Fach

Categories: Singing

The German Fach (pl. Fächer) system is a method of classifying singers, primarily opera singers, by the range, weight, and color of their voices. It is primarily used in Europe, especially in German-speaking countries and in repertory opera houses.

The Fach system is a convenience for singers and opera houses. A singer who is identified as being of a certain Fach will usually be asked to sing only roles that belong to that Fach. This prevents a singer from being asked to sing roles which he or she is incapable of performing. Opera houses keep lists of available singers by Fach so that when they are casting roles for an upcoming production, they do not inadvertently contact performers who would be inappropriate for the part.

Below is a list of Fächer, their ranges as written on sheet music, and their common roles. When two names for the Fach are given, the first is in more common use today. Where possible, an English equivalent of each Fach is listed, however not all Fächer have ready English equivalents. Note that some roles can be sung by more than one Fach.

Todo: List of roles and English equivalents

Contents 1 Coloratura Fächer 1.1 Koloratursopran / Koloratur Soubrette 1.2 Dramatische Koloratursopran 2 Soprano Fächer 2.1 Deutsche Soubrette 2.2 Lyrischer Sopran 2.3 Jugendlich Dramatischer Sopran 2.4 Charaktersopran 2.5 Dramatischersopran 2.6 Hochdramatischersopran 3 Mezzo-soprano Fächer 3.1 Lyrischer Mezzosopran / Spielalt 3.2 Dramatischer Mezzosopran 3.3 Dramatischer Alt 3.4 Tiefer Alt 4 Tenor Fächer 4.1 Spieltenor 4.2 Characktertenor 4.3 Lyrischertenor 4.4 Jugendlicher Heldentenor 4.5 Heldentenor / Tenorbariton 5 Baritone Fächer 5.1 Lyrischer Bariton / Lyric Baritone 5.2 Charakterbariton 5.3 Cavalierbariton / Dramatic Baritone 5.4 Heldenbariton / Hoherbass 6 Bass Fächer 6.1 Spielbaß / Baßbuffo 6.2 Schwerer Spielbaß 6.3 Charakterbaß / Baßbariton 6.4 Hoherbaß 6.5 Serioserbaß / Schwarzerbaß 7 External links

Coloratura Fächer

Koloratursopran / Koloratur Soubrette

• English equivalent: Coloratura soprano
• Range: From middle C to the F two-and-a-half octaves above middle C
• Description:
• Roles:
  • Norina, Don Pasquale (Gaetano Donizetti)
  • Giulia, La scala di seta (Gioacchino Rossini)

Dramatische Koloratursopran

• English equivalent: Dramatic coloratura soprano
• Range: From middle C to the F two-and-a-half octaves above middle C
• Description:
• Roles:
  • The Queen of the Night, Die Zauberflöte (Wolfgang Mozart)
  • Semiramide, Semiramide (Gioacchino Rossini)
  • Armida, Armida (Gioacchino Rossini)
  • Elena, La donna del lago (Gioacchino Rossini)

Soprano Fächer

Deutsche Soubrette

• English equivalent: Soubrette
• Range: From middle C to the C two octaves above middle C
• Description: a light, pretty voice
• Roles: Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro

Lyrischer Sopran

• English equivalent: Lyric soprano
• Range: From middle C to the C two octaves above middle C
• Description: a more supple-sounding soprano, capable of legato, portamento, and some agility; generally has a more soulful and sensuous quality than a soubrette who tend to be largely flirtatious and somewhat tweety.
• Roles: Mimi in La Bohème, Micaela in Carmen

Jugendlich Dramatischer Sopran

• English equivalent: Light dramatic soprano
• Range: From middle C to the C two octaves above middle C
• Description: The Italian version of this fach is the spinto, which literally means pushed. Thus, a light dramatic soprano must generally push her basically lyric instrument to create big sounds that can cut through an orchestral and/or choral climax. Some have called this fach basically a graveyard for lyrics.
• Roles: Tosca, Madama Butterfly, Manon Lescaut, Elizabeth de Valois in Don Carlo

Charaktersopran

• English equivalent: Comic soprano
• Range: From the B below middle C to the C two octaves above middle C
• Description:
• Roles:

Dramatischersopran

• English equivalent: Full dramatic soprano
• Range: From the B below middle C to the C two octaves above middle C
• Description:
• Roles:
  • Leonore, Fidelio (Ludwig van Beethoven)
  • Elsa, Lohengrin (Richard Wagner)

Hochdramatischersopran

• English equivalent: Wagnerian soprano
• Range: From the F below middle C to the C two octaves above middle C
• Description: A voice so loud and booming it will startle and excite but rarely soothe. They tend to have large, voluminous middle voices with shrill, sometimes thin top notes. A few exceptions with penetrating top notes are Birgit Nilsson and the late Bulgarian diva, Ghena Dimitrova, who never actually sang Wagner, but whom I suspect would have had little difficulty negotiating Isolde and Elektra after roles like Turandot and Abigaille.
• Roles:
  • Turandot, Turandot (Giacomo Puccini)
  • Leonore, Fidelio (Ludwig van Beethoven)
  • Brunnhilde, Der Ring des Nibelungen (Richard Wagner)
  • Isolde, Tristan und Isolde (Richard Wagner)
  • Elektra, Elektra (Richard Strauss)

Mezzo-soprano Fächer

Lyrischer Mezzosopran / Spielalt

• English equivalent: Lyric mezzo-soprano
• Range: From the G below middle C to the B above middle C
• Description: a lyric soprano's instrument in a lower range; the resulting sound is less piercing, more lachrymose and kind of sensitive
• Roles: Oktavian in Der Rosenkavalier, Cherubino + most of the roles (Mignon, Cendrillon, Charlotte, Dido) for which Frederica Von Stade and Dame Janet Baker are famous.

