Soubrette
The soubrette (originally French for maid servant ) is a female role specialist in spoken theater and opera, operetta and musical comedy, the sprightly singer.
Theater
On the speaking stage there is the role of soubrette from the 17th century as a chambermaid who was the Colombina the commedia dell'arte simulated. She is lively, mischievous or comic created.
Marie Anne Dangeville became known as the first actress as a soubrette, in the comedy Le Mediant by Philippe Néricault Destouches she played the maid Lisette. The first Soubrettenrolle of German theater was the Franziska Lessing's " Minna von Barn-helm ". An impressive embodiment of this role gave the actress Susanna Mecour who played under Lessing's line with great success.
Opera
As a vocal category, the soubrette is characterized by a lightweight, portable, playful and tender voice.
It stands in contrast to the Prima Donna, a character of a higher social rank. The difference of the soubrette coloratura soprano is the voice penetrating power and the range: coloratura sopranos often have larger, more dominant and higher voices - to f '' '- as a soubrette - to c '''. The soubrette roles often represent maids and require on the histrionic side strong comedic talent. However, there are overlaps between the two compartments. The Koloratursoubrette has the delicacy instead of penetrating power and the plasticity of the soubrette, but is much higher than the pure soubrette ( often to as'' ' or even higher ) and has a predisposition to high virtuosity. In many coloratura sopranos are held with little voices for Koloratursoubretten, this is not always the case. Many Koloratursoubretten develop later for coloratura soprano; this was the case for example with Natalie Dessay.
A distinction is made between the "German" and the " Roman- French " soubrette: So is the " German " soubrette in her vocal tone generally bright and radiant, whereas the Romanesque has a dark, almost old - sounding lyrical depth and central position, but a bright and silvery radiant height.
THe soubrette is due to lightness, mobility, tenderness, height and plastic formability for musical, baroque song and Irish folk music. A good example of this are the singers Hayley Westenra or Sally Oldfield.
Soubrettenrollen in opera and operetta
- Annie, Der Freischütz (Carl Maria von Weber)
- Ann Page, The Merry Wives of Windsor (Carl Otto Nicolai )
- Auretta, L' Oca del Cairo (Mozart)
- Barbarina, The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart)
- Berthalda, Undine (E. T. A. Hoffmann)
- Blonde, The Abduction from the Seraglio (Mozart), also Koloratursoubrette
- Christel, The Bird Seller (Zeller )
- Clotilda, Norma ( Bellini )
- Despina, Cosi fan tutte (Mozart)
- Belinda, Dido and Aeneas ( Purcell )
- Elisa, Il re pastore (Mozart)
- Emmie, Albert Herring ( Britten )
- Giannetta, L' Elisir d' Amore ( Donizetti )
- Josephine, H.M.S. Pinafore ( Gilbert & Sullivan )
- Lisa, The Grand Duke ( Gilbert & Sullivan )
- Marie, The Weaponsmith ( Albert Lortzingstraße )
- Marie, Zar und Zimmermann ( Albert Lortzingstraße )
- Marzellina, Fidelio (Beethoven)
- Nannetta, Falstaff (Verdi)
- Norina, Don Pasquale ( Donizetti )
- Ninetta, La finta semplice (Mozart)
- Olympia, The Tales of Hoffmann ( Offenbach), also Koloratursoubrette
- Oscar, Un ballo in maschera (Verdi)
- Papagena, The Magic Flute (Mozart)
- Rosina, The Barber of Seville ( Rossini )
- Servilia, La Clemenza di Tito (Mozart)
- Serpetta, La finta giardiniera (Mozart)
- Serpina, La serva padrona ( Pergolesi )
- Susanna, The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart)
- Yum - Yum, The Mikado ( Gilbert & Sullivan )
- Zerlina, Don Giovanni (Mozart)
Musical games
- Eliza, My Fair Lady
- Marianne, The Music Man
- Magnolia, Show Boat
- Christine, The Phantom of the Opera
- Maria, The Sound of Music
- Maria, West Side Story
- Cunegonde, Candide
- Belle, Beauty and the Beast
Singers who achieved success as a soubrette
- Maria Beling
- Elisabeth Biebl
- Brigitte Mira
- Helly Fruehauf
- Lisa Otto
- Dawn Upshaw