• Opera Over Fat Lady Sings
• Fat Lady Singing Opera
• Fat Lady Has Sung
• Fat Lady Singing Opera Oic

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It ain't over till (oruntil) the fat lady sings is a colloquialism which is often used as a proverb. It means that one should not presume to know the outcome of an event which is still in progress. More specifically, the phrase is used when a situation is (or appears to be) nearing its conclusion. It cautions against assuming that the current state of an event is irreversible and clearly determines how or when the event will end. The phrase is most commonly used in association with organized competitions, particularly sports.

Definition[edit]

The phrase is generally understood to be referencing the stereotypically overweight sopranos of the opera. The imagery of Wagner's opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen and its last part, Götterdämmerung, is typically the one used in depictions accompanying reference to the phrase. The 'fat lady' is the valkyrieBrünnhilde, who is traditionally presented as a very buxom lady. Her farewell scene lasts almost twenty minutes and leads directly to the finale of the whole Ring Cycle.^[1] As Götterdämmerung is about the end of the world (or at least the world of the Norse gods), in a very significant way 'it is [all] over when the fat lady sings.'

The saying has become so well known that it was the subject of an article in the journal Obesity Reviews.^[2]

Attribution[edit]

The words 'the fat lady of Norfolk had sung her final song' appears in the short story 'A House to Let' by Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell and Adelaide Anne Procter published in 1858. The Fat Lady refers to a circus performer Fat Lady of Norfolk.

Don Meredith, the first Dallas Cowboy quarterback, would say 'It ain't over till the fat lady sings' as a color commentator on Monday Night Football in the early 70's.

The first recorded use appeared in the Dallas Morning News on 10 March 1976:^[3]

Despite his obvious allegiance to the Red Raiders, Texas Tech sports information director Ralph Carpenter was the picture of professional objectivity when the Aggies rallied for a 72–72 tie late in the SWC tournament finals. 'Hey, Ralph,' said Bill Morgan, 'this... is going to be a tight one after all.' 'Right', said Ralph, 'the opera ain’t over until the fat lady sings.'

Opera Over Fat Lady Sings

In the same newspaper on 26 November 2006, Steve Blow followed up the discovery by contacting Bill Morgan about the incident:^[4]

Bill vividly remembers the comment and the uproar it caused throughout the press box. He always assumed it was coined on the spot. 'Oh, yeah, it was vintage Carpenter. He was one of the world’s funniest guys,' said Bill, a contender for that title himself.

The 1976 use of the phrase was discovered by Fred R. Shapiro, who published it in The Yale Book of Quotations. It had previously been attributed to sportswriter and broadcaster Dan Cook, who used the phrase after the first basketball game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Washington Bullets (now the Washington Wizards) during the 1978 NBA Playoffs. Cook used the line to illustrate that while the Spurs had won once, the series was not over yet.^[5] Shapiro called this a notable example of misattribution.^[6]

Phrases with similar meanings[edit]

• 'It ain't over till it's over', a phrase popularized by baseball player Yogi Berra.
• 'Don't count your chickens before they hatch', a well-known saying which originated in the 16th century.
• 'Nothing is carved in stone', a phrase meaning that the future can always be changed.

References[edit]

1. ^'Libretti Götterdämmerung'. Richard Wagner. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
2. ^Rössner, S. (2014-10-01). ''It ain't over till the fat lady sings''. Obesity Reviews. 15 (10): 851–852. doi:10.1111/obr.12219. ISSN1467-789X. PMID25213703.
3. ^Pincus, David (March 9, 2010). 'Today in Sports History: March 10th'. SBNation. Vox Media, Inc. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
4. ^Blow, Steve (November 26, 2006). 'Fat lady first sang in the pages of The News'. Dallas Morning News.
5. ^Adams, Cecil (October 25, 1991). 'What's the origin of 'the opera ain't over till the fat lady sings?''. The Straight Dope. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
6. ^Fred R. Shapiro, ed. (2006). The Yale Book of Quotations. Yale University Press. p. xix. ISBN978-0-300-10798-2.

