and low.
Shattering Glass with Sopranos
The highest voices belong to the sopranos, who—perhaps because of the strain inherent in pitching the sound so far above normal speaking range—tend to be among the more temperamental types. They also seem to get the most romantic roles and die the most colorful deaths.
There are several subdivisions of this voice type. The coloratura soprano is the daredevil of the crowd, with a light, limber quality and the ability to dazzle audiences with trills , runs , ornaments , and all sorts of other passages that theoretically should be physically impossible. The dramatic soprano produces a sound of high resonance and power, perfect for those Wagner and Strauss operas where the heroine has to be heard above the blaring of a huge orchestra. The lyric soprano is of a gentler, sweeter-toned nature, and therefore happier with the lighter, song-like arias found in many French and Italian operas.
----
Music Word
Tessitura is the range of notes in which a particular voice is most comfortable. The singer can go higher or lower if necessary, of course, but is happiest staying within those pitch confines. The term is also sometimes used to indicate the general range encompassed by a vocal part.
----
----
Music Words
A trill is a musicalornament wherein the voice or instrument alternates rapidly between a written note and the note immediately above it. A run is the rapid traversal of many different notes. An ornament is any kind of embellishment of a melody by the addition of extra notes in and around it. As noted, a trill is just such an ornament.
----
The Middle Children: Mezzo-Sopranos
“Mezzo” is Italian for half, so these singers are halfway between sopranos and altos, whom we’ll get to in a moment. Just don’t confuse them with the “Messy Soprano” in Victor Borge’s Mozart Opera routine, or the “Mezzanine Soprano” who has the leading role in P.D.Q. Bach’s hilarious opera spoof, The Stoned Guest , or they’ll never speak to you again. Mezzos don’t often get top billing, but when they do—in Bizet’s Carmen, for instance, or any of the many Rossini operas brought back to 20th century popularity by Marilyn Horne—you can expect dramatic and very exciting vocal fireworks. Some famous mezzos of the recent past include Conchita Supervia, Gladys Swarthout, Kirsten Thorberg, and Jennie Tourel.
Getting Down with the Altos
The word “alto” comes from the same root as altitude, meaning “high,” making it a rather curious appellation for the lowest female voice. On the other hand, in the baroque era, many alto parts were sung by men, so the male alto really had to get up there. Meanwhile, female altos (or contraltos, which are like altos only more so) almost land the romantic roles, but their rich, deep sound makes them perfect casting for what are referred to as the character parts in movies. The famous singer Betty Allen says that opera contraltos usually portray witches or bitches, but you’ll also find them holding forth as nurses, mothers, confidantes, and other useful folks to have around the house. Some famous altos of the recent past are Marian Anderson, Louise Homer, Kathleen Ferrier, and Ernestine Schumann-Heink.
The Men Take Center Stage
Men get to play some of the most glamorous roles in opera: they’re tsars and toreadors, saints and devils, leaders and lovers. In the early years of this century, Caruso and Chaliapin were among the most famous musicians in the world; today we have our Three Tenors (Jose Careras, Placido Domingo, and Luciano Pavarotti), whose round-the-world exploits are documented in Chapter 19. Tomorrow . . . who knows?
----
Bet You Didn’t Know
When Carmen was in rehearsals before the first performance, the toreador hated the aria Bizet had given him, and demanded a rewrite. Bizet, disgusted because his leading lady had already forced him to redo her entrance aria a dozen times, sat down and dashed off
Shattering Glass with Sopranos
The highest voices belong to the sopranos, who—perhaps because of the strain inherent in pitching the sound so far above normal speaking range—tend to be among the more temperamental types. They also seem to get the most romantic roles and die the most colorful deaths.
There are several subdivisions of this voice type. The coloratura soprano is the daredevil of the crowd, with a light, limber quality and the ability to dazzle audiences with trills , runs , ornaments , and all sorts of other passages that theoretically should be physically impossible. The dramatic soprano produces a sound of high resonance and power, perfect for those Wagner and Strauss operas where the heroine has to be heard above the blaring of a huge orchestra. The lyric soprano is of a gentler, sweeter-toned nature, and therefore happier with the lighter, song-like arias found in many French and Italian operas.
----
Music Word
Tessitura is the range of notes in which a particular voice is most comfortable. The singer can go higher or lower if necessary, of course, but is happiest staying within those pitch confines. The term is also sometimes used to indicate the general range encompassed by a vocal part.
----
----
Music Words
A trill is a musicalornament wherein the voice or instrument alternates rapidly between a written note and the note immediately above it. A run is the rapid traversal of many different notes. An ornament is any kind of embellishment of a melody by the addition of extra notes in and around it. As noted, a trill is just such an ornament.
----
The Middle Children: Mezzo-Sopranos
“Mezzo” is Italian for half, so these singers are halfway between sopranos and altos, whom we’ll get to in a moment. Just don’t confuse them with the “Messy Soprano” in Victor Borge’s Mozart Opera routine, or the “Mezzanine Soprano” who has the leading role in P.D.Q. Bach’s hilarious opera spoof, The Stoned Guest , or they’ll never speak to you again. Mezzos don’t often get top billing, but when they do—in Bizet’s Carmen, for instance, or any of the many Rossini operas brought back to 20th century popularity by Marilyn Horne—you can expect dramatic and very exciting vocal fireworks. Some famous mezzos of the recent past include Conchita Supervia, Gladys Swarthout, Kirsten Thorberg, and Jennie Tourel.
Getting Down with the Altos
The word “alto” comes from the same root as altitude, meaning “high,” making it a rather curious appellation for the lowest female voice. On the other hand, in the baroque era, many alto parts were sung by men, so the male alto really had to get up there. Meanwhile, female altos (or contraltos, which are like altos only more so) almost land the romantic roles, but their rich, deep sound makes them perfect casting for what are referred to as the character parts in movies. The famous singer Betty Allen says that opera contraltos usually portray witches or bitches, but you’ll also find them holding forth as nurses, mothers, confidantes, and other useful folks to have around the house. Some famous altos of the recent past are Marian Anderson, Louise Homer, Kathleen Ferrier, and Ernestine Schumann-Heink.
The Men Take Center Stage
Men get to play some of the most glamorous roles in opera: they’re tsars and toreadors, saints and devils, leaders and lovers. In the early years of this century, Caruso and Chaliapin were among the most famous musicians in the world; today we have our Three Tenors (Jose Careras, Placido Domingo, and Luciano Pavarotti), whose round-the-world exploits are documented in Chapter 19. Tomorrow . . . who knows?
----
Bet You Didn’t Know
When Carmen was in rehearsals before the first performance, the toreador hated the aria Bizet had given him, and demanded a rewrite. Bizet, disgusted because his leading lady had already forced him to redo her entrance aria a dozen times, sat down and dashed off
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