opera until first midterm

rank the female voice types from highest to lowest

soprano, mezzo-soprano, and contralto.

rank the male voice types from highest to lowest

countertenor, tenor, baritone, and bass.

which voice type has the place of prominence in the hierarchy of vocal types?

soprano— it is often the “heroine” or protagonist of an opera

what is a coloratura soprano?

coloratura: 1) flowery ornamentation 2) highly ornamented passages 3) singers who specialize in florid singing

what is a dramatic soprano?

heavier, darker sounding voices

what voice type was used to play young boys? what were those roles known as?

mezzo-soprano, trouser roles

what is a countertenor?

a male singing voice whose range is equivalent to a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or (rarely) a soprano

what is a tenor?

the highest of the male voices (other than countertenor)— NOT leading roles until CASTRATOS dropped at the beginning of the 19th century

what is a baritone?

most common male voice; lower in range than tenor and more darkly hued

what is a bass?

the lowest and darkest of the male voices

what is the Fach system?

1. system for categorizing operatic roles according to their vocal requirements

2. first codified in early 20th century Germany

3. created in order to protect singers from damaging their voices by singing out of their range

What is tessitura?

the range within which most of the notes of a vocal part fall

what is timbre?

the quality of a tone on a spectrum from light to dark

what is agility?

physical ability to execute rapid, flexible, and precise note changes (coloratura is the most agile)

What is castrato?

a type of high-voiced male singer created by castrating young boys with promising voices before they reach puberty

central to both church and opera in countries under Italian influence throughout the 17th and 18th centuries

what was the stage name of carlo maria broschi?

farinelli

falsetto

false voice/head voice

did french operas have castrati?

nope they didnt agree with the concept

more about castrati

disappeared from vatican church only around 1920

went out of opera by 1830

voice type that was most famous and made most money

opera

work in Italian

when where and why was opera invented

late 1590s Italy; a desire to return to the glories of Ancient Greek drama

Florentine Camerata

a small group of wealthy artists statesmen, writers, and musicians who where obsessed with recovering music of classical antiquity

Vincenzo Galilei

1520s to 1591; lutist and singer; father of Galileo; part of florentine camerata

what did the Florentine Camerata think about lyrics vs music

lyrics (text) > music

best way to do it is one SOLO MELODY to enhance natural speech

monody

easy to understand lyrics

text is sung together

polyphony

harder to understand because text is separate by voice part and sung at different times

what was the first opera?

Dafne by Jacopo Peri composed in the *1590s*