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This assignment will provide an opportunity for you to explore the human voice. The sound files below are excerpts from operas, each of which features a specific type of voice. Listen to each example, and categorize the voice. There is one example of each voice type. Here are your possibilities:Coloratura sopranoDramatic sopranoLyric sopranoMezzo-sopranoAltoLyric tenorDramatic tenorBaritoneBasso buffoBasso profondoHere are my suggestions as to how to approach the assignment.Give yourself an open, calm, relaxed half-hour, and listen to the tracks straight through. The goal here is simply to enjoy them for the great opera moments that they are. It will also serve to initially familiarize yourself with each.Identify the basic range of each voice. Just get in the ballpark as best you can. Remember, the idea is to enjoy the music.Now try to narrow down the basic range you’ve identified, using the subcategories we’ve learned. Does the soprano have that amazing coloratura flexibility, or does the lyric beauty of her voice touch your emotions? Or does the singer, and the music itself, seem to express intense emotional drama? By the same token, f

or the tenor voices, does the voice feel quite bright, but perhaps not particularly powerful, indicating a lyric tenor, or does the voice, and the music, have the dramatic qualities similar to those found in the dramatic soprano? Is the bass singing a comedic part, a basso buffo, or does he seem to have a really extremely low basso profondo range?Don’t stress about points on this particular assignment, just give it your best shot, and above all, enjoy the music. As you get into them, the selections may make you laugh or cry, amaze you, or transport you with their beauty. If that happens, then the assignment, and your performance on it, is a success.Remember, each of the 10 voice types is represented once. Example 1 is shown below:Play media comment.Example 2 is shown below:Play media comment.Example 3 is shown below:Play media comment.Example 4 is shown below:Play media comment.Example 5 is shown below:Play media comment.Example 6 is shown below:Play media comment.Example 7 is shown below:Play media comment.Example 8 is shown below:Play media comment.Example 9 is shown below:Play media comment.Example 10 is shown below:Play media comment.