Bass-baritone

A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass that shares certain qualities with the baritone voice type.The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the Dutchman in Der fliegende Holländer, Wotan/Der Wanderer in the Ring Cycle and Hans Sachs in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Wagner labelled these roles as "Hoher Bass" ("high bass")unicode| — see fach for more details.cite book
title= Bel Canto: A History of Vocal Pedagogy
last= Stark
first= James
year= 2003
publisher= University of Toronto Press
isbn= 978-08-0208-614-3]

The bass-baritone voice is distinguished by two attributes. First, it must be capable of singing comfortably in a baritonal tessitura. It must also, however, have the resonant lower range typically associated with the bass. For example, the role of Wotan in Die Walküre covers the range from F at the bottom of the bass clef to F# above middle C, but only infrequently descends beyond the C below middle C. Bass-baritones are typically divided into two separate categories: lyric bass-baritone and dramatic bass-baritone.cite book
title= The Diagnosis and Correction of Vocal Faults
last= McKinney
first= James
year= 1994
publisher= Genovex Music Group
isbn= 978-1565939400]

The term bass-baritone is roughly synonymous with the Italian term Basso cantando; for example, in Verdi, Philip II in Don Carlos is usually taken by a bass-baritone, while Ferrando in Il Trovatore is sung by a true bass—though the two roles' ranges are very similar. In Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande the lower baritone role of Golaud is a bass-baritone, sitting between Pelleas (high baritone) and Arkel (bass).Fact|date=June 2008 See fach for more. Much of the oratorio repertoire, from Handel's "Messiah" to Mendelssohn's "Elijah" is best suited to a bass-baritone with the ability to combine a rich, dark tone with a smooth high-lying cantabile line.Fact|date=June 2008 Many of the Mozart baritone roles such as Don Giovanni, Figaro and Gugliemounicode| — composed before the term "baritone" gained currencyunicode| — are typically played by a bass-baritone. [Citation
last=
first=
url=http://www.harlequin-agency.co.uk/index.php?page=12&action=repertoire&id=50&type=operatic
title=Bryn Terfel Opera Repertoire
publisher=Harlequin Agency Limited
date=2008-06-18
accessdate=2008-06-18]

Lyric Bass-baritone

*Description:"Bass-baritone" is a voice with the resonant low notes of the typical bass but with the ability to sing in a baritonal tessitura. Sometimes it also refers to a voice with a range and tone somewhere between a bass and a baritone. The Bass-baritone's required range can vary tremendously based on the role, with some less demanding than others. Some bass-baritones are baritones, like Friedrich Schorr, George London, James Morris and Bryn Terfel. The following are more often done by high basses as opposed to lower baritones.
*Roles:
* Don Pizarro "Fidelio" by Ludwig van Beethoven
* Escamillo "Carmen" by Georges Bizet
* Golaud "Pelléas et Mélisande" by Claude Debussy
* Méphistophélès, "Faust" by Charles Gounod
* Don Alfonso, "Cosi fan tutte" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
* Figaro, "The Marriage of Figaro" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
*Singers:
* Thomas Quasthoff

Dramatic Bass-baritone

*Roles:
* Igor, "Prince Igor" by Alexander Borodin
* Scarpia, "Tosca" by Giacomo Puccini
* Dutchman "The Flying Dutchman" by Richard Wagner
* Hans Sachs "Die Meistersinger" by Richard Wagner
* Wotan "Der Ring des Nibelungen" by Richard Wagner
* Amfortas "Parsifal" by Richard Wagner
*Singers:
* Theo Adam
* Leopold Demuth
* Hans Hotter
* George London
* James Morris
* Friedrich Schorr
* Anton van Rooy

Bass-baritone roles in operetta

All of the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas have at least one bass-baritone character. Bass-baritones famous for singing these roles included Richard Temple, Darrell Fancourt and Donald Adams.

Prominent bass-baritones, past and present

* Walter Berry
* Rudolf Bockelmann
* Peter Dawson
* Leopold Demuth
* Justino Diaz
* Simon Estes
* Sir Geraint Evans
* Ruggero Raimondi
* Samuel Ramey
* John Relyea
* Paul Robeson
* Friederich Schorr
* Bryn Terfel
* Norman Treigle
* Anton van Rooy
* Willard White
* Clarence Whitehill
* José Van Dam

ee also

:Sopranist:Tenor:Baritone:Bass

References