Desdemona and Salome, the Queen of Shamakhan and Yaroslavna, Aida and Cio-Cio-San, as well as many other opera parts were written for soprano vocalists. This is the highest female singing which is two to three octaves. However, it is so different! Let's try to figure out what this high female voice is like and in its features.

What are female singing voices?

• contralto;
• mezzo-soprano;
• soprano.

Their main difference is the range of sound, as well as timbre coloring, which includes such properties as saturation, lightness and power of the voice, which are individual for each performer.

Kinds

In the traditions of the Russian musical school, it is customary to distinguish the following three main varieties of soprano voices:

• coloratura;
• dramatic;
• lyrical.

In addition, two intermediate types of soprano are distinguished - these are lyric-coloratura and lyric-dramatic. Let's understand what is the difference between all these species.

Voice with embellishments

This is how you can call the highest female voice - coloratura soprano. It got its name due to the ability to easily perform coloratura - special vocal decorations. An example of coloratura performance is Alyabyev's romance "The Nightingale", where they beat the main theme of the work.

Thanks to the coloratura soprano, such wayward and playful images appear on the stage, like Zerlina in Mozart's Don Giovanni or Lyudmila from Glinka's Ruslan and Lyudmila. The extraordinary possibilities of this voice are often used to create fabulous and fantastic characters, such as the Swan Princess, the Snow Maiden and the Queen of Shamakhan in the operas by N. Rimsky-Korsakov or Dolls from Jacques Offenbach's Tales of Hoffmann. The disadvantage of such a soprano voice is that the vocalists cannot perform choral parts. The most prominent owners of such vocals are Diana Damrau, Kristina Deitekom, Cecilia Bartoli, Olga Pudova.

Dramatic soprano

A very rare voice, highly valued in the music world, as the singers can perform almost any repertoire - from coloratura to mezzo-soprano. The voice is strong, "huge" in volume and richness of overtones, which allows it to easily cut through the choir and orchestra. An ignorant person can easily confuse him with a mezzo-soprano. The downside of this beautiful and rich voice is that not all performers succeed in the works (because of the tragic coloring of the voice). You can hear the dramatic soprano in such opera parts:

• Abigail from Nabucco by G. Verdi;
• Aida and Traviata from operas of the same name;
• Yaroslavna from "Prince Igor" Borodin and others.

Today, dramatic soprano can be heard performed by Galina Gorchakova, Anna Shafazhinskaya, Irina Gordey, Eva Marton, Leontin Price, Eva Genser.

This soft-sounding voice is more compact and mobile than the dramatic soprano. They use the lyric soprano in opera parts where it is necessary to show warmth, affection and tenderness, for example, in the part of Natasha Rostova from Prokofiev's "War and Peace" or Tatyana Larina from "Eugene Onegin" by P. Tchaikovsky. Kiri Te Kanawa, Rene Fleming, Danielle DeNise, Amanda Rookroft, Cullen Esperian possess this gentle timbre.

The lyric-coloratura soprano is a voice with a working range from C to the first to F of the third octave, characterized by the transparency of the timbre. Unlike the coloratura soprano, this soprano has a denser sound, which can be heard in the part of the Volkhov Princess from Rimsky-Korsakov's Sadko or Antonina from Glinka's Ivan Susanin. Performers with such a voice are given the roles of cheerful and playful young heroines, since dramatic “colors” are practically inaccessible to them and they express grief, pain, suffering or cruelty by lyrical means. Antonina Nezhdanova, Diana Petrinenko, Elizaveta Shumskaya, Galina Oleynichenko, Lyudmila Zlatova were famous for their lyric-coloratura soprano. Today Montserrat Caballe, Dilbar Yunus, Elena Terentyeva, A. Solenkova perform the parts for this voice.

Lyric-dramatic soprano, depending on the personal data of the performer, can be both dramatic and lyrical. The images embodied on stage by singers with such voices, as a rule, are overflowing with passions and deep feelings. As a rule, these are young women or girls whose breadth of character can be shown by the powerful voice of the vocalist, such as Kuma from Tchaikovsky's The Enchantress or Tamara from Rubinstein's The Demon. Quite rarely, the lyric-dramatic soprano is used to create images of elderly women or character-comic roles. Rayna Kabaivanska, Galina Gorchakova, Teresa Stratas, Lidia Abramova and others possess this.

