Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss

Mezzo-Tenor Duets

4,078 views
Skip to first unread message

Lady Elspeth

unread,
Jun 5, 1994, 1:37:04 AM6/5/94
to
Would anyone out there know of any good mezzo-tenor duets? Not just
scenes in which the two are acting but real
stop-the-action-and-sing-together duets like sopranos get to sing with
tenors?

Yes, I'm a mezzo and know a wonderful tenor and the best we could come up
with was "Et Misericordia" from the Bach Magnificat, which is nice, but a
bit low for me.

Thanks.

Kellia

R. Wilmer

unread,
Jun 7, 1994, 10:40:23 AM6/7/94
to
In article <HsmFNc...@bif.com> la...@bif.com (Lady Elspeth) writes:
>Would anyone out there know of any good mezzo-tenor duets? Not just
>scenes in which the two are acting but real
>stop-the-action-and-sing-together duets like sopranos get to sing with
>tenors?
>

There is the Laura-Enzo duet in the second act of La Gioconda.

Then the beautiful Manrico-Azucena duet in the fourth act of Il
Trovatore - ``Si, la stanchezza''. (You might consider their
second act duet more part of the action. But in the fourth
act those two have bars around them and ain't going nowhere--all
they can do is sing sweetly to each other.)

Richard

Michael Whincop

unread,
Jun 8, 1994, 2:24:23 AM6/8/94
to
In article <HsmFNc...@bif.com> la...@bif.com (Lady Elspeth) writes:

Tannhauser/Venus, perhaps? Or is that too much acting?
_____________________________________________________________________
Michael Whincop - Law, Griffith Uni, Aust. M.Wh...@law.gu.edu.au
"The Queen of Silence bids me be silent. I grasp what she has concealed;
I conceal what she cannot grasp______________________________________

Jean-Pierre Trevisani

unread,
Jun 7, 1994, 12:02:48 PM6/7/94
to
In article <HsmFNc...@bif.com> la...@bif.com (Lady Elspeth) writes:


Are you looking for Opera or Oratorio/Sacred ?

In Opera I would look at Operas which are known to be vehicles for the great
Mezzos. Carmen has a good duet(?s) with Don Jose. I think Rossini's
Cenerentola is a Mezzo (since Bartoldi recorded it...).

I know that the Messiah has "Oh death where is thy sting" which is not a
personal favorite. (I'm a tenor).

In the Verdi Requiem, one of the movements starts with a Mezzo/Tenor duet
which name I don't recall. I know I did enjoy singing it.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jean-Pierre Trevisani
Project Leader Geac-CLSI Inc.
320 Nevada Street
Phone: (617) 965-6310 x419 Newtonville, MA 02160
Fax : (617) 969-1928 USA
Email: j...@clsi.us.geac.com (internet) Canto Ergo Sum

Render unto Geac what is Geac's and leave my opinions to me.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jean-Pierre Trevisani
Project Leader Geac-CLSI Inc.
320 Nevada Street

R. Wilmer

unread,
Jun 8, 1994, 9:03:15 AM6/8/94
to
In article <M.Whincop.3...@law.gu.edu.au> M.Wh...@law.gu.edu.au (Michael Whincop ) writes:
>In article <HsmFNc...@bif.com> la...@bif.com (Lady Elspeth) writes:
>
>>Would anyone out there know of any good mezzo-tenor duets? Not just
>>scenes in which the two are acting but real
>>stop-the-action-and-sing-together duets like sopranos get to sing with
>>tenors?
>

I think Handel is a good composer to look at. A beautiful duet is
one from Giulio Cesare for Sesto and Cornelia. I believe Sesto was
originally written for castrato (as was Giulio himself), but
his part in that duet could be sung by tenor.

Also many other castrato parts (such as Rinaldo) are now usually
sung by mezzos. Look through those operas for duets with tenor.
Sometimes the castrato parts have been transcribed to the bass clef,
but you can just put them back up an octave (to what was the original
pitch anyway).

