Vocal weight

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Vocal weight refers to a voice's ability to handle changes in vocal dynamic. Weight is often determined by the thickness of the vocal cords. All voices can sing loudly or softly to some degree, but different voices handle changes in dynamic differently. A voice can be said to have a dramatic or lyric quality.

There are many types of systems for evaluating a singers timbre and range. In German, this system is called fach and exists so singers are able to sing roles at an appropriate timbre and weight, so they will be heard in a theatre without having microphones. Fach is often contested. Many singers in Germany who end up placed in a fach can have trouble getting back out of their assigned place, but this has become less of a problem in recent times.

Contents 1 Female voices 1.1 Soprano categories 1.1.1 Coloratura 1.1.2 Mezzo soprano categories 1.2 Contralto categories 2 Male voices 2.1 Counter-tenor 2.2 Tenor categories 2.3 Baritone Categories 2.4 Bass-Baritone 2.5 Bass Categories 2.6 Miscellaneous male voice categories

Female voices

Soprano categories

Coloratura

A type of decoration of a singers style which a soprano may choose to sing with or possess naturally:

• Coloratura - See coloratura for more information. There are a few subtypes:

• Lyric - A light soprano and ability for coloratura. Sings roles like Lakmé, The Queen of the Night (The Magic Flute) and Olympia (Tales of Hoffmann), though sometimes lyric coloraturas cover dramatic coloratura roles as well. Soul music lyric coloraturas adlib, employ runs, trills, and melismatic singing and sing well above High C. Examples would be Edita Gruberova, Natalie Dessay, Kathleen Battle, Patrizia Ciofi, and Regine Velasquez.

• Dramatic - Is powerful enough to sound dramatic, but unlike many other voice types, agility is not compromised and so, can execute vocal acrobatics and melismas. The voice can have a range of up to three octaves and can sustain coloratura at full volume. In classical music, it can sing over the orchestra with ease and agility in roles like Bellini's Norma. Examples are Joan Sutherland, Maria Callas, Montserrat Caballe, June Anderson.

• Soubrette - A very light yet bright, sweet soprano voice, that is best in the middle voice. The roles a soubrette plays are usually fun, flirty characters like Despina (Cosi fan tutte), Susanna (The Marriage of Figaro), and Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier). Soubrette roles are often covered by light lyrics and lyric coloratura's as well. In popular music, a soubrette can be considered a female soprano that sings best in middle voice with no strenuous vocal dynamics. Examples of a soubrette would be Adele Stolte, Dominik Orieschnig, and Edith Mathis.

• Lyric - This voice is smooth and mellow. When a Lyric voice becomes loud, it can sound strenuous or very pushed. As a result, it does not like to sing loudly frequently. Agility and crisp diction are its strong points. In opera, characters with lyric voices are generally more vulnerable. The voice usually consists of a warm, full, graceful sound which can be heard over an orchestra. Subcategories of this would be full lyric and light lyric. Full lyrics have fairly heavier voices and sing roles like Mimi (La Bohème) or Violetta (La Traviata). Lighter lyrics, which can often be covered by soubrettes, cover roles like Pamina (The Magic Flute). Examples of full lyric soprano would be Mirella Freni and Renee Fleming.

• Lighter lyric would be someone like Nicole Cabell, Ruth Ann Swenson, Anna Netrebko, or Dorothea Röschmann.

• Spinto - This voice has a more robust and full sound compared to a lyric voice. It can be pushed (hence its Italian name) to dramatic climaxes, but also has a very lyric quality. It handles vocal dynamic changes very well. In opera this voice is often considered a "baby" dramatic; a larger voice but not quite to the level of dramatic. Many spintos will develop into dramatics later into their careers. Some roles in the spinto reportoire are Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Santuzza (Cavalleria Rusticana), Adriana Lecovreur (Adriana Lecouvreur), and Elisabeth of Valois (Don Carlos). Examples of spinto sopranos would be Renata Tebaldi and Lina Bruna-Rasa.

