Maria Callas was not a spinto soprano. She had a very dark and heavy core like a dramatic soprano. Renata Tebaldi or Zinka Milanov would've been better examples of a spinto soprano. Also, soubrette, lyric, spinto, and dramatic are all indicative of vocal weights, but coloratura is more of a technique. Sure, some voices are anatomically born more agile, but every voice can display some level of coloratura (literally just means "colored," meaning embellishment) especially when trained to fit such repertoire. It's like training your muscles to fit a particular style of sports or dance.

@jondavwal13

26 күн бұрын

The literal translation of colored in Italian is colorato or colorata. Coloratura literally means coloratura. It’s an opera term of art in Italian and English and it is a category of singer or of type of singing, not a technique. Don’t make things up.

@KajiVocals

25 күн бұрын

Callas had a lighter voice than Tebaldi…

@idraote

Күн бұрын

@@jondavwal13 coloratura IS INDEED a technique. English speakers have acquired this habit of using "she's a coloratura" as synonym for "high soprano". Coloratura is a technique and belongs to all voices, even basses.

Being a Lyric singer demands perfection, so all the singers featured in this video are perfect, but I simply love Callas and Diana Damrau!!!

Maria Callas is a Dramatico Coloratura

Did you heard Callas Armida ? Lakmé ? Lucia ? And she also interpret Medea and La Gioconda, I don't know any spinto with such a diversified repertoire, callas was a dramatico coloratura and you forget the "true" dramatico soprano such as Ponselle. Her A5 were divine...

@markdarenvillanueva7740

2 ай бұрын

Same thoughts, Maria Callas is more than a Spinto Soprano. She is the Soprano Assoluta

Callas was Soprano Assoluta! I would use Montserrat Caballe or Leontyne Price as an example for spinto soprano

Callas and Sutherland were dramatic sopranos, but were trained to have extensions in the coloratura range.

I can't carry a tune in a bucket, but I love the lyric sound

@tanyacroberts

3 ай бұрын

LOL hey, the lyrics out there need an audience! We need you!

@alleycat-oy5kv

3 ай бұрын

@tanyacroberts going to see the Edmonton Opera do Don Giovanni in a few weeks!

@tanyacroberts

3 ай бұрын

@@alleycat-oy5kv I love this! I've sung with Edmonton Opera many times! They're a WONDERFUL company deserving of so much support. Thank you!

@cygnetlake8017

Ай бұрын

@@tanyacroberts Can someone please explain to me...Are voice classifications primarily for classically trained/opera singers? because all videos focus on them; what about current day singers in pop, rock and RNB? do they benefit from the same classification? I don't know anything about singing and voices

@idraote

Күн бұрын

@@cygnetlake8017 not really. Opera puts a lot of emphasis on purity of tone, precision of pitch and general cleanliness of emission. That's the reason why to untrained ears, opera singers sound very similar to each other. Pop/rock/etc. feature voices that wouldn't be acceptable in opera. The use of the microphone allows the singer to sing very low, often with a raspy, throaty tone and to go very high by emitting sounds that nobody would tolerate in opera. It is often difficult to classify pop/rock/etc singers according to opera classification.

Jessye Norman was an overdarkened lyric soprano. A true dramatic soprano - Flagstad, Dimitrova, Varnay, etc. Callas was a true dramatic coloratura. Cut from the same mold as Moser, Sutherland, Duetekom. A true spinto soprano would be Tebaldi, Milanov, Caniglia, Rysanek, Jones.

@SteveL2012

2 ай бұрын

I think the ultimate dramatic soprano was Nilsson. Jesse Norman was a mezzo, who creeped up into the dramatic repertoire but never had the vocal heft or ring required of a true dramatic. Yes, an artificially darkened voice for sure-perhaps this is the source of missing brightness and ping in her voice, as well as the frequent pitch problems she had.

