When Gounod wrote his Faust for the Théâtre-Lyrique, Paris, spoken dialogue was used in place of the recitatives subsequently added by the composer when the work passed, ten years later, into the répertoire of the Opéra. In its earlier form, therefore, it belonged to the category of opéra-comique, in which tenors were then permitted to use the falsetto voice for their very highest tones. This custom, though sanctioned in opéra-comique, was not permitted or accepted in grand opéra, to which Gounod’s work in the revised form now belongs. At the beginning of the sixth bar from the end of the tenor cavatina in the Garden Scene: “Salut! demeure chaste et pure,” occurs the high sustained c.
Not all tenors who sing the rôle are possessed of the much-coveted “do di petto,” so a discreet pointage becomes a necessity, since the tone was originally intended, as I have said, to be sung in falsetto. Those robust tenors who, possessing this tone, launch it out at full voice, unheeding the delicate accompaniment with violin obbligato in the orchestra, and the calm, mystic serenity of the surroundings, are surely more desirous of drawing the attention of the public to themselves, than actuated by an artistic desire to interpret faithfully the scene as intended by composer and librettist.
It was owing to the use by light tenors of the so-called falsetto voice, now no longer in favor with the public, that such of the opéras-comiques by Boiëldieu, Halévy, Auber, etc., which still keep the stage, necessitate frequent pointage, in order to render their execution compatible with existing requirements. Sometimes a composer utilizes an exceptional voice, as was the case with the rôles written for Martin. This singer must have possessed either a strong tenor voice with exceptional low tones, or a baritone voice with perhaps an unusual command of the falsetto—history furnishes but vague information on this point. In any case, the rôles written for him—called Martin-tenor or Martin-baritone parts—are now assigned to the ordinary baritone. Pointage then becomes inevitable, as in the case of Hérold’s Zampa, the compass required as printed being from
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In the rôles, such as Mignon (Thomas) and Carmen (Bizet), written for Madame Galli-Marié, their respective composers themselves have so arranged the parts that they may be sung by either mezzo-soprano or soprano. The rôle of Mignon has alternatives, in order that it may be sung by three types of female voices. The roulades and cadenzas were subsequently added by the composer for Madame Christine Nilsson.
If the rôle is sung by a high soprano, Mignon’s first air, “Connais-tu le pays,” is transposed a tone higher into E flat.
In the famous duet between Raoûl and Valentine in the fourth act of Les Huguenots, the composer has given alternative notes for those tenors who do not possess the exceptional altitude required for the higher of the two:
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