Dreaming of becoming a singer? First you need to understand the many subtleties of this work. You should also know the main ranges of singing voices, how they are measured and how to develop them.

What is a range

Range is sound volume. These are the potential possibilities of the singer to take certain notes. We are all born with a certain range. It can be developed into several tones if necessary.
Obviously, the frequency range of the voice of men and women is different. This is noticeable even in normal conversation. Men have a rougher voice. This is due to the thicker vocal folds that are given to them from birth.

Register - a certain section of the sound volume. It can be top, middle or bottom. Used as a standalone voice measurement capability.

Female and male singing opportunities are divided into several types.

The strong half of humanity is characterized by bass, baritone and tenor. Accordingly - low, medium and the highest. Girls tend to contralto, mezzo-soprano, soprano. The gradation is the same as for male voices: from the lowest to the highest.

How to know the limits of your range

To begin with, you need to understand the main difference between the singing and sound range. In ordinary life, we are able to make various sounds: from whispers to loud exclamations of joy and happiness. Such high or, on the contrary, low sounds can hardly be reproduced in singing.

The lowest and whistling register of the sound range is not involved in singing.

There are several ways to find out the limits of your vocal abilities. This can certainly be done at home. You need to go to the piano and start singing in accordance with the increase in the sound of the instrument (or decrease in the sound). When you can no longer sing higher or lower - this is the limit of your capabilities today. V

But there is another, more reliable and reliable way - visiting a phonator. He will give a full consultation and tell you whether it makes sense to develop your own capabilities, and if so, then in the direction of the upper or lower case. However, you can somewhat with the help of special exercises.

What is the largest voice range?

There are 8 octaves in total. A singer from St. Petersburg got into the Guinness Book of Records as the owner of the most unique voice on earth.

Tatyana Dolgopologova has an amazing range - 5 octaves and 1 tone. There is hardly a person who can surpass her capabilities.

Modern singers have an average range of 2 octaves. This is enough for a full-fledged work on the stage, and it is up to this level that it can be developed.

Of course, it would be nice to be equal to world stars. So, for example, the range of Whitney Houston's voice was no less than FIVE octaves. Thanks to her magnificent voice, the singer, who made a world tour six times in her life, was greeted with enthusiasm in any country on the globe. And the inimitable charismatic Freddie Mercury with a voice range of 3 octaves fascinated multi-million stadiums. Even Montserrat Caballe sang with the Queen group. Unfortunately, this kind of talent cannot be developed; it is an invaluable gift from mother nature. If you are one of the lucky owners of such a gift, then it must be protected: in case of damage, it can be quite difficult.

Female and male voices

The modern classification of voices according to the range of height divides them into male, female and children's. Among the children's, viola and treble are distinguished. The range of male voices is divided into bass (low), tenor (high) and baritone (medium in pitch). Separately, it is worth noting the ultra-low bass profundo and ultra-high tenor altino.

The range of the female voice includes low contralto, high soprano and mezzo-soprano of medium height. Our compatriot Antonina Nezhdanova, Italian Amelita Galli-Curci and Greek Maria Callas should be noted as the most famous modern singers, whose operatic voices and soprano range boggled the imagination and delighted the ears of many admirers. Rarely found in contralto singers. However, it was for this voice that the famous Rimsky-Korsakov wrote Lel's songs from The Snow Maiden. And the role of Olga in Eugene Onegin was also created for this thick, incredibly rich female voice, captivating the very soul of a diligent listener. The basis of beautiful vocals is proper breathing. He is taught from childhood. - this is an excellent preparation not only in terms of singing, but also an important component of physical health in general.

Currently, professional voices have a very widely developed classification. Meanwhile, in the early periods of the development of vocal art, this was very simple. There were two types of male and two types of female voices - the classification that has been preserved to this day in the choirs. As the vocal repertoire became more complex, this classification became more and more differentiated. In the male group, an intermediate voice stood out first - a baritone. Then there was a further division in each of the groups. The highest male voice, the tenor, has a working range from a small to a second octave.

