6. The tops?

We’ve already met the term coloratura in the context of the mezzo sopranos (e.g. Rosina in The Barber of Seville), but the term – it simply means ‘colouring’ in Italian – though certainly limited to the upper reaches of the human vocal range, isn’t entirely to do with pitch but also the elaboration (scales, trills, arpeggios and other florid decorations) of the vocal line. It’s mostly associated with the bel canto style, (main representatives being Mozart and Rossini) but continued to be part of (particularly) Italian opera throughout the nineteenth century (Bellini, Verdi).

There are seven subcategories in the list below and in them many different roles; but, given the enormous number of arias written for sopranos, in this (tiny!) selection I’ve gone – maybe more than a little unfairly – for virtuosity mainly, demonstrating the astonishing agility and brilliance of which the human voice is capable.

soprano Download

And here are a few examples: