Hello everybody. Having seen quite a few contraltos in concert recently, I thought I would post a few lovely voices that are capable of reaching those wonderful tones below F3. All of these lovely ladies have full and powerful lower registers, and it is a pleasure to listen to them. Most of the very low notes are at the end of the videos, but where possible I have put in a time reference for at lease one of the notes in each video. I hope you enjoy them. Oh, and if you know of other videos with ladies hitting notes below F3, why not pop them in a message at the end of this post.

The first video comes courtesy of the great British contralto Dame Clara Butt. The song is The Enchantress, by J. Hatton, and in it she hits a wonderful E3 at 0:52.

Next up we have the Swedish contralto Anna Larsson, singing the role of Daphne's mother, Gaea, in Richard Strauss' opera Daphne. In it she hits an Eb3 a number of times, but a good example is at 2:18.

Giving us a fantastic D3 is American contralto Marian Anderson, singing the song Der Tod und das Mädchen, by F. Schubert. It happens at 2:15.

To guide us by the hand in to the realm of the contralto profundo is the Venetian contralto Sara Mingardo. In an interpolated ornament at the end of  "Fac ut Portem" from the Stabat Mater by G Pergolesi, she saunters down to a stunning Db3! The ornament starts at 4:01.

The holy grail has been reached! Swiss contralto Ursula Ferri gives us a rock solid C3 (contralto bottom C) in the song "No,no, non si speri", by Carissimi. It happens at 5:41.

But to take us into the realms of the baritone, we can only rely on the force of nature that is Polish contralto Ewa Podleś. In "Pour Une Femme De Mon Nom" from La Fille Du Régiment, by G. Donizetti, she hits an interolated A#2: yes, that's right, A#2, at 0:39. All hail the contralto profundo! But wait, it's not over yet...

Back in the early to mid 1700's, Antonio Vivaldi was in charge of an institution known as the Ospedali Pietà, which housed abandoned and unwanted babies. For those female children that stayed in the Ospedali, those with musical potential could join the Figlie di Choro (musicians), the élite of the Pietà. The chorus was all female, with known contraltos and female tenors, and also female basses, like the famed Anna dal Basso.

In this excerpt from the "Vivaldi's Women - Gloria" DVD, Margaret Jackson-Roberts sings the bass role in the "Gloria Patri" from Vivaldi's Dixit Dominus, in which she sings multpile A2's. A nice long-held A2 comes at 1:23. Margaret states that she can sing "down to F[2] below the [bass] stave ... and ... down to C[2] below the [bass] stave on a good day." Wow! Go Margaret!

I hope you enjoyed this trip into the contralto depths. Until the next time! James.

There is an excellent video on YouTube (that wonder of the modern world) of Ms Mijanovic performing the aria “Svena, uccidi...” from Vivaldi’s opera Bajazet. Bajazet is a “pastiche” opera, meaning that some of the arias were taken from the works of other composers or from Vivaldi’s other operas, and tweaked to fit the new work. The aria “Svena, uccidi…” was composed specifically by Vivaldi for the opera Bajazet. It was written for the role of Asteria, daughter of Bajazet, the Turkish Sultan, captured by Tamerlano. The aria is in the key of F minor, which often denotes passion and defiance, and demands the ability to express both overpowering hatred in the A section, and sorrow for Bajazet’s death in the B section.

The key to performing this type of aria is in the mastery of phrasing, emotional delivery, and careful emphasis of the text. Where the voice breaks away from the continuo, the singer must emphasise the deviation, and show a different colour and dynamic to the previous phrases. Just like the aria for Bass in Handel's Messiah, "The People that Walked in Darkness", the continuo and higher strings double the voice for the large part of the aria. It is a difficult aria to sing as the artist, for the most part, has to rely on the dramatic intensity of the voice alone to provide the dynamic needed to engage the listener, and the style affords no safe harbour for loss of tone, breath support, or a lack of emotional vivacity in the interpretation. The singer's technique and ability to convince emotionally is laid frighteningly bare. Ms Mijanovic, though, seems to have a natural ability to perform this type of aria.

