Hello, vocalists!
It is clear that you are all people whose opinions I value, even though I do not know you. Your wisdom and ideas on this list have been valuable to me as a singer and a teacher of singing.
I need your advice and opinions. When I was 25, I enrolled in a Master's Degree program in vocal pedagogy which I enjoyed enormously. At the time my voice was alot like Isabelle described hers to be (carrying head voice only down to a middle c, with that "Deh Vieni" low note being very hard to project or even reach.) I began learning light soprano opera repertoire (Marriage of Figaro's Susannah, Gianni Schicchi's "Oh mio Babbino Caro," etc.) I loved the repertoire, but it did stretch my limited range---my highest publicly acceptable note was a B a half-step below soprano high C. It was thought that I would probably develop more top range over time. That did not happen, but a wonderful thing did happen--my voice grew to be much larger in volume, resonance, and became darker in color. Absolutely no range increased on the top. I began learning more lyric/dramatic arias (Hoffman's "Elle Fui," Menotti's "Steal Me, Sweet Thief," Mozart's "Porgi Amor," Bizet's "Je dis que rien ne m'epouvante," etc.) I truly loved this literature.
Fast forward... now I'm 39, and voice teachers I've had since my Master's degree studies have continued in a similar vein just because (I think) this is the literature I have studied in the past.
My concerns are this: I have never developed any extended upper range but have developed good chest and mixed voice down to the f below middle c, and I can sing lightly or in full chest voice down to d or c an octave below middle c. I did have physical vocal trouble soon after completing my Master's studies (small nodules), so I'm now (after the fact) considering that I was probably singing literature with a tessiatura that was too high for me.
What do you think? Should I concentrate on mezzo literature and develop that nice mix in my lower voice, or is that just a lazy soprano cop out? Even when I am in excellent vocal shape these days a Bb a whole step below soprano high c is the highest note I can produce beautifully. The nodules are tiny, my ENT says they should not be affecting my range at all, and I've not had any audible or noticeable trouble with them in at least 10 years.
Any suggestions for literature that might straddle the soprano/mezzo fence? The countess' arias in Marriage of Figaro work well for me, and seem to sit in the right place in my voice. Or should I forget this soprano stuff altogether?
Opinions are welcome. Teachers in this area are good, but mostly want to know what literature I want to work on (I think they may be a little intimidated because I often have as many vocal pedagogy studies under my belt as they do). I keep telling them that what I really need is just another pair of knowledgeable ears listening to me.
Sorry this is such a self-absorbed ramble. I've been so busy listening to my students for the past several years, that I've forgotten to listen critically to myself until recently.
Thanks! Catherine Ardrey Charleston, SC
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