Soprano 69346 224374236 2008-07-08T15:59:45Z Nrswanson 3271123 Maniaci is the only known "natural male soprano" in the sense that the others you are refering to are endocrinological castrato who are sterile/sopranos due to a disease. Maniaci is fertile. {{otheruses1|the voice-type}} :''This article is related to a series of articles under the main article [[Voice type]].'' {{Vocal range}} A '''soprano''' is a [[singer]] with a voice range (using [[scientific pitch notation]], where [[middle C]] = C<sub>4</sub>) from approximately (C4) to "high A" (A5) in [[choral music]], or to "soprano C" (C6, two [[octaves]] above middle C) or higher in [[opera]]tic music. In four part [[chorale]] style harmony the soprano takes the highest part which usually encompasses the [[melody]].<ref name=Stark>{{cite book |title= Bel Canto: A History of Vocal Pedagogy |last= Stark |first= James |year= 2003 |publisher= University of Toronto Press |isbn= 978-08-0208-614-3}}</ref> For other styles of singing see [[Voice classification in non-classical music]]. Typically, the term "soprano" refers to female singers but at times the term [[male soprano]] has been used by men who sing in the soprano vocal range using [[falsetto]] vocal production instead of the [[modal voice]]. This practice is most commonly found in the context of choral music in England. However, these men are more commonly referred to as [[countertenors]] or [[sopranists]]. It should be noted that the practice of referring to countertenors as "male sopranos" is somewhat controversial within vocal pedagogical circles as these men do not produce sound in the same physiological way that female sopranos do.<ref name=McKinney>{{cite book |title= The Diagnosis and Correction of Vocal Faults |last= McKinney |first= James |year= 1994 |publisher= Genovex Music Group |isbn= 978-1565939400}}</ref> The singer [[Michael Maniaci]] is the only known man who can refer to himself as a true male soprano because he is able to sing in the soprano vocal range using the [[modal voice]] like a woman would. He is able to do this because his [[larynx]] never fully developed like a man's voice does during puberty.<ref>[http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/opera/article2638744.ece Times Article October 2007]</ref> In choral music the term soprano refers to a vocal part or line and not a [[voice type]]. Male singers whose voices have not yet changed and are singing the soprano line are technically known as "[[boy soprano|treble]]s". The term "[[boy soprano]]" is often used as well, but this is just a colloquialism and not the correct term.<ref name=McKinney /> Historically women were not allowed to sing in the Church so the soprano roles were given to young boys and later to [[castrato|castrati]] - men whose larynxes had been fixed in a pre-adolescent state through the process of [[castration]].<ref name=Smith>{{cite book |title= Choral Pedagogy |last= Smith |first= Brenda |year= 2005 |publisher= Plural Publishing, Inc |isbn= 978-15-9756-043-6}}</ref> The term soprano may also be used to refer to a member of an instrumental family with the highest range such as the [[saxophone|soprano saxophone]].<ref name=Apel>{{cite book |title= Harvard Dictionary of Music: Second Edition |last= Apel |first= Willi |year= 1968 |publisher= Belknap Press |isbn= 978-0674375017}}</ref> ==Types of soprano and soprano roles in opera== In [[opera]], the [[tessitura]], [[vocal weight]], and [[timbre]] of soprano voices, and the roles they sing, are commonly categorized into [[voice type]]s, often called {{lang|de|''fächer''}} ({{abbr|sg.|singular}} {{lang|de|''[[fach]]''}}, from [[German language|German]] {{lang|de|''Fach''}} or {{lang|de|''Stimmfach''}}, "vocal category").<ref name=Coffin>{{cite book |title= Coloratura, Lyric and Dramatic Soprano, Vol. 1 |last= Coffin |first= Berton |year= 1960 |publisher= Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. |isbn= 978-08-1080-188-2}}</ref> A singer's [[tessitura]] is where the voice has the best [[timbre]], easy [[Dynamics (music)|volume]], and most comfort. For instance a soprano and a mezzo-soprano may have a similar range, but their tessituras will lie in different parts of that range.