@omarsomehow69

2 ай бұрын

@@SteveL2012 Jessie Norman was a lyric soprano

@lissandrafreljord7913

2 ай бұрын

Agreed with your list of dramatic and spinto sopranos. Also, despite how people think she had a large voice, Norman always sounded like she had a hollow center that deceived listeners she had a large, heavy and dark weight. Her voice didn't penetrate like the hyper concentrated, diamond cutting, laser beam voice of Nilsson with her powerful squillo, nor did it feel wash over you like a gargantuan tidal wave, such as Flagstad's stainless steel, titanic-size voice or Varnay's witch-like dark tempest sound, that had such a wide vibrato and heavy bottom.

@jondavwal13

Ай бұрын

@@SteveL2012You obviously never heard her live. Her issue was her range. She had a bigger voice than Nilsson live.

@jondavwal13

Ай бұрын

@@lissandrafreljord7913Again unless you heard Norman live you haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about. Her voice was enormous.

Nice, clear breakdown of the basic types. There are with the coloraturas both lyric (Queen of the Night) and Dramatic (Norma) roles. Even with the dramatic sopanos there are subcategories.

@schneevongestern9898

Ай бұрын

the queen of the night is a dramatic coloratura role, though. its just mostly sung by lyrical coloratura singers, because true and genuine dramatic coloratura sopranos spawn rarely. the only two fully formed ones i can think of are cristina deutekom and joan sutherland. maybe edda moser as well. lakme is a full on lyrical coloratura role. or gilda or zerbinetta.

@canalesworks1247

Ай бұрын

@@schneevongestern9898 Gilda is more of a lyric role IMO, (as opposed to lyric coloratura) but one where the voice must move. The richness of tone is more important than the agility of voice. The same is true of Violetta. You are correct in saying that Queen of the Night is really a dramatic coloratura role, but it is almost always done by lyric coloraturas, mostly because the orchestration is light enough to get away with it. (I've conducted Magic Flute a number of times) Interestingly enough Sutherland used to do Gilda, as did Callas. These are very different voices, with very different colors and yet they BOTH work in the role. What do you make of that, other than that they were both great singers?

@schneevongestern9898

Ай бұрын

@@canalesworks1247 what I make of that is that of course the borders between voice types and their repertory are soft. And of course there are roles that are sung by different kinds of singers. And that singers extend the borders of their comfort zone or entirely leave it. Sutherland also did lakme, Callas also did Isolde. Some highly dramatic sopranos are able to sing very softly. Some lyrical sopranos can pinch in some dramatic moments. I see a voice classification as the realm or general tendency of what a voice naturally performs comfortably and sustainably.

@jondavwal13

25 күн бұрын

@@schneevongestern9898 And even for Sutherland, and I consider her the greatest of all, this was a bad role. She sings full on dramatic in the two big arias and while the result is somewhat thrilling, the aria and tessitura is just too high. It’s a struggle even for her to unleash a dramatic soprano on that music and sing the notes as written without lightening things up. She wisely gave it up very early in her career.

i consider myself more of a coloratura as ive done more training, i started out as a light lyric. but i decided i wanted to sing more coloratura repertoire

Maria Callas was a sizable Dramatic coloratura soprano. Which made her voice quite rare and versatile to handle almost every Soprano and Mezzo role or aria. While she did sing some coloratura roles, she avoided coloratura roles utilizing fast coloratura embellishments, runs and cadenzas because of the heavier nature of her voice being unable to keep up with the tempo without going off key. She's most ideally suited for Lyric, Spinto and verdi roles. Was not at all a Spinto Soprano but can sing Spinto roles because of the unique dexterity of her voice.

