lirico-Leggiero Tenor Roles In Opera & Operettas:[2]


Lirico-Leggiero Tenor Singers:


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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

THE DRAMATIC COUNTERTENOR

The Dramatic Countertenor


Roles
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Notable Dramatic Countertenors
  • Name (1900-2000) Nationality. 
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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

THE LYRICAL COUNTERTENOR

  • Roles:
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    • Name (1900-2000) Nationaity
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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

THE MALE COLORATURA SOPRANO or COUNTERTENOR


The Male Coloratura Soprano or Countertenor


Roles
  • Role, Opera by Composer
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Notable Dramatic Countertenors
  • Name (1900-2000) Nationality. 
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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

FALSETTOS AND ROASTED SWANS

This is not really a roasted swan, but a pastry that looks like one! In Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, there is a special aria for the Roasted Swan, a role that can be sung either by a male countertenor or a falsetto! The aria is sung in vulgar Latin.

The Falsetto


Roles
  • Role, Opera by Composer
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Notable Dramatic Countertenors
  • Name (1900-2000) Nationality. 
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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

THE TREBLE CHOIR BOYS

Here is a Photoshop-modified picture from the French movie Les Choristes. A "treble" is the term we use to describe a boy's voice before he reaches puberty. The voice itself can range from high soprano to low alto. The baritones and basses of a typical choir, like the one depicted in this movie, are usually the older boys.

Children occasionally have roles in even the most serious of operas. You'll hear them as charming street urchins playing soldier in Carmen or hear them emit the most blood-curdling screams as the enslaved Nibelungs in Das Rheingold, running away from the dwarf Alberich and his invisible whip! Some rare operas have a boy soprano singing the leading role, like the shepherd boy in Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors.

The Treble


Roles
  • Role, Opera by Composer
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Notable Dramatic Countertenors
  • Name (1900-2000) Nationality. 
  • Name (1900-2000) Nationality. 
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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

THE DRAMATIC CONTRALTO

Here is a poster showing Gweneth Bean as Erda the Earth Mother in a Met production of Wagner's opera Siegfried, the third opera of the monumental Ring of the Nibelungs, in which she appears at least once in every one of the operas. Her warning to Wotan in the first opera of the series, Das Rheingold, is indeed a challenging role for a dramatic contralto.
-UNDER CONSTRUCTION-

LYRIC CONTRALTO

An ancient Roman painting of a distinguished matron named Cornelia. The wife of the murdered Pompey was also named Cornelia. Her lyric contralto role plays a tragic figure in Handel's colorful opera Giulio Cesare (Julius Caesar) set in the exotic Alexandria of the beguiling Cleopatra and her evil brother Tolomeo (Ptolemy). Her aria is one of the most beautiful and sensitive of the Baroque era.

COLORATURA CONTRALTOS

An aristocratic Spanish lady by Goya. This could very well be Rosina, who later became the Countess Almaviva in the Beaumarchais plays that inspired Mozart and Rossini to put them to music in their operas. The Rosina of Rossini's Barber of Seville was originally played by a coloratura contralto, a rarity these days!
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DRAMATIC MEZZO-SOPRANO

Sant-Saens Samson and Delila The leading female role is the domain of the dramatic mezzo-soprano
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LYRIC MEZZO SOPRANO

This poster shows a couple dancing the sevillana and evokes the exotic world of Carmen in the Bizet opera. The role of the dark and swarthy gypsy is definitely the domain of the lyric mezzo-soprano and her deep melodious voice.




-UNDER CONSTRUCTION-