The German Fach (pl. Fächer, literally "compartment" or also "subject (of study)", here in the sense of "(vocal) specialization") (German pronunciation: [ˈfax, ˈfɛçɐ]) system is a method of classifying singers, primarily opera singers, according to the range, weight, and color of their voices. It is used world wide, 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 a singer from being asked to sing roles which he or she is 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.
Below is a list of Fächer, their ranges as written on sheet music, and roles generally considered appropriate to each. When two names for the Fach are given, the first is in more common use today. Where possible, an English and/or Italian equivalent of each Fach is listed; however, not all Fächer have ready English or Italian equivalents. Note that some roles can be sung by more than one Fach and that many singers do not easily fit into a Fach: for instance some sopranos may sing both Koloratursopran and Dramatischer Koloratursopran roles. In addition, roles traditionally more difficult to cast may be given to a voice other than the traditional Fach. For instance, the "Queen of the Night" is more traditionally a dramatic coloratura role, but it is difficult to find a dramatic coloratura to sing it (particularly given the extreme range). Therefore, the role is often sung by a lyric coloratura.
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[edit] Soprano Fächer
[edit] Lyrischer Koloratursopran / Koloratursoubrette
- English equivalent: Coloratura soprano or Lyric Coloratura soprano
- Range: From about middle C to the F two-and-a-half octaves above middle C (F6)
- Description: Usually (but not always) a light soprano who has a high voice. Can often have small voices lacking the richness and resonance of a dramatic soprano. Must be able to do fast acrobatics with easy high notes. Many have extremely high ranges (with notes above the F of the "Queen of the Night"), but there are also singers in this Fach who do not regularly sing higher than the high E flat. Often, women who sing dramatic coloratura roles have the ability to cross over to the more lyric roles (and vice versa); for instance, Joan Sutherland, Maria Callas, Edda Moser (dramatic to lyric); Lucia Popp, Diana Damrau and Natalie Dessay (lyric to dramatic).
- Roles:
- Oscar, Un ballo in maschera (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Tytania, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Benjamin Britten)
- Zerbinetta, Ariadne auf Naxos (Richard Strauss)
- Olympia, Les contes d'Hoffman (Jacques Offenbach)
- Adele, Die Fledermaus (Johann Strauss Jr.)
- Adina, L'elisir d'amore (Gaetano Donizetti)
- Marie, La fille du régiment (Gaetano Donizetti)
- Amina, La sonnambula (Vincenzo Bellini)
- Amenaide, Tancredi (Gioachino Rossini)
- Elvira, I puritani (Vincenzo Bellini)
- Gilda, Rigoletto (Giuseppe Verdi)
[edit] Dramatischer Koloratursopran
- English equivalent: Dramatic coloratura soprano
- Range: From about middle C to the F two-and-a-half octaves above middle C
- Description: The same as above, only with a more dramatic, rich voice. Often heavier and more lyrical than a Coloratura soprano. Must also be able to do fast vocal acrobatics and reach high notes, such as the F6 of the "Queen of the Night".
- Roles:
- Donna Anna, Don Giovanni (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- The Queen of the Night, Die Zauberflöte (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Konstanze, Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Rosalinda, Die Fledermaus (Johann Strauss Jr.)
- Semiramide, Semiramide (Gioachino Rossini)
- Lucia, Lucia di Lammermoor (Gaetano Donizetti)
- Fiordiligi, Così fan tutte (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Imogene, Il pirata (Vincenzo Bellini)
- Norma, Norma (Vincenzo Bellini)
- Leonora, Il trovatore (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Violetta, La traviata (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Maria, Maria Stuarda (Gaetano Donizetti)
- Lady Macbeth, Macbeth (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Odabella, Attila (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Abigalle, Nabucco (Giuseppe Verdi)
One must not mistake the Mozartian dramatic coloratura soprano with the Italian dramatic coloratura soprano. A singer that sings Konstanze, Donna Anna or Fiordiligi can not necessarily sing the Italian dramatic coloratura parts, due to other vocal demands. Imogene, Leonora and Violetta requires a dramatic soprano voice and are most often sung by dramatic sopranos with an agile voice that can easily produce coloratura and high notes. Roles like Norma, Lady Macbeth, Odabella or Abigaille are good examples of Italian roles that are not necessarily a coloratura soprano (even though the score calls for coloratura singing), but a full bodied dramatic soprano with a voice that can handle extreme dramatic singing and that is flexible enough to sing coloratura. Giuseppe Verdi wrote many parts like this in his early years.
