# A web tool I built to help singers find appropriate roles



## Captbaritone (Aug 11, 2011)

I recently launched a pet project which I thought might be useful to the members of this forum. It's a tool to help singers find a tailor-made fach of opera roles which will suit their unique voice. It is suitably named:

http://FachMe.com

I hope this can be a valuable resource for singers looking for new material as well as teachers trying to find music for their students. At the very least it should prove an interesting toy for opera enthusiasts. I would be very grateful to receive any feedback.

How: FachMe uses a database of the casts of over 7,000 opera recordings and a carefully crafted algorithm which finds organic connections between roles based on actual singers recorded repertoire.

Why: This project was inspired by and ongoing observation of singers identifying their voice as a specific fach and then mentally pigeon-holing themselves into the few roles that are iconic to that fach. Voices are as diverse as the humans who posses them. FachMe aims to help people identify their true voice and not just the closest available pre-existing fach.


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

Captbaritone said:


> I recently launched a pet project which I thought might be useful to the members of this forum. It's a tool to help singers find a tailor-made fach of opera roles which will suit their unique voice.


This seems like a great invention, Captbaritone!

I do have a question, though. It told me I should be singing Zerbinetta in _Ariadne auf Naxos_.

Can that be right?


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

As somebody who never sings except in the shower, this website is of no use to me whatsoever. But it is pretty!


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## Captbaritone (Aug 11, 2011)

amfortas said:


> This seems like a great invention, Captbaritone!
> 
> I do have a question, though. It told me I should be singing Zerbinetta in _Ariadne auf Naxos_.
> 
> Can that be right?


What roles did you tell it fit your voice? I may be able to shed some light on why it recommended that role.


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

Captbaritone said:


> What roles did you tell it fit your voice? I may be able to shed some light on why it recommended that role.


Oh, that must have been it! Probably shouldn't have typed in "Queen of the Night" in the first place. Just me overreaching again!

Actually, and in all seriousness, I've tried typing in roles and doing a search, but no results have come up. What am I doing wrong?


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## Captbaritone (Aug 11, 2011)

amfortas said:


> Actually, and in all seriousness, I've tried typing in roles and doing a search, but no results have come up. What am I doing wrong?


There is a general challenge because many roles are know by multiple different names and I often don't have all of the different options in the database. For example the Count in Marriage of Figaro could be:

Il Conte
The Count
Almaviva
Count Almaviva
Conte Almaviva
etc.

There could be even more options if you were German or Spanish. Your best bet is to try the native name, (or part of the native name). If that doesn't work, let me know what you are trying, perhaps I can improve the database.

Also note, many people seem to get confused and type in opera titles or even fach titles. I have tried to make it clear that this will not work.


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

I've tried Wotan, Siegfried, Zerbinetta, Papageno, Brunnhilde, Lucia, Wozzeck, Otello, Poppea, Almaviva, Norma, and Nabucco. Nothing.

Anyone else trying it and having more success?


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## Captbaritone (Aug 11, 2011)

amfortas said:


> I've tried Wotan, Siegfried, Zerbinetta, Papageno, Brunnhilde, Lucia, Wozzeck, Otello, Poppea, Almaviva, Norma, and Nabucco. Nothing.
> 
> Anyone else trying it and having more success?


Uh oh. Perhaps there is a bug with my code and your browser. Do you know which version of which browser you are using?


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

It works ok for me.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

I typed that my voice is good to sing Jontek from Halka and it told me that other roles good for me are: Narraboth from Salome and Mozart's Idomeneo. Is it just my suspicion or is this whole conclusion based SOLELY on the connection between those roles known as Wiesław Ochman? If so, it's pretty weak. The tool, I mean.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Yup, works for me - I typed in Cherubino and Octavian.


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

I'm using Safari 5.0.3 on a Mac G4 running OS X.5.8--if that's any help.


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## Captbaritone (Aug 11, 2011)

Aramis said:


> I typed that my voice is good to sing Jontek from Halka and it told me that other roles good for me are: Narraboth from Salome and Mozart's Idomeneo. Is it just my suspicion or is this whole conclusion based SOLELY on the connection between those roles known as Wiesław Ochman? If so, it's pretty weak. The tool, I mean.


Yes, I see what you mean. With more obscure roles like that you may have to supply more than one guide role to get good results.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Works for me too - I typed in Isolde and it told me to sing Brunnhilde. Perfect for me.


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

Oh well. Thus endeth my opera career.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Polednice said:


> Works for me too - I typed in Isolde and it told me to sing Brunnhilde. Perfect for me.


How are you going to fit those ridiculous ears into a horned helmet?


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

mamascarlatti said:


> How are you going to fit those ridiculous ears into a horned helmet?


Hahahahahaha! I hadn't thought of that. Damn... Perhaps I should just stick to my more fitting vampire roles.


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

Polednice said:


> Hahahahahaha! I hadn't thought of that. Damn... Perhaps I should just stick to my more fitting vampire roles.


Nonsense. Just cut some holes at strategically located spots on the helmet, and the ears can proudly stick out along with the horns. Very chic!


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

amfortas said:


> I'm using Safari 5.0.3 on a Mac G4 running OS X.5.8--if that's any help.


Also doesn't work for me in Safari, 5.1 on OSX.7
Works fine in Google Chrome though.


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## Captbaritone (Aug 11, 2011)

Couchie said:


> Also doesn't work for me in Safari, 5.1 on OSX.7
> Works fine in Google Chrome though.


Thanks Couchie for confirming the bug. I't works fine in my Safari 5.1 on OSX.6 I'm trying to figure out how to get a setup that can reproduce the error. I'll make a post if I can figure it out.


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## rgz (Mar 6, 2010)

Worked for me. I typed in Figaro, and from the drop down chose Figaro from Nozze, and lots more viable roles popped up! Awesome tool!

Can I suggest a feature? Sometimes when I'm listening to an opera I'm unfamiliar with I'm not certain precisely which fach a role might be. So, could it bring up the specific fach for a role, along with alternate viable fachs?

For example, if one enters Queen of the Night, in addition to the list of suggestions there would be lines for:
Ideal fach: dramatic coloratura soprano
Alternate fach: lyric coloratura soprano
Possibly make those clickable as well to generate results based on the fach specifically.

Anyway, just a thought. Regardless, it's a very cool idea + site! 

e: Also, I'm a bit unsure about Zerbinetta as a result for Susanna, which I had thought of as a light lyric role, though it is sung by coloraturas and full lyrics as well.


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## Kopachris (May 31, 2010)

Looks interesting. Makes me wish I actually sang opera.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Captbaritone said:


> Il Conte
> The Count
> Almaviva
> Count Almaviva
> ...


Huh? Who, me?


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## Kopachris (May 31, 2010)

Almaviva said:


> Huh? Who, me?


Yes, you, silly!


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## BalloinMaschera (Apr 4, 2011)

worked for me


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## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

Worked for me as well. Looks like an interesting tool that could come in very handy for some people.


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

Sounds like that computer they made in the original Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory that is supposed to tell you where in the world all the golden tickets are...anyway, you gotta love the name...fachme...really?...nice.


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## Captbaritone (Aug 11, 2011)

kv466 said:


> Sounds like that computer they made in the original Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory that is supposed to tell you where in the world all the golden tickets are...anyway, you gotta love the name...fachme...really?...nice.


Thanks! The name has actually confused some people (they expect it to tell them the name of the fach in which they belong) but it was really too good to pass up.


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