In the ‘A’ section, the Serbian contralto dazzles with her technical skill, breath control and her large yet smooth vocal range. The speed of the aria demands a truly bravura performance, which she is able to give: Her accuracy in the fast, spikey 3/8 sequence is without doubt, and her control over the whole of her contralto range allays any fears of register crashing into the chest voice. This is important, as the second phrase of the ‘A’ section, "Piaghe, morte, strage, guerra," has a series of downward arpeggios of either a 5th or an octave: a musical device portraying a blow or a stab of a sword (the 6-note semiquaver ornaments prior to the octave arpeggios could be seen as a flourish of a sword before inflicting a wound). Ms Mijanovic is able here to give full force to these jumps, with her dark contralto able to attack the lowest notes with ease. In the case of higher voices, the lower note would either disappear or sound unnaturally harsh.

The first and third phrases, "Svena, uccidi, abbatti, atterra," and "sempre in vita incontrerò" respectively, employ a violent, stabbing rhythm, strongly emphasising the key syllables of each word – for instance "Sven, ci, bat, ter" - so that the force of the action described is imparted by the natural emphasis given to the first beat of each bar. This Ms Mijanovic performs perfectly, attacking each key syllable with a sforzando of measured yet aggressive force, without resorting to shouting or using a guttural “bark” for emphasis. In the final rendering of the 'A' section, Ms Mijanovic stays true to the score, without much in the way of ornamentation. This is not unusual in the case of such an aria, as to deviate from the continuo line would undo the power of the musical device. However she does interpolate both a low F and a high F in quick succession of each other in the final two cadences. Both notes are excellently produced, with good volume and resonance. Her ability to throw in the low F with such force and tone again confirms her status as a true contralto. 

The aria then switches from a fast triple time (3/8), to a slower, double time (2/4) in the ‘B’ section. The 'B' section is structured very differently, relating as it does to a subtler emotional ensemble: Asteria's grief for her father, and her knowledge that she will soon follow after his "generous shade." The change in mood is matched by a corresponding change in composition: voice and continuo in harmony not unison; the vocal line more melodic and flowing. Ms Mijanovic’s greatest asset in this section is her understanding that “less is more.” Her simple, understated vocal line, and her excellently controlled and supported piano, coupled with intuitive phrasing, and a lack of excessive aspiration, all come together to produce a memorable interlude, full of pathos, but without histrionics. Almost prayer-like in quality, one hears the last entreaty of a woman ready for vengeance at any cost, including death, and galvinised towards her chosen path.

Ms Mijanovic does exceptionally well in the role of Asteria. Her understanding of the text and the emotional situation of her character are evinced in her intelligent and emotionally authentic performance. For me, she is a key interpreter of the role, and I would recommend the recording of the opera both for her performance, and those of the other artists (such as Ildebrando D’Arcangelo). As far as I am aware, at the time of writing, it is the only full recording of the opera.

The full aria text and translation are as follows:

The video below, prepared by the wonderful margotlorena2, is of the Mijanovic recording.

Ewa Podleś is known for having a voice frequently referred to as a “force of nature,” for giving committed and intense performances, and for having a monster, fully functional three octave range. She has performed roles from Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia and Cenerentola, through baroque mainstays such are Handel’s Giulio Cesare, and Rinaldo, to Strauss’ Klytemnestra, Wagner’s Erda and Verdi’s Ulrica. She still hides a secret, though: “all my life I wanted to sing Tosca!” she jokingly told Marina Romani in an interview for MusicalCriticism.com. (1)

Podles is credited as being a “true contralto” and as the leading contralto of our age. Her giant sound can fill the largest of halls, or fire up and down the trickiest Baroque cadenza, and her frequent outings in trouser roles are significantly assisted by her chest voice, which produces a sound “more manly than one hears from any countertenor” (2) Indeed, she is one of the few female singers today that can authentically perform Mussorgsky's "Songs and Dances of Death", more commonly performed by basses such as Christoff and Kipnis, as the powerful chest voice required is not something usually found in female singers (3).

But where did this prodigious voice come from? “My voice comes from my mother, who is also a true contralto” (4) Podles told Joel Kasow of CultureKiosk.com. She too had a “baritone-like voice” but “also sang Rosina as she had the high notes.” (5) Just like her mother before, teachers and critics alike found it difficult to understand her voice. Luckily, she had the confidence speak out when something felt wrong. To one of her teachers, she said: “Just let me sing in my way”  when trying to produce her high notes. The results were “fantastic.” (6) Given she is one of the few singers that can sing while suffering from flu, cold or fever, Podles is obviously doing something right!

