What Opera's 11 Types of Female Singers Sound Like (w/examples!)
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 2 окт 2024
- All in all, there are 30+ different kinds of roles in opera. 😱 That means there are 30+ different and distinct kinds of singing. (That's nuts to me. Who knew one tiny little offshoot of one genre of classical music could have so much variety?! But anyways.) Women make up 11 of those kinds of roles, but reading about it's no fun at all. So here's what they sound like!
RECORDINGS USED
💎 Glitter and Be Gay - Candide | Kristen Chenoweth
• Candide In Concert (20...
🥀 Sempre libera - La Traviata | Diana Damrau
• Sempre Libera Diana ...
🌹 Presentation of the Rose - Der Rosenkavalier | Barbara Bonney
• Presentation of the Rose
🙏 O mio babbino caro - Gianni Schicchi | Kristina Mkhitaryan
• Il Trittico: “O mio ba...
🦋 Un bel dì, vedremo - Madama Butterfly | Leontyne Price
• Leontyne Price sings M...
⛩ In questa reggia - Turandot | Christine Goerke
• Video
🧝♀️ Hojotoho - Walküre | Jennifer Wilson
• Walküre 5/12 - R. Wagn...
🐍 Una voce poco fa - Il barbiere di Siviglia | Joyce DiDonato
• Joyce Didonato - Una ...
🍊 Habanera - Carmen | Elina Garanča
• Carmen: "L'amour est u...
🤴 Wie du warst - Der Rosenkavalier | Elina Garanča
• The Met: Live in HD Se...
📿 Nel silenzio di quei raccoglimenti - Suor Angelica | Ewa Podles
• Il Principe Gualtiero ...
STUFF USED
🎹 Piano
Hoffman, ~1930
C.Bechstein, Czech Republic
📝 My favorite iPad sheet music reader - ForScore -
forscore.co/
WHO AM I:
Hiya! 👋 I’m Cait, a normal person with a normal job who happened to get all her degrees in opera. Even though I don’t sing full-time anymore, I’ll always love the art (of course!), so now I make videos to help make opera feel more accessible and relevant to people living in, you know, not 1800.
GET IN TOUCH:
I’d love to hear from you! I bucked socials a while ago, so until I can afford a social media manager (lolol), reaching out through the contact form on the Scores Unstitched website is definitely the way to go.
AUDIO LIBRARY SOURCE
Brandenburg Concerto No4-1 BWV1049 - Classical Whimsical by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
creativecommon...
Source: incompetech.com...
Artist: incompetech.com/
I LOVED the dancer/athlete analogies.
Nice.
You described the voices accurately and youre hilarious but you miscategorised some roles.
Mimi= full lyric soprano not spinto
Tosca=spinto soprano not dramatic soprabo
Gilda= caro nome is lyric coloratura but then the rest is quite light lyric soprano. Far from dramatic coloratura.
Aside from that i loved your video
100% agree with you.
Love how clear & informative this is 😊
No es por arruinarte pero este video esta explicado casi todo mál.
This was immensly informative for someone like me, who is interested but has no matrix knowledge of classical music at all. Your acute intelligence and concise pattern of assiociative teaching made this a pleasurable experience. Thank you so much, I feel richer now.❤
German-speaker here: "Fach" is technically the word for _shelf_ not pocket, which especially given the list at the beginning of all of the differen _Fächer_ kind of makes intuitive sense.
(It's a great video btw, really good for showing to my friends who are confused)
Hoch means high in English but "Hochdramatisch" soprano roles lies very low for a regular soprano. Many mezzo-sopranos sings Wagnerian "hochdramatisch" because they are not that high. So translating it "high dramatic soprano" is very tricky because the "regular" Italian dramatic soprano roles are in much higher range (Tosca, Turandot, Amelia etc)
This was the best video I've ever seen on explaining the types of voices. Characteristics and comparison to the sports are absolutely amazing.
Damarau isn't a dramatic coloratura soprano, Callas and Sutherland were
SHE DEF IS...Luisa Tetrazzini was also one, Christina Deutekom as well as Edita Gruberova or June Anderson
There is no such thing as a high dramatic soprano. You have dramatic sopranos whose specialize in Italian or German roles. Some can do both.