• Dramatic - This voice can sing over the orchestra, the choir, and any other accompaniments. As the vocal chords are thicker, agility is usually compromised. Singers who are classified as having dramatic voices have very strong and vigorous singing voices. In opera, characters with dramatic voices are usually strong, heroic, and frequently tragic. A very powerful and large voice which can be heard over full orchestras; sings Verdi or German roles such as the two Leonoras (Il Trovatore and La Forza del Destino), Turandot, Isolde (Tristan und Isolde), and Brünnhilde (Der Ring des Nibelungen). Examples of dramatic sopranos would be Helen Traubel, Kirsten Flagstad, Astrid Varnay, Birgit Nilsson, Eileen Farrell, Ghena Dimitrova, Eva Marton, Jane Eaglen, and Deborah Voigt.

• Lighter dramatics sing roles like Elsa (Lohengrin), Senta (The Flying Dutchman), and Chrysothemis (Elektra). Some prominent singers are Lotte Lehmann, Leonie Rysanek, and Nina Stemme.

Mezzo soprano categories

Mezzos have similar ranges to sopranos, but darker timbres. The following subcategories apply to them:

• Coloratura mezzo soprano - Mezzo sopranos can also be coloraturas; Rossini especially liked to employ mezzo coloratura in his operas, such as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia and the title role in Tancredi. There are also great coloratura mezzo roles in Baroque opera, such as 'Ruggiero' in Alcina. Some great coloratura mezzos are Teresa Berganza, Cecilia Bartoli, and Vesselina Kasarova.

• Lyric - A lighter, smaller mezzo voice. Can have a range up to, or even above High C, but has difficulties singing above an orchestra and often has a metallic tonal quality in the upper register. Can often sing breeches roles like Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, but can also sing roles like Alisa in Lucia di Lammermoor and Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte. Some examples would be: Frederica von Stade, Jennifer Larmore, Anne-Sofie von Otter, and Susan Graham.

• Dramatic - Fuller sound than a lyric mezzo, often with a somewhat lower range, but the voice itself is larger. Can sing above an orchestra, chorus and so on with ease. Sings roles like Amneris in Aida, the Kostelnicka in Jenufa, Dalila in Samson et Dalila, and the title role of Carmen. Some examples would be Christa Ludwig, Marilyn Horne, and Dolora Zajick.

• German Dramatic - Sing mezzo parts in Wagner's and Richard Strauss' operas such as 'Klytämnestra' in Elektra, 'Herodias' in Salome and the 2nd Norn in Der Ring des Niebelungen. Many German dramatic mezzos start out their career as German dramatic sopranos. Some prominent examples are Astrid Varnay, Leonie Rysanek, Anja Silja.

Contralto categories

Contraltos (also called altos, mainly in choral music where it is a range designation and not a matter of vocal weight) have lower ranges and tessitura than Mezzo sopranos or Sopranos. True contraltos are very rare.

• Contralto - Deep and dark voice; true contraltos are very rare. They sing roles like Azucena in Il Trovatore, Penelope in Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria, and Public Opinion in Orphée aux Enfers. Prominent classical examples of this vocal type are Ernestine Schumann-Heink, Marian Anderson, and Ewa Podles.

• Dramatic Contralto - heavier in tone and stronger in power than the regular contralto. Erda in Das Rheingold.

Male voices

Male voices can be divided into counter-tenor, tenor, baritone and bass.

Counter-tenor

Counter-tenors have the highest male voice range and generally sing roles written for castrato such as the title role in Giulio Cesare in Egitto, Farnace in Mitridate, Nerone in L'incoronazione di Poppea and Orfeo in Orfeo ed Euridice. They often sing in the falsetto voice, though some men can sing this range without using falsetto voice. Some prominent counter-tenors are David Daniels, Brian Asawa, and Jean-Paul Fouchecourt.

Tenor categories

• Drammatico or dramatic tenor or di forza or robusto: A powerful, rich, heroic tenor. Examples for this voice would be Plácido Domingo, Mario del Monaco, Franco Corelli, and Jose Cura.