@cygnetlake8017

Ай бұрын

Can someone please explain to me...Are voice classifications primarily for classically trained/opera singers? because all videos focus on them; what about current day singers in pop, rock and RNB? do they benefit from the same classification? I don't know anything about singing and voices :/

@jevonsaunders3023

Ай бұрын

@@cygnetlake8017 voice classifications are primarily for classical and Choral music to sort or categorize singers into a certain repertoire of composer written music in opera. These repertoire can include music written for: agile, light, middle weight and heavier voice. Coloratura (fast and flexible riffs and runs) Lyric (standard light weight singer) and dramatic( dark, heavy, powerful or imposingly loud robust voices. In Opera, vocal category or classifications are termed as "fach" with the qualities and specialisations listed above. Vocal classifications are: Soprano: Coloratura, Lyric, Spinto dramatic. Mezzo-soprano: Coloratura, Lyric and dramatic Contralto: Coloratura, Lyric and dramatic Countertenor: mostly all assumed as Lyrical types since this voice is rare and difficult to place into a subcategory of its own. They can be placed based on range and height of this voice. Male Soprano, male Mezzo-soprano or the standard equivalent range and quality of a contralto Tenor: leggeiro, lyric, Spinto, dramatic Baritone: Light baritone( baryton Martin), Lyric Baritone, cavalier baritone(Spinto), dramatic/verdi baritone, bass baritone. Bass: lyric and dramatic types For Non-classical music, the operatic classifications are not the same case. Instead, Non-classical music which would be choir music in church or group singing. along with every genre of music wether pop, R&B, country etc. the classifications termed for non-operatic music are just voice types, example: Soprano Alto Tenor Baritone Bass In church choir music Soprano Tenor Alto Bass. Many women with alto classifications in Non-classical music are actually mostly Mezzo-sopranos- (2nd sopranos) (Lazy sopranos)a voice classifications that is the second highest female voice after the Soprano. Same with male counterparts of Tenor and Baritone. in reality as true altos (contraltos- low female are a rarity so the Mezzo-soprano assumes or replaces this classification in Non-classical music as the Alto. In Non-classical music. Classifications don't matter as all voice types are welcome and suited for almost every genre. Bass singer mostly exist in rock/metal music and church choir music with the lows. So far I've only seen some Bass Baritones in pop music. Hope this was helpful

@cygnetlake8017

Ай бұрын

@@jevonsaunders3023 oh my days thank you so much for this well written and well explained reply! I understand so much better now. I have other questions but if it’s a bother you don’t have to reply and I know not every question can get answered by one person… But singing fascinates me so here goes: What if there is a pair of twins both with equal gift and talent for singing… if one was trained in classical singing and the other was trained in non classical singing how do the skills and techniques differ ?( in essence how or what makes opera voices so amplified and powerful without a mic) Also after time past, can the non classical twin be trained to sing opera and vice versa can the classical twin be able to sing more modern genres like pop, country rnb etc ??? I sure hope you can help me with this knowledge lol