<ref name=Boldrey>{{cite book |title= Guide to Operatic Roles and Arias |last= Boldrey |first= Richard |year= 1994 |publisher= Caldwell Publishing Company |isbn= 978-18-7776-164-5}}</ref> The low extreme for sopranos is roughly B3 or A3 (just below middle C). Often low notes in higher voices project less, lack [[timbre]], and tend to "count less" in roles (although some Verdi, Strauss and Wagner roles call for stronger singing below the staff). Rarely is a soprano simply unable to sing a low note in a song within a soprano role.<ref name=Boldrey /> The high extreme: at a minimum, non-coloratura sopranos have to reach "soprano C" (C6, two octaves above middle C), and many roles in the standard repertoire call for D6 or D-flat6. A couple of roles have optional E-flat6’s, as well. In the [[coloratura]] repertoire several roles call for E-flat6 on up to F6. In rare cases, some coloratura roles go as high as G6 or A6 such as the role of Europa in [[Antonio Salieri]]'s ''[[Europa riconosciuta]]''. While not necessarily within the [[tessitura]], a good soprano will be able to sing her top notes full-throated, with [[timbre]] and [[Dynamics (music)|dynamic]] control.<ref name=Coffin /> The following are the [[opera]]tic soprano classifications (see individual articles for roles and singers): ===Coloratura soprano=== {{main|Coloratura soprano}} * '''Lyric coloratura soprano'''- A very agile light voice with a high upper extension, capable of fast vocal [[coloratura]]. Lyric coloraturas have a range of approximately middle C (C4) to "high F" (F6) with some coloratura sopranos being able to sing somewhat higher or lower.<ref name=McKinney /> To hear an example of a '''Lyric coloratura soprano''' ([[Beverly Sills]] in the title role from [[Donizetti]]'s ''[[Linda di Chamounix]]'') click on this link: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyOLvJe4EuM Watch Here] * '''Dramatic coloratura soprano'''- A coloratura soprano with great flexibility in high-lying velocity passages, yet with great sustaining power comparable to that of a full spinto or dramatic soprano. Dramatic coloraturas have a range of approximately middle C (C4) to "high F" (F6) with some coloratura sopranos being able to sing somewhat higher or lower.<ref name=Coffin /> To hear an example of a '''Dramatic coloratura soprano''' ([[Joan Sutherland]] singing the title role from [[Donizetti]]'s ''[[Lucrezia Borgia (opera)|Lucrezia Borgia]]'') click on this link: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WObK4Mo2Tt8 Watch Here] ===Soubrette=== {{main|Soubrette}} In [[European classical music|classical music]] and [[opera]], the term soubrette refers to both a voice type and a particular type of opera role. A soubrette voice is light with a bright, sweet [[timbre]], a [[tessitura]] in the mid-range, and with no extensive [[coloratura]]. The soubrette voice is not a weak voice for it must carry over an orchestra without a microphone like all voices in opera. The voice however has a lighter [[vocal weight]] than other soprano voices with a brighter timbre. Many young singers start out as soubrettes but as they grow older and the voice matures more physically they may be reclassified as another voice type, usually either a light lyric soprano, a lyric coloratura soprano, or a coloratura [[mezzo-soprano]]. Rarely does a singer remain a soubrette throughout their entire career.<ref name=Stark /> A soubrette's range extends approximately from middle C (C4) to "high D" (D6). The tessitura of the soubrette tends to lie a bit lower than the lyric soprano and spinto soprano.<ref name=Boldrey /> To hear an example of a '''[[Soubrette]]''' ([[Dawn Upshaw]] as Susanna in ''[[The Marriage of Figaro]]'') click on this link: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcIYwIaQgX4 Watch Here] ===Lyric soprano=== {{main|Lyric soprano}} A warm voice with a bright, full [[timbre]] which can be heard over an orchestra. It generally has a higher [[tessitura]] than a [[soubrette]] and usually plays [[ingenue (stock character)|ingenue]]s and other sympathetic characters in opera. Lyric sopranos have a range from approximately middle C (C4) to "high D" (D6).<ref name=Coffin /> There is a tendency to divide lyric sopranos into two groups<ref name=Boldrey />: * '''Light lyric soprano'''- A light-lyric soprano has a bigger voice than a [[soubrette]] but still possesses a youthful quality.