Today in Seminar, we were introduced to the different types of voices. In the men’s range, the lowest is the bass. Four of the most famous opera piece writers are Mozart, Verdi, Wagner, Puccini, and Biget who wrote Carmen, a seductress with a slithery voice. Opera was created around 1600 when the idea of being vocal talents and showing off the extreme voice range became appealing in society. The range in opera requires the singers to preserve their body and lead a very disciplined way of life. When opera was first introduced, Mozart was inspired by the Cultural Revolution and wrote pieces that mocked the aristrocracy lifestyle.

There are two main types sung in Opera: Recitativo and Aria. Recitativo is used to get the speech out but is not memorable in terms of tune. Aria is more significant in which the singer expresses one expression or thought and it is where the musical talent in the vocals was shown off. The main tune is sung twice and the creativity is allowed the second time around when the singer is allowed to improvise. To get a taste of an aria, Dr.Kahan let us listen to Don Giovanni which was a light-hearted comedy about rape. Obviously, rape is no laughing matter but it was part of Mozart’s attempts at mocking and criticizing society.

Next up from bass are the baritones. Baritones tend to be the serious character while tenners tend to the comical character. An example would be Largo al factotum by John Rawnsley which is a comical song. This is a physically demanding role because of the animated performance and the fast vocals. This is intentional since it sets off a comical tone. The music is identical to his singing; quick-witted and fast paced.

Librettists are the mechanics behind vocals as they know how the vocals work and know how to use it to properly to define a character. An example is in the Opera version of “Othello” in which Iago uses his voice to explain his vicious plan of bringing down Othello. The range of the voice and the loud orchestra combine to show his malicious plans. The Aria is used after already defining the character’s motives so the audience is already aware and can now delve further into his character. This is an example of a dramatic baritone which shows how he is inflamed with his evil motives. This range definitely stresses his vocals because it challenges a man’s range.

We heard Nessum Dorma by the Luciano Pavarotti who the most famous tener in the world, 3 different times to see how his vocal talent grew from when was 40 to 58 to well into his 70s. In comparison to the first performance, the power in his voice was much stronger and finale was much longer. It was surprising to me that no matter how many times i’ve heard the same piece, I never grew tired. Instead, I loved it even more because the passion seemed more and more each time. The last time, had a much shorter finale but the passion was still intense. By his facial motions and body language, I can tell that he really connects with the meaning of the song.

The lowest type of voice for women is the alto. Since women tend to be concentrated in the soprano range, many different forms of soprano exist since women can specialize with their high range. A spinto soprano is when a voice can cut through an orchestra. Light lyric soprano is specifically for women who play the comic roles in the sopranos. Coloratura is soprano with high notes at a very fast pace.