On Mon, 3 Dec 2001 leskayc@a... wrote:
> The discussion of Tenors/Baritones etc...brings me to ask this question:
> What exactly is the difference between a soubrette and a coloratura? I
> thought that the term "soubrette" referred to a specific type of role, not a
> voice type. However, Richard Miller, in his book TRAINING SOPRANOS lumps
> soubrettes and coloraturas into one group. Does soubrette -as-a-voice-type
> refer to a coloratura voice without the stratospheric notes?
It's really an apples-to-oranges comparison. "Soubrette" really refers
more to a type of character - cute, perky, young, essentially innocent
albeit usually flirtatious. "Coloratura" refers to a technical capability,
i.e., a very easy vocal agility. There is that part of the musical Venn
diagram where "soubrette" intersects with "coloratura" - and you get roles
like Norina, Adina, Rosina, etc. in the Bel Canto operas. But there area
also soubrette roles like Musetta in BOHEME, Susanna in LE NOZZE DI
FIGARO, and the Sophies in WERTHER and ROSENKAVALIER that don't require
any extraordinary coloratura ability the way the Bel Canto roles do - and
there are certainly LOTS of coloratura roles that aren't remotely
soubrettish, e.g., the Donizetti queens and Lucia di Lammermoor, Bellini's
Norma, Delibes' Lakme, Marguerite in Meyerbeer's LES HUGUENOTS, etc.
While the vast majority of soubrette roles are for soprano, there are
exceptions. Rossini originally conceived Rosina in BARBIERE for contralto,
and Angelina (La Cenerentola) is another contralto (or mezzo) soubrette.
Olga in Tchaikovsky's ONEGIN is a soubrette as well. In musical theatre,
the soubrette is often the "belter" - e.g., Ado Annie, Bianca in KISS ME
KATE - while the ingenue is the "legit" soprano; the ingenue's counterpart
in opera being the serious romantic heroine - e.g., Mimi vs. Musetta,
Tatyana vs Olga, Charlotte vs Sophie, etc.
So I'd say "soubrette" describes a certain personality type, while
"coloratura" describes a certain vocal capability - and the two sometimes
overlap, particularly in Bel Canto opera, but certainly not always or even
most of the time.
Karen Mercedes
http://www.radix.net/~dalila/index.html
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