Calling all Lyrics! (Sopranos, that is)- Page 5

[Ashleydanielle]

Posted: 11/7/06 at 1:39am

Hi everyone, I actually have some questions. I just started taking voice lessons a few weeks ago, so I am new to the terminology used. First off, in voice lessons my teacher only seems to focus on my soprano. I want to to work on belting too. Does this seem unusual? Also, what is mix? I guessing it is a blend of the head and chest voices, but I don't know for sure. Do different techniques focus on different things? I believe I am learning classical technique. She is focusing on vowel sounds.

Back to more soprano talk, my voice teacher referred to me as a coloratura.In the threads, I've noticed terms such as lyric, dramatic, and such in reference to soprano. Would anyone care to break these down? I saw the definition for dramatic, but I don't quite understand it. Thanks for the advice!

[elvenprincess971]

Posted: 11/7/06 at 9:11pm

From my experience personally, vocal coaches do NOT like to practice belting. My best advice for that would be to work on it yourself, USING THE METHODS PRESENTED by your vocal coach. That's key, or you will hurt yourself. Don't strain, and if you are hoarse or extremely vocally tired (physically tired is okay, it's a lot of work!!!), you probably aren't doing something right.

That's the advice my vocal teacher gave me anyway.

Vocal sounds are universal technique. What makes you sound best.

Mix, to my understanding, is being able to switch head and chest with the same power in both... especially in the lower ranges. (someone correct me if I'm wrong on that)

That's my two cents. Anyone else want to add or correct?

[My Fair Lady]

Posted: 11/7/06 at 9:21pm

Mix is a combination of head and chest voice.

[elvenprincess971]

Posted: 11/7/06 at 9:50pm

That's kind of what I meant.... but yes.

[hannahshule]

Posted: 11/8/06 at 5:59am

Coloratura: The soprano with the highest (usually) range, has a lot of staccato trills and Ahhh-ing. If you want to hear a classic coloratura aria, listen to "Der Holle Rache" from Die Zauberflote, or "Les Oiseaux dans la Charmille" from Les Contes d'hoffmann. It's light and acrobatic. Uusally minimal lower register.

Lyric: The heroine/ingenue characters, like Violetta, is a graceful voice, with more legatto lines, very strong upper register, and good lower. Liu, Manon, Mimi, etc are lyrics.

Dramatic: Not necessarily the Wagner roles (those are Wagnerian sopranos), these obviously have the most dramatic, rich sound of the sopranos. Their range usually doesn't go as high, but they have a powerful bottom register. Think Tosca, Turandot, Butterfly to an extent.

Spinto: A full lyric soprano that can be pushed to dramatic climaxes. Butterfly, Aida, Donna Elvira. Tosca might be considered a spinto as well.

Usually, you can be more than one voice type, for example, you can sing Tosca, a dramatic role, but also sing Violetta, a lyric who must sing coluratura for the fist act of La Traviata. Usually the coloraturas have the hardest time switching because they lack some of the richness and bottom register. However, people like justagirl2 can be a dramatic coloratura. (Usually, you are never JUST a spinto. A spinto refers more to the role than to the voice.)
So, if your teacher can tell you're a coloratura already (around how old are you?) than that's great, but if you want to work on belting, than I would really suggest working your lower register more. (But a coloratura doesn't have to be a soprano, there are coloratura Mezzo role like Rosina)

Hope this helps!

[elvenprincess971]

Posted: 11/9/06 at 9:31pm

*bump*...

Must...stay...ahead...of...mezzos!!

[justagirl2]

Posted: 11/10/06 at 12:46am

Oh, gosh! I've neglected this thread!

[elvenprincess971]

Posted: 11/10/06 at 11:10pm

I think we are out of things to say...

So here's a topic... lol.

What songs (B'way or Classical) have you sung that almost guarantee you roles?

[hannahshule]

Posted: 11/11/06 at 10:26am

Sopranos never run out of things to say!!

For me, Vedrai Carino seems to always work with me, although I'm hoping that this new Mozart piece "Pupille Amate" (an aria from Lucio Silla, can start to do the same, because I'm wanting to sing something new!

Updated On: 11/11/06 at 10:26 AM

[hannahshule]

Posted: 11/12/06 at 9:12pm

[bwaywatchout22]

Posted: 11/15/06 at 3:09pm

hello everyone..well im a lyric soprano as well..lol. Ive had lessons for two years witha college students but i decide to step it up a notch for my senior year and I'm now working with Conchita de Antunano. Shes a Juilliard and AVA alumna and teacher and my voice has really grown and matured with her...its really amazing.
As far as good audition songs perhaps any of you could check out theprimma donna song from the enchantress or my personal favorite "glitter and be gay" from my fav composer leonard bernstein.
Did any of you audition for the NFAA arts search? I did...its been one hectic month

[hannahshule]

Posted: 11/15/06 at 3:53pm

I'm doing NFAA next year, I'm one year too young right now. Grr...
and Welcome!

[bwaywatchout22]

Posted: 11/15/06 at 4:00pm

well for nfaa..it was really a last minute thing..i kinda didnt have time toput together what I wanted but i guess it was ok..lol
i did
se tu mami se sospiri(art song)
pie jesu from faures requiem
wiegenlied by brahms
simple gifts by copeland
o mio babbino caro

i really wnated to do ach ich fuhls from die zauberflote but i already knew o mio babbino and i was short on time..blah..but now im working on sempre libera..yes!!! and hopfeully for upcoming contests i can do it...does anyone know of any by chance?

[hannahshule]

Posted: 11/15/06 at 5:29pm

wow, sempre libera, that's ambitious. Your teacher lets you? Traviata's one of my favorites!

