Operatic Roles

This article will briefly talk about some of the roles individuals hold in operatic theater. Singers who are new to the operatic scene are sometimes unfamiliar with the terminology used to describe various roles. I have compiled this brief list as an educational tool for singers regardless of their level of experience. Some of these terms have been also used in other genres of music.

Prima donna – This title goes to the first lady in operatic productions. This is the leading female role.

Primo uomo – This title goes to the first man in operatic productions. This is the leading male role.

Banda – This is exactly what it sounds like (haha). This title goes to the band. This group makes up a small supplementary music ensemble that is used in opera.

Comprimario/a – This literally means “with primary.” These refer to supporting roles held in opera productions.

Concertino – This term means “mini concert.” This group is smaller, more virtuosic and is comprised of musicians in a concerto grosso.

Coro – This refers to the opera chorus. This is an ensemble of vocalists who perform throughout the production and sometimes take on additional roles.

Diva - This term refers to a leading female singer in an operatic production.

Ripieno – The remaining musicians found in a concerto grosso. This term also refers to filling or stuffing. I actually do not like the use of this words later meaning. It’s sort of offensive but I think it needs to be shared for knowledge sake.

Convenienze  - This refers to the rules regarding how singers are ranked in opera. The word literally means conveniences.

Maestro – This is the conductor/master. Also, this can refer to the music director, any music teachers involved, also composers or other prominent musicians or singers.

Maestro Sostituto – This is the Substitute Master or Substitute conductor.

Maestro collaborator – This is another term for Substitute conductor.

Maestro suggeritore – This refers to the prompter.

Stagione – Various key members and also crew crucial in staging opera.

This is where the studio is heading

The Internet is great. It has helped businesses to expand into areas where only a decade ago it was impossible to market and advertise. Research, purchasing opportunities and even communication with friends and colleagues across the street or across the globe is now possible. Ben Cameron in his TED talk: “The true power of the performing arts,” talks about the arts Reformation (going on now) is like the Religious Reformation. It will be based on the development and spread of the Internet. 

Remember, the Spiritual reformation asked the following:

•  Who’s entitled to practice?
•   How are they entitled to practice?
•  And indeed, do we need anyone to intermediate for us in order to have a Divine Experience?

Music is now having the same reformation, which asks similar questions.

•              Do I need to go to a concert to listen to a song I can simply view via YouTube, Facebook or   somewhere else?
•       Is the individual scheduling a concert, event, etc really qualified? If not, I can just listen to someone more qualified via the Internet to save time?
•       Do I really need to go to a physical concert in order to obtain my musical/aesthetic experience? 

Thanks to the Internet, one business with a physical location now competes with between 3 to 5,000 additional marketing tactics for the same product and service. There is continuous concern in the Arts world concerning the amount of concert tickets sold. I think a quick look at how technology has affected everything will address that. Concert attendance levels are dropping while the number of arts participants (those who write poetry, listen to music, compose songs, etc) is exploding. Technology isn't bad. I think it's great! However, it is imperative to look at how technology has redirected previous attendees, business operations, etc. Otherwise, you will be left in the dark. And what's worse, not keeping up will be detrimental to survival.

Before

In the 1930’s you had to work with companies such as Warner Brothers, 20^th Century Fox, Paramount and a few others if you wanted to start your own movie. You needed the producers, the movie sets, editing sets, scoring, music and of course lots of funding. Only a specific group could afford or even had the opportunity to do so.

After

Now, middle school aged students create movies in the comfort of their homes. Individuals have the opportunity to create and distribute film and music creations across the globe. The cost and availability of the Internet has made this a possibility for all who have the desire to create and display artistically. There is now worldwide distribution of products and services like never before. Venues such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other venues make this possible.

As a result

Thanks to the development of the Internet and Technology, the distribution of the Arts has been democratized for the first time in human history. The performing arts are now at a place where they will be more important and readily available than they have ever been. We do not want to miss this opportunity to participate in this fantastic distribution of music. Stay tuned to find out how we plan to get involved.

