Most accurately, the "fach" system is a contractual mechanism in German
opera houses that define the specific set of roles a singer will be
expected to sing, so that the singer is protected from being expected to
sing a bunch of other roles tht would require additional preparation
vocally and musically. Roles in a given "fach" tend to reflect the German
notion of the vocal demands of those roles. I say "the German notion"
because there are certain roles which would be cast with different voices
in Germany (and, indeed, elsewhere in Europe) than they'd be cast with
here. Musetta in LA BOHEME, for example, tends to be sung by "heavier"
voices in Europe than it does in the U.S., where it's seen as a light
lyric or soubrette role; in Europe, you find full lyrics and even "baby
dramatics" singing this role early in their careers (and not always that
early).
I think the more important thing is understanding the different vocal
characteristics of different *vocal categories* (not "fachs" - the "fach"
refers to a set of repertoire, not a vocal category per se, though that
set of repertoire does map to a vocal category.
A light tenor voice with a good deal of agilita, an easy "top" (above the
high C) is a "leggero" or "tenore di grazia", and depending on just how
high that easy "top" can go, may be ideal for Bel Canto roles like
Rossini's Almaviva and Donizetti's Nemorino. If this tenor is blessed with
really good high extension, he may be one of those fairly rare birds who
can sing Arnold in Rossini's GUILLAUME TELL, Arturo in Bellini's I
PURITANI, and Leopold in Halevy's LA JUIVE - all leggero tenor roles with
top notes above high C (Arnold, I believe, must have a high F).
The qualities of the "tenore di grazia" voice that gives it the agility,
lightness, and highness are also what DISqualifies it from singing a lot
of other tenor repertoire well. Most Puccini and Verdi roles will be "out"
for this voice, with some exception (Rinuccio in GIANNI SCHICCHI,
Fenton in FALSTAFF, Macduff in MACBETH, possibly the Duke of Mantua in
RIGOLETTO and Alfredo in LA TRAVIATA *if* the voice is on the more
powerful end of the "di grazia" spectrum, and some other early Verdi tenor
roles) - mainly because the size of the orchestra over which the voice must
carry
in a decent-sized opera house will overwhelm the "di grazia" tenor's voice
with sheer volume. On the other hand, the "di grazia" tenor can also
happily indulge in Mozart and Handel (and other Baroque and Classical
opera composers), von Weber's Oberon, Auber's Fra Diavolo, some of the
Russian tenor roles but not others (yes to Lensky in ONEGIN, a resounding
NO to Ghermann in PIQUE DAME), an some modern roles.
A light-voiced tenor who isn't blessed with an easy top but who can
sustain a high tessitura still has a number of options - Mozart and
Donizetti roles will probably do well for him, and those of the Baroque
composers, but he may never be truly at home with Rossini and Bellini. A
light-voiced tenor who has trouble with high notes and high tessitura best
consider concentrating on "Tenore Buffo" and "Spieltenor" (aka "Character
Tenor") roles, like Goro in MADAMA BUTTERFLY, Spoletto in TOSCA, Jacquino
in FIDELIO, Gastone in TRAVIATA, Borsa in RIGOLETTO, Fool
in BORIS GODUNOV, Steuermann in DER FLIEGENDE HOLLAENDER, Beppe/Arlecchino
in I PAGLIACCI, Frantz and the other comic tenor roles in LES CONTES
D'HOFFMANN, etc.
And, of course, the world of operetta is wide open to the tenore di
grazia.
It's also true that there is often overlap in vocal categories - a given
"tenore di grazia" may find that certain "tenore lirico" qualities exist
in his voice, and that particularly in smaller opera houses (with smaller
orchestas) he can happily take on "heavier" (for him) roles at the lighter
end of the lyric spectrum like Des Grieux in Massenet's MANON, Alfredo in
TRAVIATA, and Tamino in DIE ZAUBERFLOETE.
You'll also find that some "tenores di grazia" gradually "beef up" their
voices with careful training, and eventually move into full lyric roles of
such heft as Gounod's Romeo and Faust, Verdi's Don Carlo, Rodolfo (LUISA
MILLER) and Ernani, Puccini's Rodolfo, Massenet's Werther, and even move
into solidly spinto territory (e.g., Cavaradossi, Don Jose, Hoffmann) -
with varying degrees of success. Very few of these singers, however, are
able to move really successfully back and forth between their "old"
leggero repertoire and their new heavier repertoire. And just because a
lyric tenor sings Otello or Radames doesn't mean he has any business doing
so - the important thing is not to let vanity delude one about one's true
abilities and physiogical limitations. Pavarotti's AIDA was *not* a
successful venture; Bergonzi's recent OTELLO was a disaster.
Karen Mercedes
http://www.radix.net/~dalila/index.html
______________________________________
I will sing with the spirit, and I
will sing with the understanding also.
1 Corinthians 14:15
|
