![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() These are the lyric tenor, tenore di grazia, lirico-spinto tenor, spinto, and the heldentenor, which usually sings heroic roles like those in Richard Wagner’s operas.įamous tenor roles: Rodolpho from Puccini’s La Bohème, Siegfried from Wagner’s Ring Cycle, and Pinkerton from Puccini’s Madama Butterflyįamous tenor singers: Obviously we can’t talk about famous tenors without first mentioning the most famous tenors in the world: The Three Tenors. As with sopranos, there are a few different types of tenor voices that tend to suit specific roles. Tenors tend to play the romantic interest or hero of the opera, though not always. What is a tenor? The tenor is the highest common adult male singing voice (not counting the countertenor). Apart from these newer roles from composers like Philip Glass and Benjamin Britten, countertenors tend to sing Baroque roles that were originally written for castrati (who we will discuss in greater detail later on).įamous countertenor roles: Akhnaten from Glass’s Akhnaten, Oberon from Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Julius Caesar from Handel’s Julius Caesarįamous countertenor singers: There aren’t as many famous countertenor singers since the voice is fairly rare and there still aren’t a lot of roles available, but a few of note include Anthony Roth Costanzo, Philippe Jaroussky, Jakub Józef Orliński, and Bejun Mehta.Įxample: A great example of a Baroque countertenor role is Medora from Handel’s Orlando, as seen in this excerpt from the opera. While this high male voice type was popular in the 1600s, it fell out of fashion for several hundred years until the mid-20th century when composers started bringing it back. Countertenor singers typically rely on their head voice, or falsetto, to hit the notes they need. ![]() What is a countertenor? A countertenor is the highest male singing voice with a range similar to that of a mezzo-soprano or contralto. One stunning example appears in this excerpt from Suor Angelica, where Ewa Podleś sings as the Princess who is trying to get her niece, Sister Angelica, to renounce her claim to the family fortune.Īnother great example of a contralto performance is this clip from Ronnita Miller’s turn as Erda in Wagner’s Siegfried where she cryptically answers her lover, Wotan’s, questions. Unlike sopranos or mezzo-sopranos, it is very rare to find a true contralto.įamous contralto roles: Filippevna from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Ulrica from Verdi’s A Masked Ball ( Un Ballo in Maschera), and Erda from Wagner’s Das Rheingoldįamous contralto singers: Although there aren’t many true contralto opera singers, a few of note include Kathleen Ferrier, Marian Anderson, and Ewa Podleś.Įxample: With there being so few true contraltos, it’s unsurprisingly quite hard to find examples of true contralto performances. Composers usually reserve this voice type for older female characters possessing great wisdom. What is a contralto? Sometimes simply called “alto,” the contralto is the lowest female singing voice. Another stunning example of soprano singing is this excerpt from Lucia di Lammermoor, starring Natalie Dessay singing about an imagined future that will never come to be. When most people think of soprano arias, this is probably what they think of-and for good reason. These include soubrette or light soprano, coloratura, lyric soprano, spinto soprano, and the full-scale dramatic soprano.įamous soprano roles: The Queen of the Night from Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Lucia from Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, and Violetta from Verdi’s La Traviataįamous soprano singers: Some of the most famous soprano opera singers are Maria Callas, Renée Fleming, and Natalie Dessay.Įxample: Perhaps the most famous soprano aria (or at least the one that best shows off the soprano voice) is The Queen of the Night’s Act II aria "Der Hölle Rache" from The Magic Flute. Within the larger category of soprano, there are a number of subdivisions that let composers specify the type of voice they want for a specific role. Sopranos typically play the lead female character in an opera and many of the most famous female arias are sung by sopranos. What is a soprano: A soprano is the highest female singing voice. ![]()
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