The Business & The Plan

Writing a business plan can be a daunting task. Who am I kidding? It is a daunting task! It’s a challenge but it is essential to the start of any business. What I’ve learned and I’m still learning is the business plan is primarily a model or template of what you expect your business to be. Will the business be exactly as you’ve predicted in the actual business plan? No! Don’t misunderstand me though. You do want growth as indicated; however, the methods chosen to get there may not be as you’ve planned. The entities involved in the development of an actual business; you or any partners and the actual business, are organic. So, expect things to change.

When a true entrepreneur is involved in business planning, it is good for him or her to create a business plan to organize and document the desired structure of the business. Carl Schramm does not think the business owner has to follow the completed business plan step-by-step. To him the business plan become obsolete after some time has passed. I must say I somewhat agree with him. Business plans are great for recording your thoughts, ideas and intended plans about the business. Be realistic in planning but do not limit yourself to the information provided in the plan itself.

Relax, be yourself

Schramm’s ideas about the entrepreneur encourage us to be ourselves. Continue to think outside the box. Learn from present and past experiences, jobs, personal and professional relationships in order to establish and build an efficient knowledge base. Where I differ from Schramm is that I believe the business plan should be updated periodically. Your business will change there is no doubt about that. However, your ideas and intentions for the business are likely to change or at least adapt to circumstances. There are circumstances and situations, which will be inevitable.

Following a business plan to the tee and not straying from it at all is in my opinion, following the norm. Entrepreneurs use common sense but they do not follow the status quo. That’s one of the reasons why they are in business in the first place. Again, business plans are important but do not live by your business plan only. You are asking for all kinds of disappointment.

What’s important in the plan?

The most important section of the business plan is the financial statement/forecast. Investors want to know how you intend to make money. These intentions will be instrumental in securing additional funding for the start or expansion of your business. What I found interesting is that Schramm measures the person, not the business plan to determine whether or not to invest in a business. This is something to consider when planning for the financial future of your business.

Allergies cause hemorrhages

One of the scariest things for the vocalist is for him to loose his voice. It’s even worse when he finds out it’s due to a hemorrhage. A hemorrhage is known for its association with phonotrauma. To the vocalist this is usually from faulty singing, excessive vocal stress, or not caring for the voice in general. Singers who end up with it, a lot of times, receive weird looks or looks of horror from other musicians, especially other vocalists. This is because they know (even if only by word of mouth) how devastating a hemorrhage is and can be to any singer’s career.

A vocal hemorrhage is bleeding that occurs when the vocal folds experience some type trauma; hence phonotrauma. The superficial layer of the lamina propria (aka vocal fold lamina propria) is the elastic section of the vocal folds. Microscopic protein pillars separate layer upon layer of elastic pliable tissue. The section between the layers is called interfibrillar spaces and is normally filled with fluid (which is why water is so important). It is also where the most vibration and flexibility occurs in the folds. 

If the folds cannot successfully connect and bend (in that order), then the voice is not fully operative. When a vocal hemorrhage forms, a section of the interfibrillar space is filled with blood. Hemorrhages are normally painless, occur without indication and are in most cases tasteless. I say tasteless because the bleeding occurs below the top layer of tissue (mucosa). In some instances blood seeps out of the folds. However, this would indicate that additional damage to the folds has occurred.

Photo from www.voicemedicine.com

My Experience

Earlier this year, I had the privilege to work with 175 pre-school kids (per week) in the Polk County School System. Grants from local civic organizations (Rotary Club and Kiwanis) and also the help of the Tryon Fine Arts Center made this possible. It was such an honor to impart the joy of music to that many children at once. However, I quickly found out it does come with a price.

My immune system was put to the test as a result of being around so many children in such a short amount of time. Let’s be honest, children are natural hoarders for germs. Add lots of hugs, high fives, back rides, kisses, leg grabs, runny noses and uninhibited coughs to the mix and you have now become the new drop off point for Grand Germs Central. As a result, I ended up with some new virus that travels around the body. To my surprise, it seemed to stay near my laryngopharynx, oropharynx and nasopharynx, three essential areas for the vocalist. You can say these are do-not-touch areas.

