What makes a dramatic soprano

Her voice was beginning to grow and mature yet she did not have the technical tools to vocalize or exercise the voice properly. This young singer was at the peak of her artistic development and she was singing professionally in an A house in Germany. Because her voice was beginning to grow at age 37, she was being encouraged to sing heavier repertoire and was also being pressured to include Wagnerian roles in her upcoming performances.

I can only say that this is absolutely THE critical time for a career singer. When sudden vocal changes occur, these singers often do not have the vocal tools to align the voice on a daily basis.

If technical inconsistency develops in the voice, the singer's confidence level lowers considerably and they are faced with the possibility of loosing their career. What vocal issues typically arise for the young dramatic soprano? Why is so little written about the healthy training of such a vocal fach?

What are the vocal principals that help these singers find vocal health and establish a productive daily vocal routine? All these questions are extremely important. Answering these questions can make the difference in a career that blooms and grows, or a career that begins to deteriorate or fail completely. In this article, vocal concepts will be shared that can be used as vital information for the maturing dramatic soprano.

When Kirsten Flagstad first went to study with Dr. Gillis Bratt in in Stockholm, she was suffering from under-singing her voice. Using a breathy tonal production and inadequate space in her throat, she had not yet become aware that she was in vocal trouble. The main reason that she was not aware of such problems was because she had already experienced a great deal of success in singing lighter repertoire. Bratt placed her on some specific and important exercises that helped to create the basis of her vocal health and longevity.

Similarly when I met Alan Lindquest in , it was quickly discovered that I was suffering from the same chronic problems as Flagstad, yet I had experienced some career success. Since that time these exercises have helped every singer who has come to my studios experiencing similar vocal difficulties.

What was Flagstad's main problem? Bratt stated that it was "chronic leaking of breath through the vocal cords that led to throaty and non-resonant singing". Some people call this type of production "singing off the body support". Flagstad began to study with Dr. Bratt twice per week. However, it is important to note that the "leaking of the vocal cords" did not address all the vocal issues that plagued Kirsten Flagstad.

Typical Vocal Problems What are the typical vocal difficulties that arise for the maturing dramatic soprano and how can they be addressed? Most of the time, I receive letters from singers describing in detail their vocal issues. In my almost 30 years of experience, I find that young dramatic sopranos often suffer from confusion regarding breath and support which can lead to a shaking jaw and tongue, vibrato problems i.

Very often the jaw extends forward closing the pharyngeal space and making it more challenging to find the smaller core of the instrument without a squeeze of the throat. Instead they should be working on developing healthy singing habits that all singers need. They should also already be familiarizing themselves with the dramatic literature and styles they will be singing, as well as the languages they will be singing.

There is much a young singer can work on without using their voice. They can work on the text, act out the plots, and study the musical issues such as rhythm and tempo. A dramatic voice is large by its own natural endowment.

Attempts to make a voice even bigger than it is will result in the same damage a lyric one encounters when attempting the same thing. No, you cannot.

Trying to make a dramatic voice out of someone who is not will ultimately damage the voice. However, good vocal training will bring out the resonance that will give any voice more presence.

The opposite is also true. Trying to squeeze a large voice into a smaller space or artificially lighten a large voice will also do damage. Not necessarily, especially if you are in the Opera Discovery, Introductory or the younger ages of the Intermediate program. At that age we also take participants who have potential for those dramatic or unusual types.

If we are not sure, and the singer is talented in all the requisite ways, we will take a younger singer and see how they evolve. If you are a talented lyric you have more chance of success if you gear your career towards the lyric repertoire. Not necessarily. There could be a few reasons for this. It may be that you are a lyric voice singing with more resonance and are more vocally evolved for your age.

Resonance increases the ability to be heard. However once your peers with bigger voices develop resonance and technique, they would drown you out.

It just means that our program is geared for specific voices. The lyric soprano is the most common female singing voice. Skip to main content. Classification of Human Voices. Search for:. Soprano The soprano has the highest vocal range of all voice types, with the highest tessitura, or vocal range.

Also, problems that had been present for a long time may not have surfaced until now, because she may have sung with a higher, lighter tone that obscured them. Many dramatic sopranos have breathing and support issues, which can result in a loss of musicality, vibrato issues, and stamina issues, among other things.

What Is a Lyric Soprano? What Is Vocal Range? What Is a Chest Voice? This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.

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