Verdi with his librettist Arrigo Boito
(a natty dresser and also a fine composer in his own right)
creators of several famous baritone roles.
Above – give or take a semitone or two either way – is the range of the operatic baritone. Different singers have different strengths; so within the two octaves you see above the Fach system lists seven subcategories:
- Light baritone
- Lyric baritone
- Cavalier baritone
- Verdi baritone
- Dramatic baritone
- Lyric bass-baritone
- Dramatic bass-baritone
(there’s a more detailed listing that includes descriptions and a list of roles below):
And here are a few examples:
Lyric baritones…
Rossini:
The Barber of Seville
Figaro – Largo al factotem
Richard Strauss:
Ariadne auf Naxos
Harlekin – Lieben, Hassen, Hoffen, Zagen
Mozart:
Magic Flute
Papageno – Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja
The Cavalier baritone…
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni – Deh, vieni alla finestra
Bizet:
Carmen
Escamillo – Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre
The Verdi baritone…
Verdi:
Otello
Iago – Credo
Falstaff
Falstaff – L’onore
The Heldenbaritone…
Wagner:
Die Walküre
Wotan – Abschied
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The Art of Listening 