@jevonsaunders3023

Ай бұрын

@@cygnetlake8017 The skill and techniques vary based on Genre differences and style of singing. Operatic singing is styled in a way of belting, wavering and quivering, wobbling hallowing notes like an instrument. Which makes opera as unique as it sounds by the style which it is sung. Example like a human wind instrument in most commonly the Italian language. The goal of operatic singing is to be able to project the voice over large audience in front of an orchestra and still be heard without a microphone close in hand. Depending on the size of the theatre or venue sometimes stick projected like microphones are used but not hand held microphones. Mask singing is utilized to sound as naturally loud as possible with good breath technique and vocal mechanics training without strain or struggle. For sopranos, head voice is mostly used. For other lower voice they have to mix their other registers because of the lower placements of their voices. Some Mezzos and Counter tenors do sing in head voice at certain transitional phases of their voice but the Soprano utilizes head voice singing the most. In Non-classical music the same techniques are employed in vocal training but with western style of riffs, runs, ad libs etc especially when singing in English and the style of the genre. Just as any of your favorite artists. Be it Whitney Houston, Usher, Beyonce Justin Timberlake, Kesha etc. some artists create their own unique style that sets them apart from other artists. It just that they won't be utilizing the operatic style in Western music. Some do experiment and try to mix genres. Gospel rock, popera, afro-beat etc. but the standard pop, R&B genres are the nitty gritty. I'm pretty sure identical twins as fo anyone else can transition to other genres of music if they can use the style of that genre. For transition to Opera requires years of training to have the fruitiest voice with good fiction, pronunciation of the Italian language. The art of opera is more complex than any other genre of music. It's a science and discipline within its own with rules and a genre with professional criticism and judgement that will have you crying in defeat backstage after a poor performance and no standing ovation or loud applause. You'll know wether or not you did well on stage based on the noise and standing reactions of the audience. Singing operatic is like trying to be one of the best cuisine gormet chefs in the world. Food has to taste stupendous and well presented. Same with the operatic voice. People can be great singers based on natural ability or vocal training even if you were originally a non-singer. Anyone can learn to sing if they have the passion and determination for it. Being twins has nothing to do with choice of genre. Twins will be of the same voice type obviously since they're identical and sound the same too. Usually but not always. There are many lyric tenors out there but not all of them can sound like Pavarotti who was also a lyric tenor. To distinguish identical voice is to just utilize a different vocal style in whichever genre the twins chose individually. One may be better at one genre than the other and vice versa. They'll have to choose what best work for them to figure what sets them apart if they're not a duo or rivals of the same genre. Singing can be for recreation, professional career, for talent competitions, funerals, weddings, Karaoke and just for show. Wether or not you'd be confident enough for a large audience.

@cygnetlake8017

Ай бұрын

@@jevonsaunders3023 omg thanks so much for this response…your have cleared up many years of confusion for me …I appreciate this🙏

A soubrette is the most common soprano voice. A real full lyric is much less common. Jessye wasn't a true dramatic. She could and did sing some of that rep. She was an extremely rare Falcon soprano. She didn't have the carry power like niellson or flagstaff. But oh my was that voice like bathing in chocolate.

@canalesworks1247

3 ай бұрын

True about Jessye. Great tone but there were bigger, more blistering dramatics out there.

@jondavwal13

25 күн бұрын

@@canalesworks1247 bigger no. Ever hear her live? It was the largest voice I’ve ever heard in person, especially in the middle. Her issues were her notes above Bb, which were never consistent. I’ve heard everybody live including Nilsson. Norman’s voice was larger without being cutting.

@KajiVocals

25 күн бұрын

Misuse of the term Falcon soprano. She never touched any Cornélie Falcon repertoire. Nor is it a real classification.

@SchwarzBass

25 күн бұрын

@@KajiVocals oh please bugger off. Are you the fach police? I'll use it and have my opinion whenever I want. You just said I misused a non "real" classification. I'm not speaking about rep, but the unique quality of her voice. Now go away.

@SchwarzBass

25 күн бұрын

@@KajiVocals So, telling me I am misusing the term Falcon soprano as it's not a "real" classification. Yet the term Falcon Soprano exists, albeit, not in the German sense of fach. She sounded like a Falcon Soprano... which is a type of singer, whether singing the rep or not.... Now, stop being pedantic... i merely offered my opinion, as everyone determine what the fach is offering theirs.

Is really about wanting to be, or what you can be with your instrument? How many can you achieve with training?

@semperclassic

4 күн бұрын

I think it’s more of what you can be. Soubrettes might develop into lyric sopranos over time, but no matter how much I train I could never be a Wagnerian soprano. It’s like trying to become a completely different instrument.

I want to be a lyric soprano! Or whatever voice Gilda was in Rigoletto. Actually I think Verdi is coloratura.

@tanyacroberts

3 ай бұрын

Perfect example of how the five major voice types combine to form other, more specific types! Gilda is a Lyric Coloratura - she needs a strong middle voice but also the upper extension and flexibility of a coloratura!

Sutherland and Callas defied real classification. Norman, despite the comments here, was a true dramatic for anybody who had the good fortune to hear her live.

