Editing Soprano

{{Short description|Classical singing voice with the highest vocal range}}
{{About|the female voice type|a male singer able to sing in the soprano range|Sopranist|other uses}}
{{Redirect|Soprano (singer)|the rapper|Soprano (rapper)}}
{{Voice type}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2019}}

A '''soprano''' ({{IPA|it|soˈpraːno}}) is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest [[vocal range]] of all [[voice type]]s. The soprano's vocal range (using [[scientific pitch notation]]) is from approximately middle C (C<sub>4</sub>) = 261&nbsp;[[Hertz|Hz]] to  A<sub>5</sub> in [[Choir|choral music]], or to soprano C (C<sub>6</sub>) or higher in [[opera]]tic music. In four-part [[chorale]] style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which often encompasses the [[melody]].<ref name=Stark>{{cite book
|title= Bel Canto: A History of Vocal Pedagogy
|last= Stark
|first= James
|year= 2003
|publisher= [[University of Toronto Press]]
|isbn= 978-0-8020-8614-3}}</ref> The soprano voice type is generally divided into the [[coloratura soprano|coloratura]], [[soubrette]], [[lyric soprano|lyric]], [[spinto soprano|spinto]], and [[dramatic soprano|dramatic]] soprano.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Aronson|first1=Arnold Elvin|last2=Bless|first2=Diane M.|title=Clinical Voice Disorders|year=2009|publisher=[[Thieme Medical Publishers]]|location=New York|isbn=978-1-58890-662-5|page=278|edition=4th|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wOhkGWBzG2UC&q=%22lyric+soprano%22+%22most+common+female%22&pg=PA278|access-date=1 November 2014}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
The word "soprano" comes from the Italian word ''[[wikt:sopra|sopra]]'' (above, over, on top of),<ref name="britannica">[http://www.britannica.com/art/soprano "Soprano"], ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''</ref> as the soprano is the highest pitch human voice, often given to the leading female roles in operas.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Opera 101 |url=http://www.theopera101.com/operaabc/voices/ |access-date=21 April 2016}}</ref> "Soprano" refers mainly to women, but it can also be applied to men; "[[sopranist]]" is the term for a male [[countertenor]] able to sing in the soprano vocal range,<ref name="McKinney">{{cite book |title=The Diagnosis and Correction of Vocal Faults |last=McKinney |first=James |year=1994 |publisher=Genovex Music Group |isbn=978-1-56593-940-0}}</ref> while a [[castrato]] is the term for a castrated male singer, typical of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries,<ref name="britannica" /> and a [[treble voice|treble]] is a [[boy soprano]], whether they finished puberty or are still a child, as long as they are still able to sing in that range.<ref name="britannica" />

The term "soprano" is also based on the Latin word ''[[wikt:superior#Latin|superius]]'' which, like soprano, referred to the highest pitch vocal range of all human voice types.<ref name="britannica" /> The word ''superius'' was especially used in choral and other multi-part vocal music between the 13th and 16th centuries.<ref name="britannica"/>

== Vocal range ==
[[File:Soprano voice range on keyboard.svg|thumb|upright=1.8|Soprano vocal range (C<sub>4</sub>–C<sub>6</sub>) notated on the [[treble clef|treble]] [[staff (music)|staff]] and on piano keyboard in green with dot marking middle C]]
{| align=right
|<score>{ \new Staff \with { \remove "Time_signature_engraver" } c'4 c'''4 }</score>
|}
The soprano has the highest [[vocal range]] of all [[voice type]]s, with the highest [[tessitura]]. A soprano and a [[mezzo-soprano]] have a similar range, but their tessituras will lie in different parts of that range.<ref name=Boldrey>{{cite book
|title= Guide to Operatic Roles and Arias
|last= Boldrey
|first= Richard
|year= 1994
|publisher= Caldwell Publishing Company
|isbn= 978-1-877761-64-5}}</ref>

The low extreme for sopranos is roughly A<sub>3</sub> or B{{music|b}}<sub>3</sub> (just below middle C). Within opera, the lowest demanded note for sopranos is F<sub>3</sub> (from [[Richard Strauss]]'s ''[[Die Frau ohne Schatten]]''<ref>''Die Frau ohne Schatten'' vocal score, Dover vocal scores 2003, act 1, scene 2, 5th bar of figure 102, {{ISBN|0-486-43127-4}}</ref>). Often low notes in higher voices will project less, lack timbre, and tend to "count less" in roles (although some Verdi, Strauss and Wagner roles call for stronger singing below the [[Staff (music)|staff]]). However, rarely is a soprano simply unable to sing a low note in a song within a soprano role.<ref name=Boldrey /> Low notes can be reached with a lowered position of the [[larynx]].

