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Home , Baritone, Bass (voice type), Bryn Terfel, Coloratura, Contralto, Fach

Composing for Classical Voice Alexandra Smither

A healthy relationship between and singer is essential for of new . Like all good relationships, communication is key. Through this brief talk, I hope to give you some tools, some language you can use as common ground when working together. Remember, we are all individuals with insecurities and vulnerabilities and our art made together should lean on strengths. Being in the room with someone means they are making themselves available to you: this goes both ways, so do what you can to elevate them in the way that they see fit.

Composers, remember that to be a singer is to be an athlete. If we are protective of our ​ voices, it’s because we are only given one and it is very delicate. Additionally, the world is not kind. Many singers are constantly dealing with rejection and commentary, not just on how they sound, but on how they look and who they are. Remember this, be compassionate, choose your words wisely and kindly. Your singer will appreciate it and will sing all the better for it.

Singers, take the time to think about your voice and . What do you love to sing? ​ What sounds do you like, even outside singing? How does your voice work? Share this information joyfully and without shame - the being written will reflect it more the more you talk about it. Be willing to try things in ways that are healthy and sustainable for your body. Embrace your individual identity as singer, person, and artist.

Voice Types/ System

The vast gamut of different voices can be incredibly intimidating. The “fach system” was created in 19th century Germany and is used to categorize them based on their general characteristics. Often when we begin to write for a voice, we think of it solely in terms of range. However, it is incredibly important to think and write for voice in two ways: range (the notes you sing) and weight (the substance or mobility of the singing mechanism). Although restrictive, many classical singers will often identify with a certain fach. This is a good preliminary place to start with a singer you don’t know. You can find more extensive lists and writing on these online.

Voice Type Divisions Range Examples

Soprano C4-C6 Full Lyric /Dramatic Birgit Nielson

Mezzo- Lyric A3-A5 Joyce DiDonato Dramatic

Contralto F3-F5 Marion Anderson

Countertenor E3-E5 Iestyn Davis

Tenor Leggiero C3-C5 Lyric Spinto/Dramatic Jon Vickers Helden Lauritz Melchior

Baritone Lyric A2-A4 Dramatic/Verdi Ettore Bastianni

Bass- G2-G4

Bass E2-E4

Range/

When thinking about the “notes someone can sing” there are two things to take into account: RANGE and TESSITURA.

Range: The pitches one can sing, lowest to highest ​ Tessitura: A portion of pitches, an acceptable and comfortable section where the voice ​ presents itself best

A common mistake is to ask for a singer’s range but not for their tessitura. This can result in the majority of the piece living in the extremes of the singer’s range, outside of their comfortable tessitura. This becomes strenuous and affects the overall quality of the performance.

Passaggios

Passagio in classical singing is used to describe the transition between vocal registers. In or pop music this is commonly referred to as your “break”. With a classical technique, the goal is to maintain an even tone throughout all registers and your passaggi.

l ------l l ------l l ------l lower register/chest ^ middle register/mix ^ upper register/ 1 passaggio 2

How does this affect composition?

1. It is difficult to stay in one’s passaggio for an extended period of time, especially with ​ ​ a lot of text. 2. After an extended period in the passaggio, upward transitions may be difficult. 3. One of the most helpful things you can do is set mostly closed vowels in the passaggio. This helps us narrow our vocal tract and transition through. Examples of good vowels include: [i] [e] [o] [u] Not so good passaggio vowels: [a] [a] [E]

Example: Deh Vieni non Tardar (Le Nozze di Figaro, Mozart) ​ ​

Here are where the passaggi sit for the four most common voice types:

soprano Pass 1: e/f4 Pass 2: f/f#5

mezzo-soprano Pass 1: e/f4 Pass 2: e5

Pass 1: d/e4 Pass 2: g/a4

baritone Pass 1: a/b3 Pass 2: /d4

High notes

When you are writing in someone’s upper register, it is universally agreed that open vowels are best. Examples include: [a] [oe] [o] [ae]. If a singer offers up their upper register, please ask them not only “what notes” but also: “how to feel you best approach your upper register?”; “what is your personal, favourite vowel?”; “how long are you comfortable sustaining up there?”

