Fri-I. Thank God It's Baritone Friday!

This statue of a Roman Emperor, Constantine, can be considered an archetype or asymbol of Masculity. The word "Baritone" originally meant "the voice of a man". 

Welcome to Baritone Friday! The Baritone is the oldest voice in the Opera repetoire. The word originally referred to "the normal voice of a man"  It is no wonder that early opera finds the Baritone in a central role. The dawn of the Tenor era during the Romantic period, saw the Baritone mostly assigned to supporting roles in the opera repertoire, Although there are notable operas with a Baritone lead (particularly Mozart) most operas of the Romantic period see him as a servant, friend, enemy, or wing man to the Tenor! Thus, we see the Baritone as Escamillo in Carmen, Marcello in La Bohème, the Baron Scarpia in Tosca, etc.

Since it is Baritone Friday, we will pick an aria from an opera in which the Baritone plays a leading role. Although Rossini's Barber of Seville is probably what first comes to mind, I am going to pick another famous Baritone role with the same name, this time from the Mozart repertoire...The Marriage of Figaro!

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