Talk:Maria Callas

Gay Icon Project

In my effort to merge the now-deleted list from the article Gay icon to the Gay icons category, I have added this page to the category. I engaged in this effort as a "human script", adding everyone from the list to the category, bypassing the fact-checking stage. That is what I am relying on you to do. Please check the article Gay icon and make a judgment as to whether this person or group fits the category. By distributing this task from the regular editors of one article to the regular editors of several articles, I believe that the task of fact-checking this information can be expedited. Thank you very much. Philwelch 20:14, 24 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Just because there was a scene with a recording of hers in Philadelphia doesn't mean she's a "gay icon." I disagree with you greatly and am sure she would as well. I feel so bad for these great people who are degraded because a few people call them "gay icons."NewYork1956 (talk) 09:10, 9 December 2007 (UTC)

Being a student of Opera in San Francisco, I would argue that her status as a gay icon goes far beyond a scene in Philadelphia. Can anyone think of a credible source for this information? Captbaritone (talk) 18:48, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

Callas's gay icon status extends beyond "Philadelphia." She was the subject of gay playwright Terrence McNally's "Master Class" and is important in his play "The Lisbon Traviata." Diuscorvus (talk) 21:35, 3 November 2008 (UTC)

She was extremely important in the LGBT community and still is. It is not just because of the scene in Philadelphia. She bacame an icon because of her ability to play outsiders.TheGeniusPrince (talk) 12:12, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

Sounds completely arbitrary to me. Categories are helpful but hardly of earth-shattering importance whatever one's orientation. Mike Hayes (talk) 09:14, 3 October 2010 (UTC)

Tessitura vs. Range

When speaking about a voice, range is somewhat different from tessitura. Some voices might have a wide range, but be more comfortable in a low tessitua. For example, a soprano might be able to hit a high E, but the range in which the voice most comfortably sits can be in the middle and low-high registers. Bartoli, for example, has hit high E-flats in recital, but her voice has a low tessitura. In contrast, there are voices that cannot go above a high C, but they can sing in the high register comfortably for extended periods of time (think Nilsson or Rysanek). Roles, similarly, can vary in tessitura: Lucia di Lammermoor, as commonly performed, goes all the way up to high E-flat, but most of the music if very "centrale," lying in the middle range. Turandot, in contrast, does not go above a high C, but a large portion of the role is sung in the high register, giving it a high tessitura. When speaking of the span of a voice, one must use the word "range"; however, one can add that the voice's most comfortable tessitura was in the high or low or middle registers.Shahrdad (talk) 01:49, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

I agree with you. However, you have not explained how this discussion applies to the Maria Callas article. Is there some sort of change to the article in question that you are proposing?4meter4 (talk) 14:26, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

Someone had made changes to the section "Vocal Size and Range," substituting "tessitura" for "range." I reversed the changes (thought I forgot to log in) and restored the word "range." The section dealing with whether or not Callas sang a high F in performance was also deleted and has been restored. I think if you look at edit history, you will be able to see it.Shahrdad (talk) 14:39, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

Ethan Mordden

Ethan Mordden wrote a novel based on the life of Maria Callas. Perhaps this could be mentioned in this article. --13Peewit (talk) 08:19, 19 August 2011 (UTC)