A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range (using scientific pitch notation, where middle C = C₄) from approximately middle C (C₄) to "high A" (A₅) in choral music, or to "soprano C" (C₆, two octaves above middle C) or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody.^[1] For other styles of singing see voice classification in non-classical music.

Typically, the term "soprano" refers to female singers but at times the term "male soprano" has been used by men who sing in the soprano vocal range using falsetto vocal production instead of the modal voice. This practice is most commonly found in the context of choral music in England. However, these men are more commonly referred to as countertenors or sopranists. The practice of referring to countertenors as "male sopranos" is somewhat controversial within vocal pedagogical circles as these men do not produce sound in the same physiological way that female sopranos do.^[2] The singer Michael Maniaci is known to refer to himself as a true male soprano because he is able to sing in the soprano vocal range using the modal voice as a woman would. He is able to do this because his larynx never fully developed during puberty.^[3]

In choral music, the term soprano refers to a vocal part or line and not a voice type. Male singers whose voices have not yet changed and are singing the soprano line are technically known as "trebles". The term "boy soprano" is often used as well, but this is just a colloquialism and not the correct term.^[2]

Historically, women were not allowed to sing in the Church so the soprano roles were given to young boys and later to castrati—men whose larynxes had been fixed in a pre-adolescent state through the process of castration.^[4]

The term soprano may also be used to refer to a member of an instrumental family with the highest range such as the soprano saxophone.^[5]

Types and roles in opera[link]

In opera, the tessitura, vocal weight, and timbre of soprano voices, and the roles they sing, are commonly categorized into voice types, often called fächer (sg. fach, from German Fach or Stimmfach, "vocal category").^[6] A singer's tessitura is where the voice has the best timbre, easy volume, and most comfort. For instance a soprano and a mezzo-soprano may have a similar range, but their tessituras will lie in different parts of that range.^[7]

The low extreme for sopranos is roughly B♭₃ or A₃ (just below middle C). Within opera, the lowest demanded note for sopranos is A♭₃ ("Ich Gehe, Doch Rate Ich Dir", from Mozart's Abduction From The Seraglio). Often low notes in higher voices will project less, lack timbre, and tend to "count less" in roles (although some Verdi, Strauss and Wagner roles call for stronger singing below the staff). However, rarely is a soprano simply unable to sing a low note in a song within a soprano role.^[7]

The high extreme, at a minimum, for non-coloratura sopranos is "soprano C" (C₆ two octaves above middle C), and many roles in the standard repertoire call for C♯₆ or D₆. A couple of roles have optional E♭₆’s, as well. In the coloratura repertoire several roles call for E♭₆ on up to F₆. In rare cases, some coloratura roles go as high as G₆ or G♯₆, such as Mozart's concert aria "Popoli di Tessaglia", or the role of Dinorah in Meyerbeer's opera Le pardon de Ploërmel. While not necessarily within the tessitura, a good soprano will be able to sing her top notes full-throated, with timbre and dynamic control.^[6]

The following are the operatic soprano classifications (see individual articles for roles and singers):

Coloratura soprano[link]

• Lyric coloratura soprano—A very agile light voice with a high upper extension, capable of fast vocal coloratura. Light coloraturas have a range of approximately middle C (C₄) to "high F" (F₆) with some coloratura sopranos being able to sing somewhat higher or lower.^[2]

• Dramatic coloratura soprano—A coloratura soprano with great flexibility in high-lying velocity passages, yet with great sustaining power comparable to that of a full spinto or dramatic soprano. Dramatic coloraturas have a range of approximately "low B" (B₃) to "high F" (F₆) with some coloratura sopranos being able to sing somewhat higher or lower.^[6]

Soubrette[link]

In classical music and opera, the term soubrette refers to both a voice type and a particular type of opera role. A soubrette voice is light with a bright, sweet timbre, a tessitura in the mid-range, and with no extensive coloratura. The soubrette voice is not a weak voice for it must carry over an orchestra without a microphone like all voices in opera. The voice however has a lighter vocal weight than other soprano voices with a brighter timbre. Many young singers start out as soubrettes but as they grow older and the voice matures more physically they may be reclassified as another voice type, usually either a light lyric soprano, a lyric coloratura soprano, or a coloratura mezzo-soprano. Rarely does a singer remain a soubrette throughout her entire career.^[1] A soubrette's range extends approximately from middle C (C₄) to "high D" (D₆). The tessitura of the soubrette tends to lie a bit lower than the lyric soprano and spinto soprano.^[7]

Lyric soprano[link]

A warm voice with a bright, full timbre, which can be heard over a big orchestra. It generally has a higher tessitura than a soubrette and usually plays ingenues and other sympathetic characters in opera. Lyric sopranos have a range from approximately middle C (C₄) to "high D" (D₆).^[6] There is a tendency to divide lyric sopranos into two groups:^[7]

