Coloratura

A coloratura (from Latin color = "color, coloring" ) is singing a rapid sequence of tones with short note values ​​equal length. Coloratura are melismatic, ie several tones fall together on the vowel of a syllable of text. They may be bound or staccato runs.

The coloratura is an important part of the singing technique of bel canto opera and the music of Claudio Monteverdi to Gaetano Donizetti. The principle of the melody circulating around ornament has been developed since the Middle Ages and reached its first peak in the Diminutionspraxis of the 17th century. Up to this point, the coloring was a form of improvisation.

In the late baroque aria was begun precisely auszukomponieren the coloratura. In the operas of the bel canto ( 1810-1845 ) was driven the coloratura singing in terms of virtuosity and range up to the limit of the possible.

In the operas of Richard Wagner, Giacomo Puccini and the verismo of coloratura singing was ousted because the old skill was no longer able to meet the complex demands of expression through-composed opera and the representation of natural sounds.