How To Enjoy Opera - Tips For Newbies - What Is A Mezzo

A mezzo-soprano (mezzo means "half" in Italian), called a mezzo for short, is a female opera singer whose vocal range is lower than a soprano's and higher than a contralto's (the latter is now extinct, and most contralto parts are performed by mezzos these days).

The deep-chested mezzo is usually velvety and pleasant to hear. Unfortunately, the composers responsible for establishing the three major opera periods did not think much of this type of voice and used it mostly for supporting roles - sidekicks, girlfriends, inconsequential wives and chambermaids, etc. There are two very notable exceptions.

The role of Carmen in the opera of the same title by Georges Bizet, is written for the mezzo voice. Some sopranos, for no good reason other than extreme vanity, have tried to tackle it over the years to the utter chagrin of mezzos. The role is very advantageous, very beneficial to the performer. It allows the singer to show off all the good qualities of her voice - repeatedly. Mezzos blessed with good bodies have the additional advantage to show off those as well.

The other outstanding mezzo part is Amneris in Giuseppe Verdi's "Aida." Even though Amneris does not have an individual aria in the piece, the part includes passages of truly celestial beauty and passion; when done right, it rightfully shows that Amneris (rather than Aida or Rhadames) is the true lead character in Verdi's masterpiece.

Operas that do not include large mezzo parts are regarded by mezzo-sopranos as completely worthless.

Because there aren't too many opera arias composed for the mezzo, famous mezzos have to resort to singing obscure lieder-type numbers in concert performances. Many mezzos favor Baroque and post-Baroque opera (as opposed to the three major periods), not because they find the music exciting, but rather because those operas do, in fact, feature more mezzo parts. Some of those parts sound very pretty, even though prettiness alone is not enough to classify a piece as "opera as we know it."

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