Good point. Personally I disagree with soubrette as an entire category for opera. That’s just an underdeveloped lyric. In fact I argue any soubrette can be replaced by a regular ol’ lyric. It’s more of a character than an entire fach. If your voice is that tiny, you shouldn’t be singing opera, stick to musical theater or little operettas
Really helpful! Explains so much about music for voices. Thank you.
Really very interesting, I hadn't realized there was so much variety. And very entertaining too. Thanks!
Mimi in La Boheme is usually considered to be and sung by lyric sopranos. A really good spinto is exciting in the role (example Tebaldi) but is not the norm.
It would be surprising to find a voice like Tebaldi's today. The woman had such a strong and developed core. One of the most quintessential and beautiful sounding spinto voices. Leontyne Price, on the other hand, was always more of a full lyric soprano to me.
Это норма
Very informative! Of course some of the roles could fit in more than one fach (I would consider Mimì a full lyric for instance).
As much as I appreciate the effort made for this video, I strongly disagree on several examples. Juliette is NOT a role a high light coloratura soprano. Juliette is not Olympia or Zerbinetta. I think this lady who put together this video confuses certain arias with the entirety of the roles. Juliette is not just about her waltz, or Travatia about Sempre Libera. Just look at Juliette’a Poison aria or Traviata’s Addio del Passato. Fiordiligi is not a role either for a light coloratura. The tessitura is not high, and uses low notes. It is more central.
Juliette has only one coloratura aria that is nearly always lowered a full step because the rest of the role is for a full lyric. Fransquita should not be in the list either since that role is negligible and she doesn't even have an aria of her own. There are much better examples for high coloratura soprano in the French repertoire including Philine, Ophélie and Lakmé. Not even sure about the latter since Lakmé's music is mostly lyric albeit on the light side.
As a former opera singer myself, your athletic metaphors are so onpoint.
Really not the best examples at all. Here’s a better idea assuming you want video footage:
Lyric coloratura - Lily Pons or Mady Mesple
Dramatic Coloratura - Maria Callas or Joan Sutherland
Light Lyric - Kathleen Battle
Full Lyric - Angel Blue or Saioa Hernandez
Spinto - Renata Tebaldi
Dramatic Soprano - Eileen Farrell
Wagnerian - how the hell could you put anyone but Nilsson
Coloratura Mezzo - Cecelia Bartoli (not the best technique but she pioneered this voice type)
Lyric Mezzo - Christa Ludwig
Dramatic Mezzo - Elena Obratszova
Lyric Contralto - Ewa Podles or Marian Anderson
Dramatic Contralto - this is even rarer, Podles is still a lyric. Only example I know of is Clara Butt.
Those are some great examples Clara Butt was amazing.
For dramatic contralti what about Gwendolyn Brown, Meredith Arwady, Nicole Mitchell, Angela Christine Smith?
There are no lyric contralto voices in the fach system.
Yeah examples are terrible. I mean Leontyne? Very unbalanced registers and voice
True Fach For example:
Dramatic coloratura : Soprano with a big voice but can sing flexible agility like Rosa Ponselle, Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland.
Soubrette Soprano: Soprano with a small, childish voice like Luissa Tettrazini, Kathleen battle.
Lyrics Soprano : Common Soprano with light voice but not as Soubrette Soprano like Anna moffo, Mirella freni etc.
Spinto Soprano : Soprano with a Medium size voice between Dramatic and Lyrics like Renata Tebaldi, Montserrat Caballe, Zinka Milanov.
Dramatic Soprano : Soprano with big voice like Birgit nillson, Ghena Dimitrova, Rosa Ponselle.
Rosa Ponselle is not a dramatic coloratura lol. She doesn't even have good tops and cannot really go above C#6. Also her coloratura sucks compared to master coloratura like Callas and Joan. Joan have big tops, but her middle and lows are non-existent.
Dramatic sopranos basically disappear nowadays. That voice is huge. Nilsson was like wow…. For the tenor singing with her, I think it’s better that he doesn’t sing at all. Because if he sings, he would be silenced by Nilsson’s voice and couldn’t be heard anyway. Corelli was the only tenor who survived Nilsson, and maybe Stefano, whose voice was silenced and reappeared from time to time.