The high extreme, at a minimum, for non-coloratura sopranos is "soprano C" (C<sub>6</sub> two octaves above middle C), and many roles in the standard repertoire call for C{{music|#}}<sub>6</sub> or D<sub>6</sub>. A couple of roles have optional E{{music|b}}<sub>6</sub>s, as well. In the [[coloratura]] repertoire, several roles call for E{{music|b}}<sub>6</sub> on up to F<sub>6</sub>. In rare cases, some coloratura roles go as high as G<sub>6</sub> or G{{music|#}}<sub>6</sub>, such as Mozart's concert aria "[[Popoli di Tessaglia!]]", or the title role of [[Jules Massenet]]'s opera ''[[Esclarmonde]]''. While not necessarily within the tessitura, a good soprano will be able to sing her top notes full-throated, with timbre and dynamic control.<ref name=Coffin>{{cite book
|title= Coloratura, Lyric and Dramatic Soprano, Vol. 1
|last= Coffin
|first= Berton
|year= 1960
|publisher= Rowman & Littlefield
|isbn= 978-0-8108-0188-2
|url-access= registration
|url= https://archive.org/details/singersrepertoir0000coff
}}</ref>

In opera, the [[tessitura]], [[vocal weight]], and [[timbre]] of voices, and the roles they sing, are commonly categorized into voice types, often called {{lang|de|Fächer}} ({{abbr|sg.|singular}} {{lang|de|[[Fach]]}}, from German {{lang|de|Fach}} or {{lang|de|Stimmfach}}, "vocal category").<ref name=Coffin /> A singer's tessitura is where the voice has the best timbre, easy [[Dynamics (music)|volume]], and most comfort.

== In choral music ==
{{Choral voice classification}}
In [[SATB|SATB four-part mixed]] chorus, the soprano is the highest vocal range, above the [[alto]], [[tenor]], and [[bass (voice type)|bass]]. Sopranos commonly sing in the tessitura G<sub>4</sub>-A<sub>5</sub>. When the composer calls for divisi, sopranos can be separated into Soprano I (highest part) and Soprano II (lower soprano part).

In contrast to choral singing, in classical solo singing a person is classified through the identification of several vocal traits, including range, vocal [[timbre]], [[vocal weight]], vocal [[tessitura]], [[vocal resonance]], and vocal transition points (lifts or "[[passaggio]]") within the singer's voice.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}}

These different traits are used to identify different sub-types within the voice. Within [[opera]], particular roles are written with specific kinds of soprano voices in mind, causing certain roles to be associated with certain [[voice type|kinds of voices]].<ref>{{cite book
|title= The Science of Vocal Pedagogy: Theory and Application
|last= Appelman
|first= D. Ralph
|year= 1986
|publisher= Indiana University Press
|isbn= 978-0-253-20378-6}}</ref>

== Subtypes and roles in opera ==
{{hatnote|See soprano subtype Main articles below for roles and singers.}}
Within the soprano voice type category are five generally recognized subcategories: [[coloratura soprano]], [[soubrette]], [[lyric soprano]], [[spinto soprano]], and [[dramatic soprano]].

=== Coloratura ===
{{main|Coloratura soprano}}
The coloratura soprano may be a lyric coloratura or a dramatic coloratura. The lyric coloratura soprano is a very agile light voice with a high upper extension capable of fast vocal coloratura. Light coloraturas have a range of approximately middle C (C<sub>4</sub>) to "high F" (''[[in alt]]'') (F<sub>6</sub>) with some coloratura sopranos being able to sing somewhat lower or higher,<ref name="McKinney" /> e.g. an interpolated A{{music|b}}<sub>6</sub> in the Doll Aria, "Les oiseaux dans la charmille", from ''[[The Tales of Hoffmann]]'', e.g. by [[Rachele Gilmore]] in a 2009 performance, and a written A{{music|natural}}<sub>6</sub> by [[Audrey Luna]] in 2017 in ''[[The Exterminating Angel (opera)|The Exterminating Angel]]'', both at the [[Metropolitan Opera]] in New York.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/07/arts/music/metropolitan-opera-high-note-exterminating-angel.html "At the Met Opera, a Note So High, It's Never Been Sung Before"] by [[Zachary Woolfe]], ''[[The New York Times]]'', 7 November 2017</ref>

The dramatic coloratura soprano is a coloratura soprano with great flexibility in high-lying velocity passages, yet with great sustaining power comparable to that of a full spinto or dramatic soprano. Dramatic coloraturas have a range of approximately "low B" (B<sub>3</sub>) to "high F" (F<sub>6</sub>) with some coloratura sopranos being able to sing somewhat higher or lower.<ref name=Coffin />