Male voices:

Female voices:

Tenor-altino, which has especially high notes, sounds transparent, easy. Usually these voices are not particularly strong, but they are able to reach re second octave. The role of the Astrologer in Rimsky-Korsakov's The Golden Cockerel is usually entrusted to this kind of voice.

Lyric tenor - a tenor of a warm, gentle, silvery timbre, capable of expressing the whole range of lyrical feelings. It can be quite large and rich in sound. Sobinov, Lemeshev, for example, possessed a typical lyric tenor.

Characteristic tenor. A tenor that has a characteristic timbre, but lacks the beauty and warmth of a lyrical voice or the richness, richness and power of a dramatic one.

The lyric-dramatic tenor is a voice capable of performing a wide range of parts, both lyrical and dramatic. However, he cannot achieve the strength and drama of a purely dramatic voice. These include the voices of Gigli, Nelepp, Uzunov.

The dramatic tenor is a large voice with a large dynamic range, capable of expressing the most powerful dramatic situations. The range of the dramatic voice may be shorter, not including the upper C. For a dramatic voice, for example, the part of Otello in the opera Otello by Verdi was written. Dramatic tenors include, for example, the voice of Tamagno, Caruso, Monaco.

The lyrical baritone, which sounds light, lyrical, is close in character to the tenor timbre, but still always has a typical baritone tone. Parts written for this voice have the highest tessitura. Typical parts for this type of voice are Georges Germont, Onegin, Yeletsky. Lyrical baritones - Battistini, Gryzunov, Becky, Migai, Gamrekeli, Lisitsian, Nortsov.

A lyrical-dramatic baritone with a light, bright timbre and considerable power, capable of performing both lyrical and dramatic parts. Such voices should include, for example, Khokhlova, Gobbi, Herl, Horse, Gnatyuk, Gulyaev. The parts of the Demon, Mazepa, Valentin, Renato are most often performed by the voices of this character.

Dramatic baritone - a voice of a darker sound, of great power, capable of powerful sounding in the central and upper parts of the vocal range. The parts of the dramatic baritone are lower in tessitura, but at the moments of culmination they rise to the extreme upper notes. Typical parts are Iago, Scarpia, Rigoletto, Amonastro, Gryaznoy, Prince Igor. Dramatic baritone was possessed, for example, by Titta Ruffo Warren, Savransky, Golovin, Politkovsky, London.

Bass, the lowest and most powerful male voice, has an operating range of fa big octaves to fa first. Among this type of voice, high bass, central (melodious, cantante) and low bass are distinguished. In addition, in choirs, bass octaves are considered to be a very valuable voice, capable of taking the lowest sounds of a large octave and even some sounds of a counteroctave.

bass range

High bass, melodious bass (cantante), has a working range up to fa first octaves up. This is a voice of light bright sound, reminiscent of a baritone timbre. Sometimes some of these voices are called baritone basses. Baritone basses perform the parts of Tomsky, Prince Igor, Mephistopheles, Count Almaviva in Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, Nilakanta in Delibes' Lakma. Such basses include the voices of Chaliapin, Ognivtsev, Khristov.

The central bass has a wider range and has a pronounced bass character of the timbre. Not only high tessitura parts are available to these voices, but also lower parts, including lower notes up to F big octave, such as Gremin, Konchak, Ramfis, Zoraastro, Sparafuchil. The central basses include the voices of G. and A. Pirogov, Reizen, I. Petrov, Pints, V. R. Petrov, Gyaurov.

Low bass, in addition to a particularly thick bass color and a shorter voice in the upper part of the range, has deep, powerful, low notes. This is the so-called profundal bass. These basses include the voices of Mikhailov, Paul Robeson.

Octavist basses who find their way into choirs can sometimes take on a number of counteroctave sounds, reaching astonishingly low tones. There are cases when the voice could go down to counteroctave in F.
A number of types are also distinguished in the processed female voices.

Main questions

2. Choral parties and their components.

3. Soprano part. Characteristic.

4. Viola part. Characteristic.

5. Party of tenors. Characteristic.

6. Party of baritones.

7. Bass part.

Target: The study of the features and specifics of singing voices.

