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Pop Singers and the "Operatic Classifications" attributed to them

8338 Views 14 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  norman bates
Just based off of the title alone, many of you can easily see where this is going to head. I know I'm not the only one who's sick and tired of looking at a pop singer (for this first example we're going to look at Whitney Houston) and seeing in the comment section, "OMG Everbody this is a pure spinto soprano, at her peak! Listen to her SUPER HEAD NOTES (pure idiocy at it's finest) and how smooth she bridges her operatic/church training to mix her chesty low notes to sound more soulful!" I know I'm not the only one to see a vocal range video and they come up to the idiotic conclusion that said the example is a "Spinto Soprano," despite not having any formal education in the Vocal arts whatsoever or having 8+ years of training into the world of Opera.

This thread's purpose is to discuss how said application to a Pop singer is disrespectful to the masters of the Vocal arts but even more an insult to all who claim to love Music.

To see this in action, here's a video (or two) of other examples being given classification such as "Spinto Soprano" or "Lyric-Coloratura Contralto" or even something as stupid as a "Mezzo-Soprano Contralto". Viewer Discretion is advised.... against the idiots that's going to claim such craziness of a "Spinto" or "Pop diva Assoluta"



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You obviously missed the entire point. I'm targeting people who are using operatic classifications (example: Spinto, Dramatic, Lyric, Lyric-Dramatic, Lyric-Spinto, Ful Lyric, Assoluta, Falcon, Dugazon, Basso cantate, Basso Cantabile.) to describe the voices of non-trained singers aka Pop Singers. What is there to not understand?

Regardless if I like Callas or not, she's an Operatic singer (keyword: OPERATIC singer) and she fits the characteristics of the Soprano Assoluta (as did Malibran and Pasta did in their day.) And you claiming you place her on the same pedestal as a pop singer, while it is purely subjective at best, it's highly illogical to compare two people from two different backgrounds. Though that doesn't stop people from doing it and I'm not condoning it whatsoever.
Clearly you regard this practice as a bad thing. What are the consequences? Should we be concerned?:confused:
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