• Light lyric soprano—A light-lyric soprano has a bigger voice than a soubrette but still possesses a youthful quality.^[7]
• Full lyric soprano —A full-lyric soprano has a more mature sound than a light-lyric soprano and can be heard over a bigger orchestra.^[7]

Spinto soprano[link]

Also lirico-spinto, Italian for "pushed lyric". This voice has the brightness and height of a lyric soprano, but can be "pushed" to dramatic climaxes without strain, and may have a somewhat darker timbre. Spinto sopranos have a range from approximately middle C (C₄) to "high D" (D₆).^[6]

Dramatic soprano[link]

A dramatic soprano (or soprano robusto) has a powerful, rich, emotive voice that can sing over a full orchestra. Usually (but not always) this voice has a lower tessitura than other sopranos, and a darker timbre. Dramatic sopranos have a range from approximately middle C (C₄) to "high D" (D₆).^[6]

Some dramatic sopranos, known as Wagnerian sopranos, have a very big voice that can assert itself over an exceptionally large orchestra (over eighty pieces). These voices are substantial and very powerful and ideally even throughout the registers.^[7]

Intermediate voice types[link]

Two types of soprano especially dear to the French are the Dugazon and the Falcon, which are intermediate voice types between the soprano and the mezzo-soprano: a Dugazon is a darker-colored soubrette, a Falcon a darker-colored soprano drammatico.^[6]

See also[link]

• Bel canto
• List of sopranos in non-classical music

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Boldrey, Richard; Robert Caldwell, Werner Singer, Joan Wall and Roger Pines (1992). Singer's Edition: Operatic Arias – Light Lyric Soprano. Caldwell Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-877761-02-7. 
• Boldrey, Richard; Robert Caldwell, Werner Singer, Joan Wall and Roger Pines (1992). Singer's Edition: Operatic Arias – Soubrette. Caldwell Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-877761-03-4. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Soprano vocalists

• Example of a lyric coloratura soprano on YouTube – Beverly Sills in the title role of Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix
• Example of a dramatic coloratura soprano on YouTube – Dame Joan Sutherland in the title role of Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia
• Example of a soubrette on YouTube – Dawn Upshaw as Susanna in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro
• Example of a light lyric soprano on YouTube – Lucia Popp as Pamina in Mozart's The Magic Flute
• Example of a full lyric soprano on YouTube – Dame Kiri Te Kanawa as Marguerite in Gounod's Faust
• Example of a spinto soprano on YouTube – Leontyne Price in the title role of Puccini's Tosca
• Example of a dramatic soprano on YouTube – Jessye Norman in the title role of Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos
• Example of a Wagnerian soprano on YouTube – Birgit Nilsson as Isolde in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde

This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the German Wikipedia. (February 2011) Don't speak German? Click here to read a machine-translated version of the German article. Click [show] on the right to review important translation instructions before translating. Google's machine translation is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. After translating, {{Translated|de|Kenza Farah}} must be added to the talk page to ensure copyright compliance. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the French Wikipedia. (February 2011) Don't speak French? Click here to read a machine-translated version of the French article. Click [show] on the right to review important translation instructions before translating. Google's machine translation is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. After translating, {{Translated|fr|Kenza Farah}} must be added to the talk page to ensure copyright compliance. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

Kenza Farah (born July 8, 1986) is an Algerian singer. She is considered^{[by whom?]} the second internet success story in the French music industry, after Yelle. Her album Authentik, released in 2007, went gold in its second week.^[1]

Career beginnings[link]

Born into a family of six children, Kenza Farah born in Bejaia (Kabylie - Algeria) but grew up in the 15th arrondissement of Marseille. At age 14, she began playing shows neighborhood and wins singing contest. Following the singing competition, Kenza Farah meet the producers that allow it to record some songs in the studio, including Mon Ange, Tresor and Il ma trahie. It is then noticed by the producer Abdel.B which allows him to sign the production of an album in December 2006 with an independent label, Karismatik.

Discography[link]

Authentik[link]

Authentik is an album of R & B, Hip Hop Soul and French, written and performed by French-Algerian singer Kenza Farah. The album contains 18 tracks (including two on the reissue) and guest appearances with Sefyu, Le Rat Luciano, Idir, Big Ali and The Silence of the Mosques. It was released June 11, 2007 in France.