@Wotan123456789

25 күн бұрын

Norman was an extended mezzo with an amazing instrument but not a dramatic soprano. How many dramatic soprano roles did she sing?

I’m an opera student and likely a dramatic soprano. It sucks. XD it’s such a hard balance. 2 years in and I’m only just getting pieces of vibrato, though to be fair, it was only a couple semesters ago that we realized I was likely a dramatic that had been hiding as a lyric. Apparently that’s super common.

@jevonsaunders3023

Ай бұрын

I like dramatic Sopranos. They're voices are heavier more powerful than a lyric or Spinto Soprano. Mostly the Spinto will be the Dramatic Soprano's rival for certain shared roles between these two voices because of the almost similar size and dramaticism. The dramatic sopranos high notes are more cavernously powerful. Though less flexible they carry sustained power notes that are imposing to the audience

Hi, In my childhood and until very recently, I was classified as a mezzo. My current vocal range is F3-G6 according to the app Sing Sharp. My tessitura begins at about Bb3-B3. I think I’m a lyric soprano based on your video, but any help or advice would be be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

@tanyacroberts

3 ай бұрын

That's a huge vocal range, brava! That encompasses a coloratura range, for sure - but I think when defining a voice type, even more important than the range is the tessitura, or where the voice likes to sit. Where in your range do you prefer to sing for long periods of time without getting tired? Also important to consider is your vibe, your energy. What characters align the most with your natural personality?

@Reign-Drop

3 ай бұрын

@@tanyacroberts Thank you, I’m still learning about my vocal boundaries. I’m using the app specifically to teach myself to read notes, but. My tessitura begins at approximately B3 and goes to about C6. My voice is very light. I think the artist I like to emulate most would be Mandy Moore due to her light and airy nature. Think Disney Princess! ❤️

@canalesworks1247

3 ай бұрын

Do you have recorded examples on your KZread channel???

@Reign-Drop

3 ай бұрын

@@canalesworks1247Hi, not yet. But I am working on some song demos. Do you really think I should put them up? ☺️

@canalesworks1247

3 ай бұрын

@@Reign-Drop Sure, why not? People post stuff all the time. As long as you feel it's of decent quality go for it.

it needs to be said, though, that these are just the 5 fundamental voice types. there are also merges and subdivisions. for example highly dramatic (extremely are), lyrical coloratura, dramatic coloratura (extremely rare).

@jenniferhiemstra5228

Ай бұрын

Yep, was looking for this. But this clearly is a 101 type of video and that’s ok :)

"sassy" ... "street wisdom"? hmmm... seems like there are other descriptors that might be a better match for "light, lyric, bright timbre" descriptors.

@terryparish2304

3 ай бұрын

btw, i love the content otherwise. I think these are GREAT examples of the way notes in the same range can be executed by stylistic choices.

@tanyacroberts

3 ай бұрын

There's such a range of descriptors, for sure - but when you want to distill a type within 20 seconds, gotta generalize! That said, can you name an operatic soubrette role where the character doesn't display a sass and streetwise quality that many of those around her don't have?!

@terryparish2304

3 ай бұрын

@@tanyacroberts good point about what others don't have. I'll have to think about it.

Where does mezzo fit in, is it simply darker?

@tanyacroberts

3 ай бұрын

Mezzo soprano literally means “half soprano” - but mezzos can often sing just as high as many sopranos! But the mezzo soprano has a very different timbre and tessitura than the soprano. The tone does tend to be darker, fuller, with a lot of strength in the middle and low voice. And the voice likes to live in a lower overall part of the treble staff. There’s a richness in the mezzo sound that sets it apart from the soprano sound. Idea for another video! 😃

@monmothma3358

3 ай бұрын

@@tanyacroberts Thank you for taking the time to answer so fully! Love your knowledge and enthusiasm!

@cygnetlake8017

Ай бұрын

@@tanyacroberts do spinto mezzo sopranos exist? or do you just go from mezzo to spinto with time?

