THE LOWER FEMALE VOICES

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Mezzo and Alto Arias
Lyric Mezzo
Dramatic Mezzo I
Dramatic Mezzo II
Alto
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THE LOWER FEMALE VOICES

For the young female singer with a lower voice, the choice of Fach is relatively easy. The mezzo-soprano is classified as either lyric or dramatic. The singer of the Lyrischer Mezzosopran (or Spielalt), like the soprano Soubrette, must have a youthful appearance and a lighter, flexible voice with a warm quality. The dramatic mezzo has a louder voice with metallic bite. Physically she must command more authority on stage and must not necessarily have the youthful appearance of the Lyrischer Mezzosopran. The Dramatischeralt voice is the true dramatic of the lower women's voices. Her voice is a dark, heavy instrument, with metallic coloring and a well developed top and bottom ranges. Her repertoire is similar to the dramatic mezzo but leaves off he lighter higher, youthful repertoire. The true low alto (Tieferalt) is a rarity in opera. Her duties include only the lowest roles, with Verdi and Wagner making up the bulk of her repertoire.

Those arias most often heard in German Theater auditions are marked with *. Those arias heard in audition but not normally sung by the singer of this Fach in the opera house are given in parenthesis.