[edit] Deutsche Soubrette / Charaktersopran
- English equivalent: Soubrette
- Range: From about middle C to the C two octaves above middle C
- Description: A beautiful, sweet light lyric voice usually capable of executing florid passages similarly to that of a coloratura. The range is usually intermediate between that of a coloratura and lyric soprano. Most sopranos start out as soubrettes, changing fach as the voice matures.
- Roles:
- Blondchen, Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Despina, Così fan tutte (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Susanna, Le nozze di Figaro (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Zerlina, Don Giovanni (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Ilia, Idomeneo (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Belinda, Dido and Aeneas (Henry Purcell)
- Adele, Die Fledermaus (Johann Strauss)
- Sophie, Der Rosenkavalier (Richard Strauss)
- Ännchen, Der Freischütz (Carl Maria von Weber)
- Laetitia, The Old Maid and the Thief (Gian Carlo Menotti)
[edit] Lyrischer Sopran
- English equivalent: Full Lyric Soprano
- Range: From about B below middle C to the C two octaves above middle C
- Description: A more supple soprano, capable of legato, portamento, and some agility; generally has a more soulful and sensuous quality than a soubrette, who tends to be largely flirtatious and somewhat tweety. The voice is very common; thus the purity and character of the basic timbre is essential. It is the "basic" soprano voice which is at neither extremes of the soprano range of voices; it is not known for having particular vocal attributes such as power, stamina, technical prowess, or agility. However, there are several lyric sopranos that possess a quantity of many of these vocal attributes, thus allowing them to sing a broader variety of roles. Nevertheless, the core of the true fundamentally lyric voice does not encompass such traits. Innocence, vulnerability and pathos are usually conveyed in the music written for the characters portrayed by the lyric soprano because of this endearing simplicity. This fach is also famous because the voices usually remain especially fresh until advanced age.
- Roles:
- Mimì, La bohème (Giacomo Puccini)
- Magda, La rondine (Giacomo Puccini)
- Lauretta, Gianni Schicchi (Giacomo Puccini)
- Liù, Turandot (Giacomo Puccini)
- Pamina, Die Zauberflöte (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Micaela, Carmen (Georges Bizet)
- Marguerite, Faust (Charles Gounod)
- Manon, Manon (Jules Massenet)
- Antonia, Les contes d'Hoffmann (Jacques Offenbach)
- La Contessa, Le nozze di Figaro (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Amelia Grimaldi, Simon Boccanegra (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Thaïs, Thaïs (Jules Massenet)
- Rusalka, Rusalka (Antonín Dvořák)
- Tatyana, Eugene Onegin (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
[edit] Jugendlich Dramatischer Sopran
- English equivalent: Lyric dramatic soprano
- Range: From about A below middle C to the C two octaves above middle C
- Description: The Italian version of this fach is the spinto, which literally translated means pushed. However this is not accurate in terms of these singers' vocal production. A lyric dramatic soprano has a lyric instrument that can also create big sounds, cutting through an orchestral or choral climax. This voice is sometimes referred to as a "young" or "youthful" dramatic soprano although this term doesn't necessarily refer to the singer's age but rather to the tonal quality of the voice. This fach is more clearly delineated in the German system than in the American system. Depending on the singer, however, this voice type can be versatile, as it lies at neither extreme of the soprano spectrum. Spintos are occasionally able to take on lighter mezzo roles, or, conversely, lyric and even coloratura roles.
- Roles:
- CioCio-san, Madama Butterfly (Giacomo Puccini)
- Manon Lescaut, Manon Lescaut (Giacomo Puccini)
- Suor Angelica, Suor Angelica (Giacomo Puccini)
- Elizabeth de Valois, Don Carlo (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Leonora, La forza del destino (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Amelia, Un ballo in maschera (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Marschallin, Der Rosenkavalier (Richard Strauss)
- Elsa, Lohengrin (Richard Wagner)
- Susannah, Susannah (Carlisle Floyd)
- Donna Elvira, Don Giovanni (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Magda Sorel, The Consul (Gian Carlo Menotti)
- Aida, Aida (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Liza, The Queen of Spades (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
- Floria Tosca, Tosca (Giacomo Puccini)
- Marie/Marietta, Die tote Stadt (Erich Wolfgang Korngold)
[edit] Dramatischer Sopran
- English equivalent: Full dramatic soprano
- Range: From about the A below middle C to the C two octaves above middle C
- Description: Characterized by their rich, full sounding voices, dramatic sopranos are expected to project across large orchestras, a feat that requires a powerful sound. Dramatic sopranos are not expected to have the vocal flexibility of the lighter Fachs. Although most dramatic sopranos have a darker, more robust quality to the voice, there are some that possess a lighter lyrical tone. In these instances, however, the substantial amount of volume and endurance normally associated with the dramatic soprano voice is still present. The darker voiced dramatic soprano may even make a foray into the dramatic mezzo-soprano territory with great success.