Yes, unfortunately dramatic singers are disappearing. The example used here was not very good. It was a voice full of wobbles. Nilsson had a humongous voice that was laser sharp and crystal clear without any wobbles. The Nillson and Corelli duels made opera really exciting, this is a good example. ruclips.net/video/jL64eAloyIc/видео.htmlsi=3dFOFfLjvSPZBiiS
@@ZENOBlAmusic It's sooooo good! I mean clearly they are trying to compete with each other on that HighC.
And definitely Windgassen! Also check out Lise Davidsen, she's like the reincarnation of Nilsson!
@@nobumiau6472
Well, outside of Italian repertoires, there are surely some Wagnerians who could match Nilsson's voice, such as Svanholm (the Aida with those two great singers is fantastic). Also Placido Domingo survived once in 1970 when singing Turandot with Nilsson. But generally speaking, I pay my respect to any tenor who had the courage to stand on the stage and sing with her.
I like your video, but i also think about the dramatic coloratura (Maybe Callas instead of Damrau) and the spinto (Zinka Milanov instesd of Price) in a different way... I also consider Cesare to be a contralto role not a mezzo. Garancia was said to be a soprano in 1999 when she won the mirjan hellin (And who ssid it was Nilsson, so i believe her lol).
Completely right - i agree your comment
Diana Damrau is absolutely not a dramatic coloratura. While I like what the content creator is trying to convey, I disagree with some of the examples. There are far more exemplary choices.
Fantastic compilation. Thank you for sharing this.
🌴☀️🌴
I dont agree with the concept of Fachs or "Fächer". Its a 20th century invention; either you can sing the role & can deal with the tessitura or you cannot. Like your choice of Turandot who shouted & wobbled & sounded totally unsuitable for the role. And your choice for Rosina (di Donato) didnt have the depth for the - contralto - role (down to G3).
Of course Fach is really needed in opera. Singer like Di Stefano ruined his voice for singing big roles. He's better in small roles like Tosca or Alfredo.
@@moonlightelf591 Tosca is not a "small" role Cavaradossi is meant for a spinto tenor.
The German Fach system is a method of classifying singers, primarily opera singers, according to the range, weight, and color of their voices. It is used worldwide, but primarily in Europe, especially in German-speaking countries and by repertory opera houses. The Fach system is a convenience for singers and opera houses. *_It prevents singers from being asked to sing roles which they are incapable of performing._* Opera companies keep lists of available singers by Fach so that when they are casting roles for an upcoming production, they do not inadvertently contact performers who would be inappropriate for the part. Attempting to perform demanding operatic roles that do not suit one's voice type can be damaging to the vocal instrument.
Can't wait for your compilation of the different male voice Fächer!
That overview was very informative and - fun!
Well done for a fantastic video ! Thank you !
I was not expecting Ewa Podleś!
sorry to be that guy but Fach means "drawer" or "compartment" only very rarely "pocket" - to a German speaker "pocket" would be "Tasche" as in "Taschenpartitur" (pocket score).
Of course…😂
I just started taking voice lessons and I was a little surprised to find out that I wasn't a true alto 😢 I sang alto for most of high school but I really couldn't sing out with those low notes without straining. Turns out I was a mezzo this whole time 😂
I don’t care what fach a singer sings in as long as I enjoy them.
Great video. Very well informed. And may I praise the beauty of Ewa Podes’s voice.
So essentially, the High Dramatic Soprano is Wagnerian
better example for Spinto is either Maria Caniglia or Renata Tebaldi
Goodness! This is so helpful as a listener. Thank you
what makes high/heavy dramatic sopranos rare is not because there are only few people who CAN do it, the reason is that dramatic sopranos have stayed in Italian operas often. There is a little difference between wagnerian and dramatic sopranos, so little that even a spinto can sing a wagnerians. Actually I can only name few wagnerian sopranos, Flagstad, Leider, Nilsson, Varnay, and Modl
Thank you. Really interesting., and very clearly presented.
