When I write Per Jellum, tenor, it is not quite enough to actually make clear what my voice type, or indeed fach is. My real title should be Jugendlich Dramatischer Heldentenor – youthful dramatic tenor – but that is far too long for a business card! Explanation follows:

 

Opera is an artform

  - in which artists stage a dramatic work, which has been written in both words and music in a libretto and a score, respectively. Typically, this is a collaboration between an orchestra or another form of musical production (sometimes just a pianist or a chamber ensemble) and singers, actors and dancers, if such are needed to realize the vision of the author/composer.

 

On stage

  - singers, actors and dancers work in costumes and make-up and have to negotiate the scenography – or staging, with the stage director. Meanwhile, the orchestra works in the orchestra pit - if one such is provided - with the conductor.

As an art form, opera belongs in the classical tradition of Western civilization. Thus, most operas are written in the historically most important European languages; German, French, English and of course Italian. However, several important and frequently played pieces are written in Spanish, Russian or the West Slavic languages.

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Operahouses

 - are places where operas are performed. Today, most opera houses have a system of either sur- or subtitling, so that the audience may understand the lyrics even if the don't understand the language being sung on stage. In places with no sur- or subtitle system in place, operas are often performed in translation. This is mostly done in smaller venues or in places that have made an artistic and/or political decision to perform in the vernacular, rather than the original language.

 

Opera is musical drama

  - This form of entertainment is reasonably split into three main categories; opera, operetta and musicals.

In operettas and musicals, the dialogue is mostly spoken between the songs (or arias, as these are called, when referring to opera or operetta). In opera, the dialogue is sung or recited. Also, the topic of operas tend to be of a more solemn nature. While comedies in opera exist as well as tragedies in both operettas and musicals, the tendency is clear: operettas and musicals end in a kiss, while operas end in tears. 

 

Singing techniques

 - As the topics are often of the same nature and dialogue is spoken, the main difference between operettas and musicals is that, in operetta, singers use classical technique and no amplification. In musicals, the singing technique is modern and thus requires amplification. This difference is reflected in the way musicals are composed.

 

A tenor is a voice type

  - A tenor is a voice type. In classical singing we operate with six major voice types. Three female and three male ones. For females, the highest voice is the soprano. She is followed by the mezzo-soprano, who in turn is followed by the alto. For males, the highest voice is the tenor. He is followed by the baritone who in turn is above the bass. These six categories are then divided into further sub categories. Thus, by looking at the voice type, it is possible to discern exactly what kind of singer someone is and, subsequently, which roles he or she is eligible to sing. It follows that a lyric tenor should sing different roles from a dramatic or even jugendlich dramatic tenor.

 

The world's tallest tenor?

- When you sing, your body can be likened to an organ pipe. Air passes through the pipe and the size of the pipe determines which sound is produced. The larger the pipe, the deeper the sound. Of course there are many more factors than this when we humans produce sound, but the basic principle is the same: the larger the human, the deeper the voice. In opera, tenors are more often than not smaller than the basses or baritones. In my case, however, it is usually the other way around. I am 205 cm (6”7) tall and really ought to sing with a deep bass voice. But I don’t!

Therefore, I have embarked on a mission to find out if I am, in fact, the tallest professional opera tenor in the world. In 2020, Guinness World Records and I will collaborate to figure out if there is a taller tenor out there or not. I certainly feel it is worth having looked into! If you know of a taller, professional opera tenor, please write me! Check this page regularly for updates.

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I hope you will spend some time on my website, discovering the photo galleries and the sound tracks. More will be added all the time. Enjoy.

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Per Jellum, voice type: tenor (Fach: jugendlich dramatisch heldentenor)