#dramatic coloratura soprano

[opera-ghosts]

M'lle Christina Nilsson by S J Mason

"Here we heard for the first time Christine Nilsson, who made her debut in " Traviata," at the Theater Lyrique. The beautiful, slender form, the clear, bell like voice of the young artiste secured for her immediately the warmest sympathies of the public , which Adelina, among the first, encouraged by her liberal applause. Christine Nilsson achieved an overwhelming success with " The Queen of the Night, " which, after the execution of the great air, which she sang in the style of the original music , increased to an imposing triumph. Madame Carvalho, the wife of the director, was a Pamina of the very first rank. Accustomed herself to triumph, the situation imposed by the role of Pamina did not seem especially to please the artiste, as, during the entire delivery of the great air, she was obliged to stand stock still at the side of her dazzling Madame Mamma, and , in addition , be the witness of the countless outbreaks of applause on the part of the public. The full house , however, was for the Directress Carvalho balsam for the wounds which the salvos of applause for the " Queen of the Night " gave her; and so well did Christine Nilsson fill this so fatal pause for Pamina that Madame Carvalho smiled upon her in the most friendly manner."

From Fourteen Years with Adelina Patti (1884) by Louisa Lauw

[kimwexlers-brownhair]

My soprano OC is cooler than yours. Her voice sounds like Rosa Ponselle, Luisa Tetrazzini, Virginia Zeani, and Eileen Farrell all put in a blender. She looks like model Tara Lynn. She has a developed chest voice, unlike your constricted soprano. She doesn't neglect her head voice, either.

She's a bisexual fencer. Her name is Julie D'Aubigny Dulie J'Aubigny.

[joansutherlandfan]

Remembering the greatest of the tenors and Joan's close friend - Luciano Pavarotti (12 October 1935 - 6 September 2007).

[…] "Going to Australia with Joan, first of all, I've learned to be a very serious professional singer and from her particularly, I learn to breath, who is the most important thing, but the most difficult. More than anything, I think the technique is perfect, I think it's probably the most incredible technique of all the time I would say." […]

Excerpt taken from the documentary "Pavarotti - 2019" by Ron Howard.

[widevibratobitch]

13 years today... rip queen. who could ever do it like you.

[soprano-sfogato]

Types of sopranos who have sung the role of Christine in ALW’s musical

Lyric sopranos

Almost all of the actresses

Spinto sopranos (potential)

Rachel Barrell

Elizabeth Loyacano

Marni Raab

Dramatic sopranos

No one (to my knowledge)

(Some people have suggested that Agnete Munk Rasmussen isn’t a lyric soprano, but I can’t find any recordings of her, so I can’t comment on that.)

The difference between soprano types isn’t about timbre but rather the weight and size of the voice:

Lyric sopranos: Light and moderately weight voices

Spinto sopranos: Larger and heavier than lyric sopranos. A spinto voice often has a sharper, piercing quality—like a dagger to your ears.

Dramatic sopranos: Heavier and more powerful than spintos with immense volume and resonance.

I’m not including coloratura sopranos on this list because, first of all, coloratura is not a voice type—it’s a technique. Though in the opera world today, it’s often added to voice type classifications to indicate that someone can sing roles requiring agility, but in the past, this was taken for granted as part of having solid technique.

Secondly, it’s hard to say which Christines could be considered coloraturas. Having a good high E doesn’t automatically make someone a coloratura soprano because coloratura is not about hitting high notes. That title requires mastery of things like trills, portamenti, and fast passages—none of which are really present in Christine’s part.

While some opera singers in this role may have been coloraturas, they were most likely lyric coloratura sopranos.

All the Christines who could qualify as spinto sopranos have noticeably larger voices and sound heavier than other actresses. I’ve labeled them potential spintos because it’s difficult to definitively identify someone as a spinto unless they’ve been trained in opera—classical training alone isn’t enough. They would also need proper opera training before taking on traditional spinto roles.