No, a dramatic coloratura soprano would be singers such as Maria Callas or Joan Sutherland, huge voices that could handle roles such as Norma that not only require great power, but also true mastery of coloratura. The Queen of the Night is usually taken by tiny voiced sopranos such as Rita Streich. A large voice Queen such as Edda Moser or Christina Deutekom are the rare exception rather than the norm. Octavian in Rosenkavalier a dramatic Mezzo? Really? That role is usually sung by lyric mezzos such as von Stade. And not uncommonly, it was also sung by lyric sopranos such as Sena Jurinac. A dramatic mezzo would be singers such as Elena Obraztsova, Fiorenza Cossotto, Irina Arkhipova, Dolora Zajick, singers who can handle huge and heavy mezzo roles such as Amneris in Aida. Leontyne Price was, in her own words, "A lyric. A juicy lyric, but a lyric." She was never a spinto, as a real spinto role such as Fancuilla almost destroyed her voice. A real Spinto would be Renata Tebaldi or Aprile Millo. And a singer who most perfectly embodied what a true Lyric soprano should be was the late Mirella Freni.
But singers don't create the fachs, the roles do. 🤘🏻Of course we could chat all day about who sings which role best, but ultimately it's about the role itself. I'd love to see a video with your take on it though! The debate's always interesting!
@@CaitFrizzell Of course the roles make the fach, but let's take the role of Norma as the ultimate dramatic coloratura role. Diana Damrau, given here as an example of a dramatic coloratura, would be an utter fool to attempt the role. Similar singers such as Gruberova or Sills, who attempted the role, typically produced rather disastrous and often ludicrous results. Likewise, dramatic sopranos without full mastery of coloratura have led to equally sad results (Gina Cigna, for example).
Also, let's remember that the fach system is a relatively recent thing, as in the past, singers spanned many of these fachs and sang roles that today we do not expect the same singer to be able to sing. This might have something to do with the technical schooling of the singers, which allowed Lehmann to sing coloratura roles as well as Norma, Isolde, and all the Brünnhildes. But for us, it would be unimaginable to have a Nilsson, Stemme, or Goerke even attempt Norma. And let's not forget that Wagner wanted his soprano roles to be sung as beautifully as if they were Norma. The inflexible barking voices of today's Wagner singers would have been totally foreign to his ears and his expectations.
My issue with your choice of singers to represent typical performers of these fachs is that most of them would be unable to sing the roles that are most typical of the aforementioned fach. Garanca could never get through Amneris in a large house, which is the bread and butter of a true dramatic mezzo such as Zajick. And if a supposedly "dramatic" roles is commonly and successfully managed by lyric voices, perhaps that role is not really a dramatic role.
You are completely right. You evidently know a great deal more about the 'Fach' than the presenters of this vid .
@@neuberg7315 You are completely right. You evidently know a great deal more about fostering a community of inclusiveness and welcome for an art form that's desperate for new audiences.
Yeah I also disagree with some of the ways she put these singers into fachs. It’s not the biggest deal in the world thought.
"Soprano leggiero, lirico leggiero, lirico spinto, leggiero …I don’t know what!
Soprano, basta!
Once upon a time, one soprano did „Norma“, „Puritani“, „Sonnambula, „Lucia“. The same woman.
…Madame Malibran, she does „Sonnambula“ and „Fidelio“ the same night. It’s a matter of technique." (Maria Callas, Juilliard School Of Music, 1971)
Me learning that a bunch of male roles in opera are played by hot women: 😳
I think I'd have used Nilsson in the Turandot and Die Walkure excerpt. Also, if list to coloratura sopranos like Luisa Tetrazzini you find their voice dark and flexible with bell like staccato. Her chest and middle voice were insane! Magda Olivero and Rosanna Carteri are what lyric sopranos used to sound like.
Absolutely FANTASTIC video. THANK YOU for making this!
I like the dancing examples you used ❤
Can you cover the very rare Mezzo Contralto voice type? There isn’t much information about this voice type around.