- Roles:
- Senta, Der fliegende Holländer (Richard Wagner)
- Leonore, Fidelio (Ludwig van Beethoven)
- Ariadne, Ariadne auf Naxos (Richard Strauss)
- Gioconda, La Gioconda (Amilcare Ponchielli)
- Santuzza, Cavalleria rusticana (Pietro Mascagni)
- Salome, Salome (Richard Strauss) (high dramatic soprano)
- Die Kaiserin, Die Frau ohne Schatten (Richard Strauss) (high dramatic soprano)
The last two roles mentioned, Salome and Die Kaiserin, are respectively high dramatic sopranos and require that the soprano can endure long stretches of very high tessitura. Richard Strauss himself said that Salome should be sung by someone with the flexibility of a dramatic coloratura due to the high tessitura.
[edit] Hochdramatischer Sopran
- English equivalent: Wagnerian soprano
- Range: From about the G below middle C to the C two octaves above middle C
- Description: A voice capable of answering the demands of operas of Wagner's maturity. Basically, a full dramatic soprano voice taken to the next dimension. The voice is substantial, very powerful, and even throughout the registers. It is immense, stentorian and even larger than the voice of the "normal" dramatic soprano. Although the two voices are comparable and are sometimes hard to distinguish between, this voice has even greater stamina, endurance and volume than the former. Successful hochdramatische are rare: only one or two appear in a generation.[citation needed]
- Roles:
- Turandot, Turandot (Giacomo Puccini)
- Minnie, La fanciulla del West (Giacomo Puccini)
- Elektra, Elektra (opera) (Richard Strauss)
- Brünnhilde, Der Ring des Nibelungen (Richard Wagner)
- Kundry, Parsifal (Richard Wagner)
- Isolde, Tristan und Isolde (Richard Wagner)
- Dyer's Wife, Die Frau ohne Schatten (Richard Strauss)
[edit] Mezzo-soprano and Contralto Fächer
[edit] Koloratur-Mezzosopran
- English equivalent: Coloratura mezzo-soprano
- Range: From about the G below middle C to the B two octaves above middle C
- Description: Found especially in Rossini's operas, these roles were written originally for altos with agility and secure top notes. Today they are often played by mezzo-sopranos and sometimes even by sopranos. At times a lyric or full lyric soprano with a flexible voice will assume the roles as written while a true coloratura soprano will sing the same music transposed upwardly to a higher key.
- Roles:
- Rosina, Il barbiere di Siviglia (Gioachino Rossini)
- Angelina, La Cenerentola (Gioachino Rossini)
- Romeo, I Capuleti e i Montecchi (Vincenzo Bellini)
- Orsini, Lucrezia Borgia (Gaetano Donizetti)
[edit] Lyrischer Mezzosopran / Spielalt
- Range: From about the G below middle C to the B two octaves above middle C
- English equivalent: Lyric mezzo-soprano
- Description: A lyric soprano's instrument in a lower range; the resulting sound is less piercing, more lachrymose and rather sensitive. The voices are similar, giving rise to the term 'short soprano' i.e. a soprano without the highest notes. In fact, many lyric mezzos with strong extensions to their upper vocal registers make the transition to singing as sopranos at some point in their careers.
- Roles:
- Cherubino, Le nozze di Figaro (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Octavian, Der Rosenkavalier (Richard Strauss)
- The Composer, Ariadne auf Naxos (Richard Strauss)
- Suzuki, Madama Butterfly (Giacomo Puccini)
- Arianna, L'Arianna (Claudio Monteverdi)
- Dorabella, Così fan tutte (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Carmen, Carmen (Georges Bizet)
- Dido, Dido and Aeneas (Henry Purcell)
- Sesto, La clemenza di Tito (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
[edit] Dramatischer Mezzosopran
- English equivalent: Dramatic mezzo-soprano
- Range: From about the G below middle C to the B two octaves above middle C
- Description: Dramatic mezzo-sopranos have ranges very similar to a dramatic soprano. The main difference is the endurance and ease in which the two voice-types sing – a mezzo will concentrate singing most of the time in her middle and low registers and will go up to notes like high B-flat only at the dramatic climax. Consequently, many dramatic mezzo-sopranos have success in singing some dramatic soprano roles that are written with a lower tessitura.
