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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.

Coloratura Fächer

Koloratursopran / Koloratursoubrette

Dramatischer Koloratursopran

Soprano Fächer

Deutsche Soubrette

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:

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. Depending on the singer, however, this voice type can be more versatile, as it lies at neither extreme of the soprano spectrum. Spintos are occasionally able to take on lighter mezzo roles, or conversely, lyric and even coloratura roles. Spinto sopranos are known to be especially well suited to art song and operas in English.
  • Roles:
  • Singers:

Charaktersopran

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

Dramatischer Sopran

Hochdramatischer Sopran

  • English equivalent: Wagnerian soprano
  • Range: From the F below middle C to the C two octaves above middle C
  • Description: A voice equal to the demands of the operas of Wagner's maturity, substantial, very powerful and even throughout the registers. Successful hochdramatischer are rare, only one or two appear in a generation. Arguably there are none singing today.

Mezzo-soprano Fächer

Lyrischer Mezzosopran / Spielalt

  • English equivalent: Lyric mezzo-soprano
  • Range: From the G below middle C to the B 1 octave 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: Carmen can be sung by lyric mezzos like Denyce Graves. Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro (and other pants roles), also Mignon, Cendrillon, Charlotte, Dido.
  • Singers:

Koloratur-Mezzosopran

  • English equivalent: Coloratura 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: Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia
  • Singers:

Dramatischer Mezzosopran

  • English equivalent: Dramatic mezzo-soprano
  • Range: From the G below middle C to the B above middle C
  • Description: The dramatic mezzo possesses an almost freakishly large instrument capable of creating penetrating yet full-bodied projection. Dramatic mezzos must perform alongside dramatic sopranos, and so their voices must be able to carry effectively despite singing in a lower tessitura. They are well-suited to composers who use densely textured orchestration like Beethoven, Wagner, and Strauss. The dramatic mezzo, however stunning in the opera house, is often felt to be too overwhelming for lied and other art songs.
  • Roles:
  • Singers

Dramatischer Alt

  • English equivalent: Contralto
  • Range: From the G below middle C to the B above middle C
  • Description:
  • Roles: Erda in Der Ring des Nibelungen

Tiefer Alt

  • English equivalent: Contralto
  • Range: From the F below middle C to the A above middle C
  • Description: A deep, penetrating low female voice. This is a very rare voice type with a darker, richer sound than that of a typical alto.
  • Roles: Die Kranke in Moses und Aron; Ulrica in Un ballo en maschera (Giuseppe Verdi)
  • Singers:

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: Pedrillo (Die Entführung aus dem Serail)

Charaktertenor

  • 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: Mime (Siegfried)
  • Singers:

Lyrischer Tenor

Jugendlicher Heldentenor

Heldentenor / Tenorbariton

Baritone Fächer

Bariton-Martin

Lyrischer Bariton / Lyric Baritone

Charakterbariton

Kavalierbariton / Dramatic Baritone

Heldenbariton / Hoherbass

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 (E 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: Baculus, Der Wildschütz (Albert Lortzing)

Charakterbass / Bassbariton

Hoher Bass

Seriöser Bass

Sources

  • Rudolf Kloiber, Wulf Konold und Robert Maschka: Handbuch der Oper, 9. Auflage, Kassel (Bärenreiter) 2002, ISBN 3761816057
  • Steane, J B: Fach in 'The New Grove Dictionary of Opera', ed. Stanley Sadie (London, 1992) ISBN 0-333-73432-7

Singing | Opera terminology | Classification systems

Stimmfach

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Fach".

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