Thank you for this interesting and informative video for those new to opera, However, I disagree with your thoughts on Puccini’s “O Mio Babbino Caro” in regard to its suitability for young sopranos. The aria’s range is comparatively modest and the lyrical sweep of the melody is ideal for learning to create a legitimate legato line. Additionally, the character (Lauretta) is a teenager and therefore relatable for a younger singer. Lastly, the categorization of classical singers should (ideally) stem purely from the voice’s inherent timbre, as opposed to range.
I agree with all your points! But still don't think the aria's fit for younger singers from a purely physiological standpoint. There's a video in the works. 😉
It just one minute for this to go wrong.
Congratz…
Example:
Leontyne Price is a lyric!
Tosca is for a spinto.
(And of course the flat Christine Goerke had to be included)
I LOVE THIS! thankyou for putting a lot of effort to this video. It really helps! ♥
My alternative examples for the voice types would be:
Coloratura Soprano: Natalie Dessay
Dramatic Coloratura Soprano: Joan Sutherland
Soubrette: Kristen Chenowith, although she really is limited to musical theater. I would never consider her as a proper opera singer.
Lyric Soprano: Renee Fleming
Spinto Soprano: Leontyine Price is actually a good example
Dramatic Soprano: Birgit Nilsson
High Dramatic Soprano: Kirsten Flagstad
The mezzo examples are al fitting.
Although Marilyn Horne is the epitome of coloratura mezzo.
Sutherland is s spinto disguised as something else.
Leontyne Price was a lyric.
Nilsson and Flagstad were dramatics or hochdramatischer.
(Same thing)
@@draganvidic2039 but leontyne has that metallic overtone that i think only spintos have, i think maybe she's a spinto with the range of a lyric
Price called herself a lyric soprano "but a juicy one."
Young sopranos would never start out as spintos. They would start out as soubrettes and then age into a full lyric or spinto. When the soprano is in her forties, she will then age into either a dramatic or Wagnerian soprano.
The same thing applies to mezzos. A mezzo would start out as a lyric. However, she would either become a lyric or spinto soprano as an adult, or stay a mezzo. If she stays a mezzo, she would become a dramatic or a Wagnerian mezzo in her forties. Mezzos who become sopranos will take the lyric/spinto-dramatic/Wagnerian path.
I love o mio but my voice is just too light for it right now I’m a soubrette. My best friend who has a heavier voice than me sung it and it sounded amazing!!!
Perhaps your voice could change, who knows? Of course, I wouldn't count on it, but still.
Some of these I disagree with. But overall it was a fun video!
My range is from a D3 to D#6. My voice has power at the bottom and top. Around the E3 it sounds resonant around the C#6 it starts to lose resonance. It’s definitely not in the lyric category because it isn’t light. What kind of voice type would I be? Not even my voice teacher is sure.
I loved the analogies too - really helped illustrate the differences. And SO agree with you re. Oh Mio Babbino Caro (I'm soubrette/coloratura and it's just not right for my voice). And Mozart is one of my favourite composers - Exsultate Jubilate and the Alleluia.
I watch MLP FiM, what voice type best describes Andrea Libman?
Very informative as well as funny! Thank you.
As a german speaker I had never thought of the word „Fach“ in connection with opera as „compartment“ or „pocket“. Yes, the word can mean that, but the word Fach has other meanings in other contexts, and in this context I am quite sure the correct translation would be „discipline“ or „specialty“.
When someone asks you in german „was ist dein Fach?“ (what is your „Fach“) what they are asking is what you specialize in. This question would not only be asked in the context of music. If you say you are a doctor that would be a valid question, asking what kind of doctor you are, or what you specialize in. If you say you are a tenor and someone asks which „Fach“ the question is what you specialize in, not which pocket you fit into.
Where did you find the sheet music for Der Rosenkavalier? I’ve been searching for it for some time?
This was sooo interesting! Thank you for compiling all the examples - much appreciated!
I love the athlete and voice types comparisons. I think it’s very effective.
Overall it would have been nice to see more singers of old included :) A bit hard to stomach Goerke. Just thinking about how Nilsson sounds compared to her, such worlds apart in ease of execution and pleasantness for ear. Although she would of course have been placed more firmly in the dramatic/high dramatic.