Introduction

Basic classification of votes (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) developed in choral art by the XIV century in the process of development of polyphonic singing. In the XII-XIII centuries, a treble appeared (Late Latin: dismemberment, - singing). The voice performing the main melody became known as the tenor (from the Latin - to hold). Later, a countertenor joins these two voices, who, as needed, sang either higher or lower than the tenor. However, very soon, due to the complication of the requirements that were placed on this voice in relation to its range, it was divided into two: bass (Italian - low) and alto (Latin - high) so named because it was located above the tenor .

Much later, there was a division of the upper voice into a higher one - soprano (Italian - above) and a lower one, which was called the middle one - mezzo-soprano. Viola in the Italian school began to be called "contralto". In many scores of the old Italian masters, this name of the viola is retained. The baritone was the last to stand out as an independent type of voice. The low tenor gave rise to the lyrical baritone, and the high bass to the dramatic.

In scores and claviers, only typical names of voices are usually recorded.

Soprano - coloratura, lyrical, dramatic, lyric-coloratura and lyric-dramatic.

mezzo soprano - lyrical and dramatic.

Contralto.

tenor - lyrical, dramatic, lyrical-dramatic, altino, characteristic.

baritones - lyrical and dramatic.

bass - high, low and octavists (profundo).

Choral parts and their components

soprano part

Coloratura soprano - the lightest and most mobile voice, with the correct voice formation, it has the widest range from la-si of a small octave to f-sol of the third octave. The middle register is rather weak, the upper register is strong, light and shiny. The coloratura soprano parts are usually virtuoso. Part of Antonida from M. Glinka's opera "Ivan Susanin", Musetta from G. Puccini's opera "La Boheme", Violetta from G. Verdi's opera "La Traviata" and others. choir is not used.

Lyric-coloratura soprano with a large range and technical mobility, it has softness, melodiousness, the ability to merge with other voices. Their presence in the choir gives the choir sonority and brightness to the timbre of the soprano part.

Lyric soprano has a range - up to the I octave - up to the III octave and has a soft, warm sound. The lower register sounds rather weak, but the middle register is very expressive, dynamic, light. The upper register sounds bright, especially from G-C to B-flat of the II octave. The most typical lyric soprano part in Russian operatic literature is the part of Tatiana in P. Tchaikovsky's opera "Eugene Onegin". Lyric sopranos merge very well with other voices and form the basis of the upper voice of mixed and female choirs.

Dramatic soprano has great strength and, thanks to a well-developed chest register, can perform low mezzo-soprano sounds. The lower and middle registers sound juicy and full, the upper ones sound strong, rich and bright. Typical parts of dramatic sopranos in opera literature are the parts of Aida in the opera of the same name by G. Verdi, Lisa in P. Tchaikovsky's opera The Queen of Spades, etc.

Choral part of the first sopranos made up mainly of lyrical soprano . Heavier voices are placed in the third soprano parts. The general range of soprano parts: up to the 1st octave - up to the 3rd octave. Operating range - E-flat I octave - B-flat II octave. The zone of primary sounds is B-C of the 1st octave. Transitional notes mi-fa of the 1st octave and mi-flat - f-sharp of the 2nd octave. The lower register, including transitional notes, is weak and muffled in the soprano. The most natural sound in this tessitura is the sound of violas. Example: S. Taneyev "Serenade".

Sometimes in the soprano part, B, B-flat of a small octave is used. However, this applies to those cases when the sopranos sing in unison with the altos. Example: G. Verdi "Requiem" (Agnus Dei).

The upper register of the soprano sounds bright, brilliant, virtuoso. Example: M. Glinka "Glory" from the opera "Ivan Susanin", M. Koval "The Execution of Pugachev" from the oratorio "Emelyan Pugachev". In the middle register, the soprano sounds light and mobile. Example: I.S. Bach "Mass in B Minor No. 11. Horus." It is easier for the soprano part to gradually move along the sounds of the diatonic scale and it is more difficult to perform passages and figurations with chromatisms and jumps. Example: N. Rimsky-Korsakov, chorus from the opera The Golden Cockerel.

Since the soprano part very often performs the function of the main melodic voice, a special problem arises in the quality of completing this part. Soprano must necessarily have a bright, beautiful timbre. The timbre of the soprano part has a decisive influence on the overall sonority of the choir.

Violas part

The alto part consists of mezzo-soprano and contralto .

