Trouser roles in Turkish opera

Abstract

In the early stages of opera, castratos assumed female roles thanks to their physical appearance and voice, instead of women who cannot and were forbidden to go on stage. Since the era of castratos came to an end, mezzo-sopranos and contraltos that constitute the vocal types suitable for the roles previously played by castratos started playing those roles. The study concerns the state of trouser roles that all mezzo-soprano and contralto singers come across in their opera careers and how singers in Turkey prepare for these roles. Volunteering mezzo-sopranos from the Istanbul venue of the State Opera and Ballet were interviewed during the pandemic. Consulting with some experts, a semi-structured interview form was prepared. As for the research model, this is a case study. The responses of the participants were transcribed. The themes and sub-themes of the responses are presented in the paper with an inductive approach. The data were analyzed with descriptive and content analyses. Results show that trouser roles are very common in Turkey as with the rest of the world and that mezzo-sopranos make much effort physically, psychologically, and musically to do justice to their roles.