<ref name=Boldrey /> To hear an example of a '''Light lyric soprano''' ([[Lucia Popp]] as Pamina in ''[[The Magic Flute]]'') click on this link: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0yNVKiKPUA Watch Here] * '''Full lyric soprano'''- A full-lyric soprano has a more mature sound than a light-lyric soprano and can be heard over a bigger orchestra.<ref name=Boldrey /> To hear an example of a '''Full lyric soprano''' ([[Kiri Te Kanawa]] as Marguerite in ''[[Faust (opera)|Faust]]'') click on this link: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8qDcbsXgFo Watch Here] ===Spinto soprano=== {{main|Spinto soprano}} Also '''[[lirico-spinto]]''', Italian for "pushed lyric". This voice has the brightness and height of a lyric soprano, but can be "pushed" to dramatic climaxes without strain, and may have a somewhat darker [[timbre]]. Spinto sopranos have a range from approximately middle C (C4) to "high D" (D6).<ref name=Coffin /> To hear an example of a '''Spinto soprano''' ([[Leontyne Price]] in the title role of ''[[Tosca]]'') click on this link: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbusDhwVJuU&feature=related Watch Here] ===Dramatic soprano=== {{main|Dramatic soprano}} A '''dramatic soprano''' has a powerful, rich, emotive voice that can sing over a full orchestra. Usually (but not always) this voice has a lower [[tessitura]] than other sopranos, and a darker [[timbre]]. Dramatic sopranos have a range from approximately middle C (C4) to "high D" (D6).<ref name=Coffin /> Some dramatic sopranos, known as [[Wagnerian sopranos]], have a very big voice that can assert itself over an exceptionally large orchestra (over eighty pieces). These voices are substantial and very powerful and ideally even throughout the registers.<ref name=Boldrey /> * To hear an example of a '''Dramatic soprano''' ([[Jessye Norman]] in the title role of ''[[Ariadne auf Naxos]]'') click on this link: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ7tl6uHol8 Watch Here] * To hear an example of a '''Wagnerian soprano''' ([[Birgit Nilsson]] as Isolde in ''[[Tristan und Isolde]]'') click on this link: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5ILG8OctGg Watch Here] ==Intermediate voice types== Two types of soprano especially dear to the French are the ''[[Louise-Rosalie Lefebvre|Dugazon]]'' and the ''[[Marie-Cornélie Falcon|Falcon]]'', which are intermediate voice types between the soprano and the [[mezzo soprano]]: a Dugazon is a darker-colored soubrette, a Falcon a darker-colored soprano drammatico.<ref name=Coffin /> ==See also== * [[Bel canto]] * [[Boy soprano]] * [[Coloratura soprano]] * [[Dramatic soprano]] * [[Fach]], the German system for classifying voices * [[Lyric soprano]] * [[Soubrette]] * [[Voice classification in non-classical music]] * [[Voice type]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==Further reading== *{{cite book |title= Singer's Edition (Light Lyric Soprano): Operatic Arias - Light Lyric Soprano |last= Boldrey |first= Richard |coauthors= Robert Caldwell, Werner Singer, Joan Wall and Roger Pines |year= 1992 |publisher= Caldwell Publishing Company |isbn= 978-18-7776-102-7}} *{{cite book |title= Singer's Edition (Soubrette): Operatic Arias - Soubrette |last= Boldrey |first= Richard |coauthors= Robert Caldwell, Werner Singer, Joan Wall and Roger Pines |year= 1992 |publisher= Caldwell Publishing Company |isbn= 978-18-7776-103-4}} ==External links== *[http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/variations/scores/scores.html Collection of public domain scores (Indiana U)] *[http://www.imslp.org/wiki/Main_Page International Music Score Library Project] *[http://hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/loebmusic/collections/digital.html Smaller collection of public domain scores (Harvard)] *[http://www.aria-database.com/ Aria database] [[Category:Musical terminology]] [[Category:Singing]] [[Category:Vocal music]] [[Category:Vocal ranges]] [[Category:Sopranos| ]] [[Category:Opera terminology]] [[Category:Operatic sopranos]] [[Category:Italian loanwords]] [[bs:Sopran]] [[bg:Сопран]] [[ca:Soprano]] [[cs:Soprán]] [[de:Sopran]] [[et:Sopran]] [[el:Υψίφωνος]] [[es:Soprano]] [[eo:Soprano]] [[fa:سوپرانو]] [[fr:Soprano]] [[gd:Neach-seinn àirde]] [[ko:소프라노]] [[hr:Sopran]] [[id:Sopran]] [[it:Soprano]] [[he:סופרן]] [[hu:Szoprán]] [[ms:Soprano]] [[nl:Sopraan (zangstem)]] [[ja:ソプラノ]] [[no:Sopran]] [[pl:Sopran]] [[pt:Soprano]] [[ru:Сопрано]] [[simple:Soprano]] [[sl:Sopran]] [[sh:Soprani]] [[fi:Sopraano]] [[sv:Sopran]] [[th:โซปราโน]] [[uk:Сопрано]] [[zh:女高音]]