I note that there is no category listing on the Met roster for Contralto,
presumably there aren't so many opportunities for the voice type, except in
England (maybe even this is changing - English listers?) - the Met also has
singers decide whether they are baritone or bass - no bass-baritone category.
My other thought is that the rich dark sound of Kathleen Ferrier is the
sound that epitomises the Contralto in the middle of the last century, and
then that of Maureen Forrester, who had to zip all over the place to fulfil
high profile engagements, presumably because of the dearth of people who
could sing like this, despite a continuous demand.
Alas, I've had yet another thought - my own shenanigans in this little
prairie town where I'll sing baritone, tenor and bass solos in the course
of one week - I wish I could just bill myself as "Singer" or "Vocalist"!
Maybe if you call yourself a 'dark mezzo' you could get the best of both
worlds! I'm sure I'm not alone in wondering what you actually sound like. john
At 06:11 PM 1/29/01 -0500, you wrote:
...>so used to hearing mezzo-sopranos in the contralto roles that labelling
>one's self (accurately) a contralto would be more of a hindrance than a
>help?
...>Karen Mercedes
John Blyth
Baritono robusto e lirico
Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
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