Fach does not mean pocket, but compartment or academic subject
Leontyne Price is a full lyric soprano, not a spinto
The Composer and Octavian are lyric mezzo roles.
Dramatic Mezzo Roles Per example are Amneris in Aida. Or Eboli in Don Carlos. Or Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde.
And there are many Contralto Roles.
Dalila is originally written for a contralto voice.
There are coloratura, lyrical, dramatic, and low contralto fachs.
Roles for Contralto Coloratura are :
Isabella in Italiana in Algeri or Maffio Orsini in Lucrezia Borgia, or Arsace in Semiramide. Or Tancredi. And many more.
Lyrical Contralto Roles are Celia, in La Fedelta Premiata, or Genoveva in Pelleas et Melisande, Mrs. Quickly in Falstaff.
Dramatic Contralto Roles are Erda in Rheingold und Siegfried, Ulrica in Un Ballo in Maschera, 1.Norn in Götterdämmerung, Klytemnästra in Elektra.
Deep Contralto Roles are Magdalena in der Evangelimann, oder die Alleswissende Muschel in die Ägyptische Helena, und Gaea in Daphne.
And there are many more.
❤️
Check the scores?
Octavian, Eboli, The Composer and Brangäne are all soprano roles.
(For example)
So helpful!!!!!
The whole Fach thing is absurd and relatively recent.
"I'm the girl that works at Paramount all day and Fachs all night."
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I was waiting for acuto- sfogato soprano like Ingeborg hallstein, Mado robins, mady mesple, and Erna Sach, not to mention so may of them,
Those mentioned are voices made thin often with squeezed high notes.
Mado Robin is horrible.
Hallstein, Robin and Masplé are voices made thin with often squeezed top notes.
They’re bad coloraturas.
Mezzo-sopranos aren't cello like. They are Viola like in sound quality. Baritone or Tenors that have a lyrical weight have a sweet cello like sound.
Exactly lol
I have no opera experience, but I am really curious what i would be considered. I frequently struggle to get my voice to carry. If we are just looking at basic, choral, singing roles, I am a countertenor (female tenor). I have a really deep range, and cant sing past D5 on my best days. Are there any opera voice types that fit me?
Male roles would be your best fit if you can't get past d5
There are female tenors. One even performed at the Metropolitain opera in male roles.
You might be a contralto profondo.
A few contralto fachs missing but... Let me try:
Lyric Coloratura Soprano - Ingeborg Hallstein and Sumi Jo
Dramatic Coloratura Soprano - Cristina Deutekom
Soubrette - Dawn Upshaw
Light Lyric Soprano - Kathleen Battle and Lily Pons (not a coloratura)
Full Lyric Soprano - Renée Fleming and Montserrat Caballé
Spinto Soprano - Leontyne Price and Raina Kabaivanska (just check her Tosca... 🤪)
Dramatic Soprano - Ghena Dimitrova
Wagnerian Soprano - Birgit Nilsson
Coloratura Mezzo-soprano - Joyce DiDonato
Lyric Mezzo-soprano - Frederica von Stade
Dramatic Mezzo-soprano - Elena Obraztsova
Coloratura Contralto - Ewa Podleś
Lyric Contralto - Nathalie Stutzmann
Dramatic Contralto - Gwendolyn Brown
Why include the flat Goerke?
I really enjoyed this video on classical voices soooo informative and educational
I loved your presentation. Very esucational.
Can you tell me who was in the picture for Olympia when you introduced the Coloratura Soprano?
Ewa Podleś forever the best. It la pire that such excellent contralto is so underrated
Underrated? She was an international star for years.
Hi, can soubrettes hit a D6? If not, which soprano voice type would have a range from C4-D6? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
no leggero soprano !!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????
