Fach

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The German Fach (pl. Fächer) (IPA pronunciations: [fɑ:x], ['fɛ.çəɐ]) system is a method of classifying singers, primarily opera singers, by the range, weight, and color of their voices. It is primarily used in Europe, especially in German-speaking countries and in repertory opera houses.

The Fach system is a convenience for singers and opera houses. A singer who is identified as being of a certain Fach will usually be asked to sing only roles that belong to that Fach. This prevents a singer from being asked to sing roles which he or she is incapable of performing. Opera houses keep lists of available singers by Fach so that when they are casting roles for an upcoming production, they do not inadvertently contact performers who would be inappropriate for the part.

Below is a list of Fächer, their ranges as written on sheet music, and their common roles. When two names for the Fach are given, the first is in more common use today. Where possible, an English equivalent of each Fach is listed, however not all Fächer have ready English equivalents. Note that some roles can be sung by more than one Fach and that many singers do not easily fit into a fach: for instance some sopranos may sing both Koloratursopran and Dramatischer Koloratursopran roles. In addition, roles traditionally more difficult to cast may be given to a voice other than the traditional fach. For instance, the Queen of the Night is more traditionally a dramatic coloratura role, but it is difficult to find enough dramatic coloraturas to sing it (particularly given the extreme range). Therefore, the role is often sung by Lyric Coloraturas.

Contents 1 Coloratura Fächer 1.1 Lyrischer Koloratursopran / Koloratursoubrette 1.2 Dramatischer Koloratursopran 2 Soprano Fächer 2.1 Deutsche Soubrette / Charaktersopran 2.2 Lyrischer Sopran 2.3 Jugendlich Dramatischer Sopran 2.4 Dramatischer Sopran 2.5 Hochdramatischer Sopran 3 Mezzo-soprano Fächer 3.1 Lyrischer Mezzosopran / Spielalt 3.2 Koloratur-Mezzosopran 3.3 Dramatischer Mezzosopran 3.4 Dramatischer Alt 3.5 Tiefer Alt 4 Tenor Fächer 4.1 Spieltenor / Tenor Buffo 4.2 Charaktertenor 4.3 Lyrischer Tenor 4.4 Jugendlicher Heldentenor / Falscher Heldentenor[citation needed] 4.5 Echter Heldentenor 5 Baritone Fächer 5.1 Lyrischer Bariton / Spielbariton 5.2 Kavalierbariton 5.3 Charakterbariton 5.4 Hoherbass 5.5 Heldenbariton 6 Bass Fächer 6.1 Bassbariton 6.2 Spielbass / Bassbuffo 6.3 Schwerer Spielbass 6.4 Seriöser Bass 7 References 8 Additional clarifications

[edit] Coloratura Fächer

[edit] Lyrischer Koloratursopran / Koloratursoubrette

• English equivalent: Coloratura soprano or Lyric Coloratura soprano
• Range: From middle C to the F two-and-a-half octaves above middle C
• Description: Usually a light soprano, with a high voice. Can often have small voices, meaning they can lack the richness and resonance of voice that for example dramatic sopranos have. Must be able to do fast acrobatics with easy high notes. Many have extremely high ranges (with notes above the F of the Queen of the Night, but there are also singers who sing in this fach who do not regularly sing higher than the high E flat.
• Roles:
  • Norina, Don Pasquale (Gaetano Donizetti)
  • Giulia, La scala di seta (Gioacchino Rossini)
  • Lucia, Lucia di Lammermoor (Gaetano Donizetti)
  • Gilda, Rigoletto (Giuseppe Verdi)
• Singers:
  • Erna Berger
  • Natalie Dessay
  • Lily Pons
  • Erna Sack
  • Beverly Sills
  • Rita Streich
  • Edita Gruberova
  • Beverly Sills

[edit] Dramatischer Koloratursopran

• English equivalent: Dramatic coloratura soprano
• Range: From middle C to the F two-and-a-half octaves above middle C
• Description: The same as above, only with a more dramatic, rich voice. Can often be more lyrical, and heavier than a coloratura soprano. Must also be able to do fast vocal acrobatics and reach high notes, such as the F6 of the Queen of the Night. Some of the best examples for this voice type are Dame Joan Sutherland, Maria Callas and June Anderson. This is a very rare vocal Fach, seeing it needs thick vocal cords to produce the large, dramatic notes needed, which usually lessens the flexibility and acrobatic abilities of the voice.
• Roles:
  • The Queen of the Night, Die Zauberflöte (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
  • Semiramide, Semiramide (Gioacchino Rossini)
  • Armida, Armida (Gioacchino Rossini)
  • Elena, La donna del lago (Gioacchino Rossini)
  • Violetta, La traviata (Giuseppe Verdi)
  • Konstanze, Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
• Singers
  • Dame Joan Sutherland
  • Maria Callas
  • June Anderson
  • Diana Damrau

