James Anderson's Dictionary of Opera and Operetta, published in 1989 and re-issued in 1995 by Bloomsbury, is a useful source of information not often found in weightier and more academic books (such as voice ranges!) Here is the definition of mezzo-soprano:

 

    Mezzo-soprano is the middle female vocal range, between soprano and contralto, and is often referred to simply as mezzo. The voice's range, of roughly g to b''' (sic), is similar to that of soprano minus the very top notes, but the voice is heavier and the tone is darker. There is no hard and fast distinction between mezzo and contralto; nowadays, mezzo is used to describe virtually all non-sopranos, with contralto reserved for exceptionally low and dark voices such as Kathleen Ferrier and Dame Clara Butt. The term mezzo-contralto is occasionally used to denote a mezzo nearer in range and tonal colour to a true contralto than to a soprano. The term COLORATURA MEZZO is also sometimes encountered, mainly in reference to Rossini roles such as the title role in Cenerentola.

 

    Your correspondent adds that in Italian mezzo means "middle" as well as "half", as in the opening line of Dante's Inferno

 

    "Nel mezzo di cammin di nostra vita......"

 

("Halfway through that walk which is our life..............")

 

    Recently I talked with two friends, one a dramatic mezzo and the other a dramatic soprano, about the difference in their ranges and their perceptions of them. Both agreed that their note range was virtually identical, so I asked what made one of them a dramatic mezzo and the other a dramatic soprano.

"My personality and character" said the soprano.

 

    So it's all in the mind!

 

    A plea to subscribers to remove original text from their replies.

 

    This is particularly irritating for those who subscribe by digest, as we have to scroll through the original message umpteen times, tacked on to the end of (it seems,) every reply, ditto tricksy quotes about the cost of gasoline and so on. All very witty on first reading, but quite infuriating thereafter. I append my original description of how to set your computer NOT to attach these: it is not difficult. Thanks in advance,

 

Curzon Tussaud

 

HOW TO DETACH MESSAGE FROM YOUR REPLY IN OUTLOOK EXPRESS.

Following my request for original messages to be detached, someone wrote to
me asking how to do this in Microsoft Outlook Express. This is the email
client (software) that comes free with Internet Explorer and, being
Microsoft and free, is probably pretty common.
So here's what you do:
At the top of the screen you will see a line which has "File ... Edit ...
View ..." etc.  Click on Tools, move the mouse pointer all the way down to
Options and release the mouse button. You get a "dialog box" headed Options,
with various file "tabs" at the top. Click on the "Send" tab. You will see a
series of "check boxes" (small boxes just large enough to contain a tick).
One of these is labelled "Include message in reply". If there is a tick in
the box next to this, click on the tick and it will disappear. If there is
no tick, all is well. Click on "OK" at the bottom. That's it!