1. Dans mon monde
2. Je me bats
3. Moi j'ai 20 ans
4. Ou va le monde
5. Lettre du front feat. Sefyu
6. Il m'a trahie
7. Dans les rues de ma ville
8. Trop d'flow feat. Big Ali
9. Mi amor
10. Ne me dites pas
11. Appelez moi Kenza
12. Sur tous les chemins feat. Le Rat Luciano
13. Sous le ciel de Marseille feat. Idir
14. Toi et moi
15. Cris de Bosnie feat. Le Silence des Mosquées
16. Les enfants du ghetto
17. Bye Bye
18. Leve la tête

Authentik Mixtape[link]

1. Intro Dj Roc j
2. 15éme Hardcore (Feat G.a.p/Soosol)
3. Faut il que je sois ?
4. Freestyle Skyrock
5. Trésor
6. Terre à terre (Feat Kamelancien)
7. Je reprends mes ailes
8. Quoi qu'il arrive (Feat Tino/Section fidjo)
9. L'Amour ou la Passion
10. Tu reconnais (Feat Kayline & Moh/S.krim)
11. Plus rien sans toi (Feat T-north)
12. On vous aime tant (Feat Alonzo & Ligne 26 & Sale équipe)
13. Freestyle Skyrock
14. Il m'a trahie + Medley (l'amour s'en va, d'amour ou d'amitié..)
15. Seule sans toi
16. Nos différences
17. Face à la mort (Feat Bouda/15eme Processus)
18. Flashback (Feat K-RhYme le roi)
19. À la place d'un ange (Feat Monock/La Méthode)
20. Toi et moi (Feat Mickey-lansky)

Avec le coeur[link]

Avec le coeur is an album of R & B, Hip Hop Soul and French, written and performed by French-Algerian singer Kenza Farah. The album contains 22 tracks and guest appearances with the Psy 4 De La Rime, Nina Sky, Roldan group Orishas and Busy Signal. It was released November 17, 2008 in France. This album is the first double CD of French R & B out. It will be certified platinum disc.

CD1

1. Avec le cœur
2. Au cœur de la rue
3. Mi corazon
4. Peuple du monde entier
5. Je représente
6. Désillusion du ghetto
7. On tient le coup feat. Psy 4 De La Rime
8. Let me be with you
9. La nuit feat. Busy Signal
10. Ce que je suis
11. Que serais-je ?

CD2

1. Kenza sur le beat
2. J'essaie encore
3. J'aurais voulu te dire
4. Chant libre
5. Ne nous jugez pas feat. Roldan (Orishas)
6. Commandement du ciment
7. Toute seule
8. Tout ça ne compte pas
9. Celle qu'il te faut feat. Nina Sky
10. La vérité
11. Pardonnez moi

Trésor[link]

Trésor is an album of R & B, Hip Hop Soul and French, written and performed by French-Algerian singer Kenza Farah. The album contains 18 tracks (including two bonus and a bonus virgin mega) and guest appearances with Segnor Alonzo, Lea Castel, Melissa M, Younes, Kayline (Karismatik) and Nabila (Karismatik). It was released November 15, 2010 in France.

1. Trésor
2. Militante
3. On m'a dit
4. On vient de là feat. Kayline
5. Je serais prète feat. Nabila
6. Me reconstruire
7. Je n'ai pas le choix
8. Opérationnel
9. Crack Musik feat. Alonzo
10. Coeur Prisonnier
11. Ainsi va la vie feat. Younes
12. Karismastyle
13. Vagabonde
14. Trop de mots feat. Léa Castel et Melissa M
15. Sans jamais se plaindre
16. Militante
17. La où tu vas
18. Street Verité

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Site
• Kenza Farah's blog

This article about a French singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Barbara Hendricks at The Hague Jazz Festival 2008

Barbara Hendricks (born November 20, 1948) is an African American operatic soprano and concert singer. Hendricks has lived in Europe since 1977, and in Switzerland on Lake Geneva since 1985. She is a citizen of Sweden.^[1]

Early life and education[link]

Hendricks was born in Stephens, Arkansas. She graduated from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and chemistry at the age of 20. She then attended Juilliard School of Music in New York, where she studied with mezzo-soprano Jennie Tourel and participated in master classes led by soprano Maria Callas. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in music.

Musical career[link]

In 1974, Hendricks made her professional operatic debut in Europe at the Glyndebourne Festival and in America at the San Francisco Opera. During her career, she has appeared at major opera houses throughout the world, including the Opéra National de Paris, the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and La Scala. In 1998 she sang Liu in the historical performance of Turandot at the Forbidden City in Beijing. Hendricks has performed more than twenty roles, twelve of which she has recorded.

Hendricks has appeared on film as Mimì in La bohème,^[2] and in 1995 she sang the role of Anne Truelove in the Swedish film Rucklarens väg, an adaptation of Stravinsky's opera The Rake's Progress.^[3] In 2007, she appeared in the film Disengagement by Amos Gitai and starring Juliette Binoche.^[4] She also recorded Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde which is the main theme for the film.

Hendricks also performs jazz music and made her jazz debut at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1994. Since that time, she has performed at major jazz festivals around the world. Hendricks is also known for her love of chamber music and has organized a number of chamber music festivals.

In 2004, at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, she created the role of Angel in the world premiere of Péter Eötvös' opera Angels in America, after the play by Tony Kushner.

In January 2006, she left EMI, and created the new label Arte Verum for which she records exclusively.