=== Soubrette ===
{{main|Soubrette}}
In classical music and opera, a soubrette soprano refers to both a voice type and a particular type of opera role. A soubrette voice is light with a bright, sweet timbre, a tessitura in the mid-range, and with no extensive coloratura. The soubrette voice is not a weak voice, for it must carry over an orchestra without a microphone like all voices in opera. The voice, however, has a lighter vocal weight than other soprano voices with a brighter timbre. Many young singers start out as soubrettes, but, as they grow older and the voice matures more physically, they may be reclassified as another voice type, usually either a light lyric soprano, a lyric coloratura soprano, or a coloratura mezzo-soprano. Rarely does a singer remain a soubrette throughout her entire career.<ref name=Stark /> A soubrette's range extends approximately from Middle C (C<sub>4</sub>) to "high D" (D<sub>6</sub>).<ref>[http://www.dolmetsch.com/defsv2.htm Music Dictionary Vm–Vz: Voice (s.), Voices (pl.) – coloratura-soubrette or soprano lirico leggiero], [[Dolmetsch]]</ref> The tessitura of the soubrette tends to lie a bit lower than the lyric soprano and spinto soprano.<ref name=Boldrey />

=== Lyric ===
{{main|Lyric soprano}}
The lyric soprano is a warm voice with a bright, full timbre, which can be heard over a big orchestra. It generally has a higher tessitura than a soubrette and usually plays ''[[ingénue]]s'' and other sympathetic characters in opera. Lyric sopranos have a range from approximately middle C (C<sub>4</sub>) to "high D" (D<sub>6</sub>).<ref name=Coffin />

The lyric soprano may be a light lyric soprano or a full lyric soprano.<ref name=Boldrey /> The light lyric soprano has a bigger voice than a soubrette but still possesses a youthful quality.<ref name=Boldrey /> The full lyric soprano has a more mature sound than a light-lyric soprano and can be heard over a bigger orchestra.<ref name=Boldrey />

=== Spinto ===
{{main|Spinto soprano}}
Also lirico-[[spinto]], Italian for "pushed lyric", the spinto soprano has the brightness and height of a lyric soprano, but can be "pushed" to dramatic climaxes without strain, and may have a somewhat darker timbre. Spinto sopranos have a range from approximately B (B<sub>3</sub>) to "high D" (D<sub>6</sub>).<ref name=Coffin />

=== Dramatic ===
{{main|Dramatic soprano}}
A dramatic soprano (or ''soprano robusto'') has a powerful, rich, emotive voice that can sing over a full orchestra. Usually (but not always) this voice has a lower tessitura than other sopranos, and a darker timbre. Dramatic sopranos have a range from approximately A (A<sub>3</sub>) to "high C" (C<sub>6</sub>).<ref name=Coffin />

Some dramatic sopranos, known as Wagnerian sopranos, have a very big voice that can assert itself over an exceptionally large orchestra (over eighty pieces). These voices are substantial and very powerful and ideally even throughout the registers.<ref name=Boldrey />

=== Other types ===
Two other types of soprano are the ''[[Louise-Rosalie Lefebvre|Dugazon]]'' and the ''[[Cornélie Falcon|Falcon]]'', which are intermediate voice types between the soprano and the mezzo-soprano: a Dugazon is a darker-colored soubrette, a Falcon a darker-colored soprano drammatico.<ref name=Coffin />

== See also ==
* [[:Category:Sopranos|Category of sopranos]]
* ''[[Fach]]'', the German system for classifying voices
* [[Voice classification in non-classical music]]
* [[List of sopranos in non-classical music]]
*[[Chronological list of operatic sopranos]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
*{{cite book
|title= Singer's Edition: Operatic Arias – Light Lyric Soprano
|last= Boldrey
|first= Richard
|others= Robert Caldwell, Werner Singer, Joan Wall and Roger Pines
|year= 1992
|publisher= Caldwell Publishing Company
|isbn= 978-1-877761-02-7|ref=none}}
*{{cite book
|title= Singer's Edition: Operatic Arias – Soubrette
|last= Boldrey
|first= Richard
|others= Robert Caldwell, Werner Singer, Joan Wall and Roger Pines
|year= 1992
|publisher= Caldwell Publishing Company
|isbn= 978-1-877761-03-4|ref=none}}

== External links ==
{{Wiktionary}}
* {{Commons category-inline|Sopranos}}

{{Range (music)}}
{{Portal bar|Opera}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Voice types]]
[[Category:Pitch (music)]]
[[Category:Musical terminology]]
[[Category:Opera terminology]]
[[Category:Italian opera terminology]]
[[Category:Choral music]]
[[Category:Sopranos| ]]