This is my first of what will be many two-part posts on this blog. In this first post, I will see to define and clarify the Fach system to help those who may have no idea what I’m talking about. In the second, I will discuss the pros and cons of using this system. This is a topic I’m deeply interested in, having done a fair amount of research on the subject in my master’s program, so it is something I will almost definitely revisit.
So what is a “fach” anyway? The word fach itself in German means “subject” or “specialist”. The fach system, to set up a working definition, is a means of classifying singers, primarily opera singers, according to various criteria. These criteria include, but are not limited to vocal range, weight, and color, physical characteristics, and personality of the performer.
There are three main categories for female singers and male singers. For women, the categories are soprano, mezzo-soprano, and contralto. For men they are tenor, baritone, and bass. Within each of these categories, there are numerous sub-categories, possibly creating some confusion. The most common sub-categories relate to the color and size of the voice such as “dramatic”, “coloratura”, or “lyric” voices. Others relate to the kinds of roles such as “character” or “serious”, denoting whether the roles tend to be comical or serious in nature. All of these categories are dependent not only the aforementioned criteria of range, color, etc. but also on the performer’s age, as these sub-categories differ dependent upon that variable as well.
The fach system was created in Germany, though the exact time of its creation, as well as those involved in creating it, is not a topic widely discussed amongst most major sources. The Kloiber guide to fach, the most widely used and perhaps longest-lasting fach guide, was first published in 1951 and has been republished many times since. It was originally intended as a casting guide for German opera houses, as a means to help singers discover their most marketable traits and use them to help auditioners quickly identify what roles they can consider for a singer. Not much later, French and American houses began taking it under advisement in a much looser fashion.
For a further breakdown of voice type and fach, I love to direct people to the “Talk Like an Opera Geek” section of NPR’s Deceptive Cadence blog. Here, the author, Tom Huizenga, discusses the major fachs, providing audio examples for each. The link provided here is for sopranos, though there is a posting for all of the voice types. If there is interest, I would be more than happy to do a series like this myself.
Does this system make sense to you? Do you think it’s helpful? Be sure to stay tuned for the second part to this article, which will discuss the pros and cons of the fach system.