Soubrette

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The soubrette (originally French for “maid, servant”) is a female role subject in spoken theater and the lively singer in opera , operetta and singspiel .

theatre

Susanna Mecour

From the 17th century onwards, the role of the soubrette as a maid , which was modeled on the Colombina of the Commedia dell'arte, can be found on the speaking stage . It is cheerful, mischievous or funny.

Marie Anne Dangeville was the first actress to be known as Soubrette, in the comedy Le Médiant by Philippe Néricault Destouches she played the maid Lisette. The first soubrette role in German theater was Franziska in Lessing's " Minna von Barnhelm ". An impressive embodiment of this role was provided by the actress Susanna Mecour , who played with great success under Lessing's direction.

Opera

As a vocal subject , the soubrette is characterized by a light, agile, playful and delicate voice, but also by great acting talent, especially in the comedic subject.

It stands in contrast to the prima donna , a figure of higher social rank. The difference between the soubrette and the coloratura soprano lies in the penetration of the voice and the range: coloratura sopranos often have larger, more dominant and higher voices - up to f '' '- than soubrettes - up to c' ''. The roles for soubrettes often represent lively, shrewd maids. However, the two subjects overlap. The coloratura soubrette has the delicacy instead of penetrating power and the plasticity of the soubrette, but comes much higher than the pure soubrette (often even up to a flat '' 'or even higher) and is predisposed to high virtuosity. In many cases, coloratura sopranos with small voices are also mistaken for coloratura soubrettes, which does not necessarily have to be the case. Many coloratura soubrettes later develop into coloratura soprano; this was the case with Natalie Dessay , for example .

A distinction is made between the “German” and the “Romanesque-French” soubrette: The “German” soubrette is generally bright and radiant in its vocal color, while the Romanesque, on the other hand, has a dark, almost old-sounding lyrical depth and middle range, but a bright and silvery height.

Due to its lightness, mobility, delicacy, height and plastic malleability, the soubrette is also suitable for musicals, baroque songs and Irish folk music. A good example of this are the singers Hayley Westenra or Sally Oldfield .

Soubrette roles in opera and operetta

Musical parts

Singers who were successful as soubrettes

See also

Web links

Wiktionary: Soubrette  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Gotthilf Weisstein : The first German soubrette. National Newspaper No. 748 of December 28, 1902, Sunday supplement