Female voices
Name | Characteristics | Representative roles | Iconic singers |
---|---|---|---|
Coloratura soprano | A voice with great agility in the upper register. Not necessarily lacking in power or low notes. | The Queen of the Night (The Magic Flute: Der hölle Rache) | Natalie Dessay Rita Streich |
Light soprano | A supple voice at ease in the upper register. | Sophie (Werther : Du gai soleil) | Hilde Güden Mady Mesplé Barbara Bonney |
Lyric soprano | Voice with a solid middlerange but capable of agility in the upper register. | Gilda (Rigoletto : Caro nome) | Anna Moffo Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Renée Fleming Colette Boky (CAN) Karina Gauvin (CAN) Marie-Josée Lord (CAN) |
Soprano lirico-spinto (or “Grand lyrique” in the French and German repertoire) | A big, powerful voice that is strong in the middle range, and capable of lightening its upper range. | Aïda (Aïda) | Maria Callas Leontyne Price Leonie Rysanek Adrienne Pieczonka (CAN) |
Dramatic soprano | A very detailed and powerful voice, with a solid foundation in the lower register and hard-hitting highs. | Isolde (Tristan et Isolde : Liebestod) Turandot (Turandot) |
Kirsten Flagstad Birgit Nilsson |
Coloratura mezzo-soprano | Warm low notes and agile highs. | Rosine (Le barbier de Séville : Una voce poco fa) | Teresa Berganza Cecilia Bartoli Julie Boulianne (CAN) |
Lyric mezzo-soprano | Female voice whose range lies halfway between that of the soprano and the contralto’s darker color. | Charlotte (Werther : Va ! Laisse couler mes larmes) | Susan Graham Anne-Sofie Von Otter Gabrielle Lavigne (CAN) Fernande Chiocchio (CAN) Michèle Losier (CAN) |
Dramatic mezzo-soprano | Consistent middle register, generous highs, a larger and more powerful voice. | Azucena (Il trovatore : Condotta) | Christa Ludwig Tatiana Troyanos Huguette Tourangeau (CAN) Judith Forst (CAN) |
Contralto | A sepulchral female voice. | La mère (Le consul : Berceuse) Erda (L'or du Rhin) |
Kathleen Ferrier Maureen Forrester (CAN) Marie-Nicole Lemieux (CAN) |
Male voices
Name | Characteristics | Representative roles | Iconic singers |
---|---|---|---|
Leggiero tenor | A flexible and agile voice, capable of halftones in the upper register. | Almaviva (Le barbier de Séville : Ecco ridente) Lindoro (L’Italienne à Alger) |
Luigi Alva Juan Diego Florez Frédéric Antoun (CAN) |
Lyric tenor | A bright and clear voice with a good foundation in the middle register. | Nemorino (L’élixir d’amour : Una furtiva lagrima) | Luciano Pavarotti Roberto Alagna Pierre Duval (CAN) Antoine Bélanger (CAN) |
Spinto tenor (or Dramatic in the German repertoire) | A powerful voice with a more full-bodied tone. | Calaf (Turandot : Nessun dorma) | Plácido Domingo Franco Corelli Raoul Jobin (CAN) André Turp (CAN) Richard Verreau (CAN) Marc Hervieux (CAN) |
Heroic tenor (or Heldentenor in German) | Solid low notes, an almost baritone-like tone, great endurance. | Tristan (Tristan et Isolde) Otello (Otello : Esultate) |
Lauritz Melchior Jon Vickers (CAN) |
Lyric baritone | A flexible and lilting voice, capable of halftones in the upper register. | Mercutio (Roméo et Juliette : Mab) | Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Thomas Hampson Étienne Dupuis (CAN) |
Dramatic baritone | Consistent middle register, generous highs, a larger and more powerful voice. | Rigoletto (Rigoletto : Cortigiani | Piero Cappuccilli Renato Bruson Louis Quilico (CAN) |
Bass-baritone | A bass voice quality but in the baritone range, with great authority. | Jochanaan (Salomé : Wo ist er) | Hans Hotter Ezio Pinza José Van Dam George London (CAN) |
Basso buffo | An expressive voice and comic volubility. | Bartolo (Le barbier de Séville : A un dottor della mia sorte) | Enzo Dara |
Basso cantante | Dark but melancholic colour. | Méphistofélès (Faust : Le veau d’or) | Féodor Chaliapine Kurt Moll René Pape Joseph Rouleau (CAN) Pierre Charbonneau(CAN) |
Basso profondo | Dark, extremely deep colour. | Fiesco (Simon Boccanegra : Il lacerato spirito) | Martti Talvela Joseph Greindl Boris Christoff |
Source: L’opéra, mode d’emploi, by Alain Perroux.