Dear Vocalisters:
The "the peculiar voice type that Rossini wrote for: the lyric
coloratura mezzo-soprano" is not a terminology used in Rosinni's day.
Female voices were either soprano or contralto. The mezzo
classification as it is known today was not a consideration for
Bellini, Donizetti or Rosinni. Patti, for whom "Norma" was written
was a contralto who developed the top of her voice and became famous
for this and other Bellini soprano roles.
The present system of classifying voices into many categories is the
result of the unionization of singers in Germany early in the 20th
Century for the protection that was deemed necessary to avoid abusing
voices within the German opera system.
--
Lloyd W. Hanson, DMA
Professor of Voice, Pedagogy
School of Performing Arts
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ 86011
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