Dramatischer Mezzosopran

• English equivalent: Dramatic mezzo-soprano
• Range: From the G below middle C to the B above middle C
• Description:
• Roles:

Dramatischer Alt

• English equivalent: Contralto
• Range: From the G below middle C to the B above middle C
• Description:
• Roles:

Tiefer Alt

• English equivalent: Contralto
• Range: From the F below middle C to the A above middle C
• Description:
• Roles:

Tenor Fächer

Spieltenor

• English equivalent: (Lyric) comic tenor
• Range: From low C to the B an octave above middle C (C to b')
• Description:
• Roles: Monastatos (Die Zauberflote)

Characktertenor

• English equivalent: (Dramatic) comic tenor
• Range: From the B below low C to the C an octave above middle C (C to c')
• Description:
• Roles: Pedrillo (Die Entfuhrung)

Lyrischertenor

• English equivalent: Lyric tenor
• Range: From low C to the C an octave above middle C (C to c')
• Description:
• Roles: Alfredo (La Traviata)

Jugendlicher Heldentenor

• English equivalent: Light dramatic tenor
• Range: From low C to the C an octave above middle C (C to c')
• Description:
• Roles:
  • Walther von Stolzing, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Richard Wagner)
  • Lohengrin, Lohengrin (Richard Wagner)
  • Parsifal, Parsifal (Richard Wagner)

Heldentenor / Tenorbariton

• English equivalent: Full dramatic tenor
• Range: From the B below low C to the B above middle C (B to b')
• Description:
• Roles:
  • Siegfried, Der Ring des Nibelungen (Richard Wagner)
  • Tristan, Tristan und Isolde (Richard Wagner)

Baritone Fächer

Lyrischer Bariton / Lyric Baritone

• English equivalent: Lyric baritone
• Range: From the B below low C to the G above middle C (B to g')
• Description: A sweeter, milder sounding baritone voice, lacking in harshness.
• Roles:
  • Figaro, Le nozze di Figaro (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
  • Marcello, La Boheme (Giacomo Puccini)

Charakterbariton

• English equivalent: Comic baritone
• Range: From the A below low C to the G# above middle C (A to g#')
• Description:
• Roles:
  • Papageno, Die Zauberflöte (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)

Cavalierbariton / Dramatic Baritone

• English equivalent: Dramatic or Verdi baritone
• Range: From the A below low C to the G#above middle C (A to g#' )
• Description: Harsher, more aggressive and pronounced than the Lyric baritone.
• Roles:
  • Tonio, I Pagliacci (Ruggiero Leoncavallo)
  • Rigoletto, Rigoletto (Giuseppe Verdi)
  • Iago, Otello (Giuseppe Verdi)
  • Scarpia, Tosca (Giacomo Puccini)

Heldenbariton / Hoherbass

• English equivalent: Dramatic or heroic baritone
• Range: From the G below low C to the F# above middle C (G to f#')
• Description:
• Roles:

Bass Fächer

Spielbaß / Baßbuffo

• English equivalent: (Lyric) comic bass
• Range: From the E one-and-a-half octaves below middle C to the F above middle C (C to f')
• Description:
• Roles:

Schwerer Spielbaß

• English equivalent: (Dramatic) comic bass
• Range: From the C two octaves below middle C to the F above middle C (C to f')
• Description:
• Roles:

Charakterbaß / Baßbariton

• English equivalent: Bass-baritone
• Range: From the E one-and-a-half octaves below middle C to the F above middle C (C to f')
• Description:
• Roles:

Hoherbaß

• English equivalent: Lyric Bass
• Range: From the E one-and-a-half octaves below middle C to the F above middle C (C to f')
• Description:
• Roles:
  • Zaccaria, Nabucco (Giuseppe Verdi)
  • Mephistofeles, Faust by (Charles Gounod)
  • Don Alfonso, Cosi Fan Tutte by (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)

Serioserbaß / Schwarzerbaß

• English equivalent: Dramatic bass
• Range: From the C two octaves below middle C to the F above middle C (C to f')
• Description:
• Roles:
  • Sarastro, Die Zauberflöte (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
  • König Marke, Tristan und Isolde (Richard Wagner)
• Singers:
  • Feodor Chaliapin
  • Boris Christoff
  • Nicolai Ghiaurov
  • Aage Haugland
  • Kurt Moll
  • Ezio Pinza
  • Matti Salminen
  • Cesare Siepi
  • Hans Sotin
  • Marti Talvela

External links

• Fach list at Tenorland
• The Fach System at SUOpera