- Roles:
- The Sorceress, Dido and Aeneas (Henry Purcell)
- Dalila, Samson et Dalila (Camille Saint-Saëns)
- Amneris, Aida (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Eboli, Don Carlo (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Azucena, Il trovatore (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Ortrud, Lohengrin (Richard Wagner)
- Fricka, Das Rheingold, Die Walküre (Richard Wagner)
[edit] Dramatischer Alt
- English equivalent: Dramatic Contralto
- Range: From about the F below middle C to the G or A two octaves above.
- Description: Stylistically similar to the dramatic mezzo, just lower. Sings usually around the break between the chest-voice and middle-voice. Many mezzos tried their luck in these roles, yet real altos fare better. A deep, penetrating low female voice. This is a very rare voice type with a darker, richer sound than that of a typical alto.
- Roles:
- Erda, Der Ring des Nibelungen (Richard Wagner)
- Ulrica, Un ballo in maschera (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Florence, Albert Herring (Benjamin Britten)
- Olga, Eugene Onegin (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
- Marfa, Khovanshchina (Modest Mussorgsky)
[edit] Tiefer Alt
- English equivalent: Low Contralto.
- Range: From about the E below middle C to the E two octaves above
- Description: A low female voice.
- Roles:
- Gaea, Daphne (Richard Strauss)
- Geneviève, Pelléas et Mélisande (Claude Debussy)
- Die Kranke, Moses und Aron (Arnold Schoenberg)
[edit] Tenor Fächer
[edit] Spieltenor / Tenor Buffo
- English equivalent: (Lyric) comic tenor. It is quite possible for a young Spieltenor to eventually work into the lighter Lyrischertenor category; the deciding factor will be the beauty of voice.
- Range: From about low C to the B an octave above middle C (C to b')
- Roles:
- Pedrillo, Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Monostatos, Die Zauberflöte (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- King Kaspar, Amahl and the Night Visitors (Gian Carlo Menotti)
- Mime, Das Rheingold (Richard Wagner)
- Monsieur Triquet, Eugene Onegin (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
[edit] Charaktertenor
- English equivalent: Character tenor. Must have good acting abilities.
- Range: From about the B below low C to the C an octave above middle C (B to c')
- Roles:
- Mime, Siegfried (Richard Wagner)
- Herod, Salome (Richard Strauss)
- Aegisth, Elektra (Richard Strauss)
- The Captain, Wozzeck (Alban Berg)
[edit] Lyrischer Tenor
- English equivalent: Lyric tenor
- Range: From about low C to the C-F an octave above middle C (C to c')
- Roles:
- Tamino, Die Zauberflöte (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Belmonte, Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Rodolfo, La bohème (Giacomo Puccini)
- Ferrando, Così fan tutte (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Almaviva, Il barbiere di Siviglia (Gioachino Rossini)
- Arturo, I puritani (Vincenzo Bellini)
- Elvino, La sonnambula (Vincenzo Bellini)
- Ramiro, La Cenerentola (Gioachino Rossini)
- Nemorino, L'elisir d'amore (Gaetano Donizetti)
- Alfredo, La traviata (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Il Duca, Rigoletto (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Don Ottavio, Don Giovanni (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Faust, Faust (Charles Gounod)
[edit] Jugendlicher Heldentenor
- English equivalent: Light dramatic tenor
- Range: From about low C to the C an octave above middle C (C to c')
- Description: A tenor with a dramatic extended upper range with the necessary brightness to come through the orchestra's texture.
- Roles:
- Don José, Carmen (Georges Bizet)
- Lohengrin, Lohengrin (Richard Wagner)
- Siegmund, Die Walküre (Richard Wagner)
- Radamès, Aida (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Manrico, Il trovatore (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Idomeneo, Idomeneo (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Calaf, Turandot (Giacomo Puccini)
- Cavaradossi, Tosca (Giacomo Puccini)
- Florestan, Fidelio (Ludwig van Beethoven)
- Canio, Pagliacci (Ruggero Leoncavallo)
- Don Alvaro La forza del destino(Giuseppe Verdi)
- Max, Der Freischütz (Carl Maria von Weber)
- Dick Johnson, La fanciulla del West (Giacomo Puccini)
[edit] Heldentenor
- English equivalent: Heroic Tenor
- Range: From about the B below low C to the C above middle C (B to c1)
- Description: A full dramatic tenor with baritonal facility in the middle range and the brightness necessary to pierce a thick orchestral texture.