Humanitarian work[link]

José van Dam and Barbara Hendricks, Brussels 2006

Hendricks has dedicated much of her life to the plight of refugees and has been a long-time supporter of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. She was named UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador in 1987 and performs special tasks for that organization.

Since 2000, she has been a member of the Council of the Foundation for the Refugee Education Trust. The RET is dedicated to post-primary education of refugee youth all over the world.

In 1991 and 1993 Hendricks gave two concerts in the war-torn formerly Yugoslavian cities of Dubrovnik and Sarajevo. In 1998 she founded the Barbara Hendricks Foundation for Peace and Reconciliation, which seeks to facilitate reconciliation where conflicts have already occurred.

In 2001 she performed at the Nobel Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway, at the invitation of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kofi Annan. In May 2002, she performed at the East Timor Independence Day Ceremony.

Awards[link]

In 1986, Hendricks was made a Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres; in 1992 she was awarded the rank of Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur.^[1] In 2000, she was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts. In 2001, Hendricks received the Lions Clubs International Award for the work of her foundation.^[1]

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b c} Biography
2. ^ La Bohème (1988) at the Internet Movie Database
3. ^ Rucklarens väg at the Internet Movie Database
4. ^ Disengagement at the Internet Movie Database

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Barbara Hendricks

• Barbara Hendricks home page
• Barbara Hendricks, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador
• Refugee Education Trust
• allmusic biography
• Arte Verum – Barbara Hendricks' own record label
• Barbara Hendricks Archives
• Interview
• Barbara Hendricks at the Internet Movie Database

Adapted from the article Barbara Hendricks, from Wikinfo, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.

Christopher Moltisanti, played by Michael Imperioli, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He was Tony Soprano's protégé and a Capo in the Soprano crime family.

Christopher is introduced as the heir apparent to DiMeo crime family capo (later de facto boss) Tony Soprano, who has been a father figure to Christopher since the death of his father Dickie Moltisanti. Tony affectionately refers to Christopher as his "nephew", though in fact he is a cousin of Tony's wife Carmela. His long-term girlfriend is Adriana La Cerva, with whom he shares a tumultuous and abusive relationship.

Christopher is a volatile, impulsive young man, perennially frustrated by his apparent lack of progression in the business. Early on, he overstepped the mark when he hijacked trucks under the protection of family boss Junior Soprano. To teach him a lesson, Junior ordered a mock execution on him. He also shot a bakery clerk in the foot for not serving him quick enough, for which he was scolded by Tony. Nonetheless, Tony entrusted him with sensitive tasks, such as disposing of the bodies of murdered capos Richie Aprile and Ralph Cifaretto, and arranging the assassination of New York boss Carmine Lupertazzi. In season three Christopher was finally granted his wish of becoming a made man, though this led to friction with his new capo Paulie Gaultieri, whom he was now obligated to make regular tribute payments to. His feud with Paulie culminated in the Pine Barrens incident and though they made an uneasy truce, they would clash again on several occasions. By the sixth season, Christopher had been promoted to capo and had been told by Tony that he would lead the family into the 21st century.

Throughout the series Christopher struggled with major drug and alcohol addictions, and periodically spent time at AA and drug rehabilitation centers. In season two Christopher was shot by his subordinates Matthew Bevilaqua and Sean Gismonte, but he survived. He came close to death again when, enraged about (untrue) rumors of Adriana and Tony having an affair, he pulled a gun on Tony, who was ready to kill him for the insult; he was only spared after Tony Blundetto interceded for him. In season five Christopher learned that Adriana had been working as an FBI informant, and she wanted them to go into the Witness Protection Program. However, Christopher's loyalty to the business proved stronger, and he told Tony about Adriana, who was then murdered by Silvio Dante. Christopher later appeared guilty about Adriana's death, which caused him to relapse into heroin abuse. He then married his new girlfriend Kelli Lombardo and they had a daughter, Caitlyn, but his interest in his new wife soon waned.

Christopher grew disillusioned with Tony and his frustrated progress in the family, and appeared to be distancing himself from the business by making a movie and trying to become a Hollywood screenwriter. Furthermore, his efforts to stay clean of drugs and alcohol saw him spending less time at their regular haunts, which aroused more suspicion. Tony started to have doubts about his nephew's loyalty and suitability to be his successor, and feared his frequent drug problems would make him a ripe target to turn state's evidence. When a cocaine-addled Christopher caused a car crash as he was driving Tony home, Tony suffocated the injured Christopher, and was relieved to finally be rid of his troublesome nephew.