My coach has classified me as Lyric Soprano, i have some full sounding areas, my high notes sound light and bird like. My range is D3-E6. He is currently training me to go faster in high notes for colortura warm ups. So being able to do the whistle register, doesnt mean you are a colortura right? It just means you're a lyrical soprano with the ability? Im not very fast either
The last singer was the Amazing Eva Podles,(RIP) her range was A2 to D6! Also the contralto voice yes it is rare but it is not as rare as many think. There's a lot of reasons for this one is that there wasn't a lot of repertoire written for contraltos, also there's been a misconception that contaltos aren't marketable so many will call themselves mezzo-sopranos. There's also a lot of misunderstanding about the voice and a lot of us go through life not knowing what the heck is wrong with our voices and psychologically we may tell ourselves that this is not the way females are supposed to sing and therefore we may not even discover how low we could really get and how powerful are lower registers are. Another reason is there are three types of contraltos there's a lyric there's the middleweight or coloratura which is what Eva was( which is kind of like having both a basement and an attic so we could go very low and very high. Then there's the dramatic that is extremely low and sounds almost Male. Also the contralto voice mirrors the bass singer an octave higher so in reality there are no fewer contraltos than there are bases unfortunately there is a lot of misunderstanding about this. As an example, I come from a family full of musicians, I've been around musicians all my life but no one seemed to be able to tell me what was "weird" about my voice I didn't start studying vocals until about 4 years ago. I have a similar range as Eva does but I'm set a little lower. Roughly G2 to B5. the thing with control toes is a lot of us can get up there but we don't like to stay up there so I could use high notes sparingly but my best comfort zone is G2 to G5. Adding more to the confusion is the dramatic contralto sounds almost Male, which is why some people insist a female sounding voice can't be a contralto if it doesn't sound male. Also the most common contralto is the lyric that can be confused with a Mezzo, it's lighter and more feminine, which adds to the confusion. For me, had I known years ago about this, I'd have got into opera, but it's too late. I've been "type cast" as a rock belter singing male vocals, and although I've took some lessons, and I'm obsessed with vocal mechanics/science, my knowledge of the latter is always going to exceed my ability to sing plus when I try to sing "nice" everybody goes "what the heck? why aren't you screaming and belting like you normally do? Lol
08:18 Bad example!
im pretty sure im a soubrette. but i feel like i just havent reached my full potential to be a coloratura. my voice is fast and high notes are so easy. i just havent fully gotten there, i guess. i guess i can also sing pretty low? because i can sing down to g3 but thats usually more wonky than singing b7. i have sung with people that are actual mezzo sopranos and my voice is always so much lighter and hollow compared to them. they have a much warmer sound than me. they can also sing lower than me easier
This was so helpful for me in my continuing self-education in opera, and music and singing in general.
Same note at 4:19 (soubrette) and 7:25 (spinto). Good for comparing.
Thoroughly enjoyed this presentation. Thank you!
Despina is not a character in The Marriage of Figaro. She sings in Cosi fan tutte.
Is it Katelyn Tuohi running?
Is there a way to tell what type of you are without going to Oprah school?
Contraltos aren't all dramatic, there are also lyric and coloratura types
Not from the beginning.
You’re talking modern inventions.
Despina from Cosi Fan Tutte -sorry not Marriage of Figaro
Ok but Kristin Chenoweth killed it
Thanks for this video. It helped me so much.
Interesting video. But there's a misconception about coloratura sopranos, in our days because they lack proper technique; they sound small, squeezed, throaty, and utterly nasal (as other voices in general). Most modern operatic singers have very poor technique. 😢
Carmen is a contralto role sung often by mezzos because it's such a great role that everyone wants to do it (and because many mezzos are closeted lyric contraltos).
Carmen is a mezzo role often sung by sopranos, you mean.
@@512gontranI personally think it would suit a contralto more, if they had the range for it - a rich, deep sounding voice doing it sounds *sooo* good - but both mezzos and sopranos sing it. Also few people seem to call themselves a contralto now, for marketing reasons, so from what I've seen people don't consider what roles might fit contraltos now regardless.
I do not agree for Juliette at 01:40 ! I'd rather think she's a lyric or a spinto soprano
Now which fach do you belong to, Cait?
I hear a light lyric soprano
@@mugrad25 Her speaking voice sounds like it, but we cannot guarantee with only her talking voice.
@@bradycall1889 i checked her out videos on her page
@@mugrad25 Oh okay.