Lyric mezzo-soprano stands out with a beautiful chest timbre. They can achieve great mobility and coloratura flexibility (Rosina's part from Rossini's The Barber of Seville)

Dramatic mezzo-soprano - the voice is less mobile and is distinguished by a bright chest sound in a low register.

Part I violas consists of lyrical mezzo-sopranos. The best sound zone: up to the I octave - re II octave. The viola part II consists of dramatic mezzo-sopranos and contraltos. This part sounds the most expressive and dynamic from G of the small octave to B of the I octave. Technically, it is less mobile. Exception, example: (J.S. Bach "Mass in B minor No. 20. Chorus"). Such works in choral literature are not rare. The unison of the alto part gives an even, full, rich sound throughout the entire working range from the G of the small octave to the mi of the II octave.

However, in the work of I. Bach, L. Beethoven, G. Verdi, N. Rimsky-Korsakov, A. Grechaninov, Vik. Kalinnikov, D. Shostakovich, S. Prokofiev, and many other composers, the G of the small octave is used at least as often as A, and F of the II octave (D. Shostakovich "The Ninth of January", L. Beethoven "Mass in D Major", "Gloria") .

Unfortunately, the dramatic mezzo-soprano and contralto voices are rare and the alto part is made up of lyrical voices, so the lower part of the range sounds weak. Transitional notes for altos are mi-fa-sharp of the 1st octave and C-d-sharp of the 2nd octave. The zone of the primary sound of the altos is G-la of the 1st octave.

Tenor part

tenor - high male voices . Tenor altino - the highest, lightest and most mobile voices with a range from re-mi of a small octave to mi-fa of the II octave. (Stargazer in the opera The Golden Cockerel by N. Rimsky-Korsakov). Tenor-altino - a rare voice and their presence in the choir contributes to the achievement of a bright, sonorous, light sonority in the upper register of the tenor part.

Lyric tenors have a soft soulful timbre (the part of Lensky in the opera Eugene Onegin by P. Tchaikovsky, the part of Almaviva in the opera The Barber of Seville by G. Rossini). General range: up to a small octave - up to the II octave. Operating range - mi small octaves - A-B-flat I octaves .

dramatic tenor they are distinguished by great sounding power in the upper register and fullness, saturation in the lower (the part of Jose in Carmen by G. Wiese, Herman in P. Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades, Sadko in the opera of the same name by N. Rimsky-Korsakov, Otello in the opera by G. Verdi and etc.).

The basis of the choral part of the 1st tenors is lyrical tenors, the 2nd tenors are dramatic ones. The general range to a small octave is up to the II octave. Transitional notes - E-flat - F-sharp I octave. The zone of primary sounding in B-flat of a small octave is up to 1 octave.

Baritones part

Dramatic baritone - a voice of great power, sounds bright and powerful throughout the entire range. In the opera, he often embodies strong characters - they are either patriots: Prince Igor (Prince Igor by Borodin), Bogdan Khmelnitsky (Dankevich's Bogdan Khmelnitsky), Andrei Bolkonsky (Prokofiev's War and Peace), or slaves of their love and jealousy, envy , revenge: Dirty ("The Tsar's Bride" by Rimsky-Korsakov), Rigoletto ("Rigoletto" by Verdi), Mazepa ("Mazepa" by Tchaikovsky), Demon ("Demon" by Rubinstein), Iago ("Otello" by Verdi), Aleko ("Otello » Verdi).

Lyric-dramatic baritone can perform both lyrical and other parts (the roles of Figaro, Boris Godunov, Ruslan and Aleko were written by the authors for a dramatic baritone, but after they were performed by Chaliapin, they began to be performed by basses as well).

Gulak-Artemovsky (19th century)

Camillo Everardi (19th century)

Mattia Battistini

Antonio Cotogni

Ivan Alexandrovich Melnikov

Pavel Lisitsian - lyric baritone

Yuri Gulyaev - lyric-dramatic baritone

Tita Ruffo - dramatic baritone

Dmitry Hvorostovsky

Vladimir Petrov - Belarusian singer

Zhilyuk - Belarusian singer

Viktor Skorobogatov - Belarusian singer

bass part

bass - low male voices. The choral part includes baritones (Greek: Barytonos, heavy-sounding). The lyrical baritone gravitates toward the tenor, and the dramatic baritone toward the bass. (The part of Onegin in the opera of the same name by P. Tchaikovsky, the part of Yeletsky in the opera The Queen of Spades by P. Tchaikovsky, the part of Prince Igor in the opera of the same name by A. Borodin. In choirs, baritones usually sing in the part of I basses (or II tenors).