To quote Jessye Norman, "Pigeonholes are only comfortable for pigeons." kzread.info/dash/bejne/c2aKk9SPhrC4drA.html

Cathleen Battle is not a subrette

@niuldo

Ай бұрын

Infatti, io la definirei soprano leggero di agilità, visto il suo repertorio

Callas compared to a trully spinto-dramatic soprano is way ligther. Françoise Pollet is a true example of dramatic soprano. And honestly, dimrau’s voice is kinda heavy for a caloratura. Gruberova in her prime was an example of coloratura soprano… and gruberova’s voice is lighter than the first example.

@Wotan123456789

25 күн бұрын

Such an ignorant comment. Damrau's voice was a whistle compared to Gruberova, who has a rather large instrument.

Callas will always be remembered as a DRAMATIC COLORATURA.

@tanyacroberts

3 ай бұрын

She certainly did the bel canto repertoire justice! But some would say she was actually a MEZZO! What comfort and presence in her low to middle range! I’m of the Spinto camp, but she had such an incredible instrument that could dip into so many fachs!

@davidmuller9938

2 ай бұрын

​​@@tanyacrobertsI think she was a dramatic soprano with coloratura extension, an Italian-type, not a Wagnerian hochdramatisch of course, but she had a dark, metallic sound and a very big voice. Renata Tebaldi, Leontyne Price, Zinka Milanov or Aprile Millo are great examples of a spinto soprano. I had a big discography of Norman and I can tell, she was a mezzo who had learnt the soprano placement and could sing some low soprano parts but at a true high soprano range she mostly failed,listen to her Aida with Cossotto. Cossotto who sang Amneris had a much lighter voice than Norman. This is my opinion of course)

@misanthropelife

2 ай бұрын

@@davidmuller9938who do you think then is true dramatic coloratura soprano? I’m not an expert but most i see from youtube commenters consider sutherland and calls as dramatic sopranos with virtuosity (which i also don’t know what it actually means) anyway i just love listening to old time opera

I’m a coloratura

@tanyacroberts

3 ай бұрын

Woohoo!

Maria Callas a dramatic coloratura not spinto!!

@tanyacroberts

3 ай бұрын

What a fascinating instrument she had! It evolved so much throughout her career and took on so many rep designations!

@maximillian6222

3 ай бұрын

​@@tanyacroberts yes but you said in your video that she was spinto its incorrect, Caballe was Spinto Callas was Dramatic coloratura

@gr__msk

3 ай бұрын

Caballe was a lyric soprano, not a spinto. Tebaldi was a spinto soprano​@@maximillian6222

@davidmuller9938

2 ай бұрын

​​@@maximillian6222more of a dramatic with good coloratura skills but she was far away from true natural born coloratura sopranos like Sills, Gruberova, Moser or Sutherland. She was the best in verismo/Italian dramatic repertoire, the coloratura roles mostly destroyed her voice because they sit too high for her and in my opinion she sounded mostly unnatural... And Caballe was a lyric in my opinion not a spinto. A spinto is Tebaldi, Arroyo or Milanov, all darker amd bigger voice than Canalle.

@maximillian6222

2 ай бұрын

@@davidmuller9938 I always get confused about Caballe and Tebaldi ,people consider Tebaldi lyric and Caballe spinto and all the way around

Wow they're all beautiful and all have their place. If they were all the same, how boring...

I would disagree with some of this definition and examples...

@tanyacroberts

3 ай бұрын

Absolutely open to interpretation! And there is so much sub-nuance to each of the types as well! And of course, they combine in so many ways! But this is what I’ve come to generalize after 20+ years in the business.

too busy and noisy to undertstnad and truly hear the types.... too much going on....

So much exquisite talent in those clips. 💋🤌

@tanyacroberts

3 ай бұрын

Totally! But I also love that what we know about vocal production continues to increase! I think singers are getting better all the time!