The character of Christopher contains various nods to actor Michael Imperioli's own life and career. Like Imperioli, Christopher is a movie and television buff with ambitions to be a scriptwriter (Imperioli wrote several episodes of the show), and there are references to Imperioli's appearances in Goodfellas and Dead Presidents. Imperioli tried out for the role of Christopher, but thought that series creator David Chase was unimpressed with his audition and thus was surprised to be offered the part. Chase also said he wanted Imperioli because he had appeared in Goodfellas.^[1]

Biography[link]

Christopher Moltisanti was born on an unspecified date in 1966 or 1967 to Richard "Dickie" Moltisanti (their surname is Italian for "Many Saints" - David Chase frequently gives Sopranos characters ironic or symbolic names), a soldier in the Soprano crew of the DiMeo Crime Family, and Joanne Blundetto. Chris was a first cousin once removed to Carmela Soprano and a second cousin to Meadow Soprano and Anthony Soprano, Jr. Tony Soprano affectionately considered Christopher a nephew (they had a cousin in common growing up; see below), and had looked out for him over the years, as Christopher never had a father figure growing up (his actual father, Dickie, was killed when Christopher was very young). Moltisanti was engaged to Adriana La Cerva before her murder.

Moltisanti was very loyal to his uncle — whom he once called "the man I'm going to hell for" — and Soprano trusted him more than anyone else in the organization. Tony often entrusted Christopher with sensitive jobs, including disposing of the bodies of capos Richie Aprile and Ralph Cifaretto. Moltisanti acted as Tony's mouthpiece, issuing Tony's orders in order to insulate Tony from potential racketeering charges. Tony was planning on making Moltisanti his successor.

Moltisanti had his share of problems; he was prone to violent and impulsive behavior, and he had been distracted, at times, by lofty pursuits such as screenwriting. Some members of the crime family appeared to be jealous of Christopher's closeness to his uncle. In particular, his fast ascent had led to friction with fellow mobsters Silvio Dante, Patsy Parisi and Paulie Gualtieri. He also had problems with substance abuse, eventually becoming addicted to heroin and alcohol, and being forced into rehab by his family (particularly his uncle), friends, and his fiancee, Adriana.

Moltisanti's substance abuse was likely a result of nature as well as nurture. On the nature side, Christopher - like his gambling addict cousin Tony Blundetto - likely inherited his addictive personality; Christopher's mother Joanne was shown to be an alcoholic and his father, Dickie, had been drug-addicted. On the nurture side, Christopher regularly associated with people who sold drugs (such as Uncle Junior and Mikey Palmice), who abused drugs (such as Brendan Filone and Ralph Cifaretto), and who used a variety of methods of self-medication and escapism (such as Tony Soprano's gluttony and Janice Soprano's flirtations with various religions).

Christopher abetted others' drug use, as well. For example, he provided Tony's daughter with speed, when she requested some in order to study for an exam. (His rationale was that if he refused, Meadow would go elsewhere to a less reputable dealer and possibly receive harmfully adulterated drugs or be raped and murdered.) His drug use inspired Adriana to experiment with heroin, and - in the course of confronting Adriana about her and Tony's activities the night they crashed Tony's SUV - Christopher alluded to financing Adriana's drug use. Later, after marrying Kelli Lombardo, Christopher and fellow twelve-step program participant Julianna Skiff began an affair that reignited both addicts' heroin use.

Moltisanti frequently wore FILA tracksuits and tank tops, and he had a penchant for pop culture (to which his frequent references engendered ribbing from the other north Jersey mobsters), and for having affairs, behind Adriana's back, with good-looking women of dubious repute. Some such women were prostitutes who, Chris told Paulie, Chris didn't have to pay; others were strippers (such as Sonya Aragon in Las Vegas) and even white-collar professionals (such as Julianna Skiff). Chris also loved expensive cars, having owned a Lexus LS400, Mercedes CLK 430, Land Rover Range Rover, Hummer H2, John Sacrimoni's Maserati Coupé (which "Sack" sold after he was arrested), and the 2007 Cadillac Escalade EXT, which he purchased after the Maserati was seized by the government and which he fatally crashed.

Christopher's catchphrase on the show was, "I'm sorry, T!" ("T" being shorthand for Tony.) He was notorious for frequently being late to meetings, irresponsible in his business dealings, and generally less "together" in his affairs than the rest of Tony's crew, due to his chronic drug and alcohol abuse, and so was constantly in the position of having to apologize to his uncle and boss for his shortcomings. Christopher committed the first killing of the whole series by shooting Emil Kolar. Christopher was occasionally haunted in dreams by Kolar's "ghost".

"Nephew" to Tony Soprano[link]

Dickie Moltisanti was a soldier in "Johnny Boy" Soprano's crew and was very close to Tony Soprano. Tony reminisces that Dickie was like a big brother to him and so, when Dickie died while Chris was still young, Tony looked out for Christopher, affectionately referring to him as his nephew. However, Tony is, technically, not Christopher's uncle.

