Vocal Timbre

tenore di forza

A male tenor voice with the ability to sing lyrically but push to the climaxes of the composition. Similar to the Lirico Spinto

chamber choir

A small ensemble of up to about twenty four singers who usually perform a cappella, although occasionally a chamber choir will perform with piano accompaniment.

dramatic soprano

A soprano voice type that uses a heavier tone color and more power throughout her range.

a capella

Choral or vocal music performed without instrumental accompaniment.

vocal range

The range of notes that a singing voice can encompass.

Heldentenor

[German, heroic tenor] A robust style of tenor voice especially suited for heroic operatic roles.

alto

1. A female voice of low range, (usually about G below the treble clef to C in the treble clef) also called contralto. 2. Originally the alto was a high male voice, which, through the use of falsetto, reached the range of a female alto (this type of male voice is also called a countertenor). 3. The second highest part of a normal four part chorus.

soprano

1. A general term that indicates the highest range for an instrument or voice. 2. Term used to describe the highest pitched vocal range, usually produced by a female voice, but occasionally produced men's and boys' voices of the soprano range. The range of the soprano is from about middle C to A5 above the treble clef. A professional soprano can typically reach C6 or higher. There are several classifications of the soprano voice that describe the quality from a light to heavy character.

choir

1. A group of singers who usually sing in parts with several voices on each part. 2. That part of a cathedral that is set apart for the choir.

bass

1. The lowest part in a musical composition. 2. The lowest or deepest male voice usually of a range of F just below the bass clef to the E above middle C.See also basso cantante and basso profundo.

tenor

1. The male voice which has a range of C3 (below Middle C) to G4 (above Middle C). 2. In Medieval music, the tenor was the foundation or sustaining part of a polyphonic composition, and in the late Medieval era and early Renaissance, the tenor generally was the melody part.

baritone

1. The most common range of male voice pitched between the tenor and bass. Usually a baritone has a range of the low G in the bass clef to an F1 above the bass clef. 2. A voice type in barbershop music that sings bass and lead voices. Since barbershop music is also sung by females, the baritone voice can be either male or female in the barbershop genre.

mezzo-soprano

A female voice similar in range to a soprano, but with a darker color and the ability to extend the range lower than a regular soprano. The female voice range between soprano and alto.

lirico spinto

A female voice that has the basic characteristics of a Lyric Soprano but that can "push" into a more powerful and dramatic climax.

coloratura

A soprano who sings elaborate ornamentation containing improvised or written out running passages and trills. This style was common in the 18th and 19th centuries in such arias as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "The Magic Flute" Queen of the Night. These arias usually require a soprano with an extended high range.

lyric soprano

A young soprano who uses a light quality in her voice, high tessitura, and great agility. This combination of techniques classifies them as Lyric Sopranos.

tessitura

The general range of a composition (usually referring to vocal range) or of a particular voice of a composition.

tenore robusto

The male tenor equivalent of the Dramatic Soprano.

vocal

This term is used to refer to the voice as an instrument, or pertaining to the voice or music that is sung. For example, a piano/vocal score is sheet music with the piano part and voice part notated on the same score. The abbreviation for vocal is Voc..