- Roles:
- Otello, Otello (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Siegfried, Der Ring des Nibelungen (Richard Wagner)
- Parsifal, Parsifal (Richard Wagner)
- Tristan, Tristan und Isolde (Richard Wagner)
- Walther von Stolzing, Die Meistersinger (Richard Wagner)
[edit] Baritone Fächer
[edit] Lyrischer Bariton / Spielbariton
- Italian: Baritono Lirico
- English equivalent: Lyric baritone
- Range: From about the B below low C to the G above middle C (B to g')
- Description: A sweet, mild sounding baritone voice, lacking harshness. Many lyric baritone roles call for some fioritura and coloratura, a beautiful line, as well as a charismatic presence.
- Roles:
- Orfeo, L'Orfeo (Claudio Monteverdi)
- Conte Almaviva, Le nozze di Figaro (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Guglielmo, Così fan tutte (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Papageno, Die Zauberflöte (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Figaro, Il barbiere di Siviglia (Gioachino Rossini)
- Belcore, L'elisir d'amore (Gaetano Donizetti)
- Dottore Malatesta, Don Pasquale (Gaetano Donizetti)
- Sir Riccardo Forth, I puritani (Vincenzo Bellini)
- Valentine, Faust (Charles Gounod)
- Marcello, La bohème (Giacomo Puccini)
- Sharpless, Madama Butterfly (Giacomo Puccini)
- Silvio, Pagliacci (Ruggero Leoncavallo)
- Wolfram von Eschenbach, (Tannhäuser) (Richard Wagner)
- Pelléas, Pelléas et Mélisande (Claude Debussy)
- Onegin, Eugene Onegin (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
- Albert, Werther (Jules Massenet)
- Billy Budd, Billy Budd (Benjamin Britten)
- Hamlet, Hamlet (Ambroise Thomas)
- Lear, Lear (Aribert Reimann)
- Prospero, The Tempest (Thomas Adès)
[edit] Kavalierbariton
- Italian: Baritono Cantabile
- English equivalent: 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 or Charakterbariton, who is expected to have a powerful appearance on stage, perhaps muscular or physically large.
- Range: From about the A below low C to the G# above middle C (A to g#' )
- Description: Harsher, more pronounced than the Lyric baritone.
- Roles:
- Don Giovanni, Don Giovanni (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Germont, La traviata (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Ford, Falstaff (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Rodrigo de Posa, Don Carlo (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Lord Enrico Ashton, Lucia di Lammermoor (Gaetano Donizetti)
- Lescaut, Manon Lescaut (Giacomo Puccini)
- Hérode, Hérodiade (Jules Massenet)
- Valentine, Faust (Charles Gounod)
- Count, Capriccio (Richard Strauss)
- Wolfram von Eschenbach, Tannhäuser (Richard Wagner)
[edit] Charakterbariton
- Italian: Baritono Verdiano
- English equivalent: Verdi Baritone.
- Range: From about the A below low C to the G# above middle C (A to g#')
- Description: A voice particularly effective with passages in its higher reaches. A high tessitura vis-a-vis the range extremes. 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"
- Roles:
- Nabucco (title role) (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Don Carlo, Ernani (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Ezio, Attila (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Macbeth (title role) (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Miller, Luisa Miller (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Rigoletto (title role) (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Il Conte di Luna, Il trovatore (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Simon Boccanegra (title role) (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Renato, Un ballo in maschera (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Don Carlo di Vargas, La forza del destino (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Falstaff (title role) (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Guillaume Tell William Tell (Gioachino Rossini)
- Escamillo, Carmen (Georges Bizet)
- Wozzeck (title role) (Alban Berg)
[edit] Heldenbariton
- Italian: Baritono Drammatico
- Range: From about the G below low C to the F# above middle C (G to f#')
- Description: Means 'heroic baritone'. In the German opera houses a true Heldenbariton is a prized possession: a singer with exciting power and an authoritative mature sound and production.
- Roles:
- Telramund, Lohengrin (Richard Wagner)
- Amonasro, Aida (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Iago, Otello (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Gérard, Andrea Chénier (Umberto Giordano)
- Alfio, Cavalleria rusticana (Pietro Mascagni)
- Jack Rance, La fanciulla del West (Giacomo Puccini)
- Tonio, Pagliacci (Ruggero Leoncavallo)
- Michele, Il tabarro (Giacomo Puccini)
- Scarpia, Tosca (Giacomo Puccini)
- Jochanaan, Salome (Richard Strauss)
[edit] Lyric Bassbariton/Low Lyric Baritone
- English equivalent: Lyric Bass-baritone.
