From: Karen Mercedes
To: VOCALIST <vocalist>
Subject: Re: Arias Transposed
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

On Fri, 4 Feb 2000, Dale Gillespie wrote:

> Dear Karen et all,
>
> My voice teacher seems to think that there is a Tenor version of FALSTAFF. Is there? Or does Falstaff appear in another Opera but sung by a Tenor?

I've never heard about this (though I don't have a complete performance
history of the opera at my fingertips); and the two other big "Falstaff"
operas - Nicolai's Die Lustige Weiber der Windsor and Vaughan Williams'
St. John in Love use bass and baritone Falstaffs, respectively. But there
are quite a few other "Falstaff" operas, so perhaps one of these uses a
tenor in the role. If you're really interested, take a look at my
Shakespeare in Opera page (www.radix.net/~dalila/info/shakesopera.html)
and you'll find some of them. But the few I've been able to find casting
details on all use basses or baritones as Falstaff. He just seems like a
low-voiced kinda guy, I guess.

There is an opera with a tenor singing Don Quixote, on the other hand,
though I prefer my Quichotte as a bass (as per Massenet).

KM
=====
There is delight in singing,
tho' none hear Beside the singer.
- Walter Savage Landor
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