The range of baritones is from A large octave to A flat I octave. The zone of transitional notes is do-mi-flat of the 1st octave, the primary sounds are sol-la of a small octave.

high bass differ from baritones in greater softness, compactness of sound in the middle and upper parts of the range.

The general range of bass mi-fa of a large octave is mi-fa of the 1st octave. Transitional notes - B-flat small octave - C-sharp I octave. Primary sound zone - mi - f-sharp of a small octave. In the middle and high registers, basses can perform very successfully mobile parts (Bach's "Mass in B Minor No. 17. Chorus"). In these registers, where the basses sound expressive and dynamic, usually the main melodic material is presented in the bass part (G. Sviridov "To the Heroes of the Battle of Perekop", "Pathetic Oratorio").

In the low register, passages and fiorities to basses are usually rarely written. Examples of bass parts that are difficult to perform: V. Muradeli "Red Song", A. Pashchenko "In the Dark Forest".

A special group of II basses are octavists. There are one or two of them in the choir. These are very low basses, heavy, inactive voices. Their range is from A to the I octave, but only low sounds are used, rarely the F contra octave *.

Examples of the use of bass octavists: Yu. Sakhnovsky "Kovyl", Vik. Kalinnikov "Dawn in the Morning", A. Grechaninov "Echo". Octavists are used only in a cappella works and give the choir a special coloring, depth and fullness. The best octave sound effect in nuance from pianissimo to mezzo-forte. The octave is used mainly on sustained pedal tones or in smooth stepping motions.

"Counter-fa" was carved on the gravestone of the octavist of the court chapel Telegin (beginning of the 19th century)

Bass - the lowest and most powerful of the male voices, has several types.

bass baritone - the highest of the basses, similar to a dramatic baritone, but sounds more massive, especially at the bottom. Range - from G (sometimes F) big octave to G1; "working middle" - from B large to D1. Bass transition sounds range from A-B (small) to Cl-EIS1.

The images embodied by the bass, for the most part, are middle-aged heroes, more often elderly. Among them are many positive, majestic figures.

Bass-baritone parts:

Mephistopheles (Faust by Gounod)

Susanin (Ivan Susanin by Glinka)

Dositheus (Khovanshchina by Mussorgsky)

Bass-baritones:

F.I. Chaliapin * Evgeny Hecterov Central basses- the most numerous group - have a range from E.S-E large to F1. The most sonorous and powerful is the center, hence its name. More often in the repertoire of the central bass, the upper segment of the range remains unused (it can sound both weaker and more intense). "Working middle" - G - A large - In small - C1. Images:

Papageno (The Magic Flute by Mozart)

Farlaf (Ruslan and Lyudmila by Glinka)

Melnik (Mermaid by Dargomyzhsky)

Konchak (Prince Igor by Borodin)

Varangian Guest (Sadko by Rimsky-Korsakov)

Singers, owners of central basses:

G. and A. Pirogov

Mark Reizen

V.R. Petrov bass profundo or low bass - a rare voice with a range from contra-octave A or C to C-D1 (his parts are often played by central basses, and their parts are bass-baritones).

Maxim Mikhailov

Paul Robeson

characteristic bass or bass buffo any of the basses can be, more often these are singers who have the most expressive one part of the range.

Operatic parts of the characteristic bass:

Bartolo (The Barber of Seville by Rossini)

Skula (Prince Igor by Borodin)

Kalenik (May Night by Rimsky-Korsakov)

Zuniga ("Carmen" Bizet)

Old Prince Bolkonsky (Prokofiev's War and Peace)

The buffo parts worked well for Chaliapin, Patorzhinsky, Chernobaev.