- Range: From about the G below low C to the F# above middle C (G to f#')
- Description: The bass-baritone's required range can vary tremendously based on the role, with some less demanding than others. Some bass-baritones are baritones, like Friedrich Schorr, George London, and Bryn Terfel; while others are basses, like Hans Hotter, Alexander Kipnis, and Samuel Ramey.
- Roles:
- Don Pizarro, Fidelio (Ludwig van Beethoven)
- Escamillo, Carmen (Georges Bizet)
- Golaud, Pelléas et Mélisande (Claude Debussy)
- Méphistophélès, Faust (Charles Gounod)
- Don Alfonso, Così fan tutte (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Figaro, Le nozze di Figaro (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Don Bartolo, Le nozze di Figaro (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Progy, Porgy and Bess (George Gershwin)
- Example:
[edit] Dramatic Bassbariton/Low DramaticBaritone
- English equivalent: Dramatic Bass-baritone.
- Range: From about the G below low C to the F# above middle C (G to f#')
- Roles:
- Igor, Prince Igor (Alexander Borodin)
- Scarpia, Tosca (Giacomo Puccini)
- The Dutchman, The Flying Dutchman (Richard Wagner)
- Hans Sachs, Die Meistersinger (Richard Wagner)
- Wotan, Der Ring des Nibelungen (Richard Wagner)
- Alberich, Sigfried (Richard Wagner)
- Amfortas, Parsifal (Richard Wagner)
- Jochanaan, Salome (Richard Strauss)
[edit] Bass Fächer
[edit] Basso Cantante/Lyric Bassbariton/High Lyric Bass
- English equivalent: Lyric Bass-baritone.
- Range: From about the E below low C to the F above middle C (E to f')
- Basso Cantante means 'singing bass'.[1]
- Roles:
- Duke Bluebeard, Bluebeard's Castle (Béla Bartók)
- Don Pizarro, Fidelio (Ludwig van Beethoven)
- Count Rodolfo, La sonnambula (Vincenzo Bellini)
- Blitch, Susannah (Carlisle Floyd)
- Méphistophélès, Faust (Charles Gounod)
- Don Alfonso, Così fan tutte (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Leporello, Don Giovanni, Don Giovanni (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Figaro, Le nozze di Figaro (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Boris, Boris Godunov (Modest Mussorgsky)
- Don Basilio Il barbiere di Siviglia (Gioachino Rossini)
- Silva, Ernani (Giuseppe Verdi
- Philip II, Don Carlos (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Count Walter, Luisa Miller (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Zaccaria, Nabucco (Giuseppe Verdi)
[edit] Hoherbass/Dramatic Bassbariton/High Dramatic Bass
- English equivalent: Dramatic Bass-baritone.
- Range: From about the E below low C to the F above middle C (E to f')
- Roles:
- Igor, Prince Igor (Alexander Borodin)
- Boris, Varlaam, Boris Godunov (Modest Mussorgsky)
- Klingsor, Parsifal (Richard Wagner)
- Wotan Der Ring des Nibelungen (Richard Wagner)
- Caspar, Der Freischütz (Carl Maria von Weber)
- Philip II, Don Carlo (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Banquo, Macbeth (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Fiesco, Simon Boccanegra (Giuseppe Verdi)
[edit] Jugendlicher Bass
- English equivalent: young bass
- Range: From about the E below low C to the F above middle C (E to f')
- Description: A young man (regardless of the age of the singer).
- Roles:
- Leporello, Masetto, Don Giovanni (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Figaro, Le nozze di Figaro (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Colline, La bohème (Giacomo Puccini)
[edit] Spielbass/Bassbuffo/Lyric Buffo
- English equivalent: Lyric comic bass
- Range: From about the E half an octave below low C to the F above middle C (E to f')
- Roles:
- Don Pasquale, Don Pasquale (Gaetano Donizetti)
- Dottor Dulcamara, L'elisir d'amore (Gaetano Donizetti)
- Don Bartolo, Il barbiere di Siviglia (Gioachino Rossini)
- Don Basilio, Il barbiere di Siviglia (Gioachino Rossini)
- Don Magnifico, La Cenerentola (Gioachino Rossini)
- Méphistophélès, Faust (Charles Gounod)
- Don Alfonso, Così fan tutte (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Leporello, Don Giovanni (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Orgon Pernelle, Tartuffe (Mechem) (Kirke Mechem)]
- The Sacristan Tosca (Giacomo Puccini)
[edit] Schwerer Spielbass/Dramatic Buffo
- English equivalent: Dramatic comic bass
- Range: From about the C two octaves below middle C to the F above middle C (C to f')
- Roles:
- Khan Konchak, Prince Igor (Alexander Borodin)
- Baculus, Der Wildschütz (Albert Lortzing)
- Ferrando, Il trovatore (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Daland, Der fliegende Holländer (Richard Wagner)
- Pogner, Die Meistersinger (Richard Wagner)
- Hunding, Die Walküre (Richard Wagner)
[edit] Lyric Seriöser Bass
- English equivalent: Low bass. Italian: Basso Profundo.
