Innovation in Operatic Interpretation: The Legacy of María Callas through the Vocal, Dramatic, and Comparative Analysis of Arias and Characters

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55777/rea.v19i37.8583

Keywords:

operatic interpretation, comparative analysis, operatic legacy, dramatic expressiveness, Maria Callas

Abstract

Maria Callas (1923-1977) revolutionized twentieth-century operatic performance thanks to her innovative vocal technique, dramatic expressiveness, and deep psychological understanding of the characters. This study seeks to offer a new perspective on operatic performance and analyzes its impact on the evolution of lyric singing and on the reception of the operatic roles it embodied, combining a theoretical and practical approach. Firstly, her figure is contextualised within the history of opera, examining her contributions to vocal and scenic performance from an extensive bibliographic corpus. Aspects such as phrasing, vocal color and dramatic articulation are addressed. Secondly, a comparative analysis is developed using key character files, where the vocal and psychological requirements of the roles are studied and their interpretation is contrasted with that of other contemporary sopranos. Elements such as the variability of the timbre, the use of the fiato and the expressiveness of the legato highlight her ability to transform each character into a meaningful manifestation. The results show that Callas redefined operatic performance, consolidating herself as a key figure in the evolution of the genre, with a legacy that continues to influence singers and opera scholars.

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Author Biography

Estíbaliz Martin Ruiz, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, UPM, España

Diploma in Piano from the Montserrat Caballé Conservatory (Madrid) and a degree in Voice from the Madrid School of Singing and the Franz Liszt University of Music in Weimar (Germany). She holds a Master’s degree in Arts Education from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid and a Master’s degree in Voice Pathology and Vocal Rehabilitation from the University of Alcalá, in collaboration with Ramón y Cajal Hospital. She is currently a PhD candidate in Music, Science and Technology at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, where she is working on her doctoral thesis.

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References

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Published

2026-04-15

How to Cite

Martin Ruiz, E. (2026). Innovation in Operatic Interpretation: The Legacy of María Callas through the Vocal, Dramatic, and Comparative Analysis of Arias and Characters. Journal of Learning Styles, 19(37), 88–98. https://doi.org/10.55777/rea.v19i37.8583

Issue

Vol. 19 No. 37 (2026): Educating for diversity through musical and artistic proposals

Section

ARTÍCULOS DE INVESTIGACIÓN TEMÁTICA. Volumen 19, Número 37 (Abril, 2026). Educando en la diversidad mediante propuestas musicales y artísticas

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