Dear Coloratura Nerds,

It’s time to tackle “COLORATURA TYPE S” (spicy), aka the type of coloratura where you have to repeat the same note very quickly (in Italian, “ribattuti”).

“Agitata da due venti” is the most famous example, and “Da tempeste” also comes to mind, together with some of Riccardo Broschi’s arias (if you’re crazy enough to sing them, you’re probably not reading this post).

These are some of the exercises I’ve written for my students, which I’m now sharing with everyone.

HOW TO PRACTICE THEM:

• Don’t try to practice all of them in the same session. Pick the one that feels less intimidating to you and give it a try.

• Don’t start at a crazy speed - let your voice get used to them at a slower tempo, then gradually increase the speed.

• Work on them using all the Italian vowels (A–E–I–O–U). They need to be clear and distinct from one another!

• You can eventually add consonants (see example), preferably fricatives (V/F/S/Z…), as they don’t stop the airflow.