The central ‘attraction’ of the operatic performance is the singer. But this is not a simple notion. The many ways in which the singer can be used define the operatic experience and, because of its centrality, has the potential to distort it. Consideration of the role and function of the singer entails four overlapping elements. In addition to the scope of the singer's functions as musician, interpreter and focus of public attention, there are the development of the range of voices used in opera (see appendix 2); the (social) history of the profession and training and technical development (see Potter, 2000: Chapters 17and 19). This chapter is concerned with the ways in which how the singer is handled and perceived affect the nature of opera.

The range of roles and attractions of the singer

Just as the singer can be asked to do different things, so audiences come to an opera with different expectations. Just as it is vital to know what any opera was designed to be, so it is essential to understand what the singer is meant to be doing in it. Without this, the opera and the singer are likely to be judged by wrong criteria. In Table 12.1, these roles are divided between those which belong to the singer per se and those which are part of an opera.