Soprano

The soprano is the highest of the standard voice types. Most sopranos are women; children's voices sing in the same range (in choirs, especially in Britain, boys who sing this part are called trebles). In a choir the sopranos usually carry the melody, and in opera many leading female roles are soprano roles.

Range

A classical soprano's range is typically about C4, middle C, up to C6, often called "high C." Choral soprano parts usually stay within about C4 to A5. Light, agile sopranos regularly sing above C6, while the lowest notes of the range are softer and less powerful for most sopranos.

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Range is only part of the picture. Teachers also listen for your tessitura (where your voice is comfortable for long stretches), your timbre and where your voice changes register.

Kinds of soprano

Classical singing describes voices more finely, by weight, color and agility:

• Coloratura: light, very high and agile, built for fast runs and ornaments. The Queen of the Night in Mozart's The Magic Flute is a famous coloratura role.
• Lyric: warm, smooth and flexible, the most common soprano voice.
• Dramatic: rich and powerful, able to carry over a large orchestra.
• Soubrette: light and bright, often for young or comic characters.

These labels are guides, not boxes, and voices often change category as they mature.

How soprano parts are written

Soprano parts are written in treble clef at the pitch they sound. In a choral closed score, the soprano is the top voice of the treble staff, with stems up.

Tips for sopranos

• Warm up gently from the middle of your range before singing high notes.
• High notes need space and breath, not force: if your throat tightens, stop and reset.
• Work on the lower middle range too; strong, clear notes around the staff make a soprano voice sound full.
• Work with a teacher before deciding on a voice type; young voices change.