- Home
- All exercises
- Melodies
- Nessun dorma (Turandot)
Nessun dorma (Turandot)
The climax of the tenor aria from Puccini’s Turandot, from “Dilegua, o notte!” to the final “Vincerò!”: a rising line, repeated notes and a long top note at the end – placed high in your range.
The final section of a tenor aria from Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot, premiered in 1926. The libretto is by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni, and the words are Italian. It's in a major key, at a slow 60 beats per minute, with only 29 notes. The song sits high in your saved range, so the top note lands near the top of it. The last “Vincerò” reaches the highest note, a major sixth above the root, then holds the fifth.
How to do it
- Wait for the two count-in clicks. The piano plays the opening phrase alone, then plays along with you.
- Climb the pick-up “Di-le-gua, o” to “notte” on the fifth, without pushing.
- Sing the repeated notes on “tramontate, stelle” evenly, from the fifths to the thirds, then low fifths.
- On the first “vincerò,” hold the root for three beats. Linger on “vin-.”
Coach's tip: Save air for the last three “vincerò”: the highest note is a short one, then hold the long note just below it. Sing the top in a full but free voice – never push.
What to watch out for
The top is the whole story. Singers shout it, squeeze it, or scoop up to it. Keep the throat free and the breath supported, and never push. The tolerance here is a little wider, 60 cents, but pitch still counts. Repeated notes drift flat, so keep them steady. Hold the fifth for all four beats. If the high notes pinch, stop and lower your range. Warm up well first.
Who it's for
Level 3, for experienced singers with a free, supported top. Don't sing it cold: do Messa di voce on a high note and Octave up in head voice first. Afterward, Long note 15 s helps you recover. No program lists it. The daily training brings it up more often with the Classical & choir or Musical theatre style.
Opens the app in your browser. Free to start, no account needed. Put on headphones first.
Related exercises
- Pop phrase: chorus with a high note An original chorus: a leap to the octave and holding it for 3 beats. Twice.
- Pop phrase: belt An original phrase: a 5-7-9 run-up and a four-second belt on the octave.
- Show finale An original finale phrase: two approaches to a high note and a long held peak at the end.
- Soul ballad An original soul ballad phrase: a calm opening, a climb to the top and a melisma to finish.
- Twang on “nyah” A bright, narrow “nyah” on the first five scale degrees, holding the fifth. Twang is the safe base of rock edge – the voice sounds sharp while the throat stays loose.
- Five vowels on one note One note and five vowels in a row: mee, eh, ah, oh, oo – with no gaps between them. Trains even vowels and legato: pitch and tone stay, only the shape of your mouth changes.