Talk Like An Opera Geek: Vocal Tricks And Trills
(Talk Like An Opera Geek attempts to decode the intriguing and intimidating lexicon of the opera house.)
Baffled by buffo? Talking about opera can be like walking through a linguistic thicket. iStock hide caption
Baffled by buffo? Talking about opera can be like walking through a linguistic thicket.
iStockEver been to a cocktail party and feel totally lost when some know-it-all opera jerk spouts on about "the mezzo-soprano's ornamentation in the cabaletta lacked a certain bel canto sensibility, and because of the high tessitura, she sounded like little more than a comedia dell'arte soubrette in her secco recitative."
Fear not. Read on — and hear the musical excerpts — and you'll be able to fire back with opera jargon of your own and actually have some idea of what you're talking about.
Opera — like wine, baseball or deep sea diving — has its own special vernacular which we'll try to decode and disentangle. In the coming weeks we'll tackle opera styles, voice and role types, and general musical palaver.
To fire up the series, this week we'll break down a few vocal tricks and styles of singing.
Got any jargon you would like deciphered? Let us know in the comments section.
Talking Opera: Vocal Tricks And Trills
Talk Like An Opera Geek: Vocal Tricks And Trills
Coloratura
- Song: Berenice, opera [Cadrò, ma qual si mira]
- from Sacrificium [Deluxe Edition]
- by Cecilia Bartoli
With a set of vocal cords that can fire off flurries of notes like a tommy gun, mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli is well-equipped to handle the speed and agility that are the calling cards of coloratura. Daredevil runs up and down the scale, punctuated with high notes, characterize a style that began in the baroque era and still thrives today. The word can refer to both the style and the singer.
Talk Like An Opera Geek: Vocal Tricks And Trills
Mezza Voce
- Song: Manon, opera in 5 acts [Il sogno]
- from In Opera: Prima Voce
- by John McCormack
This term literally means "half voice." Sounds simple, right? But it's disappointing that today so few singers have mastered it. You have to sing at half volume and still be heard in the back row. That requires full breath support, steering clear of anything that resembles crooning. Here, the Irish tenor John McCormack effortlessly glides into a perfect mezza voce.
Talk Like An Opera Geek: Vocal Tricks And Trills
Trill
- Song: Les contes d'Hoffmann, opera in 4 acts [Les oiseaux dans la charmille]
- from La Stupenda: The Supreme Voice of Joan Sutherland
- by Joan Sutherland
A true trill is harder than it might seem. Technically, it's the rapid alternation of a note and the next note above it, keeping the ground between them nice and clean. Joan Sutherland was, as you might say, licensed to trill. She had a unique combination of power and flexibility.
Talk Like An Opera Geek: Vocal Tricks And Trills
Messa di Voce
- Song: La forza del destino, opera [Act 4: Pace, pace, mio Dio!]
- from Highlights
- by Leontyne Price
A killer messa di voce, which essentially involves the attack of a sustained tone, includes three phases. The tone must start soft (pianissimo), then swell much louder (to fortissimo) and then slowly decrease in volume back to the original softness. For decades, soprano Leontyne Price basically owned this maneuver at the opening "Pace, pace mio dio" from Verdi's La Forza del Destino.
Talk Like An Opera Geek: Vocal Tricks And Trills
Falsetto
- Song: Giulio Cesare in Egitto, opera, HWV 17 [Cara speme]
- from Handel: Operatic Arias
- by David Daniels
Almost anyone can sing in falsetto (hence Tiny Tim), but some male opera singers make gorgeous sounds in the female register. They are called countertenors, and David Daniels is among the finest, with no trace of the hooty quality that sometimes comes with the high-flying vocal territory.