Lyric Baritone here I'll see you in the moonlight on the deck of the Titanic. 😂
I would love to know who came up with all these 'types' of voices. Why can't you just enjoy their voices without dissecting them to the point of utter boredom. I love Opera and I don't care what 'category' these so called experts put them into, it's all just bullshit to make us think they know more than the person who actually goes to an opera to enjoy the music and voices!
It's already explained at 0:22 where the word _Fach_ comes from. The *_German_* Fach system is a method of classifying singers, primarily opera singers, according to the range, weight, and color of their voices. It is used worldwide, but primarily in Europe, especially in German-speaking countries and by repertory opera houses. The Fach system is a convenience for singers and opera houses. *_It prevents singers from being asked to sing roles which they are incapable of performing._* Opera companies keep lists of available singers by Fach so that when they are casting roles for an upcoming production, they do not inadvertently contact performers who would be inappropriate for the part. Attempting to perform demanding operatic roles that do not suit one's voice type can be damaging to the vocal instrument. You would not be able to enjoy an operative voice if it were singing a role that is inappropriate for the type of voice it is capable of singing.
I DO know that singers have different types of voices and sing the roles that suit their voices, I've listened to enough of them in my lifetime to know the difference but people who try to blind us with boring facts and figures should keep their so called expertise to their own opera snob circle. Just sit back and enjoy the music and don't get your knickers in a knot because a true opera fan has a different view to yours!
@@helenakeane2449 If you do not enjoy videos on arcane opera subjects, then simply do not watch them. You have the option to choose what you want to watch on RUclips unlike on broadcast television.
@@RaymondHng 'Arcane' secret, obscure, mysterious? Try reading the book by David Barber 'When The Fat Lady Sings' or 'Beecham Stories' compiled by Harold Atkins and Archie Newman. You might actually manage to climb down from the dizzy heights of your snobbery and crack a smile as you realise that music and opera are there for enjoyment and not to be dissected like something that died! It's still alive and kicking and living in the hearts of those of us who watch and listen simply for the love of it.
@@helenakeane2449 I'm not an opera snob. I just prefer Rossini, Verdi, and Puccini over Wagner. My only direct involvement with opera is serving on the board of directors of a local arts organization that commissioned a new opera. We were only involved in fundraising. We never got involved with the artistic decisions of the composer or the producer.
This video does not come off as pretentious. I find this video as being informative. I do not interpret any air of arrogance in it. Your problem is that you are confusing the distribution model of RUclips with broadcast television. RUclips is video-on-demand. You get to pick and choose which video you want to watch. Broadcast television, on the other hand, is video that is served to you by broadcasters, You do not get to choose what the broadcasters serve you. This video was not forced upon you. You made the decision to watch it and you made the decision to continue to watch it. And now you're complaining that it shouldn't have been produced. You're beginning to come off as someone who complains for the sake of complaining. There is an intended audience for this video. But you are not the intended audience.
A contralto should have like....tenor low C. If your lowest good note is F3, you're a soprano.
I don’t think a contralto would actually sing that low, but you are right. Alto should have a good Low C and even lower. Mezzo should go lower than a Low E. Most sopranos, or maybe just women in general, couldn’t go lower than G3. I am going to be a little off topic since we are talking about opera, but in Les Miserables (yes musical), Fantine, a mezzo role, is sometimes played by someone with a soprano voice because musicals are not really strict with voice types. Her lowest note is a G3, and I think lots of sopranos are struggling with it. But some sopranos with bigger voices may go as low as D3. And I agree if you could not sing lower than F3 you are mostly likely to be a soprano.
This is not meant to be the absolute lowest note. This is meant to be lowest note heard without a microphone in an opera house. Of course they can reach much lower notes. (as far as I understand).
@@somebodysvideos7876 right, but a mezzo should have a performable low F. For a contralto, you'd want at least an audible Eb.
@@jasonblack4208 interesting to know)
I'm not very familiar with opera. Can you show me a mezzo aria with a low F?
@@somebodysvideos7876 Absolutely true. And it's the major difference between opera singing and pop songs/musical theatre. You must sing audible notes. But even with a microphone, most sopranos are struggling with the G3 in I dreamed a dream in Les Mis.
Disculpen tu lenguaje
Чушь глупость и лишнее забивание мозгов😂