Voices
I've been singing some songs for our Church's Easter Choir performance. We're performing Behold the Man, Son of God, and The Sun has Risen. This is the second time I've been part of a recent choir, as my last time in a choir was probably in high school. I've always been in the alto section and it got me thinking about singing voices, particularly female voices. I probably am an alto. But what I've been practising and singing seems like I could be a mezzo soprano. I can hit F5 and hold it for a good two bars. But I'm definitely not a soprano. So with a little bit of digging, I came up with some definitions & examples of the female voices. SOPRANO: These are female voices that can sing up to the 6th register, mainly C-F6. You have to be good at this level, not just be able to sing it once. You can also tell if you're a soprano if you can sing high notes with a lot of comfort and you sound better than in alto or you actually cannot sing that low. Female voices (particularly in the classical era) are divided into 3 main types: coloratura, lyric, and dramatic, though there are other minor types. Coloratura soprano: These singers have incredible agility in the upper range. They can sing up and down a scale very fast and likely hold their notes much longer than 2 bars. They can move to the next high note without breathing. It's also important to note the voice wobble. If you are holding a high note and you wobble, this is not a strong note/range for you. Lyric soprano: These singers have great smoothness in their voice but probably do not have the ability to move up and down as seemlessly as coloraturas. They tend to be on the warmer side, i.e. a very pretty, birdlike voice. Sarah Brightman has the ability to hit high notes, but her voice is on the thinner side. Therefore, she doesn't suit the classical operatic roles.
Dramatic soprano: These singers have very powerful and strong voices. They can sing high notes as if they were talking. If your voice is thin at the high registers, you are NOT a dramatic soprano. A great singer is Maria Callas. She has no wobble at the high register and yet she is powerful. She doesn't have the prettiness to her voice, but she is a great example of a soprano.
Mezzo-soprano: If you can hit any of the notes in the 6th register, it doesn't mean you're a soprano. You may be a mezzo-soprano if you sound better singing in the 5 range. The voice is extremely beautiful around E or F5. No wobbles, but the ability to hold the notes for several bars. My example is Cecilia Bartholi. Mezzos are also divided into the 3 categories as described above.
Contralto: As I found my voice thin at A5, I know I'm not a soprano. Rather, I have a very powerful voice especially around C4 (middle C) to C5. I can make the music beautiful if I stay in that range, but also find myself getting into falsetto about B4. If I sing at a normal voice, I sing extremely powerfully and am not able to soften and make my voice pretty unless I sing in the 4th register. Thus, while I can sing some high notes, I am much better at the lower ones. However, I don't have the range of famous contraltos. Therefore, I have not developed my singing career ;p
Eula Beal is a famous classical contralto.
So, how to tell what your voice is (male or female): 1) Sing your highest note. Is it strong or thin? Can you hold it? 2) Find your comfortable notes. These are notes you can sing flexibly and sound very good. You can control the notes, mold them in the way you want, and sing with agility and any emotion. 3) Compare the way you sing in 2 different registers. The version that sounds better is your designated voice. It doesn't mean you can't sing other roles or notes, but this is your strength and this is how you will make your mark in the vocal world. It's good to understand your own voice. Give it a try.
