Dramatic soprano

A dramatic soprano is an operatic soprano with a powerful, rich, emotive voice that can sing over, or cut through, a full orchestra. Thicker vocal folds in dramatic voices usually (but not always) mean less agility than lighter voices but a sustained, fuller sound. Usually this voice has a lower tessitura than other sopranos, and a darker timbre. They are often used for heroic, often long-suffering, tragic women of opera. Dramatic sopranos have a range from approximately middle C (C4) to "high D" (D6).^[1] Some dramatic sopranos, known as Wagnerian sopranos, have an exceptionally big voice that can assert itself over a large orchestra (of more than 80 or even 100 pieces). These voices are substantial, often denser in tone, extremely powerful and, ideally, evenly balanced throughout the vocal registers. Wagnerian sopranos usually play mythic heroines. Successful Wagnerian sopranos are rare and often Wagnerian roles are performed by Italianate dramatic sopranos.^[2] Dramatic sopranos outside opera can be found singing jazz and gospel music. These sopranos are known as jazz sopranos and gospel sopranos respectively.

1 Dramatic soprano singers
2 Dramatic roles^[3]
3 Wagnerian soprano singers
4 Wagnerian soprano roles^[4]
5 Listen and Compare
6 References
7 Further reading

Dramatic soprano singers

Dramatic roles^[3]

Abigaille, Nabucco (Verdi)
Amelia, Un ballo in maschera (Verdi)
Ariadne, Ariadne auf Naxos (Richard Strauss)
Cassandre, Les Troyens (Berlioz)
Chrysothemis, Elektra (Richard Strauss)
Elisabeth, Tannhäuser (Wagner)
Elsa, Lohengrin (Wagner)
Gioconda, La Gioconda (Ponchielli)
Vanessa, Vanessa (Samuel Barber)

Leonore/Fidelio, Fidelio (Beethoven)
Maddalena, Andrea Chénier (Giordano)
Odabella, Attila (Verdi)
Santuzza, Cavalleria rusticana (Mascagni)
Sieglinde, Die Walküre (Wagner)
Senta, Der fliegende Holländer (Wagner)
Turandot, Turandot (Puccini)
Norma, Norma (Vincenzo Bellini)
Salomé, Salomé (Richard Strauss)
Die Kaiserin, Die Frau ohne Schatten (Richard Strauss)
Helena, Die ägyptische Helena (Richard Strauss)

Wagnerian soprano singers

Wagnerian soprano roles^[4]

Brünnhilde, Die Walküre, Siegfried, Götterdämmerung (Wagner)
Elektra, Elektra (Richard Strauss)
Isolde, Tristan und Isolde (Wagner)
The Wife, Die Frau ohne Schatten (Richard Strauss)
Kundry, Parsifal (Wagner)

Listen and Compare

To hear an example of a Dramatic soprano (Jessye Norman in title role of Ariadne auf Naxos) click on this link: Watch here

To hear an example of a Wagnerian soprano (Birgit Nilsson as Isolde in Tristan und Isolde) click on this link: Watch here

References

^ Coffin (1960), cited below
^ Coffin
^ Boldrey (1994),Guide to Operatic Roles and Arias, cited below
^ Boldrey (1994),Guide to Operatic Roles and Arias, cited below

dramatic soprano — /drəˌmætɪk səˈpranoʊ/ (say druh.matik suh prahnoh) noun a soprano with a large, untiring voice best suited to those female roles of grand opera which require greatest stamina and dramatic expressiveness …
Dramatic — Dra*mat ic (dr[.a]*m[a^]t [i^]k), Dramatical Dra*mat ic*al (dr[.a]*m[a^]t [i^]*kal), a. [Gr. dramatiko s, fr. dra^ma: cf. F. dramatique.] Of or pertaining to the drama; as, dramatic arts. [WordNet sense 3] [1913 Webster] 2. suitable to or… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Dramatic — may refer to: Drama, a literary form involving parts for actors Dramatic, a voice type classification in European classical music, describing a specific vocal weight and range at the lower end of a given voice part Dramatic soprano, a strong… … Wikipedia
Soprano — This article is about the voice type. For other uses, see Soprano (disambiguation). Voice type Female voices Soprano Mezzo soprano Contralto Male voices Countertenor Tenor Baritone Bass A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range (using… … Wikipedia
soprano — /seuh pran oh, prah noh/, n., pl. sopranos, adj. Music. n. 1. the uppermost part or voice. 2. the highest singing voice in women and boys. 3. a part for such a voice. 4. a singer with such a voice. adj. 5. of or pertaining to a soprano; having… … Universalium
Soprano — Teclado de piano indicando la tesitura de soprano … Wikipedia Español
Soprano lírica — La soprano lírica es un subregistro dentro de la voz femenina de soprano. Su timbre es más lleno y más rico que el de la soprano ligera aunque con menor extensión aguda. Se sitúa como término medio entre la soprano ligera (de altisima extensión… … Wikipedia Español
Soprano lírico spinto — La soprano lírico spinto o soprano spinto es un matiz dentro de la voz de soprano, similar a la soprano lírica, pero con un mayor cuerpo en su centro y un timbre algo más oscuro, lo que le permite desarrollar sin gran esfuerzo pasajes dramáticos … Wikipedia Español
Soprano dramática — La Soprano dramática (it.: soprano drammatico, también soprano spinto, al: dramatischer Sopran) es una matiz dentro de la voz de soprano. Su voz se diferencia de las demás por poseer un timbre más oscuro y lleno, pero más grave y con más peso en… … Wikipedia Español
Soprano dramática de coloratura — La soprano dramática de coloratura o soprano dramática de agilidad es una voz de extraordinarias características, muy rara entre las sopranos por su amplísima tesitura. Posee unos graves muy ricos, con mucha sonoridad en el centro como la soprano … Wikipedia Español

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Dramatic soprano

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