[sopranoentravesti]

All right, DS9 fans who are opera freaks

For the 3 of you on tumblr, @currymuttonpizza and myself got chatting and one thing led to another and Badda-bing, Badda bang, we came up with the Fächer of the characters for the Opera version of DS9. Here goes

Captain Sisko: Bass Baritone. This seems self explanatory

Jake Sisko: countertenor

Major Kira: Coloratura mezzo. I may have been biased for this one bc that is the closest thing to my fach, but think Rossini‘s heroines, or some of Vivaldi‘s work (like Armatae Face et Anguibus from Juditha Triumphans)

Gul Dukat: also Bass-baritone, but of the villainous variety. Think Samuel Ramey as Reverend Olin Blitch in Susannah, or the titular role in Don Giovanni

Julian Bashir: Tenor leggiero. This also seems self explanatory

Kai Winn: originally I thought of a mezzo a la Ježibaba, but I think actually this may be a place for a villainous contralto

Jadzia Dax: mezzo, but of the type that delves down in contralto territory periodically (a la Avery Amereau ❤️)

Odo: dramatic baritone— to use @currymuttonpizza‘s inimitable phrasing “He's like if Scarpia were a good person idk.”

Worf: Bass, nuff said

Miles: baritone. Mostly an Everyman lyric kind but can venture in dramatic territory when he’s Suffering (he’s basically Wozzeck, if you think about it)

Keiko: sweet, loving, badass, sassy when needed? A soubrette, of the Mozart variety, a la Susanna and Zerlina

Garak: Britten tenor

Quark: dramatic baritone. Basically Alberich in space

Rom: Basso buffo

Nog: the guy you think is a tenor buffo, but is actually a Helden tenor

Kasidy Yates: full lyric soprano

Weyoun: tenor buffo. Complete Don Basilio type

Brunt: also tenor buffo. Both played by combs who brings buffo energy to both

Ezri: soubrette

Leeta: high poppy squeaky coloratura soprano (I’m thinking Olympia in the doll aria)

Damar: baritone, maybe slightly romantic but pretty run of the mill

Ziyal: light lyric soprano, ala Gilda from Rigoletto

Joseph Sisko: Dramatic Bass

Female Changeling: contralto, think Erda

Moogie: mezzo a la Marcelina from Nozze, but also some Despina vibes

Grand Nagus Zek: gonna trust @currymuttonpizza on this one, heldentenor like the drum major, but make it funny

Vedek Bareil: speaking role

[international-baccalaureshit]

my history teacher threatened to make me sing opera in class on a daily basis (for those of you who don't know, i'm a dramatic coloratura soprano and totally fucking would)

[moonyasnow]

My OCs' singing voices

I love singing! It's been a passion of mine since I was very little. To the point where the first career I can remember saying I wanted when I grew up was 'singer'

Soooo why not combine two things I love?

Gonna be basing voice types not on how GOOD their voices sound, only on their range.

Also gonna be using some terminology not everyone'll be familiar with

But here's some basic charts when it comes to range

And here's a good place to start if you wanna read more

I'll also try to include a video link of what the specific voice type they have might sound like— just keep in mind these classifications exist mostly in opera, so lots of opera music

Tomoe

Voice type: Soprano

Sub-classification: Full lyric soprano

Specific range: B3 - C6

About the most average singing voice you can imagine. Not great, but not bad.

Irina

Voice type: Soprano

Sub-classification: Lyric coloratura soprano

Specific range: D4 - E6

Irina is absolutely terrible at singing. Just god awful. She can hit all the high notes…they just don't sound good. Never quite the right key, either. When she sings, she sounds like someone purposefully trying to make fun of the very art.

She has absolutely 0 natural talent for singing.

She's honestly INCREDIBLY embarrassed of just how bad her singing voice is and refuses to sing any time EVER.

Spike

Voice type: Baritone

Sub-classification: Lyric baritone

Specific range: G2 - D4

Sliiiightly below average? Though in his case the complete lack of ever having tried singing before is the real big reason.

Junia

Voice type: Mezzo-soprano

Sub-classification: Soprano sfogato

Specific range: G3 - E6

Details:

An INCREDIBLY talented singer, very easily able to manipulate her voice in lots of different, difficult ways.

Not to even mention her huge range!

Lisle

Voice type: Bass-baritone

Sub-classification: Dramatic bass-baritone

Specific range: F2 - A3

Above average talent!

His voice in particular is pretty agile in general, easily able to jump between middle and high notes— the high notes of his own range, at least.