[edit] Soprano Fächer

[edit] Deutsche Soubrette / Charaktersopran

• English equivalent: Soubrette
• Range: From middle C to the C two octaves above middle C
• Description: a light, pretty voice
• Roles: Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, Zerlina in Don Giovanni (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)

Musette in La Bohème (Giacomo Puccini)

• Singers:
  • Kathleen Battle
  • Barbara Bonney
  • Elisabeth Schumann
  • Dawn Upshaw

[edit] Lyrischer Sopran

• English equivalent: Lyric soprano
• Range: From middle C to the C two octaves above middle C
• Description: a more supple-sounding soprano, capable of legato, portamento, and some agility; generally has a more soulful and sensuous quality than a soubrette who tend to be largely flirtatious and somewhat tweety.
• Roles:
  • Mimi, La bohème (Giacomo Puccini)
  • Micaela, Carmen (Georges Bizet)

• Singers:
  • Lisa della Casa
  • Angela Gheorghiu
  • Renee Fleming
  • Kiri Te Kanawa
  • Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
  • Renata Tebaldi

[edit] Jugendlich Dramatischer Sopran

• English equivalent: Light dramatic soprano
• Range: From middle C to the C two octaves above middle C
• Description: The Italian version of this fach is the spinto, which literally means pushed. Thus, a light dramatic soprano must generally push her basically lyric instrument to create big sounds that can cut through an orchestral and/or choral climax. Depending on the singer, however, this voice type can be more versatile, as it lies at neither extreme of the soprano spectrum. Spintos are occasionally able to take on lighter mezzo roles, or conversely, lyric and even coloratura roles. Spinto sopranos are known to be especially well suited to art song and operas in English.
• Roles:
  • Madama Butterfly, Madama Butterfly (Giacomo Puccini)
  • Manon Lescaut, Manon Lescaut (Giacomo Puccini)
  • Floria Tosca, Tosca (Giacomo Puccini)
  • Elizabeth de Valois, Don Carlo (Giuseppe Verdi)
  • Susannah, Susannah (Carlisle Floyd)
• Singers:
  • Gundula Janowitz
  • Lotte Lehmann
  • Karita Mattila
  • Leontyne Price

[edit] Dramatischer Sopran

• English equivalent: Full dramatic soprano
• Range: From the B below middle C to the C two octaves above middle C
• Description:
• Roles:
  • Elsa, Lohengrin (Richard Wagner)
  • Lady Macbeth, Macbeth (Giuseppe Verdi)
  • Leonore, Fidelio (Ludwig van Beethoven)
• Singers:
  • Helga Dernesch
  • Jessye Norman

[edit] Hochdramatischer Sopran

• English equivalent: Wagnerian soprano
• Range: From the F below middle C to the C two octaves above middle C
• Description: A voice equal to the demands of the operas of Wagner's maturity, substantial, very powerful and even throughout the registers. Successful hochdramatischer are rare, only one or two appear in a generation. Arguably there are none singing today.

• Roles:
  • Turandot, Turandot (Giacomo Puccini)
  • Leonore, Fidelio (Ludwig van Beethoven)
  • Brunnhilde, Der Ring des Nibelungen (Richard Wagner)
  • Isolde, Tristan und Isolde (Richard Wagner)
  • Elektra, Elektra (opera) (Richard Strauss)
  • Kundry, Parsifal (Richard Wagner)
• Singers:
  • Birgit Nilsson
  • Kirsten Flagstad
  • Gwyneth Jones
  • Frida Leider
  • Eva Turner

[edit] Mezzo-soprano Fächer

[edit] Lyrischer Mezzosopran / Spielalt

• English equivalent: Lyric mezzo-soprano
• Range: From the G below middle C to the B two octaves above middle C
• Description: a lyric soprano's instrument in a lower range; the resulting sound is less piercing, more lachrymose and kind of sensitive.
• Roles: Carmen can be sung by lyric mezzos like Denyce Graves. Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier (Richard Strauss), Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) (and other pants roles), also Mignon, Cendrillon, Charlotte, Dido.
• Singers:
  • Janet Baker
  • Susan Graham
  • Christa Ludwig
  • Anne-Sofie von Otter
  • Frederica Von Stade

[edit] Koloratur-Mezzosopran

• English equivalent: Coloratura mezzo-soprano
• Range: From the G below middle C to the B two octaves above middle C
• Description: a lyric soprano's instrument in a lower range; the resulting sound is less piercing, more lachrymose and kind of sensitive
• Roles: Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia (Gioacchino Rossini)