Updated On: 11/15/06 at 05:29 PM

[LilMiZBroADwaY23]

Posted: 11/15/06 at 8:45pm

Wow... how old are you? Traviata...

My teachers would murder me... that's the kind of stuff that wears young voices out.

Plus if you're doing Traviata and other hxc hard, opera when you're young (presuming you're a teen), what else is left to learn?

Just saying/asking.

[elvenprincess971]

Posted: 11/16/06 at 12:39am

huzzah! Se tu mami!! Everyone sings that song... I'm glad I'm not the only one following the crowd this year!!!

[bwaywatchout22]

Posted: 11/16/06 at 10:09pm

im sventeen...but being that violetta is a lyric soprano not a dramatic soprano my techer says that it is perfectly fine. I would agree if i were singing somehting from lets say Aida or Lucia de Lamermoor...plus mannnnyy great opera stars have made debuts at 17 or around there in traviata...i believe one of them was either callas or tebaldi
and soo much is left to learn really...there are soo many roles out there.
btw..im kinda hoping to change my recorded cd so i wanted to change my aria for sempre libera, simple gifts for glitter and be gay, and se tu mami for somehting else. I alwasy found se tu mami more suited for a mezzo with a richer sound in their bottom range. What do you guys suggest?

[LilMiZBroADwaY23]

Posted: 11/16/06 at 10:55pm

May I ask what CD this is for? Because if it is for auditions... isn't Glitter and Be Gay Broadway?

If you really look at 24 Italian Songs and Arias, only one song goes to an A, making it more of a book for mezzos. Plus it's always good to have something classic on a CD to show that you are capable of doing reputable repetoire.

and neither Tebaldi nor Callas premiered in Traviata. and one of Calas' main reasons for her career going downhill was doing such heavy roles as a young singer.

Sorry if I sound condescending or whatever... I've been taking voice lessons since I was eight years old, and only last year did I learn my first real Operatic aria. I pretty much learned the whole 24 Italian Songs and Arias book and the First Book of Dramatic Sopranos.

edited for spelling. Updated On: 11/16/06 at 10:55 PM

[bwaywatchout22]

Posted: 11/16/06 at 11:24pm

on your requirements for colleges and such, your cd will probably have to include a song by an american composer..since bernsteins american I guess that fits.Plus, Candide is an operetta requiring classical training.
BUt really i think Callas major downfall was probably more based on the fact that she aletered fachs at the speed of light more than anything else. One second shed be singing somehting for a dramatic coloratura the next something for a lyric then for a mezzo...now that must wear out the voice!
oh an oops at the traviata comment..it was not renata tebladi it was renata scotto..haha..she sang it when she was 18 in her hometown of savona and then made her debut the next day at the teatro nuovo in Milan.

[elvenprincess971]

Posted: 11/16/06 at 11:40pm

I have a question for those who would know:

Is "Glitter and Be Gay" overused in college auditions? I'm getting desperate for an uptempo soprano song... I have everything... art pieces, foreign language pieces, broadway ballads (all depending on which college I'm auditioning for)... and this is just giving me so much trouble!!!

[bwaywatchout22]

Posted: 11/16/06 at 11:49pm

well, really the judges have heard everything imagineable

but if you want more options
primma donna song from enchantress
summertime porgy and bess
and i cant think right..haha!! so ill keep adding later

[LilMiZBroADwaY23]

Posted: 11/17/06 at 12:56am

Summertime is over done, and recently and Northwestern's summer music camp, they said stray away from Glitter and be Gay.

Are you guys going for Vocal Performance or Musical Theatre?

Because I haven't heard any of these requirements. (American author) all they care about is language.

[bwaywatchout22]

Posted: 11/17/06 at 1:35am

really?..why would they suggest that?

if our looking for an english song try something by handel
his SEmele is glorious!!
i esp. love endless pleasure and myself I shall adore
I have a copy somehwere with kathleen battle and marilyn horne

[elvenprincess971]

Posted: 11/17/06 at 1:50am

For my degree, I'm interested in both and therefore am trying out for both programs in certain places. Most of my choices are for the Musical Theatre B.F.A. which requires you to do one ballad and one uptempo, plus a monologue. For Vocal Performance, it really depends on where you go... a lot of them require 1 or 2 foreign language pieces, plus an english song and possibly the recitation of a poem.

I personally have all my songs picked out EXCEPT for the uptempo Broadway. It keeps me up at night.

[hannahshule]

Posted: 11/17/06 at 6:23am

LilMiz is right, Callas really kind of blew out her voice, but Tosca (when she was OLDER) was her big comeback.

I need to say this though, I am seventeen as well, have been taking voice since I was 8, and no teacher I have ever met with will let me THINK about studying (I can look at it, and play around with it and get to know it), La Trviata. I may have the range, I may have the stamina, but at this age, it's just too demanding. Violetta is a very tough role, all the great diva's have said so. She may be a lyric, but hell, we have some of the hardest roles in opera. I'm going to major in vocal performance, because you can't major in Oepra perfomance as an undergrad. These roles were written to be sung over a large orchestra, and they are written for people who can project and resonate over that orchestra. Also the risk comes with, if we develope bad habits, or don't learn the aria quite perfectly now, it will be much much harder later on when we do need to know them, and we need to form new, better habits. So, I'm not saying you or your voice teacher is wrong, but maybe I would get a second opinion, and maybe just make sure you are doing the proper technique, which if not, could result in vocal nodes, basicaly ending your singing career.
End of tangent.

Updated On: 11/17/06 at 06:23 AM