Introduction to Opera Singing

Opera is regarded as a part of the western classical music tradition, so it is not as popular as contemporary pop music, and modern musicals are regarded as modern versions of opera. Next, I will introduce opera singing to you. I hope it will help you. Welcome to read!

basic introduction of opera

Opera is a comprehensive art that combines music (vocal music and instrumental music), drama (script and performance), literature (poetry), dance (folk dance and ballet) and stage art. It is usually composed of aria, recitation, duet, chorus, overture, interlude and dance scenes. As early as in ancient Greek dramas, there were chorus accompaniment, and some recitations even appeared in the form of singing; In the Middle Ages, religious stories were used as the theme, and miracle dramas promoting religious views were also filled with incense and continued. However, the modern western opera, which can really be called "musical drama", came into being at the end of 16th century and the beginning of 17th century with the secularization of music culture in Renaissance.

The representative works of western operas include The Wedding of Figaro, Othello, bard, The Joker, The Barber of Seville, etc ... Introduction to opera vocals

Classification of voices

The roles of singers are classified according to their different tessitura, agility, strength and timbre. Male singers can be divided into bass, baritone, tenor and sopranist/countertenor from low to high. Female singers are divided into alto, soprano and soprano from low to high. Sopranos can also be subdivided into coloratura sopranos and lyric sopranos. Basically, the range of male voices is lower than that of all female voices, but some falsetto tenors can sing to the range of alto. The falsetto tenor singing is more common in the roles sung by eunuchs written in ancient times.

after the classification by register, some adjectives about singing are often added, such as lyric soprano, dramatic soprano, solemn soprano coloratura and soprano. Although these terms can't fully describe a voice, they can often classify different voices and put them into different roles. Some singers' voices will suddenly change dramatically, or their voices will reach a mature and brilliant state in their thirties or even in middle age.

Sound Utilization

The soprano has always been the best choice for the heroine of most operas. However, before the classical music period, the first requirement for sopranos was the technology of voice control, rather than the broad range required today; At that time, the highest note of soprano was often required not to exceed the high note A. The word mezzo-soprano is a relatively new concept, but many roles can be played, such as Dido in Purcell's works and Brangne in Wagner's Tristan and isolde. There are often fewer roles that contralto can sing. Experts often joke that contralto can only sing "witches, bitches, and britches". In recent years, many roles that were originally sung by contralto or eunuchs have become the pockets of falsetto tenors.

The tenor, on the other hand, has always been the leading actor in opera since the period of classical music. Many of the most challenging tenor roles are from the period of Bel Canto opera, such as the nine consecutive high-pitched C's written by Donizetti to the hero in La fille du régiment. Wagner, on the other hand, asked his tenor protagonist to weigh more than the average tenor, and even asked people to invent a new word "Heldentenor" to describe this kind of role; So is the role of Italian opera, which is equivalent to Wagner's requirement, such as Karafu in Puccini's Turandot. Bass has a long history. In the era of opera, it played a supporting role and was often a funny role to entertain the audience. There are also many roles that bass can play, such as Leigh Porello in Mozart's Don Giovanni and King Watan in Wagner's The Ring of Nibelungen. Between tenor and bass, there is baritone, a concept that didn't appear until the middle of 19th century. Famous characters such as Guile Mo in Mozart's All Women Are Like This and Rodrigo in Don Carlo. ;