- Range: From about the C two octaves below middle C to the F above middle C (C to f')
- Basso profundo is the lowest bass voice type. According to J. B. Steane in Voices, Singers, and Critics, the basso profundo 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:
- Rocco, Fidelio (Ludwig van Beethoven)
- Osmin, Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Sarastro, Die Zauberflöte (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Pimen, Boris Godunov (Modest Mussorgsky)
- Sparafucile, Rigoletto (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Padre Guardiano, La forza del destino (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Fiesco, Simon Boccanegra (Giuseppe Verdi)
[edit] Dramatic Seriöser Bass
- English equivalent: Dramatic low bass. Dramatic Basso Profundo is a powerful basso profundo voice.
- Range: From about the C two octaves below middle C to the F above middle C (C to f')
- Roles:
- Vladimir Yaroslavich, Prince Igor (Alexander Borodin)
- Hagen, Götterdämmerung (Richard Wagner)
- Heinrich, Lohengrin (Richard Wagner)
- Gurnemanz, Parsifal (Richard Wagner)
- Fafner, Das Rheingold, Siegfried (Richard Wagner)
- Marke, Tristan und Isolde (Richard Wagner)
- Hunding, Die Walküre (Richard Wagner)
- The Grand Inquisitor, Don Carlos (Giuseppe Verdi)
- Il Commendatore (Don Pedro), Don Giovanni (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
[edit] References
- 소프라노의 종류 -<성신여대 음악대학 성악과 황화자 교수>
전통적으로 목소리 종류의 세부구분(독일용어로 파흐 Fach)은 가곡에서보다는 주로 오페라에서 이루어진다. 오페라와 오라토리오에서는 목소리의 스태미나와 오케스트라와의 경합이 중요하지만 가곡은 거의 피아노 반주에 이것들보다 노래할 음역도 좁고 이조(조를 옮겨 연주함)가 가능하기 때문에 목소리의 세부구분에 그다지 제한을 받지 않는다고 할 수 있다.
성악지도의 초기단계에 세부구분을 하는 것은 바람직하지 않다. 기본 기술의 습득, 즉 자유로운 발성법을 터득하고나면 목소리 스스로가 구분되어지기 때문에 최종적인 구분은 노래하는 기술과 훈련이 전문가의 연주수준에 도달했을 때에야 타당성이 있다.
목소리는 목자체의 생리, 성구 전환점(성구가 바뀌는 음정을 말하며 보통 파사지오passagio라고도 함)의 위치, 구체적인 소리개념 등에 따라 결정되므로 이 중요성을 마음에 두고 여성의 성구현상을 살피는 것이 적절하다.
다음은 일반적으로 분류되는 소프라노 목소리의 종류와 그에 해당되는 오페라 배역을 정리하였다.
1. 수브레트, 수브레트 / 콜로라투라(soubrette, soubrette / coloratura)
아마도 가장 많은 여성 성악가가 이에 속할 것이다. 수브레트는 정통연극에서 술책에 능하고 젊고 경박하고 요염한 하녀를 묘사하는 희극적 역할을 의미하는 용어이며 넓은 의미에서 이러한 역을 맡는 모든 여성 성악가의 목소리를 호칭한다. 가벼운 서정미, 경쾌한 민첩성, 신체적 매력, 젊음이 가득 찬 외모, 활기 있는 목소리, 넓은 음역(콜로라투라보다는 낮은)에서 멜리스마를 잘 처리하는 기술 등은 수브레트가 지녀야할 필수적인 자질이다.
*배역: 수브레트-데스피나(모차르트의 코지판 투테), 체를리나(모차르트의 돈 죠반니), 아모레(글룩의 오르페오),
난넷타(베르디의 팔스타프) 등
2.드라마틱 콜로라투라(dramatic coloratura)
높은 음역의 빠른 패시지에서 유연하고 상당한 지속력을 가지는 목소리이다.