Angelina in La Cenerentola (Gioacchino Rossini)

• Singers:
  • Cecilia Bartoli
  • Conchita Supervía

[edit] Dramatischer Mezzosopran

• English equivalent: Dramatic mezzo-soprano
• Range: From the G below middle C to the B two octaves above middle C
• Description: The dramatic mezzo possesses a large voice capable of creating penetrating yet full-bodied projection. Dramatic mezzos must perform alongside dramatic sopranos, and so their voices must be able to carry effectively despite singing in a lower tessitura. They are well-suited to composers who use densely textured orchestration like Beethoven, Wagner, and Strauss. The dramatic mezzo, however stunning in the opera house, is often felt to be too overwhelming for lied and other art songs.
• Roles:
  • Amneris (Aida) (Giuseppe Verdi)
  • Eboli (Don Carlo) (Giuseppe Verdi)
  • Fricka (Das Rheingold, Die Walküre) (Richard Wagner)
  • Ortrud (Lohengrin) (Richard Wagner)
• Singers
  • Grace Bumbry
  • Fiorenza Cossotto
  • Ebe Stignani
  • Dolora Zajick

[edit] Dramatischer Alt

• English equivalent: Contralto
• Range: From the G below middle C to the B above middle C
• Description:
• Roles: Erda in Der Ring des Nibelungen (Richard Wagner)

[edit] Tiefer Alt

• English equivalent: Contralto
• Range: From the F below middle C to the A above middle C
• Description: A deep, penetrating low female voice. This is a very rare voice type with a darker, richer sound than that of a typical alto.
• Roles: Die Kranke in Moses und Aron; Ulrica in Un ballo en maschera (Giuseppe Verdi)
• Singers:
  • Marian Anderson
  • Clara Butt
  • Kathleen Ferrier
  • Ernestine Schumann-Heink

[edit] Tenor Fächer

[edit] Spieltenor / Tenor Buffo

• English equivalent: (Lyric) comic tenor. It is quite possible for a young Spieltenor to eventually work into the lighter Lyrischertenor category, the deciding factor will be the beauty of voice and his looks.
• Range: From low C to the B an octave above middle C (C to b')
• Description:
• Roles: Pedrillo (Die Entführung aus dem Serail) (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)

[edit] Charaktertenor

• English equivalent: Character tenor. Must have good acting abilities.
• Range: From the B below low C to the C an octave above middle C (C to c')
• Description:
• Roles: Mime (Siegfried) (Richard Wagner)
• Singers:
  • Gerhard Stolze

[edit] Lyrischer Tenor

• English equivalent: Lyric tenor
• Range: From low C to the C an octave above middle C (C to c')
• Description:
• Roles: Tamino (Die Zauberflöte) (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
• Singers:
  • Ian Bostridge
  • Richard Tauber
  • Fritz Wunderlich
  • Alfredo Kraus
  • David Hobson

[edit] Jugendlicher Heldentenor / Falscher Heldentenor^{[citation needed]}

• English equivalent: Light dramatic tenor
• Range: From low C to the C an octave above middle C (C to c')
• Description: A tenor with a dramatic extended upper range with the necessary brightness to come through the orchestra's texture.
• Roles:
  • Don José, Carmen (Georges Bizet)
  • Lohengrin, Lohengrin (Richard Wagner)
  • Siegmund, Die Walküre (Richard Wagner)
• Singers:
  • Plácido Domingo
  • Georges Thill

[edit] Echter Heldentenor

• English equivalent: German dramatic tenor
• Range: From the B below low C to the C above middle C (B to c²)
• Description: A full dramatic tenor with baritonal facility in the middle range and the brightness necessary to pierce a thick orchestral texture.
• Roles:
  • Siegfried, Der Ring des Nibelungen (Richard Wagner)
  • Tristan, Tristan und Isolde (Richard Wagner)
  • Otello (Giuseppe Verdi)
• Singers:
  • Wolfgang Windgassen
  • Ben Heppner
  • Lauritz Melchior
  • Jon Vickers
  • Mario del Monaco

[edit] Baritone Fächer

[edit] Lyrischer Bariton / Spielbariton

• English equivalent: Lyric baritone
• Range: From the B below low C to the G above middle C (B to g')
• Description: A sweeter, milder sounding baritone voice, lacking in harshness.
• Roles:
  • Conte Almaviva, Le nozze di Figaro (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
  • Marcello, La bohème (Giacomo Puccini)
• Singers:
  • Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
  • Gerhard Hüsch
  • Hermann Prey

