Bass-baritone
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A bass-baritone is a specific kind of bass that shares certain qualities with the baritone voice type.The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the Dutchman (in Der fliegende Holländer), Wotan (in the Ring Cycle) and Hans Sachs (in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg). Wagner wrote those roles for what he called Hoher Bass (or "high bass", which is explained in more detail at fach).[1]
The bass-baritone voice is distinguished by two attributes. First, it must be capable of singing comfortably in a baritonal tessitura. It must also, however, have the resonant lower range typically associated with the bass. For example, the role of Wotan in Die Walküre covers the range from the F# above middle C to the F below the bass clef but only infrequently descends beyond the C below middle C. Bass-baritones are typically divided into two separate categories: lyric bass-baritone and dramatic bass-baritone.[2]
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[edit] Lyric Bass-baritone
- Description:Bass-baritone is a voice with the resonant low notes of the typical bass but with the ability to sing in a baritonal tessitura. Sometimes it also refers to a voice with a range and tone somewhere between a bass and a baritone. The Bass-baritone's required range can vary tremendously based on the role, with some less demanding than others. Some bass-baritones are baritones, like Friedrich Schorr, George London, James Morris and Bryn Terfel. The following are more often done by high basses as opposed to lower baritones.
- Roles:
- Don Pizarro Fidelio by Ludwig van Beethoven
- Escamillo Carmen by Georges Bizet
- Golaud Pelléas et Mélisande by Claude Debussy
- Méphistophélès, Faust by Charles Gounod
- Don Alfonso, Cosi fan tutte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Figaro, The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Singers:
- Thomas Quasthoff
[edit] Dramatic Bass-baritone
- Roles:
- Igor, Prince Igor by Alexander Borodin
- Scarpia, Tosca by Giacomo Puccini
- Dutchman The Flying Dutchman by Richard Wagner
- Hans Sachs Die Meistersinger by Richard Wagner
- Wotan Der Ring des Nibelungen by Richard Wagner
- Amfortas Parsifal by Richard Wagner
- Singers:
- Hans Hotter
- Friedrich Schorr
- Anton van Rooy
- Theo Adam
- George London
- James Morris
[edit] Bass-baritone roles in operetta
| Common vocal ranges represented on a musical keyboard |
All of the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas have at least one bass-baritone character. Bass-baritones famous for singing these roles included Richard Temple, Darrell Fancourt and Donald Adams.
[edit] Prominent bass-baritones
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Stark, James (2003). Bel Canto: A History of Vocal Pedagogy. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-08-0208-614-3.
- ^ McKinney, James (1994). The Diagnosis and Correction of Vocal Faults. Genovex Music Group. ISBN 978-1565939400.