So, I had this virus that checked in for an extended stay around my pharyngeal cavities and then the notorious seasonal allergies kicked in. Not only did I end up with laryngitis from the virus but also I completely lost my voice due to upper respiratory infection. Oh and let’s not forget continuous coughing, sneezing, wheezing, etc from seasonal allergies. This recipe caused the hemorrhage. All of this occurred within 3 weeks before a major production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Mikado.” I didn’t receive confirmation of the hemorrhage until after Mikado and right before my Alumni recital performance three weeks later.

What did I learn?

After numerous doctor visits, voiceless rehearsals and run-throughs and of course lots of medication, I was able to sing in the restored range of voice (primarily chest and some head). Hemorrhages are not just caused from faulty singing, which is what they are normally associated with. In my experience, severe allergies can lead to them as well.

If you suffer from allergies, it is extremely important to see your doctor often. Stay sensitive to how your voice feels. If something feels off, do something about it. It will save you a world of heart ache later on.

Use Boredom as a catalyst for creativity

          Musician Mark Applebaum has been called the “mad scientist of music.” He talks about various roles he has taken in order to create, establish and support his creativity as a musician. The music he creates can be questioned. It is music according to society’s current definition of the term. He challenges the audience to consider their own crafts, instrument etc as they continue to perform, create and explore the world of music or any position or job for that matter.

Applebaum goes into considerable detail and provides examples of each role he has taken to make music more interesting and fun for him. He stresses the importance for each individual to look out for him or her when performing and creating music. Otherwise, boredom will set in.

Interpreter – This is where most of us as artists/musicians begin. We learn the technique, style and even artistry of other musicians. This music can be Baroque, Romantic, Jazz or Country. Pick your choice. The point here is that many of us learn music and merely interpret its meaning through our performance. No big changes are made. We play the music as we think the composer intended it to be performed. Nothing wrong with that all, but I’m sure you can already see where Appelbaum is going with this. This can get boring if you’re not careful.

Improviser – Additions are made to existing musical compositions in this role. Cover bands are formed to play and expand upon the music of others. Countless arrangements, transcriptions and various other forms of music are created to give musicians a sense of individuality or personality in performances. This role is extremely engaging but boredom can still creep in here as well.

Composer – To counteract the eventual staleness of improvisation, it seemed fitting to create music on his own. Applebaum; like many other musicians, began to write his own compositions. Unique compositions I might add. Many of his compositions have interesting notation. “The Metaphysics of Notation” is one that does not use standard musical notations such as: quarter notes, whole rests, etc but strange symbols and hieroglyphic type images. The musicians who perform them decide the interpretation of these symbols.

Inventor – What better way to enjoy music than to create your own instrument to perform it?

Visual Artist – This role turned out to be something done as an extension of his craft. He also describes this as an impulse that has come out of the bored experience from years of music study, teaching and lack of creativity and individualism. His compositions are unique. His scores are monstrous in length and even size. A few of his scores are over 180 pages in length and over 70 feet wide.

Scavenger – Whatever he thought would be interesting to create his Mouseketeer, he added to its structure. Items such as combs, doorstops, hangers, chopsticks, violin bow and many more items make up this unique instrument.

Designer  - Organizing these random pieces in a way that would fit the uniqueness of the instrument allowed his creativity and individuality to sparkle even more. Again, he challenges current musicians to figure out how their creative juices can flow even with what they do now.

Performing Artist – Applebaum is still a performing artist but now it is more interesting to him. He wanted to find a way to make performing more interesting and he did. Do not put a limit on your creativity. Allow it to flow naturally and you’ll be surprised what happens.

Dramaturge – His Concerto with Florist and Orchestra required actors to perform. In this case, the actor was a florist. He also composed a piece for three conductors and no orchestra. This effect was quite interesting. He said it “is based on the experience of watching two people have a virulent argument in sign language which produced no decibels to speak of but affectively, psychologically was a very loud experience.”

Choreographer – He demonstrates a piece of music, which requires performance through hand movements. Again, the interpretation of this is up to the performer. This is interesting because performer (really a dancer at this point) has to perform based what they see, not what they feel or hear

         The question of whether or not what Applebaum is doing is considered is not the question. There is no doubt that music is still being made here. However, the real question is what is the audience getting out of it? Does this meet the inventive standards of the creator? Is he or she satisfied with what is occurring? Can more be done? Ask yourself these questions and more as you continue in your craft.