Interview

. Below is an interview conducted with a University of Colorado student. He wished to remain anonymous, but said that the his answers could be recorded. His background is just your average Joe, he claims, majoring in Phycology and is a freshman.

Question 1: Who do you think of when you think music?

Answer: “Eminem, Lil Wayne, you know, mainly rap artists.”

Question 2: Any women artist?

Answer: “Katy Perry, she’s a total babe.”

Question 3: Say the first thing that comes to mind when you think opera.

Answer: “Vikings.”

Question 4: Do you think there are more men or women in the music field?

Answer: “Women.”

Question 5: Why?

Answer: “Well, it’s, like, more of a chick thing to do.”

Question 6: Care to elaborate?

Answer: “Well, look, what guy singers are there? Just the Beibs, and I don’t even think he can count. Have you seen his hair?”

Question 7: So you are studying Phycology, how would you compare that to studying Music in college?

Answer: “Can you even compare the two? I mean, with Phycology you actually have to work and stuff. Music? What would they even do? Sing songs all day? That sounds like a joke to even study that.”

Question 8: So you don’t think Music majors put forth any effort to their studies?

Answer: “Well, I don’t really know anything on the subject, but how hard could it be?”

Question 9: So if you were applying to a job and it was between you, who has a Bachelor’s in Phycology, and someone else, who has a major in Music, who do you think would be more qualified?

Answer: “Me, obviously. I actually worked hard for my education.”

Question 10: Aright, this is the last question. What do you think an opera singer looks like?

Answer: “A really fat lady with some gaudy outfit and a ton of make up.’

Hollywooding

In the music industry, competition is fierce. Everyone is ‘going Hollywood’ and producing things in high definition (HD). There are billions of people judging movies, actors, and appearances. In 2006, the Metropolitan Opera started to expand their season to the cinema screens, offering the IMAX experience. Because of this, the company more inclined to cast appealing stars with superb acting abilities. The female leads where cast with looks as a key factor if the production was going on the big screen. Below is an example from this very campus at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

Though this was not featured in a cinema, the intimate performance space was a factor to consider. This picture is exactly how the director crafted it and is pleasing to the eye.

Cecilia Bartoli - Mozart - Nozze di Figaro - Voi che sapete

This is a successful woman, a mezzo-soprano, who makes bank. In the Opera World, everybody knows her! Not only is she successful, but she is the size of an average woman and look!- no viking hat in sight. She is an opera icon and a pleasure to listen too.

The Fat Lady

Who doesn’t know the picture of the fat woman in a Viking hat? This iconic image seems to have been around forever. This character emerged in the eighteen hundreds. Her name is Brünnehilde(sometimes spelt Brynhild or Brynhildr) from Richard Wagner's opera the Ring of the Nibelung. This character is inspired by a strong warrior princess in Norse mythology and so in order for the sound to be as powerful as this character, a bigger woman was employed because the heavier a person is, the stronger diaphragm muscles they have. Below is a picture of an older painting of what Brünnehilde is imagined to look like.

After the initial casting, quotes sprung up like, “It ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings.” And the image of a heavyset woman singing was planted into everybody’s mind in concerns to opera. The funny thing is that this is not the case anymore. Yes, there are still heavy women in this profession, but there are also women of average and extremely skinny sizes. Opera is very competitive, more so then ever before. With how caught up society is with everything being pleasing to the eye, performance companies are pressured to cast on looks instead of quality. In cases, like with the Metropolitan Opera, they cast strictly on skill.

The Countertenor - video

The Countertenor

Before there was the fat lady singing atop the stage, men dominated in all things related to the arts. In fact, women were not allowed to grace the stage and so where there might have been a women's part in a production or opera, they were all played by men or young boys. When it came to singing, castrati were the pride and joy in Europe. A castrati is a male who was castrated before he hit puberty and could then sing very high. As the process of castration proved to be unethical, countertenor's finally made their selves known. A countertenor is a male who can sing very high, often rivaling a contralto, mezzo-soprano or soprano. Countertenor's are very rare as this range of voice is completely natural.

Below is a link of Philippe Jaroussky singing "Vedro con mio diletto" by Vivaldi:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WX83BSR0mug