Tony and Carmela Soprano are connected to Christopher via two separate family relationships:

• Chris' late father, Dickie Moltisanti, was Carmela's first cousin, as Dickie's mother and Carmela's father are siblings. This means Chris is Carmela's first cousin, once removed.
• Chris' mother Joanne, whose maiden name is Blundetto, is Al Blundetto's sister. Al Blundetto's wife, Quintina, is Livia Soprano's sister and Tony Soprano's maternal aunt. Thus, Al and Quintina Blundetto, who are Tony Blundetto's parents, are uncle and aunt to both Tony Soprano and Christopher Moltisanti. Accordingly, Tony Soprano and Christopher are both first cousins to Tony Blundetto, but not to each other. However, Adriana once mentioned that Chris and Tony do have a distant blood relation, so did Tony after saying Chris would bring the family into the 21st century saying Silvio isn't the same "they aren't blood".

Season One[link]

Christopher Moltisanti's main goal in joining the mafia was to get noticed and to rise up through the ranks; he was overjoyed when he found his name printed in a local newspaper alongside other mobsters. He was Tony's driver initially, and helped him as an enforcer. He "made his bones" by killing Emil Kolar in order to settle a dispute the family was having over the Triborough Towers garbage routes. He initially planned to place the body in a Kolar Bros. dumpster to send a warning, à la Luca Brasi from The Godfather. "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero convinced him to put it elsewhere as the mystery would be more effective and bring less heat to the crew. Moltisanti later complained that he did not receive enough recognition for his resolution of this problem. This murder haunted his dreams, and he twice had to dig up and move Kolar's corpse.

Christopher Moltisanti's legitimate job at the time was a Union Safety Official position in a local union that Tony got for him in order to keep the IRS off his financial history.

Another notable instance of Moltisanti's early criminal activity with the Soprano crew is his hijacking of Comley trucks with his friend Brendan Filone. These trucks were under the protection of Junior Soprano, and the hijacking prompted Junior to request a sit-down and demand compensation. The late Acting Boss Jackie Aprile Sr. ruled that Moltisanti and Filone make restitution to Junior and leave Comley trucks alone. The two reluctantly complied and paid the $15,000 tribute to Junior, although Tony did take his cut, somewhere around $3,000. At a club with their girlfriends, Chris and Brendan planned another heist while high on crystal meth. However, on the night of the job, Christopher backed down because he had decided to throw his loyalty wholly in with Soprano and his crew. Brendan went through with the hijacking with two others, but it went sour and Brendan's associate dropped his firearm, causing it to fire and strike the driver, killing him. Brendan contacted Christopher for help. Christopher was reprimanded by Soprano for not using his leadership to prevent Brendan from undertaking the job. The pair were ordered to return the truck to Comley and they complied. Christopher was also extorting drug dealers for 10 percent of their income before Junior Soprano's crew took over his collections.

Junior was angered that his authority was flouted, however, and organized a mock execution for Moltisanti. Soprano's mother, Livia, held Moltisanti in high regard because he had once put up her storm windows, and this affection may have saved him from a worse fate. He was abducted from a hot dog stand and driven out to the New Jersey Meadowlands by two Eastern European thugs where they performed Junior's orders. The less fortunate Brendan was shot in the eye by Mikey Palmice while in his bathtub. Later in the season Moltisanti confronted and killed Palmice under Tony's orders.

Christopher also assisted in the murder of Jimmy Altieri by luring him to a hotel room where he was shot by Silvio Dante.

Season Two[link]

Moltisanti was put in charge of the family's Webistics pump and dump stock scam. He received his stock broker license by having someone take the exam in his name. Matthew Bevilaqua and Sean Gismonte were his subordinates in this operation, and were also used by Christopher to crack bank safes for extra income. Moltisanti also continued to dabble in writing and acting, though this was strongly dissuaded by Tony.

Eventually, Bevilaqua and Gismonte grew tired of Moltisanti and decided to murder him to gain favor with Richie Aprile. The pair ambushed Christopher outside a diner and wounded him badly, though Gismonte was killed in return. Bevilaqua fled the scene. Moltisanti had to have his spleen removed and went through a traumatic recovery process with Adriana by his side. Bevilaqua was eventually tracked down, and he was shot to death by Tony and Pussy. Moltisanti later told the crew that during his coma, he had seen himself in either hell or purgatory after being shot and warned them that Brendan Filone and Mikey Palmice told him that three o'clock would be a significant time in their future.

Following the death of Richie Aprile, Soprano called Moltisanti and Furio Giunta to dispose of his body; they used Satriale's butchery facilities to dismember the corpse. At Meadow Soprano's graduation, Tony proposed Christopher for membership (becoming a made man).