*배역: 클레오파트라(헨델의 줄리오 체자레), 밤의 여왕(모차르트의 요술피리), 노르마(벨리니의 노르마),
비올렛타(베르디의 춘희)
3. 리릭(lyric)
표준 레퍼토리에서 가장 선호되는 역으로 오페라에서 가장 이상적인 목소리이다.
*배역: 수잔나(모차르트의 피가로의 결혼), 파미나(모차르트의 요술피리), 미카엘라(비제의 카르멘), 미미(풋치니의 라보엠),
20세기 대부분의 오페라, 모차르트 진혼곡, 하이든의 오라토리오, 그 외에 프랑스 가곡, 독일 리트 대부분이 리릭에 잘 맞는다.
4. 리리코 스핀토(lyrico spinto)
목소리의 무게로 볼 때 리릭은 약간 가벼운 소리와 무거운 소리 사이에 있기 때문에 같은 리릭의 역할 안에서도 작곡가는
서정성과 힘을 모두 요구할 수 있다. 정규 오케스트라 소리와 겨룰 수 있는 몇 개의 높게 지속되는 테시투라(tessitura어떤 곡에서 대부분의 음정이 포함된 음역)의 패시지를 부를 수 있다면 리리코 스핀토로 호칭된다. 단, 인접하는 무거운 소리로 옮겨갈 때 주의 해야하는 목소리이다.
*배역: 리릭코 스핀토-슈베르트, 슈만, 브람스, 볼프, 말러, 스트라우스의 리트, 포레, 쇼송, 드뷔시, 뒤파르크 등의 멜로디,
영미 예술가곡 등
5. 영드라마틱(young dramatic, Jugendlichdramatisch)
독일무대에서는 이탈리아와 독일 문헌의 많은 배역이 이에 의해 연주된다.
*배역: 엘자(바그너의 로엥그린), 지그린데(바그너의 발퀴레), 에바(바그너의 뉘른베르크의 마이스터징어) 등
6. 드라마틱(dramatic, Hochdramatisch)
소리가 가장 풍부한 드라마틱은 음을 오래 지속할 수 있어야하며 음색은 깊으면서 화려해야하고 동시에 당당한 외모를 갖추고 있어야한다.
*배역: 산투짜(마스카니의 카발레리아 루스티카나), 엘리자베스(바그너의 탄호이저), 투란도트(풋치니의 투란도트),
엘레트라(스트라우스의 엘렉트라), 바그너의 많은 소프라노 역
7. 크로스 파흐(cross-Fach, Zwischenfachsaengerin)
낮은 음역을 잘 부르는 큰 목소리를 가지며 비교적 높은 테시투라를 필요로 하지만 아주 높은 음을 오래 소리내지 않는 드라마틱역을 가장 편안하게 부른다. 이에 속한 소프라노는 드라마틱 소프라노와 드라마틱 메조소프라노의 영역에 있는 역을 모두 맡을 수 있다. 외모가 비제의 카르멘에 맞으면 카르멘 역도 맡을 수 있다.
*배역: 암네리스(베르디의 아이다), 레이디맥베스(베르디의 맥베스), 산투짜(마스카니의 카발레리아 루스티카나),
8.드라마틱 메조소프라노(dramatic mezzo soprano)
여성 목소리의 종류를 구분하는데 있어 상이한 음색이나 성구현상의 위치를 충분히 고려하지 않으면 안된다. 이 목소리는 비극, 음모, 질투, 복수, 혹은 아주 흉악한 목적과 관련 깊고 어두운 색을 나타낸다.
배역: 에볼리(베르디의 돈 카를로), 암네리스(베르디의 아이다), 달릴라(생상스의 삼손과 달릴라), 헤로디아스(스트라우스의 살로메), 카르멘(비제의 카르멘)
9. 리릭 메조 소프라노 (콜로라투라 메조소프라노coloratura mezzo soprano)
19세기의 가장 뛰어난 오페라의 여성 배역 상당수가 이 목소리의 영역에 들어있다. 이 목소리는 남성 역에 적합하며 절친한 친구, 어머니, 유모 또는 소프라노의 친구로 종종 배역된다. 드라마틱 메조소프라노가 지니는 풍부한 음색과 넓은 음역을 가지고 있으나 그보다 힘과 강도는 충분하지 않다.
배역: 도라벨라(모차르트의 코지판투테), 케루비노(모차르트의 피가로의 결혼), 미뇽(토마의 미뇽),
로지나(롯시니의 세빌랴의 이발사)
10. 콘트랄토(contralto)
순수한 콘트랄토는 흔하지 않다. 원래 카스트라토를 위해 작곡된 많은 역이 콘트랄토에 적합하다.
다음검색