A specific feature of male voices is the so-called. falsetto sound, very similar in timbre to a female voice. Before the discovery made by Dupre, all tenors used this sound, taking a sound higher than AS1 (in the people, falsetto is denoted by the word “fistula”). Falsetto is more convenient on E, I, Y, U. There is also a singing technique inherent in all male voices, this is singing “mezzo voce” - in an undertone. This is almost uncommon for women's voices.

The bass has the greatest amplitude, sound vibrations, which gives it great strength, a greater possibility of dynamic contrasts than other voices, for example, the pp of the bass (especially with falsetto) can be the same as that of the soprano, but what a huge difference in forte these voices.

Keywords

SHORT CONCLUSIONS

Thanks to this work, you can get the necessary information: about the type of each voice, their capabilities, detailed characteristics.

Control questions

1. In what century did voice classifications appear in choral art?

4. How are the types of voice names (choral and solo) recorded in scores and claviers?

5. What types of soprano are there?

6.What are the types of basses?

SOPRANO(female high) - S (Soprano)

ALTO(female low) - A (Alt, Alto)

TENOR(male high) - T (Tenor)

BASS(male low) - B (Bass)

In turn, each of these voices can be divided into several more, then it will already be called a divisi (divisi) - see the Choral terms section. And they will be called, for example, first sopranos and second sopranos, first basses and second basses, etc.

Women's(from top to bottom): coloratura soprano, lyric-coloratura soprano, lyric soprano, dramatic soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto)

Men's(from top to bottom): tenor, baritone, bass. Each of them can have varieties.

Below we will consider each of the voices separately. Each voice will also have a sound range indicated. Because Since this question is of interest to many artists of the choir, we have included these data in a separate table. But at the same time, I would like to draw attention to the fact that these ranges are applicable more for professional singer-performers than for amateurs.

In our terminological dictionary, we have not allowed ourselves to give all the meanings of words. We consider the meanings of the word only from the side of the vocal or choral meaning (for example, the word Viola can also mean the Bowed instrument of the violin family - these are the meanings of the words, we immodestly allowed ourselves to be omitted)

So, our little terminological guide to voices. Terms are listed alphabetically.

ALTO(lat. altus - high; in the middle-century music it was performed above the tenor leading the main tune) -

1) Part in the choir or ans., comp. from low children's or average and low wives. voices (mezzo-soprano - first altos, contralto - second altos); range from fa small. oct. to FA 2nd Oct. (above - very rare), most used. salt (la) small. oct. - E flat (mi) 2nd Oct.

BARITONE(Greek - heavy-sounding) - Male of average height. voice; the range of A-flat (sol) is large. oct. - A-flat 1st Oct.; transitional registers. note D-sharp (re) 1st Oct.

There are lyrical baritone (approaching the tenor in terms of lightness of sound) and dramatic (close in breadth and power to the bass), with intermediate shades between them.

In the choir, baritones are part of the first basses; range salt of a large octave - F of the 1st octave (very rarely higher, predominantly in unison with tenors)

BASS(Italian basso - low) -

There are basses high (cantante - melodious), central and profundo (deep) - low (they are also called Basses-octavists. A special, rare, variety of the lowest bass; the name Octavists is usually applied to choral singers (in solo singing - bass profundo ). Octavists sing an octave below the bass (in the rarest cases, going down to the F counter-octave). Octavists are most often used in a chord warehouse, with a quiet sound. The acoustic effect of the participation of octavists is to merge the sounds of a chord, which, in relation to the fundamental tone, is, as it were, overtones (therefore, it is most natural to use Octavists when singing the bases of major triads. Octavists should be used carefully, taking into account the composer's instructions and the style of production.)

2) Part in the choir or wok. ensemble; composed of baritones and basses proper; range (without octaves) fa of a large octave (rarely lower) - fa 1st octave, the most common salt of a large octave - re (E-flat) of the 1st octave. The use of octaves extends the range of the bass part down an octave. Bass part - harmony the foundation of the choir, hence the need for its intonation. stability and sound. At the same time, it must have mobility, flexibility in dynamic. relation, which is also favorable for the purity of intonation.

TREBLE(from Latin dis - a prefix meaning dismemberment, cantus - singing) -

2) Part in the choir or wok. ensemble, performed by high children's voices.