Veronica

Voice type: Mezzo-Soprano

Sub-classification: Dramatic mezzo soprano (OK THE REASON THIS ONE IS SO DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHERS IS JUST BECAUSE I CANNOT IMAGINE HER VOICE SOUNDING ANY OTHER WAY)

Specific range: A3 - F5

Slightly below average in terms of talent— but she doesn't really care.

If she DID decide she wanted a good singing voice, though, she WOULD get there through sheer effort.

Though right now her singing sounds kinda flat— though when she DOES try, she's pretty good at belting.

( @babyghoul138 )

Victor

Voice type: Tenor

Sub-classification: Leggero tenor

Specific range: A2 - F4

Pretty average in terms of talent

Not much else to say

Artemisia

Voice type: Soprano

Sub-classification: Soubrette soprano

Specific range: E4 - F6

She actually has quite a bit of natural talent for singing. She's just never had a chance for anyone to find out. And she thinks that having a vibrato to her voice despite never having TRIED to learn how to do it isn't that strange. But again, she has no frame of reference.

Her voice is very light and airy— absolutely no weight in it, so while she can sigh high, she can't sing loud.

[beckmessering]

@parmandil @itsa-me-cavaradossi omg so i totally forgot to report back from berlin rosenkavalier! in brief, everyone was stupendous!! i remember diana damrau as a coloratura soprano, so i also wasn’t sure if this was a good fit, but i think she did super well. her lower tones aren’t the most rich, as was expectable, but she was vocally very elegant, had the sufficient vocal weight for the role, and did really well as transporting the marschallin’s aristocratic air both vocally and dramatically. regula mühlemann and emily d’angelo were incredibly adorable also vocally a good match and believably young without being cutesy. very convincing cast for me as a first-times and also apparently for everyone else bc they refused to leave the auditorium. also someone told me i look like octavian during intermission, which. lol i wish i looked like emily d’angelo but as an enby person in a suit, i appreciate it so much, man <3

[tailing-sun]

Shadow High OCs Bio 7: Tara Rajneesh

COLOUR PALETTE: Galaxy

YEAR: Third

GENDER: Female

FOCUS: Performing Arts

STYLE: Celestial. Dazzling. Classy.

QUOTE: “The stars align for me.”

BIO: Professional triple threat (and amateur astrologist) Tara Rajneesh rules the Performing Arts scene at Shadow High and shines not just like a star, but like a whole constellation on stage. Though her creativity is unbounded and her performing choices are always bold, she can barely do anything in her day-to-day life without first consulting her horoscope. She loves to be the centre of attention, and thanks to her standout energy and eccentric personality it just kind of happens naturally. A thespian at heart, Tara has no interest in film acting, and prefers the inherent transitive quality that only the stage can offer. As for which roles she likes best, lead roles are great, and villains are even better! She’s starred in plenty of productions back in her home city of Chicago, but her dream is to play the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute at the Met.

OTHER:

-Tara’s one of those girls who has a different boyfriend every month because of some drama or another, to the great interest of Candy.

-Her parents are both from Hyderabad, India, but she was born in Chicago.

-Her age is seventeen and her sign is Sagittarius.

-She stands taller than most of her female classmates at 5’8” (without heels).

-She’s bilingual, and speaks Hindi with her parents. Although their English is already pretty good, they insisted on teaching her Hindi to preserve their culture.

-Her clothes are relatively simple, usually stretchy and form-fitting due to her practically living on stage and needing to move for blocking. This doesn’t stop Tara from accessorizing as much as possible with sparkling, glittering, star-studded bangles, necks, and hair pins.

-She gets along with Dia Mante and Glitch Crowne, bonding over music and the stage.

-Much to her classmates’ annoyance, she’ll sometimes read them their horoscopes unprompted and/or dragoon them into a tarot-reading session.

-To de-stress, she likes to go stargazing. She’s even got a telescope.

-Though she definitely gives off diva vibes, it’s mostly because she’s usually in her own head and feels every emotion at 200% at all times. By no means is she rude, snobby, or even intentionally selfish, in fact she runs a student support group on the side for classmates to gather and vent about school-related stress.

-She likes modern musicals well enough, especially dramatic ones, but her first love is opera.