[edit] Kavalierbariton

• English equivalent: A metallic voice, that can sing both lyric and dramatic phrases, a manly noble baritonal color, with good looks. Not quite as powerful as the Verdi baritone or Charakter bariton who is expected to have a powerful appearance on stage, perhaps muscular or physically large.
• Range: From the A below low C to the G# above middle C (A to g#' )
• Description: Harsher, more pronounced than the Lyric baritone.
• Roles:
  • Don Giovanni, Don Giovanni (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
  • Tonio, Pagliacci (Ruggiero Leoncavallo)
  • Di Luna, Il trovatore (Giuseppe Verdi)
  • Iago, Otello (Giuseppe Verdi)
  • Count, Capriccio (Richard Strauss) (Range: c-ab' - does not require A2-B2 part of range)^[1]
• Singers:
  • Thomas Hampson
  • Dmitri Hvorostovsky
  • Eberhard Wächter
  • Sherrill Milnes

[edit] Charakterbariton

• English equivalent: Verdi Baritone.
• Range: From the A below low C to the G# above middle C (A to g#')
• Description: A voice particlarly effective with passages in its higher reaches. A high tessitura vis-a-vis the range extremes.
• Roles: Wozzeck (Berg)

Germont (Verdi)

• Singers:

[edit] Hoherbass

• English equivalent: Literally translated, High bass, means bass-baritone, term used by Wagner.
• Range: From the E half an octave below low C to the F above middle C (E to f')^{[citation needed]} - From the G below low C to the F# above middle C (G to f#')^{[citation needed]}
• Description: A male voice intermediate in pitch between Baritone and Bass.
• Roles:
  • Caspar, Der Freischütz (Carl Maria von Weber)
  • Zaccaria, Nabucco (Giuseppe Verdi)
  • Mephistofeles, Faust by (Charles Gounod)

• Singers:
  • Ezio Pinza
  • Cesare Siepi

[edit] Heldenbariton

• English equivalent: None.
• Range: From the G below low C to the F# above middle C (G to f#')
• Description: Means ‘heroic baritone’. In the German opera houses a true Heldenbariton is a prize possession: a singer with exciting power at command and a brightly resonant quality.
• Roles:
  • Telramund, Lohengrin (Wagner)
  • Count di Luna, Il trovatore (despite the fact that character is a villain) (Giuseppe Verdi)
• Examples:
  • Leonard Warren
  • Titta Ruffo

[edit] Bass Fächer

[edit] Bassbariton

• English equivalent: Bass-baritone
• Range: From the E half an octave below low C to the F above middle C (E to f')
• Description: The Bass-baritone's required range can vary tremendously based on role, with some less demanding than others.
• Roles:
  • Figaro, Le nozze di Figaro by (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
  • Wotan, Sachs (Ab - f or Ab2 to F4)^[1] (Richard Wagner)
  • Don Alfonso, Cosi fan tutte by (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
  • Don Pizarro, Fidelio (Ludwig van Beethoven)
• Singers:
  • Samuel Ramey
  • Gidon Saks
  • Bryn Terfel
  • George London
  • Hans Hotter
  • Friedrich Schorr

[edit] Spielbass / Bassbuffo

• English equivalent: Lyric comic bass
• Range: From the E half an octave below low C to the F above middle C (E to f')
• Description: A comedic role within certain operas performed by a lyrical voice.
• Roles:
  • Don Pasquale, Gaetano Donizetti
• Singers:
  • Luigi Lablache

[edit] Schwerer Spielbass

• English equivalent: Dramatic comic bass
• Range: From the C one octave below low C to the F above middle C (C to f')
• Description:
• Roles: Baculus, Der Wildschütz (Albert Lortzing)

[edit] Seriöser Bass

• English equivalent: Dramatic (serious) bass/Basso Profundo.
• Range: From low C to the F above middle C (C to f')
• Description:
• Roles:
  • Boris Godunov (title role) (Modest Mussorgsky)
  • Sarastro, Die Zauberflöte (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
  • König Marke, Tristan und Isolde (Richard Wagner)
• Singers:
  • Feodor Chaliapin
  • Boris Christoff
  • Gottlob Frick
  • Nicolai Ghiaurov
  • Kurt Moll
  • Matti Salminen
  • Martti Talvela

[edit] References

• Rudolf Kloiber, Wulf Konold und Robert Maschka: Handbuch der Oper, 9. Auflage, Kassel (Bärenreiter) 2002, ISBN 3-7618-1605-7
• Steane, J B: Fach in 'The New Grove Dictionary of Opera', ed. Stanley Sadie (London, 1992) ISBN 0-333-73432-7

[edit] Additional clarifications

1. ^ ^{a b} John Warrack; Ewan West (1992). The Oxford Dictionary of Opera. USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-869164-5.