Rest

Singing is a marathon and it’s important to give your singers rests in two ways: 1. Time between difficult phrases 2. “Coasting” sections

Pitch anchors

Singers are not pitch machines, very few have perfect pitch. It is then incredibly helpful, especially if you are writing atonal or chromatic music, to give pitch anchors in the accompaniment. This can be the note the singer themself will sing or a related interval that they can extrapolate from. The best intervals are equal temperament: fourth, fifth, octave, seconds. Thirds and sixths will always betray you and them.

Example: Cage d’oiseaux (Serge Garant) ​ ​

Balance

Especially important with ALL singers is balance with the instruments. You can usually live ​ ​ by two rules:

1. Don’t write in the same register as they’re currently singing (write in registers above (sometimes), below, and around the vocal line). 2. If they’re in their lower register, thin the texture out.

Breathing

Pretty simple. Unfortunately, we need to breathe. Allow space for ample breaths. When you’re setting text try intoning it to see how much breath a certain line may take. Use this to inform where you can give your singer a chance to breathe.

If you want to mark a breath in the score or a spot that you would not like a breath here are common markings:

✓ – breath

NB – no breath

“Dangerous” Sounds

Vocal folds are super delicate, so certain sounds can be harmful. Before writing these, check with your singer to make sure they’re comfortable. If writing a song with a mix between regular and , do your best to allow some “buffer time” between the sounds to let the singer recalibrate. Difficult /sounds to achieve include:

1. Yelling 2. Whispering 3. Extended straight tone 4. Inhaling/exhaling 5. Growling

(very) Brief Extended Technique

It is incredibly important to be as clear as possible when notating extended techniques. There is more frustrating than learning a piece, investing in the notation, and then discovering that it wasn’t communicating the desired sound. In my opinion, a great example of clear notation is Berio’s Sequenza III. The key leaves nothing out and it is easy to ​ ​ follow. If using these sounds, I’d strongly suggest you use this as a guide.

Example: Sequenza III (Berio)

If notating sprechstimme (speech-like singing), as in Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire, with an ​ ​ “x” as the notehead. Clearly mark this in your key. Make sure you communicate to your singer how much you would like the pitches sung and to what accuracy.

Example: Pierrot Lunaire (Schoenberg) ​ ​

Nonsense Syllables

If you are interested in writing with phonemes, or singular syllables, make sure that you write using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). This is a standardized method of pronunciation that classical singers are taught in school and it is the easiest way to get your desired sound.

Here are some basic phonemes:

[a] - avocado ​ ​ [ae] - black lives matter ​ ​ [e] - hey ​ ​ [i] - ​ ​ [E] - boulez ​ ​ [o] - berio ​ [u] - julius eastman ​ ​

If you want more, please check here. ​ ​

Vibrato

Classically trained singers have a natural that allows our voices to resonate and carry over large . Some are fast, some slower- it depends on the voice. To a certain extent, you can communicate to a singer what vibrato aesthetically you are looking for in your piece.

Know the sound you are looking for and, ideally, know who you are writing for, and be aware of their voice before you start writing.

VOCAL TEMPLATE

Name:

Similar Singers:

Songs that you sing/use your voice in the best way:

Range:

Most comfortable tessitura:

l ------l l ------l l------1 lower register/chest ^ middle register/mix ^ upper register/head voice passaggio 1 passaggio 2

Preferred upper register vowels: Preferred passaggio vowels:

“Money” notes:

Favourite tricks (circle any/all that apply)

Popping out high notes Popping out low notes Chesting Floating in your upper register Extended leaps (8ve plus) Fast passage work Long phrases/