-She sings coloratura soprano and is a seasoned actor, but struggled a bit with dancing.

-Despite the flack other Shadow High kids give her for it, Tara follows RH exchange student Meena Fleur on social and even trades school gossip with her. (Thanks again @sunshine7eyes)

[opera-ghosts]

March 5. 1868 the first performance of Arrigo Boito’s Opera “Mefistofele” was presented at the Scala di Milano. Here we see the very rare original castlist from the first performance of this Opera at The Metropolitan Opera 1883 six weeks after the opening from the MET.

[kimwexlers-brownhair]

Luisa Tetrazzini - The queen of staccato - La regina dello staccato

[joansutherlandfan]

“When one is singing high and loud it’s as though one is in light air, high upon a mountain. I feel a lightness and dizziness. Exhilaration too. I’ve never smoked marijuana, but I fancy it might be the same sort of feeling.”

Joan Sutherland

Portrait as Lucia di Lammermoor. Feb 1959.

[mariacallous]

A Sword & a Caress. Few rate the Callas voice as opera's sweetest or most beautiful. It has its ravishing moments. In quiet passages, it warms and caresses the air. In ensembles, it cuts through the other voices like a Damascus blade, clean and strong. But after the first hour of a performance, it tends to become strident, and late in a hard evening, begins to take on a reverberating quality, as if her mouth were full of saliva. But the special quality of the Callas voice is not tone. It is the extraordinary ability to carry, as can no other, the inflections and nuances of emotion, from mordant intensity to hushed delicacy. Callas' singing always seems to have a surprise in reserve. With the apparently infinite variety of her vocal inflections, she can keep the listener's ear constantly on edge for a twist of an emotional phrase, constantly delighted by a new and unexpected flick of vocal excitement. Quite apart from the quality of her voice, her technique is phenomenal. The product of the relentless discipline that characterizes everything she does, it enables her to ignore the conventional boundaries of soprano, mezzo-soprano and contralto as if they had never been created. She can negotiate the trills and arabesques of coloraturas as easily as she trumpets out a stinging dramatic climax. Like her operatic sisters of a century ago, La Callas can sing anything written for the female voice. Because of her, La Scala has revived some operas (Mozart's Abduction from the Seraglio, Verdi's Sicilian Vespers, Cherubini's Medea) that it had not staged for years because no modern diva could carry them off. Blood & Tears. As actress. Callas is more exciting than any singer has a right to be. Her acting takes the form of a flashing eye that petrifies an emotion, a sudden rigidity that shouts of a breaking heart, a homicidal wish or a smoldering passion ("It takes nerve to stand still"). Callas' style of movement on stage strangely resembles the striding and lurching of the hamhearted operatic actress, but she moves so gracefully, so alluringly, with such authority, that even opera's baroque gestures take on breathtaking conviction. In her first Aida at La Scala in 1950, she startled the crowd by stalking about like a hungry leopard instead of taking the usual stately stance for her Act III duet. In the death scene of Fedora, in which sopranos tend to expire stiffly on a divan, Callas staggers from it, sags to her knees, drags herself up, crawls towards her lover's room, collapses again before she finally rolls down and dies. In Norma she has cried real tears. Operagoers, long reconciled to the classic, three-gesture range of other prima donnas, are astounded and delighted.

Music: The Prima Donna, Monday, Oct. 29, 1956 issue of Time Magazine

[venomous-qwille]

Whats a skill you have that most people wouldn’t know about :)

I'm a classically trained coloratura soprano! I fully intended to carve a career out as an opera singer before my life careened in a dramatically different direction. Sadly I haven't had the opportunity to perform properly for many many years now :( sometimes life just works out that way...

[herstoriies]

𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬 .

1. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚?

Delicately floral. A beautiful rose to decorate her hair or gown. Expensive perfume with notes of honeysuckle, jasmine, and orange blossom.

2. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚’𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚?

Small and dainty, and buttery smooth. They've not known much labor. And her fingers are usually adorned with a ring or two on each hand. On her left is a ring on her index and middle fingers. On her right, a pinky ring. Verse dependent, on her left hand in lieu of the middle finger ring is her engagement/wedding ring.

3. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙙𝙖𝙮?