COLORATURA(from lat. coloro - I color) - fast virtuoso passages (scales, arpeggios) and melismas that adorn the vocal part. Coloratura was often used in ancient choral music (starting from the Renaissance), in Bach, Handel, in Russian. church 18th century concert In modern choral compositions it is sometimes used as a pictorial device. Coloratura is also the ability of the voice to move (hence the term - coloratura soprano). Virtuoso mobility of any choral voice (including bass) is desirable in every qualified choir; it helps to develop ease of sounding, accuracy of intonation.

CONTRALTO(Italian contralto - a low female voice; the range is from fa of a small octave (below - rarely and predominantly in folk choirs) to fa2. Transitional notes mi1 (fa1), do-sharp2 (re) 2; in the choir - part of the second violas Sometimes used in unison with tenors as a kind of vocal color or to support high tenor notes, since this changes the timbre of the tenor part, the latter cannot serve as a rule, but rather an exception.

MEZZO SOPRANO(Italian mezzo - medium) - medium female voice. Range la small. oct. - la2 (rarely higher). There are high (lyrical) mezzo-soprano, approaching the soprano by the nature of the sound, and low, approaching the contralto. Transitional register notes f-sharp1 (fa1) - re-sharp2 (re2). In the choir, the mezzo-sopranos make up the part of 1 altos, in the 3-voice wives. chorus, depending on the specific. conditions are included in the party of the 2nd or 3rd vote.

MIXT(from lat. mixtus - mixed) - register of a singing voice, transitional between chest and head (falsetto) registers; it is characterized by greater softness, lightness compared to the chest register and greater saturation, sonority than falsetto. In a well-trained voice, it is necessary to mix the main registers (chest and head) over the entire range, and the head sound increases in the upward direction. In Mixed, the male voice is dominated by the chest character of the sound, while the female voice is dominated by the head. The role of Mikst is especially important in the male voices of the choir; in particular, for tenors, the sounds of the 1st octave should be mixed.

SOPRANO(from Italian sopra - above, above) -

1) The highest female, children's (also treble) voice. The range is up to 1 - up to 3, occasionally there are higher (sol3) and low (for a small octave) sounds. There are 3 main varieties of Soprano: dramatic (characteristic of the fullness and power of sound), lyrical (softer) and coloratura (distinguished by mobility, the ability to high notes, pronounced vibrato; it is not used in the choir). There are also intermediate types (lyric-dramatic and lyric-coloratura). Transitional register notes mi1 - fa1 and fa2 (fa-sharp2).

2) The highest part in a choir or wok. ensemble, consisting of lyrical (first Soprano) and dramatic (second Soprano) voices; range do1 (lower rare) - do3, the most used re1 - salt2 (la2).

The soprano part is the most important in the choir, since (in homophonic harmonic music) it is most often entrusted with the melody; hence the need for its dynamic. flexibility, mobility, beauty of timbre.

TENOR(Italian, from Latin teneo - I hold) -

2) High male singing voice. Range to a small octave - up to 2; transitional register note (between the chest and head registers) f - f-sharp1. It is notated in the treble clef (an octave higher than the actual sound), in bass and tenor clefs.

The main varieties of T.: lyrical (tenore di grazia), dramatic (tenore di forza), as well as the middle one between them - mezzo-characteristic - and rare Tenor-altino (with a developed upper register - above up to 2). In the Tenor choir, lyric and altino make up the first part, the rest - the second. Due to the frequent use of high tessitura in the choir (especially in men's), the ability of tenors to use falsetto and mixed voices is important.

FALSETTO(from Italian falso - false), fistula - one of the registers of the male singing voice (upper), in which only the head resonator is used, isolated from the chest; the vocal cords do not close tightly and oscillate at the edges, as a result of which the falsetto sounds weak, colorless. In solo singing, falsetto is occasionally used as a kind of paint. In choral singing, falsetto is used when learning high notes, on PP, when setting the tone by the conductor. Some tenors, playing extremely high notes, use a "voiced" falsetto, approaching the mixed: such voices are very useful for the choir. The ability to use falsetto for singers (for the sake of "economy of the voice") and for the conductor is a must.

Table of ranges of singing voices:

The following editions were used: Romanovsky N.V. Choral dictionary. Kruntyaeva T., Molokova N. Dictionary of foreign musical terms