In an interview with Kazik Jedrzejczak on YouTube, Podles makes an interesting distinction between the “heavy” sound of the alto voice, and the soprano-like extension and flexibility of the contralto:

Whereas a contralto, she tells Joel Kasow of CultureKiosk.com ,“must have a range of more than three octaves, high notes like a soprano, low notes like a real alto, as well as the technique to sing coloratura.” (8)

One of the criticisms levelled at her is that the register breaks in her voice are quite pronounced, with a distinct light, high coloratura, a smoky, covered middle, and a powerful, masculine chest register. Given that Callas, Butt, Suliotis and others all had trademark gear changes which wowed their audiences, perhaps critics should be a little less prissy in their analysis of a voice which, after years of use, suffers no ill effects and which still has three octaves at its disposal.

You can hear Podles’ three octave range in this wonderful video put together by BZBlaner.

Podles’ voice has changed over time. While she “was born with” her amazing range and agility, the timbre of the voice matured over the years: “after the birth of my daughter, my voice began to darken, to grow. I couldn't sing Eboli in my early years, but now I can.” (10) The lightness of her voice in the early years, and her focus on Rossini and Baroque, lead her to say that she “was all coloratura when I sang Rosina…'Now I have the voice to sing Boris Godunov – Boris of course!” (11) 

In the video below, you can hear an early Podles singing “Nacqui all'affanno” from Rossini’s Cenerentola. You can hear how light the middle and head registers are, and how different they sound to the mature Podles. The only similarity is in the notes below the stave, particularly those below C4, such as the stunning runs down to G3. Contrast this with the video below that, with an older Podles singing Ulrica’s “Re Dell'Abisso” from Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera. The whole voice has taken on the dark weighty quality found only in the lower register, while the phenomenal G3 at the end is now truly baritonal in quality.

Now it’s time for an example from either end of Podles’ range. First, the D6. Most of the D6’s produced by Podles are in Baroque pitch (A = 415 hz) and is thus a C#6. The D6 in “Sudò il guerriero” from Haydn’s Il Ritorno di Tobia is, however, at modern pitch (A = 440 hz), and is thus a true D6. This can be seen in the video below. The lower end of the scale is evidenced in her extended descending ornament, which reaches a Bb2, in “Pour une femme de mon nom” from Donizetti’s La Fille du Regiment. This can be seen in the video underneath the Haydn piece.

I would like to end this homage to Ewa Podles with two of my favourite performances. The first is her rendition of Erda’s warning from Wagner’s Das Rheingold. Never have I heard anyone come close to the power and majesty of Erda, the spirit of the Earth, than Madame Podles. The second piece is from Handel’s Ariodante: the fierce “Dover, giustizia, amor.” I defy anyone to find a more exciting version!

(1) MusicalCriticism.com - Contralto legend Ewa Podles talks about her San Francisco debut and her career - By Marina Romani 8 October 2009 - http://musicalcriticism.com/interviews/podles-1009.shtml
(2) Ewa Podles: Grand Voice, Grand Manner To Protect It - January 24, 2001|By David Patrick Stearns, Inquirer Music Critic - http://articles.philly.com/2001-01-24/living/25311634_1_ewa-podles-podles-voice-baroque-music/3
(3) The New York Sun - A Heavenly, Rarely Heard Voice - By Fred Kirshnit | February 28, 2006 -http://www.nysun.com/arts/heavenly-rarely-heard-voice/28257/
(4) CultureKiosque - An Interview with Ewa Podles - By Joel Kasow LYON, France. 3 August 1998 -http://www.culturekiosque.com/opera/intervie/rhepodles.html
(5) ibid.
(6) Ewa Podles: Grand Voice, Grand Manner To Protect It - January 24, 2001|By David Patrick Stearns, INQUIRER MUSIC CRITIC - http://articles.philly.com/2001-01-24/living/25311634_1_ewa-podles-podles-voice-baroque-music/3
(7) University of Toronto's Faculty of Music - A Voice of Wonder - Polish Contralto Ewa Podles – Uploaded on 21 may 2007 byalexandmark007.
(8) CultureKiosque - An Interview with Ewa Podles - By Joel Kasow LYON, France. 3 August 1998 -http://www.culturekiosque.com/opera/intervie/rhepodles.html
(9) ibid.
(10) ibid. 
(11) MusicalCriticism.com - Contralto legend Ewa Podles talks about her San Francisco debut and her career - By Marina Romani 8 October 2009 - http://musicalcriticism.com/interviews/podles-1009.shtml