An Exploration of Voice Classification Criteria: A Survey of Literature, Opera Architecture, and a Numerical Method of Aria Analysis

The concepts of voice categorization have existed for centuries, but a unified system for the singers of the world is a much more recent idea. This document aims to explore the unified systems proposed by Rudolf Kloiber and Richard Boldrey, carefully examine the various aspects that contribute to voice classification, survey the differences in opera architecture, and serve as a foundation for the idea of a new and expanded method. A review of modern and historical texts regarding voice classification is presented. The concepts of voice equality across performance venues are introduced using architectural and physical analysis of performance venues across Europe and the United States and the acoustics of the orchestra and operatic voice. Finally, an in-depth analysis of five tenor aria packages is presented. The arias are analyzed using proprietary methods, the text of Kloiber and Boldrey, and historical assessment of the singers who sang the roles premiere