Opera for Dumbinos

Christine...is that you, Christine? Oh no, you are not Christine, but come in. Come closer. Don' be afraid. I know my face looks hideous, but I assure you I won' bite. Yes, I am he: the Phantom of the Opera.

Yes...yes..do come into my lair, my hideaway beneath the stage of the opera house. Relax...sit in my most comfortable chair, and I shall tell you great secrets that will amaze you. Care for some tea? There you are.

Now, about opera. I know you have probably been brainwashed into thinking opera is boring, insipid and banal--BUT I ASSURE YOU IT IS NOT! Imagine fairies dancing on the head of a pin; imagine two yearning hearts singing duets; imagine duels to the death for honor and country! Tragedy, comedy, drama and song rolled up into one ultimate art form. That is opera, my friend!--music finished to perfection--standing the test of time!

So for you my curious dove, I present Opera for Dumbinos--the Voices. You are no doubt already familiar with pop, rock and/or country music. So I shall attempt to cross over into your musical world and describe the various voices of opera, referencing pop and country artists you are already familiar with.

Yes, I know. It is a diabolical scheme using your musical world to teach you mine. Mwahahahahahaha! Now, let us begin.

Sopranos, altos, tenors and basses make up the four general categories that opera singers fall into. Sopranos being the highest female voices, altos being the lowest for the fairer sex. Tenors are the highest male voices; basses sing the lowest notes you will hear.

Within the pop music genre, most female singers are altos, most males are tenors. The same is largely true with country music; however, you will find more basses among the male singers.

The method of casting a role in opera is quite different from film casting. An artist is cast primarily by his/her voice, not by age or appearance. Sopranos and tenors tend to play the youthful roles while altos and basses play the elderly ones. Thus you could have a princess played by a 50-year-old soprano, and her mother could be played by an 18-year-old alto. Do you know what that means? Lots and lots of makeup! Hehehe!

Just one of those interesting tidbits I knew you would appreciate. More tea? Anyway, let me describe opera voices for you in more detail, starting from the highest register, and then sliding down to the lowest voice.

Starting with the soprano category, the highest voice is the coloratura. She can hit high notes that would make any dog whistle envious. Two of my favorite coloraturas of the pop genre are Snow White (♫...I' wishing...for the one I love...♫), and Minnie Riverton (♫...Lovin' you is easy cause your beautiful...Ah ah ah ah ahhhhh♫).

A legendary coloratura in the world of opera is Beverly Sills. A sample of her sky-note prowess is available here.

Next up (or should I say next down?), the lyric soprano sings her hauntingly sweet siren melody. Remember the Star Trek theme? ♫...Ah ahhhhhh ah ah ah ah ahhhhhhhhhhh...♫

Now listen to what opera has to offer: the soothing sounds of Mirella Freni.

And, the virtuosic voice of Joan Sutherland.

As we move further down the scale, we encounter the cyclone tones of the dramatic soprano. She is that blond viking chick..er..lady that is stereotypically proffered in pop culture. You know, the one
who breaks the champagne glass with her vociferous voice!

Now listen to Ghena Dimitrova, one of the world' best.

Lowering the rope further we find several pop and country female singers who fit in the mezzo soprano range. Linda Ronstadt and Joan Baez are the ones that pop into my head. There are so many voices in my head I tell you! Oh please, don' go! I did not mean to frighten you....still here? Good.

Anyway, the mezzo soprano could be considered a high alto or low soprano. To hear the mistress of mezzo--Marilyn Horn--move your mouse here.

Finally we drop to the lowest alto voice: the contralto. Cher and Stevie Nicks are two pop divas that own THIS spot. Ewa Podles is one of opera' finest.

Wait! Not so fast! Where are you gong? We still have much to cover. The tenors are next on our little agenda. The countertenor is the highest and most fascinating male voice. Why? Because, my curious dove, the countertenor sounds like a woman singing.

Male singers have a falsetto voice, but when they sing in that range, they still sound like men singing, though somewhat prissy. The countertenor, by contrast, is virtually indistinguishable from a
contralto or mezzo soprano; however, a finely trained ear can tell the difference. What? Did you say something? Oh never mind!

Anyway, don' confuse the countertenor with the castrato--a boy soprano or alto who is castrated to preserve his boyhood voice. Eh hem...countertenors come fully equipped--that' all I am going to say on that subject. Moving along.

Neil Sadaka is a splendid example of a pop countertenor. ♫...Ooooh I hear laughter in the rain...walkin' hand and hand with the one I love...♫ Michael Jackson may be another example, although, he is somewhat controversial in that he has lyric-tenor tendencies.

David Daniels is opera' countertenor ambassador.

That brings me to the lyric tenor the most common voice of pop music. David Gates of Bread is the best. ♫...If a face could launch a thousand ships...♫ Also hear in your mind' ear the Irish tenor: ♫...Oh Danny Boy...the pipes, the pipes are calling....♫

Say, do you remember the Mighty Mouse cartoon? Well, Mighty Mouse was a dramatic tenor: ♫...Here I come to save the day!...♫

Here are two beloved opera tenors who sang both lyric and dramatic tenor roles: Luciano Pavarotti,and Placido Domingo.

Well...now that your ears are filled with tenors and your belly is full of tea, come with me to the catacombs beneath the theatre where I will reveal to you the deepest, darkest voices--the basses.

Is the Lyric baritone a high bass or a low tenor? You have to watch out for those lyric baritones. They tend to swing both ways. Mick Jagger , John Lennon and Willie Nelson are singers with lyric
baritone tendencies.

To hear one of opera' offerings, visit Dmitri Hvorostovsky. He does a nice little Barber of Seville number.

Roger Whitaker, Robert Goulet came here today to "," as they say. They are pop' bass baritones. Friedrich Schorr can sing opera though:

The basso buffo is a comic role that can be played by any bass, so it is not a specific voice range or color like the other voices I have described. Look to Washington D.C. for examples.

Barry White is most definitely the basso cantate of soul: ♫...You' the first..You' the last...my everything...♫ Orlin Anastasov is a basso cantate of opera.

At last! We are at the very bottom. We have sunk as low as anyone can go when it comes to operatic voices. The basso profundo is the lowest of the low. His voice sounds like mine when I first wake up in the morning. Just as the coloratura can hit the highest notes on the piano, the basso profundo can hit the lowest.

Richard Sterban of the Oakridge Boys is an exquisite example of how a basso profundo can bring up the rear of five-part harmony. ♫...Elvira...yeah...Elvira...my heart is on fire...Elvira...♫

Listen to the Orthodox Singers Male Choir. A few bars into the song you will hear the lowest voice of voices.

There are many opera singers that can cross-over and sing in more than one range and color. Sometimes it is hard to pin them down--especially when they grease their bodies--hahahahaha!

I want to thank you for visiting my humble lair. Oh, I see the drugged tea I fed you has put you to sleep, or maybe it was this review. No matter. You belong to me now! Mwahahahahahahahahaha! (Serious organ music playing.) Mwahahahahahahahaha!