A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Coloratur

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A Dictionary of Music and Musicians
edited by George Grove

Coloratur

Colporteur, Le

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From volume 1 of the work.

1503846A Dictionary of Music and Musicians — Coloratur

COLORATUR. Vocal music coloured, that is, ornamented, by runs and rapid passages or divisions, where each syllable of the words has two or more notes to it. It is what the old school called 'figurato'—figured. Coloratur may be employed in slow or fast airs, plaintive or passionate. Almost all the great airs contain examples of it. The following example from the Messiah:—

${ \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \time 4/4 \key bes \major \override Score.Rest #'style = #'classical \relative f' { r4 r8 f bes4 r8 f | c'4 r8 f, d'( bes16 c d8 e) | f4 f, r2 | r4 r8 f8 f'16( ees d f ees d c ees | d c bes d c8) a bes g c8. bes16 | a8. g16 f4 } \addlyrics { Re -- joice, re -- joice, re -- joice great -- ly re -- joice O daugh -- _ ter of Zi -- _ on. } }$

contains both plain and coloratur passages. On the other hand, 'How beautiful are the feet' (Messiah), or 'Hear ye, Israel' (Elijah), are not coloratur songs. Nor are passages in which each note has its syllable, as in Schumann's 'Die Rose, die Lilie,' or Mozart's 'La piccina' (Madamina), however rapid they may be.

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