This article was originally written in Turkish and has been translated into English with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). The translation may contain errors; the original Turkish version is the authoritative text.
VOICE TYPES
When we examine the human voices of the world, we first find two groups: women’s voices and men’s voices. Men’s voices sound an octave lower than women’s voices; in other words, women’s voices are higher. But when we examine these groups separately, we find that both men’s and women’s voices also differ among themselves. Never mind singing — even when we are simply talking with people, we hear that some voices are high, some low and some in between. Indeed, when we put high or low voices side by side, we find that there are distinctions even among them. In this article I will describe the voice groups in detail.
When you examine human voices, according to international terminology men’s voices are divided into bass, baritone and tenor, and women’s voices into alto, mezzo-soprano and soprano. Because of differences in colour, these voices are further divided into subgroups. For example, when we put two tenors or two sopranos side by side, we hear that the two voices are different from each other. In Turkish, the voice groups I have listed above using international terms are described, in the same order, as low, medium and high men’s and women’s voices. Now let us examine them one by one.
BASS: The lowest male voice. It is divided into three: basso profondo, basso buffo and high bass.
Basso profondo: The colour of the voice is very dark and powerful, and its low notes are strong. On stage they mostly take dramatic roles.
Basso buffo: Less rich in colour. Although not as powerful as the basso profondo, it is more agile. They can easily sing the high notes of comic operas. They almost always take comic roles.
High bass: Its low notes are weaker than those of other basses, but its high notes are brighter and easier than theirs. They excel in operatic bass parts with many high notes, at the border approaching the baritone.
BARITONE: The medium male voice. It too is divided into three.
Dramatic baritone: In colour it resembles the high bass. It is a voice with strong, dramatic (dark) power. It is the voice group preferred for character roles and heroic operas.
Lyric baritone: In colour it approaches the dramatic tenor. Its soft high notes are bright, and it is a more agile voice than the dramatic baritone.
Light (leggero) baritone: A type of baritone that is more agile and lighter than the lyric baritone and more similar to the tenor. They frequently take roles in Italian operas, especially those of Rossini and Donizetti.
TENOR: A very valuable voice group because it is rare among men. It is a voice whose training requires great care. This group also differs according to its characteristics.
Dramatic tenor: Also called the heroic tenor (Heldentenor), this voice has a range almost similar to that of the lyric baritone. Almost all the important tenor roles in Wagner’s operas, which demand great stamina and power, were written for these voices. The best dramatic tenors are found in Sweden and Norway.
Lyric tenor: This type of tenor, whose colour is brighter and softer, holds the male leading roles in all Italian operas. The brilliance of its high notes is its most important characteristic.
Light (leggero) tenor: These light tenors, who can reach the D above high C, are agile rather than powerful. They frequently take part in oratorios (sacred works) and in early operas.
Buffo tenor: A voice group of light-tenor character that is particularly successful in comic operas.
WOMEN’S VOICES — ALTO: The lowest female voice. It is very rare. Its low notes resemble a man’s voice. Its colour is dark and warm. It is divided into two: the oratorio contralto and the stage contralto.
- Oratorio contralto: A very colourful, rich, powerful and weighty voice used especially for performing early works.
- Stage contralto: A colourful, powerful voice with dramatic effect. It appears in character roles.
MEZZO-SOPRANO: What the baritone is among men’s voices, the mezzo-soprano is among women’s voices: the medium female voice. It can be dramatic or lyric in character. Many mezzo-sopranos can also sing high dramatic soprano parts.
SOPRANO: The highest female voice. Because of differences of nuance, it is divided into many groups. As the most natural female voice, the soprano is the most common female voice.
High dramatic soprano: A durable and powerful voice resembling the dramatic mezzo. The principal soprano parts of Wagner’s operas were written for these voices.
Young dramatic soprano (spinto): It has a softer character and a brighter colour than the high dramatic soprano, and is more agile. Almost all the heroines of Italian operas are given to these voices.
Lyric soprano: The most common type of soprano. Its softness and the clarity of its high notes are its main characteristics.
Coloratura soprano: The highest soprano. With the extraordinary agility of their throats, they are like vocal acrobats. They can be dramatic or lyric. Dramatic coloraturas have, in addition to vocal virtuosity, a rich colour and vocal power. This is a very rare type of voice. Small coloratura voices are also called coloratura soubrettes. They are the voices sought after for operettas and comic operas.
When classifying human voices, healthy voices that have passed puberty, have completed their change and have no vocal disorder should always be taken as the basis.