F eminine Voice in the opera oF Jules massenet: Vocal characteristics and adJustment

Abstract

Jules Massenet (1842-1912) was a French composer who prioritized the voice of the soprano to interpret the main papers of his compositions. From this proposal, the objective of this article was to investigate the vocal characteristics of different sopranos in operas by Massenet. The studied literature and analyze auditory-perceptual voice of three interpreters take us to the conclusion that Massenet prioritized leggero sopranos, to interpret his opera characters. This timbre is characterized by the high resonance (sfenoid region) with focus on the mask, articulatory agility of the texts, aspects presents in the French music and typical of the vocal writing of the composer. Keywords: Jules Massenet; Opera; Feminine voice; Leggero soprano; Vocal adjustments.