Richard

Richard

Stephen Jacobs

unread,
Jun 8, 1994, 8:31:14 AM6/8/94
to
Surely, there's a duet between Saint-Saens' Samson and Delilah.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephen Paul Jacobs | School of Architecture
spja...@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu | Tulane University
(fax)1-504-862-8798 | New Orleans, LA 70118
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Karen Kjelgaard

unread,
Jun 8, 1994, 2:51:02 PM6/8/94
to
There's a lovely mezzo-tenor duet between Dido
and Aeneas at the end of the third act
of Les Troyens.
--
=========================================
Karen Kjelgaard (503) 685-7000
Mentor Graphics Corporation kar...@mentorg.com
Wilsonville, Oregon

Urs Geiser

unread,
Jun 9, 1994, 7:29:00 PM6/9/94
to
In Article <HsmFNc...@bif.com>, la...@bif.com (Lady Elspeth) wrote:
>Would anyone out there know of any good mezzo-tenor duets? Not just
>scenes in which the two are acting but real
>stop-the-action-and-sing-together duets like sopranos get to sing with
>tenors?
>
>Thanks.
>
>Kellia

If opera is your cup of tea, there are several where the lovers are a
mezzo-tenor couple. Off the top of my head, I could think of:

Berlioz: Beatrice and Benedict
Saint-Saens: Samson and Dalilah
Haydn: La fedelta premiata (a bit obscure, and the mezzo is almost an alto)

Each one of these operas (and I'm sure, several more) has at least one duet
in them.

Urs
..........................................................................
. Urs Geiser, Chemistry and Materials Science Divisions - Building 200, .
. Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Ave., Argonne, IL 60439, USA .
. gei...@anchx4.chm.anl.gov ph: (708)252-3509 fax: (708)252-9151 .
. ====> THE USUAL DISCLAIMERS APPLY <==== .
..........................................................................

John G. Morrell

unread,
Jun 10, 1994, 10:14:27 AM6/10/94
to

The duet between Romeo & Tebaldo in Bellini's "I Capuleti ed i Montecchi"
is quite dramatic.
--
Gareth Morrell
Cleveland, Ohio
jg...@po.cwru.edu

Trisa Banks

unread,
Jun 15, 1994, 12:02:03 PM6/15/94
to
LE> Would anyone out there know of any good mezzo-tenor duets? Not just

There are a few just wonderful Duets that I can think of offhand..

1. The duet between Azucena and Manrico in IL Trovatore..
Se m'ami ancor..Ai Nostri Monti

2. The duet between Maddalena and the Duke in Rigletto..
Bella figlia dell'amore

3. The duet between Amneris and Radames in Aida..
Io l'amo sempre.. Gia i sacerdoti

4. The duet between Laura and Enzo in La Gioconda

5. The duet between King Phillipe and Eboli in Don Carlo

6. The duet between the King and Jane Seymour in Anna Bolena..

7. And possibly you might consider the Santuzza and Turridu duet
in Cavalleria Rusticana..

Thats all I can think of off hand.. If you need more let me know

Trisa

* SPITFIRE v3.4
THE BBS CONNECTION Portland, OR 503-288-0800

Margaret Mikulska

unread,
Jun 16, 1994, 4:04:44 AM6/16/94
to
In article <2tnblv$5...@beacon.dev.com> Trisa...@f74.n105.z1.fidonet.org (Trisa Banks) writes:
>LE> Would anyone out there know of any good mezzo-tenor duets?
>
>There are a few just wonderful Duets that I can think of offhand..
>
>2. The duet between Maddalena and the Duke in Rig[o]letto.
> Bella figlia dell'amore

That's a quartet. A fabulous piece.

>5. The duet between King Phillipe and Eboli in Don Carlo

Philippe is a bass. Even a baritone will not do.

-Margaret

gll...@leeds.ac.uk

unread,
Jun 22, 1994, 8:01:38 AM6/22/94
to
In article <1994Jun16.0...@Princeton.EDU> miku...@faust.Princeton.EDU (Margaret Mikulska) writes:
>From: miku...@faust.Princeton.EDU (Margaret Mikulska)
>Subject: Re: Mezzo-Tenor Duets
>Date: Thu, 16 Jun 1994 08:04:44 GMT

>-Margaret

And there isn't a duet between King Phillip and Eboli anyway!
Are you thinking of
a) The duet between CARLOS and Eboli when he mistakes her identity and thinks
she's Elisabeth - which then becomes a trio when they are joined by Rodrigo?
b) The QUARTET involving Philip, Elizabeth, Eboli and Rodrigo?

Dr. Jane Susanna Ennis
Dept. of German
University of Leeds
U.K.

donovan....@gmail.com

unread,
Dec 10, 2012, 1:00:56 PM12/10/12
to
check this site out guys...
http://www.opera-arias.com/duets/mezzo-tenor/
im a tenor and this really helped. there are tons of mezzo, tenor duets here
0 new messages