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Bass (voice type)

(Redirected fromBass (vocal range))
This article is about the male voice type. For other uses, seeBass.

Abassis a type ofclassicalmalesingingvoiceand has the lowestvocal rangeof allvoice types.According toThe New Grove Dictionary of Opera,a bass is typically classified as having a vocal range extending from around the second E belowmiddle Cto the E above middle C (i.e.,E2–E4).[1][2]Itstessitura,or comfortable range, is normally defined by the outermost lines of thebass clef.Categories of bass voices vary according to national style and classification system.

Italians favour subdividing basses into thebasso cantante(singing bass),basso buffo(comical bass), or the dramaticbasso profondo(deep bass). The American system[3]identifies the bass-baritone, comic bass, lyric bass, and dramatic bass.

The GermanFachsystem[4]offers further distinctions: Spielbass (Bassbuffo), Schwerer Spielbass (Schwerer Bassbuffo), Charakterbass (Bassbariton), and Seriöser Bass. These classification systems can overlap. Rare is the performer who embodies a singleFachwithout also touching repertoire from another category.

History

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Cultural influence and individual variation create a wide variation in range and quality of bass singers. Parts for basses have included notes as low as theB-flattwo octaves and a tone below middle C (B♭1), for example inGustav Mahler'sSymphony No. 2and theRachmaninov'sAll-Night Vigil,Abelow that inFrederik Magle'ssymphonic suiteCantabile,Gbelow that (e.g. Measure 76 ofNe otverzhi menebyPavel Chesnokov) orFbelow those inKheruvimskaya pesn (Song of Cherubim)byKrzysztof Penderecki.Manybasso profondoshave trouble reaching those notes, and the use of them in works by Slavic composers has led to the colloquial term "Russian bass" for an exceptionally deep-ranged basso profondo who can easily sing these notes. Some traditional Russian religious music calls for A2(110Hz) drone singing, which is doubled by A1(55 Hz) in the rare occasion that a choir includes singers who can produce this very low human voice pitch.

Many British composers such asBenjamin Brittenhave written parts for bass (such as the first movement of his choral workRejoice in the Lamb) that center far higher than the basstessituraas implied by the clef.[1]TheHarvard Dictionary of Musicdefines the range as being from the E below low C to middle C (i.e. E2–C4).[5]

In choral music

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InSATB four-part mixedchorus, the bass is the lowest vocal range, below thetenor,alto,andsoprano.Voices are subdivided into first bass and second bass with no distinction being made between bass andbaritonevoices, in contrast to the three-fold (tenor–baritone–bass) categorization of solo voices. The exception is in arrangements for male choir (TTBB) andbarbershop quartets(TLBB), which sometimes label the lowest two parts baritone and bass.

Range and subtypes

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Bass vocal range (E2–E4) notated on thebassstaff(left) and on piano keyboard in green with dot marking middle C (C4)

Bass has the lowestvocal rangeof allvoice types,with the lowesttessitura.The low extreme for basses is generally C2(two Cs below middle C). Some extreme bass singers, referred to asbasso profondosandoktavists,are able to reach much lower than this. Withinopera,the lowest note in the standard bass repertoire is D2,sung by the character Osmin in Mozart'sDie Entführung aus dem Serail,but few roles fall below F2.

Although Osmin's note is the lowest 'demanded' in the operatic repertoire, lower notes are heard, both written and unwritten: for example, it is traditional for basses to interpolate a low C in the duet "Ich gehe doch rathe ich dir" in the same opera; in Richard Strauss'Der Rosenkavalier,Baron Ochs has an optional C2( "Mein lieber Hippolyte" ). The high extreme: a few bass roles in the standard repertoire call for a high F♯or G (F♯4and G4,the one above middle C), but few roles go over F4.In the operatic bass repertoire, the highest notes are a G♯4(The Barber inThe Noseby Shostakovich) and, in the aria "Fra l'ombre e gl'orrori" in Handel'sserenataAci, Galatea e Polifemo,Polifemo reaches an A4.

Within the bass voice type category are seven generally recognized subcategories:basso cantante(singing bass),hoherbass (high bass),jugendlicherbass (juvenile bass),basso buffo( "funny" bass),Schwerer Spielbass(dramatic bass), lyric bass, and dramaticbasso profondo(low bass).[6]

Basso cantante/lyric high bass/lyric bass-baritone

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Main article:Bass-baritone

Basso cantantemeans "singing bass".[2]Basso cantanteis a higher, more lyrical voice. It is produced using a more Italianate vocal production, and possesses a faster vibrato, than its closest Germanic/Anglo-Saxon equivalent, thebass-baritone.

Hoher Bass/dramatic high bass/dramatic bass-baritone

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Hoher Bassor "high bass" or often a dramaticbass-baritone.

Jugendlicher Bass

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Jugendlicher Bass(juvenile bass) denotes the role of a young man sung by a bass, regardless of the age of the singer.

Basso buffo/lyric buffo

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Buffo,literally "funny", basses are lyrical roles that demand from their practitioners a solid coloratura technique, a capacity forpatter singingand ripe tonal qualities if they are to be brought off to maximum effect. They are usually the blustering antagonist of the hero/heroine or the comic-relief fool inbel cantooperas.

Schwerer Spielbass/dramatic buffo

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English equivalent: dramatic bass

Lyric basso profondo

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Main article:Basso profondo

Basso profondo(lyric low bass) is the lowest bass voice type. According toJ. B. SteaneinVoices, Singers & Critics,the basso profondo voice "derives from a method of tone-production that eliminates the more Italian quick vibrato. In its place is a kind of tonal solidity, a wall-like front, which may nevertheless prove susceptible to the other kind of vibrato, the slow beat or dreaded wobble."

Dramatic basso profondo

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English equivalent: dramatic low bass. Dramatic basso profondo is a powerful basso profondo voice.

In Gilbert and Sullivan

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All of theGilbert and SullivanSavoy operas,exceptPatienceandThe Yeomen of the Guard,have at least one lead bass. Notable roles include:

See also

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References

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  1. ^abOwen Jander; Lionel Sawkins;J. B. Steane;Elizabeth Forbes(2002). "Bass (Fr.basse;Ger.Bass;It.basso) ".Grove Music Online(8th ed.).Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.O900455.ISBN978-1-56159-263-0.E2–E4/F4
  2. ^ab"BBC Cardiff Singer of the World – Guides – Baritone and bass".BBC Cymru Wales.
  3. ^Boldrey, Richard (1994) Guide to Operatic Roles & Arias, Redmond: PST... Inc.
  4. ^Kloiber, Rudolf et al., (2007) Handbuch der Oper, 12th edition, Munich: Bärenreiter
  5. ^Ranges Guide,Yale University Music Library, taken from theHarvard Dictionary of MusicArchived27 August 2013 at theWayback Machine
  6. ^"Bass | Music Appreciation".collegesidekick.
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