• Heldentenor (German repertoire for "heroic tenor") - A rich, powerful, and dramatic voice capable of reaching the low G or A below Middle C and effortlessly executing the Tenor C (or B one step below). As its name implies, the Heldentenor vocal fach is usually featured in musico-drama settings, and in the German Romantic operatic repertoire in particular (especially in the works of Wagner and in Beethoven's Florestan). Ben Heppner is considered the premier Heldentenor of the present generation; prominent Heldentenors of past decades include Lauritz Melchior, Wolfgang Windgassen and Jon Vickers. The keystone of any heldentenor's repertoire is arguably Wagner's Siegfried, an extremely demanding role requiring a wide vocal range, great stamina, and extended dramatic suspension. In the dramatic Italian operatic repertoire, Verdi's Otello also stands out as a demanding test of the Heldentenor's abilities.

• Lyric or lirico - A strong yet not heavy voice with range up to C5. Sings roles like Rodolfo in La Boheme, Argirio in Tancredi, and The Duke in Rigoletto. Examples for this voice would be would be Luciano Pavarotti, Ramon Vargas, and Salvatore Licitra.

• Spinto - Heavier than a lyric but not quite a dramatic. Sings roles like Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Canio in I Pagliacci, and Don José in Carmen. Some prominent spinto includes Roberto Alagna.

• Leggiero or light-lyric- The male equivalent of a lyric coloratura, this tenor voice is very light and is capable of reaching high notes. It is not uncommon for Leggieros to have a natural high extension that reaches past C5 and often topping around E5 and F5, and in rare cases around G5 (though seldom used in repertoire, with the exception of the role of Lord Arturo Talbot in Bellini's "I Puritani", in the third act ensemble "Credeasi, misera", where he must perform the high F). This voice does not carry the 'chest voice' or resonance into its higher register and this it is easier for it to access the higher tessitura than for any of the other tenors, even if the sound is brighter but less powerful than its other counterparts. Another characteristic of this voice is its flexibility and agility. Roles include Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Gerald in Lakmé, Tonio in La fille du régiment, and Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte. An example of a tenor leggiero would be Juan Diego Florez.

Remarks: Please note that most tenors stretched their repertoire from time to time or depending on the drama roles, such as Placido Domingo who has taken roles from lirico to drammatico and also Heldentenor for Wagner’s opera. The category above is just an example for certain arias sung by them. Pavarotti for example can also be categorized as lirico and spinto in the same time.

Baritone Categories

• Lyric - High tessitura and lighter voice, quite often a comic character. Examples would be Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, the Count in Le nozze di Figaro, and Escamillo in Carmen. Examples of this voice type would be Simon Keenlyside and Teddy Tahu Rhodes.

• Dramatic - Lower tessitura than a lyric, rich and full voice. Sings roles like the title character of Rigoletto.

Bass-Baritone

• Also known by the terms "Heldenbariton" and "basso cantante", a bass-baritone has the tessitura of a baritone but the lower range that is customary of a basso. Because of that, bass-baritones often play either villainous characters in operas (such as Duke Bluebeard in Bluebeard's Castle or as regal but older men such as Wotan from Die Walküre - although that is not always the case, with such examples like Fidelio from Fidelio, Golaud from Pelleas et Melisande, and Guillaume Tell from Guillaume Tell to name a few. Some famous bass-baritones include Jose van Dam, Samuel Ramey, Thomas Quasthoff, Theo Adam, Bryn Terfel, and Frederich Schorr.

Bass Categories

• Lyric - Has agility but also a deep tone. Roles are often sung by lyric baritones and vice-versa. Example roles would be both Figaro roles and Leporello in Don Giovanni. Examples of this type of singer would be Lorenzo Regazzo and Bryn Terfel.

• Heavy - Very dark and deep, such as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte or the Commendatore in Don Giovanni. Example: René Pape.

Miscellaneous male voice categories

• Profondo - A rich and deep, extremely dark dramatic male bass voice capable of executing notes at or lower than C2, C two octaves below Middle C.

• Baritenor - a voice having a range between that of a tenor and a baritone; a lower tessitura than that of a true tenor but one higher than a true baritone.

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