The voice types of opera can be confusing, even for professional singers. For centuries, the European classical music tradition has classified different opera voices into seven main categories, usually defined by a singer’s vocal range.
Within these seven voice categories, there are many sub-classifications such as lyric, coloratura, or dramatic, depending on factors such as weight or timbre. Vocal weight refers to how light or heavy a singer can sing, while vocal timbre refers to the quality of sound. While each voice is unique, these vocal categories help singers choose the correct pieces for their voice types. It is also a way to respect the composer’s original work, as he or she intended for a specific vocal register to interpret a certain role.
Female Voice Types
The soprano voice is perhaps the most well-known and recognizable of all operatic voices. Sopranos have the highest singing voice of all, and can easily hit high notes. Since the high range can be heard above the orchestra, these types of voices often have the most prominent roles and, therefore, are often the heroines, such as Violetta in Verdi’s “La Traviata” or Juliet in Gounod’s “Romeo and Juliet.”Some of the most famous opera singers were sopranos, such as Maria Callas and Renata Tebaldi, and many of today’s famous singers are also sopranos, such as Renée Fleming or Diana Damrau.
With a range slightly lower than the soprano, the mezzo-soprano has a richer sound, and usually plays secondary roles in operas, with a few exceptions such as Carmen in Bizet’s “Carmen” or Rosina in Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville.”
Mezzo-sopranos often play villains, mothers, or even young men (called “trouser roles” or “pants roles”), such as Cherubino in Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro.” Famous mezzo-sopranos include Jessye Norman, Cecilia Bartoli, and Joyce DiDonato.
The contralto is the lowest female voice type and also the rarest. Contraltos often play witches, men, or wiser older women, but most often these roles are interpreted by mezzo-sopranos with lower ranges. Famous contralto roles include Erda from Wagner’s “The Rhinegold” and Ulrica from Verdi’s “A Masked Ball.”
Male Voice Types
The countertenor is the rarest male voice type and the highest in vocal range, equivalent to a mezzo-soprano in pitch. Very popular during the Baroque era (around 1600-1750), countertenors practically disappeared during the Romantic era, (around 1830-1900) but were rediscovered in the 20th century by composers, such as Benjamin Britten, who wrote specific music for countertenors, .Countertenors also sing Baroque roles such as Ottone in Handel’s “Agrippina,” or castrati roles, as that practice have fortunately ended. In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was common to castrate male singers in the opera world to preserve a voice that could smoothly ascend from low to high ranges. Nowadays, countertenors replace these singers by using a falsetto vocal register, a method to sing higher notes.
The tenor has the highest male voice after the countertenor, and is also the most common male voice in opera. As higher voices tend to sound younger, tenors usually play the young heroes in the opera or the romantic interest, such as Siegfried in Wagner’s “Ring Cycle” or Edgardo in Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor.”
The most famous tenors in the world are the Three Tenors: Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, and José Carreras; but there are many other renowned tenors, such as Jonas Kaufmann and Juan Diego Flórez.
The baritone’s range sits in the middle of the natural male voice. Baritones sing a variety of roles, from unloved husbands to villains, for example, as Count Almaviva in Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro.” The baritone voice became especially important in 19th-century opera, as Verdi used baritones in his most prominent operas, including “Rigoletto,” “Nabucco,” and “Otello.” Famous baritone singers include Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Hermann Prey, and Bryn Terfel.
The German “Fach” System
Once classical singers know their vocal range and category, they can use other sub-vocal ranges within their category to perfect their art. The Fach system is the most famous one, developed in the 19th century by German opera companies. This system is still one of the most widely used systems in Europe and Northern America today.Despite its popularity, the Fach system is one of the most confusing concepts in opera, as it has over 25 sub-categories that can often overlap and which vary from country to country. This system compartmentalizes the different types of operatic voices according to the range, weight (how well the voice projects), and timbre (the quality of sound).
Singers might have the same range, but not the same weight or timbre, and, therefore, won’t be appropriate to sing the same roles. Not all sopranos can sing the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s “Magic Flute,” a soprano coloratura role. Or rather, they can, but it won’t fit with their voice type and this can damage their voice over time.
Generally, sopranos fit within one of these five categories: soubrette, coloratura, lyric, spinto, or dramatic. A “soubrette” or light soprano has a light and bright sound, perfect for roles that require lightness in their delivery, such as Susanna in Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro.”
A light soprano is very different from a coloratura soprano, who can easily sing high and fast notes, representing extreme emotions, in challenging roles such as Konstanze in Mozart’s “The Abduction from the Seraglio.”
A lyric soprano has a warmer tone and a wider vocal range than the light soprano, and is often the heroine, like Mimi in Puccini’s “La bohème.” The spinto soprano has a grander vocal scale than a lyric soprano, and often interprets braver heroines with big climaxes such as Leonora in Verdi’s “Il Trovatore.”
Finally, the dramatic soprano is the most powerful register of the soprano voice, with a bigger voice and more dramatic roles such as Strauss’s “Elektra.”
Mezzo-sopranos can also be coloratura, dramatic, or lyric. The general characteristics remain the same as for sopranos, but mezzos have a lower range. Famous mezzo roles within these sub-categories include Angelina in Rossini’s “La Cenerentola (a mezzo coloratura),” Azucena in Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” (a dramatic mezzo), and Cherubino in Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” (a lyric mezzo).
As for contraltos, the Fach distinction is more by character than vocal quality, and that also applies to countertenors.
As for male voices, tenors have the most sub-divisions, like with sopranos for female voices. There are usually four common types of tenor: lyric, spinto, dramatic, and heldentenor. A lyric tenor is usually the young man in love with the heroine and has a warm sound quality. Alfredo in Verdi’s “La Traviata” would be an example.
A spinto tenor is similar to the lyric tenor in range, but has higher notes, and often plays heroic parts such as Don José in Bizet’s “Carmen.” The dramatic tenor is powerful and can produce several high notes with a rich sound, just like a dramatic soprano or mezzo-soprano. Finally, the heldentenor, also known as the Wagner tenor, plays Wagnerian heroes and has a more voluminous voice.
Baritones can also be lyric or dramatic, like Papageno in Mozart’s “Magic Flute,” or Scarpia in Puccini’s “Tosca.” They can also be character baritones, also known as “Verdi baritones.” This is a voice type specific to Verdi operas, and a rare type of voice, as these roles require singers to sing both low and high notes, while portraying a dramatic character, such as Verdi’s “Macbeth.”
Finally, there are usually three types of bass: bass-baritone, buffo, and basso profundo. The bass-baritone is halfway between the baritone and the bass and is ideal to sing Wagnerian roles such as Wotan in “The Ring.” Contrasting the bass-baritone, the basso buffo plays comic roles with extensive tongue-twisting singing passages such as Don Magnifico in Rossini’s “La Cenerentola.” As for the basso-profundo, it is the lowest voice type in opera, and is typified by Sarastro in Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.”
Some voices are so unique that they don’t fit the Fach system, and some can sing a wide range of roles. This was the case of Maria Callas, one of the most renowned opera singers of all time.
While the Fach system can be beneficial to some opera companies and singers, there is always a strong element of subjectivity. The voice can change with age, and a lyric soprano can become a dramatic soprano, or even turn into a mezzo. Vocal classification isn’t an exact science.