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You might be familiar with Brunhilde. She's a female warrior from Norse mythology and a lead character in Richard Wagner's acclaimed opera cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of Nibelung). It's an epic drama that includes four operas and a total running time of about 17 hours!

But for some reason, the depiction of Brunhilde is also often used to mock female opera singers. In photos and cartoons, she's always overweight, with huge breasts, and has blonde braids falling out of her horned Viking helmet. So much for not fat shaming.

Stereotypes and Sopranos

Now, there's no disputing there's a stereotype that female opera singers are, well, large. But is there truth in the overweight soprano label? Does the fat lady really always sing?

First of all, every opera singer is not overweight. It takes a lot of physical stamina to be an opera singer. Cardio health impacts vocal endurance. However, many opera singers are heavy, including some who are famous for their extraordinary vocal abilities. Although women are called out more for their weight, their male counterparts fit the bill too; the late Luciano Pavarotti comes to mind. Pavarotti, considered by some to be one of the best tenors of all time, was larger than life in more ways than just his voice; he weighed almost 400 pounds (181 kilograms) in the '70s.

But back to the women. Take esteemed dramatic soprano, Deborah Voigt. In 2004, she was unceremoniously fired from a production at London's Royal Opera House for being, well, 'too fat for the dress.' (Incidentally, Voigt chose to use her severance to have gastric bypass and lost 100 pounds). More recently in 2014, five male critics writing about emerging Irish mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught focused more on her body than her performance.

Obesity and Vocal Function

So does weight have any bearing on an opera singer's vocal ability? Atlanta's Jan Smith, a Grammy-nominated producer, artist and vocal coach to some of music's best — Usher, Justin Beiber, Nicki Minaj, Drake and Ludacris, to name a few — says a singer doesn't have to be overweight to hit those high notes. 'For every overweight person whose voice blows you away, there is at least one artist who is not overweight and is equally as talented,' she says. 'Take Celine Dion. She is tiny, she doesn't have an oversize rib cage or diaphragm. And she sounds amazing.'

So if tiny singers like Celine can belt out those notes with the best of them, why the perpetuation of the fat-lady label? There are all kinds of theories, including everything from big bone structures provide more resonating space to large rib cages (and the ability to expand them) give more singing volume and power.

Fat Lady Singing Opera

These may all sound reasonable, but there isn't much scientific evidence to support them. 'I'm not going to discount that a large rib cage can be beneficial to a singer, but it definitely isn't necessary,' Smith says. 'Again, look at Celine Dion.' Smith actually agrees with medical science and says maintaining a normal weight is healthy for people in general, and that includes performing artists.

Losing Weight, Losing Voice?

There may not be much science to support the extra-weight-is-beneficial-to-singing theory, but that doesn't change the fact that many opera performers believe that losing weight may hurt their career. Case in point: Some say the premature end to influential soprano Maria Callas' career was a result of her 100-pound (45-kilogram) weight loss.

But if fat isn't a prerequisite to great opera singing, then why do so many talented female singers have a lot of it?

Fat Lady Has Sung

One theory is that they become overweight because of the stressful and chaotic lifestyle most successful opera performers live. The traveling, rehearsing and performing are often followed by lonely nights, as Voigt told NPR's Jefferey Brown. 'It's a very lonely business, and you go home at the end of the night and it can be just you in your head.' The performing lifestyle leaves little time for exercise or healthy eating.

Another reason opera has had many overweight singers is because the singers could get away with being overweight. It was always about the music. But the world of opera, like the world in general, is changing. With advances like HDTV (fans can now stream HD performances of the Metropolitan Opera anywhere in the world) so performances are up close and personal. Physical fitness and appearance matters more than ever, even in opera.

Fat Lady Singing Opera Oic

Smith says she likes the idea of setting high fitness standards for everyone. 'If you are in great health, it is easier to be great at singing,' she says. 'It's just like everything else in life, if you don't keep it in good condition, there is a gradual decline. Don't expect soft and flexible vocal cords without doing the work. Singing comes from the inside out, not the outside in. So the condition inside matters.'