As I was researching this writeup, I came across a humorous
definition. A coloratura soprano
is "a singer who has great trouble finding the proper note, but who has a
wild time hunting for it."
Coloratura is a musical term for a style of singing characterized by
colorful ornamentation. It is also a term given primarily to soprano
vocalists who specialize in this style of singing.
The style is particularly
important to (and its development coincided with) opera, given that opera
singing not only involves the words themselves, but the musical
expression of the vocalist to convey emotion. Related to coloratura
is fioratura, taken from the Italian word for "flower", which is the
"flowery" written line in many operatic arias, which coloraturas often
sing.
The etymology of the word comes from the Latin coloratus,
meaning to color. The word "coloratura" is Italian, though there is
also the German word "Koloratur." It means that a singer "colors" the
music with her voice, in the sense that a "plain" melody is embellished by
the singer to add to the life and character of the piece. This is primarily
done by
extensive use of vibrato and trills, roulades,
cadenzas, both written and improvised. These vocal embellishments
are done both with great speed and greater control, and require a very
well-trained and strong voice.
Modern vocal music has changed in style over time. While a beautiful
singing voice was always important in vocal music (even in the plainsong
and plainchant of
ancient music), the development of opera at the end of
the sixteenth century gave the voice a much more important role not only as
an instrument but as a
means of expressing the emotional content of the music. During the baroque
period, the emphasis was on musical complexity, and this was reflected in
vocal compositions as much as in instrumental ones. Finally, during the
bel canto period of early nineteenth century opera, the emphasis moved to
vocal and emotional dynamism, meant to showcase the beauty of the human voice
and the story behind the music, above and beyond the beauty of the
melody alone.
I'm afraid my classical collection is weak in the vocal and opera
department, but one recent example of a coloratura soprano is the
Italian soprano Cecilia Bartoli. Her recent release The Vivaldi Album
is a good example of this style, as the coloratura style is
well-suited to Antonio Vivaldi's baroque compositions. Other coloratura
sopranos in recent times include French soprano Lily Pons, who sang with the
Metropolitan Opera from 1930 to 1958, and the
American soprano Beverly Sills, who also sang with the Met until 1980.
Sources:
http://www.humorspace.com/humor/dictionaries/dmusic.htm
American Heritage Dictionary
Oxford Dictionary of Music
http://www.atlantaopera.org/education/operaterms_CG.htm
http://www.operaworld.com/belcanto/artof.shtml
http://bassocantante.com/opera/pons.html
http://www.awards.heinz.org/sills.html
Cecilia Bartoli, The Vivaldi Album, Decca 289 466 569-2