Methods of teaching of coloratura soprano voice: coloratura technique in the operas by Moniuszko (selected examples)

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Stanistaw Moniuszko is the creator of the Polish national opera and Polish vocal lyric poetry. The works of this composer occupy a prominent place in Polish music literature. Many times, performing on the stage, I sing the songs composed by him, and I have performed Hanna's part from the opera The Haunted Manor over 300 times in Poland and abroad, moreover I took part in a direct broadcast of this work to the whole world by TV Polonia the opera was performed on February 22, 1997 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Great Theatre in todz, and two years earlier 1995 (09.10.) I performed Hanna's part overseas for Polish community in Chicago.

For many years, initially as a soloist and now as a teacher, I deal with the specificity of coloratura soprano. My interests include various levels on which reference can be made to this type of voice. The essential research material which supports my opinion are observations and experiences that I have gained as a result of many years' work on the opera and concert stage, and my pedagogical experience in the field of solo singing. Moreover, I use selected literature of the subject.

The aim of the article is to highlight the methods of teaching of coloratura soprano voice coloratura technique in the operas by Moniuszko on the selected examples.

Research methods: general analysis, synthesis, generalization; empirical observation.

Research results. The main research question is: "Shall coloratura soprano be applicable in the opera creativity of St. Moniuszko?".

I will start with the definition of the key words coloratura, coloratura soprano: "Coloratura in the analysis of a music work, the description of a fragment of a vocal composition (e.g. arias or songs), consisting of scale courses, passages and other ornaments, requiring proficiency from the performer and efficient use of the voice scale" [5]. "Coloratura embellishing, decorating the melody: 1) these are fast passages, trills and other virtuosic figures in the vocal music of the 17th/18th centuries that require technique and great rhythmic precision (ornamental colour). In opera music of the 18th/19th centuries a special type of coloratura soprano (e.g. Queen of the Night in the opera of W.A. Mozart The Magic flute aria di bravura). In more modern opera, the coloratura becomes an expressive element" [1, p. 448].

Coloratura soprano: I will start with a few myths. Coloratura does not mean that someone can sing very high. There are coloratura sopranos that are not able to sing Der Holle Rache due to lack of the scale. It does not mean, however, that they are not coloratura, because coloratura is nothing but technical proficiency, that is the efficient performance of various embellishments. However, despite the fact that it is a technique, so according to definition something one can learn. There are natural coloratura and trained ones. Those trained coloraturas will never sing so lightly as natural ones.

We divide coloratura sopranos into lyrical and dramatic ones. The first ones sound brighter and lighter, while the latter are dark, heavy and have more power. Real dramatic coloratura sopranos are extremely rare [3].

"Light coloratura soprano: of a large and the highest scale (do1-mi3, fa3), the most movable, with limited strength of sound, specialized in brilliant virtuosity, quick vocalises, trills [2]".

Lyric soprano and lyric-coloratura which has more expression, soft and warm sound, not very strong, is capable of the most delicate nuances (scale do1-do3) [2]. coloratura vocal monyushko

And one more classification.

Coloratura soprano according to Stimmfach (plural. Stimmfacher) German system of singers categorization, especially opera singers, based on the scale, power and tone of the voice. It is used mostly in Europe, especially in the German-speaking countries and the operas playing classic repertoire [9].

Table 1. Coloratura soprano according to Stimmfach

Comparison of the scale of the soprano voice and coloratura soprano, emphasizing small, but extremely important differences, in the context of Stanistaw Moniuszko's works, will help to compare the tessitura characteristic for the discussed type of voice to the vocal material used by the composer.

Fig. 1. Construction of the voice range of coloratura soprano compared to the course of the soprano ranges

It focuses on four determinants:

-coloratura technique;

-tessitura;

-use of high notes of the voice range (for the needs of the paper, I accepted the level above: f, fis2) and low notes of the voice range (for the purposes of the paper, I accepted the level below: f1, fis1);

-traditional performance aesthetics.

Returning to the previously asked question:

Will coloratura soprano be found in the operatic works of St. Moniuszko?

I have chosen three soprano arias for analysis, in which the composer used coloratura technique, and which due to the performance traditions, are performed by coloratura sopranos (Table 2).

I will quote a few excerpts showing the musical style of St. Moniuszko, in the context of coloratura technique and the selected arias.

"The influence of vocal lyrics is also visible in other compositions by Moniuszko, especially in the operas in which the arias often have the character of a song (e.g. Szumiq jodty na gor szczycie [Rustling firs on the top of the mountains], Gdyby rannym sfonkiem [If at the sunrise]. The composer introduced a coloratura aria only where it was needed by a dramatic action (the so-called Italian aria in The Countess)" [1, p. 566].

Table 2. Soprano arias with coloratura technique

"A manifestation of the composer's usage of various means developed in the 19th century opera are cantilena, coloratura, recitative and also spoken texts (The Countess)...

The coloratura arias in the operas by Moniuszko are rarely encountered. Coloratura acts as a contrast to the arias (lyric author's note). This kind of differentiation was used by the composer in the presentation of the characters of the opera The Countess [7].

To sum up the coloratura technique is used by Moniuszko to present the character or dramatic situation.

In the opera The Countess, Moniuszko introduces the coloratura Italian aria to the character of Ewa the Italian singer (based on the music of Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini), in The Haunted Manor, in Hanna's aria, the coloratura manifests the heroine's character (courage and determination), and in the operetta Beata this is a symbol of lightness and youthful fantasy of a young girl in love Beata.

The analysis of the works has been conducted on the basis of vocal score from the collection of B. Romaniszyn and J. Szamotulska [7].

Italian Aria of Miss Ewa Perche belli labbri che amore from II act of the opera The Countess [7, p. 51-56]:

Ambitus: cis1-cis3 (usual cadence e3)

Number of bars: 76

Metrum: 4/4

"Italian" Aria" of operatic primadonna is a great copy of the Italian style. It could be considered a result of music by Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and Mercadante. The aria is also the best proof of individual features of Moniuszko's talent as everything else in The Countess and how few specifically Italian factors are here [4, p. 122].

The assignment of Ewa's aria to the voice of coloratura soprano is doubtless. Embedded in the range of this type of voice, actually in each bar it contains elements of coloratura technique, and these are: gruppetios, 16th-note texture, acciaccatura, portamento, staccato, trills, 16th note and 32th note processions constructed directly as the sounds following each other or triads and combined textures, high tessitura, long high notes and cadences. The performers of the aria's end traditionally with a cadence, usually up to e3.

It is true that at the beginning of the aria we find definition of the tempo: moderato moderately, also quite low tessitura of the song is surprising.

Table 3