Читать книгу Singing For Dummies - Pamelia S. Phillips - Страница 30

The classical music world goes all out for voice types. The types of voices you may have read about in the previous sections seems complicated. To uncomplicate things, type in these names and pieces in your favorite search engine to hear the sounds that go with the names. This is the list I wanted when I was first figuring out voice types.

 Soprano: To get the hang of the sopranos, search online for recordings of lighter soprano, Kathleen Battle singing “O mio babbino caro” from Gianni Schicchi by Puccini and then listen to dramatic soprano Jessye Norman singing “Dich, theure Halle” from Tannhäuser by Wagner. Note that Kathleen’s voice is light and Jessye’s voice is much heavier. Look for recordings of them individually singing “Ave Maria” by Schubert to hear them singing the same song.

 Mezzo: Compare light mezzo, Frederica von Stade singing “Non so più” from Le Nozze di Figaro by Mozart with Denyce Graves singing “Ave Maria” by Caccini. Both are mezzos, but there is a big difference in the timbre and depth of the voices.

 Coloratura ladies: Look for soprano Natalie Dessay singing “Der Hölle Rache” from Die Zauberflöte by Mozart and compare with mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli singing “Non più mesta” from La Cenerentola by Rossini. Both are spectacular at agility, but note the range where they’re comfortable singing.

 Tenor: Compare lyric tenor George Shirley singing “Un’aura amorosa” from Così fan tutte by Mozart with heldentenor Jonas Kaufmann singing “Nessun dorma” from Turandot by Puccini. Listen to the difference in the weight of Kaufman’s voice compared to the lyrical tone from Shirley.

 Baritone/bass: The baritone and bass voice have some similarities, but one difference is the depth on the low notes. Compare baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky singing “Toreador Song” from Carmen by Bizet with bass René Pape singing “O Isis und Osiris” from Die Zauberflöte by Mozart. When comparing these two singers, you hear the difference between the height of the tone of the baritone with the depth of the bass.

 Coloratura dudes: Guys can have agile voices as you can hear comparing tenor Juan Diego Flórez singing “Ah, il più lieto” from Il Barbiere di Siviglia by Rossini with baritone Emiliano Géant singing “Se bramate d’amar” from Serse by Händel. These guys really move their voices with ease but note the range where they’re comfortable singing.