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Mezzo and Alto Arias
THE
LOWER FEMALE VOICES
For
the young female singer with a lower voice, the choice of Fach is
relatively easy. The mezzo-soprano is classified as either lyric or
dramatic. The singer of the Lyrischer Mezzosopran (or Spielalt),
like the soprano Soubrette, must have a youthful appearance and a
lighter, flexible voice with a warm quality. The dramatic mezzo has
a louder voice with metallic bite. Physically she must command more
authority on stage and must not necessarily have the youthful
appearance of the Lyrischer Mezzosopran. The Dramatischeralt voice
is the true dramatic of the lower women's voices. Her voice is a
dark, heavy instrument, with metallic coloring and a well developed
top and bottom ranges. Her repertoire is similar to the dramatic
mezzo but leaves off he lighter higher, youthful repertoire. The
true low alto (Tieferalt) is a rarity in opera. Her duties include
only the lowest roles, with Verdi and Wagner making up the bulk of
her repertoire.
Those arias most often heard in German Theater
auditions are marked with *. Those arias heard in audition but not normally sung
by the singer of this Fach in the opera house are given in parenthesis.
Lyric
Mezzo
A
flexible, expressive voice; an excellent actress.
Although
the name Lyrischer Mezzosopran would lead one to believe that this
Fach belongs to the Lyric voices The older name of Spielalt better
describes his voice in relation to the other voice categories. She
is the mezzo counterpart of the Soubrette. Her voice is a flexible,
mellow instrument lacking the metallic ring and broad legato line.
Her vocal color in the German theater can often be rather light,
sounding almost like a soprano. She should look good in pants and be
willing to sing quite a few roles of lesser importance. The
important
roles for a Lyrischer Mezzosopran are Cherubino in Le nozze di
Figaro, the Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos, and Rosina in
Der Barbier von Sevilla. Although a Lyrischer Mezzosopran with
a fuller voice may use the Carmen arias in audition, she rarely
sings this role in a full production.
Singers:
Frederica von Stade, Lucia Valentini-Ferrani,
Cecilia Bartoli, Jennifer Larmore, Suzanne Mentzer and Theodora Hanslowe.
Examples:
Frederica von Stade,
Semiramide; Lucia Valentini-Ferrani,
La Cenerentola
|
Komponist
|
* Ariadne
auf Naxos
|
Sein
wir wieder gut
|
|
Rosina
|
* Der Barbier von Sevilla
|
Una
voce poco fa
|
|
(Dorabella)
|
* Così
fan tutte
|
Smanie implacabili
|
|
Cherubino
|
* Figaros
Hochzeit
|
Non
so più cosa son / Voi che sapete
|
|
Orlofsky
|
* Die
Fledermaus
|
Ich
lade gern Gäste ein
|
|
Niklaus
|
* Hoffmanns
Erzählungen
|
Couplet (Une poupèe aux
yeux d'èmail)
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Carmen)
|
Carmen
|
Habanera / Seguidilla
/
Karten-Arie (Card Scene)
|
|
Cenerentola
|
Cenerentola
|
Non più mesta
|
|
Preziosilla
|
Die
Macht des Schicksals
|
Alfred suon del tamburo
|
|
Siebel
|
Margarethe
(Faust)
|
Faites-lui
mes aveux
|
|
Sextus
|
Titus
(La clemenza di Tito)
|
Parto,
ma tu ben mio
|
|
Charlotte
|
Werther
|
Va!
laisse couler mes larmes
|
Dramatic
Mezzo I
A flexible, metallic Zwischenfach voice with a good top
register and a dark color that often develops with age into the
dramatic alto Fach.
The
Dramatischermezzosopran sings some of the meatiest roles in all of opera. The
title role in Carmen, Eboli in Don Carlos, Amneris in Aïda,
Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier, and Fricke in Die Walküre. Being a
Zwischenfach voice means she is capable of both
a long lyric lines as well as dramatic moments. Her roles demand
great physical beauty and vocal power, and the ability to hold the
stage alone with authority.