Opera verse - She's very conscientious about what foods affect her voice. On a day she's performing, she avoids dairy and sticks to light but sustainable meals like soups, not overly salted vegetables, and fruits. That said, it's a battle given Priscilla is equally a bit of a foodie and restauranter and loves trying different cuisines. And did I mention her sweet tooth and love of champagne? More often than not she eats out, but isn't incompetent in the kitchen and enjoys making a traditional meat and vegetable dish, pastas, and baking scones and cake for tea.

Baroness verse - The Staunton chef's daily English meals (including high tea), or out and about to various restaurants.

4. 𝘿𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚?

In one verse she made an entire career out of it :D

In short, yes, she does. Naturally in her Diva verse, singing is her life and her voice was trained and finetuned to the coloratura soprano she became famous for. But natually she has a nightingale's voice, soft and melodically sweet.

In her other vereses, she still enjoys singing as a hobby, can't resist joining in a shanty, or chorus/choir and might stand out in a crowd of carolers if not mindful.

5. 𝘿𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙗𝙖𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙨?

She can be very reckless of her own behavior and get into trouble.

She's loudmouthed and outspoken and confrontational, when not in a comedic situation can lead to dire consequences.

She's impulsive and enjoys things in excess.

She has a revolving door of dandies she rotates like accessories. (in v: joie de paris)

She has kleptomania (in v: the baroness)

Uhhh to name a few.

As far as nervous ticks, its like sweeping her hair behind her ear, playing with her fingers or the tassel dangling from her fan, or taking a less confident posture.

When agitated she gets more sharp tongued, sarcastic, and demanding.

And in a dramatic moment of witnessing betrayal, can and has in the past physically lashed out, in the sense of destroying nearby objects and shoving everything off of her vanity table.

6. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 / 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙧?

In a word: fabulous. Silks, lace, satin flowers, embroidery. Everything of opulent Victorian-era (verse-dependent but nonetheless...) Haute Couture frivolities. Most notably sporting designs by the famous designer: House of Worth. She has on occasion spent her entire paycheck on her wardrobe and had to scramble together a combination of savings and a slew of hustle side-gigs like posing for artists just to pay the next month's rent!

It can be argued her taste is a bit too avante garde, fortunately it's fitting for the victorian era

Some additional meta: Priscilla's wardrobe is like her battle armour. And she often prides herself in her physical assets, and displays them properly with utmost taste and opulent class. Starting with her custom-fitted corset and foundational wear for comfort and accentuation, and each layer and petticoat forward, topped off with silk ornately detailed bodice and skirt. More often the silk is a vibrant solid color - shades of blue, navy, violet, burgundy, emerald; or a pastel shade, or the classic cream, white, gold, tan, or mourning black (often worn in v: the Baroness!). Of course, this is paired with the right accessories: jewelry, a trimmed and feathered hat, a beaded shawl, and satin or leather gloves depending on the event. And I must highlight her shoes - often ornately embroidered - are equally a fashion statement. More often than not they're heeled, to give herself some added height (given her petite stature).

Another statement & asset is Priscilla's golden mane of untamable curls. For the most part, it's in an era-specific updo, but she's also donned the more ancient Grecian style. Often her hair is accessorized with some combination of an elegant comb (her iconic one is in the shape of a peacock!), a rose, and/or an elegant hat.

7. 𝙄𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙚?  𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝?  𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙨𝙤?

A little too much for her own good. This is why she must be protected at all costs so her affections do not go to the wrong person(s)! She's a romantic, and more often in love with the idea of being in love than actually in love.

She is affectionate by her loyalty, her wanting to be with someone (& how frequently), exchanges of sweet nothings, little surprises/gifts, and basis of mutual respect.

8. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙞𝙣?

Any ol' position, often little spoon. She tends to steal the covers and/or take up the entire bed somehow no matter what size it is. Otherwise having someone to cuddle helps! Then she'd just go koala mode.

9. 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢?

Probably. Either from hearing Priscilla's rehearsing her singing, laughing at a joke, being the larger than life life of the party she is, or even arguing with a Parisian producer she loves to quarrel with. Otherwise, it's a toss-up.

Tagged by: commandeered from @reverdies

Tagging: YOU!