Season Three[link]

Moltisanti became a made man in 2001 alongside Eugene Pontecorvo. He noticed a crow on the windowsill at the ceremony and took this as a bad omen. As the newest member of the Family, Moltisanti inherited a betting shop from Paulie Gualtieri and was charged with a minimum weekly dues payment to Paulie, Christopher's capo. Friction was created early on between Chris and Paulie. Chris had difficulty making minimum payments to Paulie. Paulie would humiliate Chris by checking him for wires and taking advantage of Chris being a lower level mobster by having Chris pay for meals. This created a gradually building tension between the two that peaked during the Pine Barrens incident. They later agreed to bury the hatchet due to their mutual friendship. Moltisanti's other early work involved robbing a charity concert at Rutgers, and working with Jackie Aprile, Jr. and his friend Benny Fazio. He also opened the Crazy Horse Nightclub in Long Branch, New Jersey with Furio Giunta as a partner,and Adrianna as front operator.

Moltisanti was present when Jackie Aprile, Jr. and friends tried to rob a card game run by Pontecorvo. Moltisanti and Acting Capo Albert Barese killed Aprile's friend Dino Zerrilli as he tried to escape. Christopher immediately expressed to Tony his intent to murder Aprile, a request which Tony denied, causing Christopher to question Tony's leadership. Eventually, a contract was put on Aprile and he was eventually found in the Boonton Projects. Vito Spatafore shot Aprile in the head ending his life. At Aprile's funeral Christopher was arrested on a gambling charge along with Patsy Parisi and Silvio Dante.

Season Four[link]

Tony Soprano made Moltisanti his main contact in his criminal dealings to insulate himself from prosecution. He then bonded his nephew to him by having him murder Lt. Det. Barry Haydu. He told Moltisanti that Haydu had murdered his father, and gave him the detective's address. Moltisanti surprised Haydu in his home and restrained him in order to question him. Haydu denied any guilt, but his involvement was clear by his repeated cries of 'I'm sorry!' and Moltisanti killed him.

He was made acting capo of his crew when Gualtieri was imprisoned on a gun charge and was awarded a no-show job at the Esplanade construction site. His promotion irked Parisi, who had seniority. The two came to blows over Parisi's continued theft from the construction site, despite orders from Soprano. Silvio was actually the guiding force behind Parisi's actions, as he was also jealous of Moltisanti's promotion. Moltisanti was also entrusted with traveling to meet an aging family of hitmen with Silvio while organizing a hit on Johnny Sack. When Sack resolved his dispute with Ralphie, the hit was called off.

Moltisanti's drug use spiraled out of control following his temporary promotion. When Soprano called upon him to dispose of Ralphie's body, Soprano realized that Moltisanti was high. Although they were able to successfully conceal the body, Soprano decided his nephew needed help. Later, Moltisanti was car jacked by a Latino gang while trying to buy heroin. After Moltisanti physically abused Adriana, Soprano organized an intervention. When Tony Soprano learned that Moltisanti had accidentally killed Adriana's dog, Cosette, by sitting on it when high, he became very angry, despite the fact that Christopher had justified it by the fact that the dog must have crawled under him for warmth. He insisted Moltisanti go into rehab and assigned Patsy to guard him.

Following Moltisanti's successful rehabilitation, Soprano entrusted him with the planned hit on Carmine Lupertazzi; Moltisanti contracted the job out to Credenzo Curtis and Stanley Johnson, some associates from the days of his heroin usage. When the job was called off and Soprano urged him to make sure it couldn't be traced to them, Moltisanti had Benny and Peter "Bissell" De La Rosa murder the hired help while he waited in his car.

Season Five[link]

Moltisanti got into an argument with Paulie Walnuts while hanging out telling past stories including the Pine Barrens tale. Paulie called Chris "Tony's Little Favorite." They later agreed to stop fighting before things got out of control.

Moltisanti was put in charge of a cigarette smuggling operation. Moltisanti was partnered with Paulie and told to split the difference. While Moltisanti was traveling to North Carolina to pick up some cigarettes, Tony and Adriana were involved in a car accident, and rumors began to spread about how the crash had been caused by Adriana performing oral sex on Tony. Moltisanti found out, got drunk, started a fight with Vito Spatafore and pulled a gun on Tony in the Bada Bing. Following this incident, Tony was ready to kill Moltisanti when their cousin Tony Blundetto stepped in and saved his life. Blundetto arranged a meeting with the doctor who treated Tony and Adriana following the crash to explain that both passengers must have been upright and in their seat belts when it occurred. Moltisanti reconciled with both Spatafore and Tony.

Moltisanti later travelled to his uncle Pat Blundetto's farm alongside Soprano and Tony Blundetto. They helped Pat move bodies hidden on the farm as Pat was planning to move away. While there, Moltisanti recalled being bullied by the two Tonys and their behavior seemed to repeat itself when they ribbed him over his addiction problems.

Throughout this time, Moltisanti maintained a turbulent and sometimes violent relationship with Adriana. He indulged her aspirations for a career in the music business by allowing her to produce a demo and later giving her a club to run. They became engaged before his drug addiction forced him into rehab. Years later, however, after he learned that Adriana was reluctantly providing information to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), he turned to Soprano rather than accept her plea to join her as a government informant. Tony Soprano then deceived Adriana by convincing her that Moltisanti had attempted suicide and that he was sending Silvio Dante to transport her to the hospital, only for her to be driven into the woods and executed. Moltisanti later relapsed into heroin use and wept to his uncle out of grief for Adriana.