Singers:
Fiorenza Cassotto,
Christa Ludwig, Rise Stevens, Giulietta Simionato, Tatiana
Troyanos, Maria Ewing, Marilyn Horne.
Examples: Fiorenza Cassotto,
Le nozze di Figaro;
Christa Ludwig,
Des Knaben Wunderhorn
|
Eboli
|
* Don
Carlos
|
O don fatale
|
|
Dorabella
|
* Così
fan tutte
|
Smanie implacabili
|
|
Leonora
|
* La
Favorita
|
O mio Fernando
|
|
Waltraute
|
* Götterdämmerung
|
Erzählung (Höre mit Sinn)
|
|
Orturd
|
* Lohengrin
|
Entweite Götter
|
|
Octavian
|
* Der
Rosenkavalier
|
Wie Du warst (duet)
|
|
Dalila
|
* Samson
und Dalila
|
All
three arias
|
|
Fricka
|
* Die
Walküre
|
Wo in Bergen du dich
birgst
|
|
|
|
|
|
Carmen
|
Carmen
|
Habanera / Seguidilla /
Karten-Arie (Card Scene)
|
|
Venus
|
Tannhäuser
|
Geliebter, komm
|
|
Sextus
|
Titus
(La Clamenzo di Tito)
|
Parto, parto
|
Dramatic
Mezzo II
A
flexible, metallic voice with a well developed top an bottom
register, capable of dramatic intensity.
The
Dramatischeralt is the true dramatic among the lower women's voices
and is often combined with the Tieferalt. It is a Fach generally
reserved for the more mature singer. In addition to the
dramatic roles of Ulrica in Ein Maskenball, Azucena in Der
Troubadour, and Herodias in Salome, it contains many smaller roles
demanding fine characterization.
Singers:
Francis Bible, Christa
Ludwig, Brigitte Fassbander, and Waltraud Meier. Ebe Stignani,
Fedora Barbieri, Fiorenza Cassotto, Shirley Verrett, Grace Bumbry,
and Dolora Zaxick.
Examples: Elena Obraztsova,
Samson et Dalila, Francis Bible,
The Ballad of Baby Doe
|
Waltraute
|
* Götterdämmerung
|
Erzählung
(Höre mit Sinn)
|
|
Ulrica
|
*
Ein Maskenball
|
Re del'ablisso, affrettati
|
|
Erda
|
* Das
Rheingold
|
Weiche Wotan, weiche
|
|
Dalila
|
* Samson et Dalila
|
All
three arias
|
|
Azucena
|
* Der
Troubadour
|
Stride la vampa
|
|
|
|
|
|
Carmen
|
Carmen
|
Habanera / Seguidilla /
Karten-Arie (Card Scene)
|
|
Orpheus
|
Orpheus
und Eurudike
|
Ach
ich habe Sie verloren (Che farò senza Eurudice)
|
Alto
A
full, rich voice with an extended bottom range.
This
is a rather special category, and an important one. While it can
include the great roles listed for the Dramatischeralt, it contains
many roles demanding an extensive low voice and a mature appearance.
In this Fach we find the roles of Zita in Gianni Schicchi,
Erda in Das Rheingold, Dame Quickly in Falstaff and
the Dritte Dame (Third Lady) in Die Zauberflöte.
Singers:
Florence Quivar, Kathleen Ferrier.
Example: Marga Hoffgen,
Das Rheingold
|
Ulrica
|
*
Ein Maskenball
|
Re del'ablisso, affrettati
|
|
Erda
|
* Das
Rheingold
|
Weiche Wotan, weiche
|
|
Dalila
|
* Samson
und Dalila
|
All
three arias
|
|
Azucena
|
* Der
Troubadour
|
Stride la vampa
|
|
|
|
|
|
Carmen
|
Carmen
|
Habanera / Seguidilla /
Karten-Arie (Card Scene)
|
|
Orpheus
|
Orpheus
und Eurudike
|
Ach
ich habe Sie verloren (Che farò senza Eurudice)
|
|