Transcript VOICE

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By: Caleb Bryant
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Classifying singers by range and gender is the
most common method. There are several other
vocal classes besides the six basic ones given
here.
Female voices:
1. Soprano – the highest female voice
2. Mezzo Soprano – mid-range female voice
3. Contralto – the lowest female voice ( called alto
in chorus music)
Male voices:
4. Tenor – the highest male voice
5. Baritone – the mid-range male voice
6. Bass – the lowest male voice
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What is opera, anyway? Opera is drama told
through music. It is a play in which dialogue
is sung rather than spoken, usually presented
on a very grand scale, with large, imposing
sets, elaborate and colorful costumes, and
stylized stage direction. There is often a
chorus – an ensemble of singers who make
up the townspeople and other supplemental
characters. Often dancing (e.g., ballet) is part
of the spectacle, as well.
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How did opera start? The history of opera as it
is presented today in America goes back to the
late Renaissance in Italy when a group of
composers “invented” it to resemble what
they thought music-drama had been like in
classical Greece. Operas are usually sung in
the language in which they were composed,
which means that opera singers must be able
to sing in Italian, German, French and other
languages, as well as in English. Most of
today’s opera houses offer English supertitles.
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Traditional opera consists of two modes of
singing. The recitative that is sung in a
somewhat “speaking” manner that moves the
plot along or helps to set up the next main
song or aria. The aria is more melodic in
character, and the singer focuses on one or
more subjects or on an emotion. The overture
in opera is from the French “ouverture” which
means “opening.” It is the instrumental
introduction to a dramatic, choral (i.e., opera),
or, occasionally, instrumental (i.e., symphonic)
piece.