Blundetto almost started a war with the Lupertazzi crime family by killing Phil Leotardo's brother Billy. Following this Tony had Moltisanti go into hiding because he feared Leotardo might seek revenge on Blundetto's family. Eventually Tony was forced to kill Blundetto himself.

Season Six, Part One[link]

Moltisanti was promoted to capo in the DiMeo Family sometime between 2004 and 2006, in keeping with Tony's long term plan to raise his nephew through the ranks until he is his sole contact to the rest of the family, through which all orders are issued, and eventually boss of the family. He used Moltisanti to organize the sensitive hit on Rusty Millio. Christopher initially questioned Soprano's decision to contract the job out to their friends in Naples, but later decided it was a smart move. He used his Italian-speaking associate Corky Caporale to communicate with the hitmen and provide them with weapons and instructions, while paying him off with heroin. Moltisanti's readiness for the responsibility of leading his own crew is unclear as he has been distracted by the lure of a Hollywood career, relapsed into drug use, and displayed unresolved feelings over his murdered fiancee.

Moltisanti's crew got involved in a credit card fraud scam; his AA sponsor James "Murmur" Zancone and Benny Fazio take numbers from local businesses and sell them on to associates Ahmed and Muhammad. He wonders about whether these men have links to terrorism. The use of numbers from Nuovo Vesuvio led to a violent dispute between his associate Benny Fazio and Soprano's friend Artie Bucco. Soprano blamed Moltisanti's trip to Los Angeles for the dispute not being settled quickly.

Moltisanti married Kelli Lombardo in 2006 after learning that she was pregnant with his child. They made an offer on a new home together. He had a belated bachelor party with the Soprano crime family at Nuovo Vesuvio where "Larry Boy" Barese made a toast to his future. When he later delivered Corky's final payment, including more heroin, however, he watched his friend inject the drug and could not resist following suit. He spent the night at the Feast of St. Elzear festival with a stray dog.

Moltisanti took a road trip to Pennsylvania with Soprano just before the feast. On their way home they spotted some bikers robbing a strip mall and took part of the haul for themselves. This led to a firefight (started by the bikers immediately after Christopher shot out one of the tires on the bikers' van so the bikers wouldn't be able to pursue them) in which Moltisanti shot one of the bikers as Soprano drove away. Later, the two got drunk on the wine they had stolen, and Moltisanti recalled telling Soprano of Adriana's treachery. The two expressed their love for and loyalty to each other — though when the two later tried to recreate their camaraderie sober, it fell flat and ended in an awkward silence. Months later, Moltisanti was back in AA meetings.

Season Six, Part Two[link]

Christopher calls Tony to wish him a belated birthday while he is celebrating it at the Adirondacks but Tony, disgusted, hangs up on him.

Christopher premiered his film Cleaver in 2007 at a private screening with other Soprano family members and friends and is looking to have it distributed nationwide. He also seems to be distancing himself from the criminal lifestyle and staying away from the Bada Bing strip club where he might go back into drug and alcohol use. In general, his relationship with Tony has cooled. When Tony begins grooming Bobby Bacala for the position Christopher once held, it is clear that their relationship will never be the same. Given Chris's resentment towards Tony about Adriana's death, and his continued desire to enter the movie business, he and Tony continue to drift apart. When he relapsed to drinking after yet another confrontation with Paulie Walnuts, he became very angry with the crew and left. He later ended up at the home of his "friend" J.T. Dolan, looking for someone to talk to. When JT foolishly made explicit mention of Christopher's membership in the Mafia, and refused to let Christopher talk out his problems that night, Moltisanti shot Dolan in the head and left, adding to his murder count.

Christopher and his wife Kelli had a daughter named Caitlyn.

In the episode "Kennedy and Heidi", as Tony and Christopher were driving back from a meeting with Phil Leotardo and the New York crew, Christopher, clearly impaired by drugs and alcohol, lost control of his Escalade EXT and ran it off the road, turning over several times and coming to a stop in a ditch. Tony was well enough to climb out of the car, but Christopher was badly injured and coughing up blood. He pleaded for Tony's help, mumbling that he wouldn't pass a drugs test and could lose his licence. Tony decided he had finally had enough of his nephew's endless irresponsibility, drug use, and his growing fears about Christopher becoming an FBI informant. Tony pinched Christopher's nostrils shut, choking him to death on his own blood.

Throughout the remainder of the episode, Tony displayed the proper decorum for the family in mourning yet could barely restrain his relief that he was finally free of the burden Christopher had placed upon him for so long; the many instances of insubordination, his drug and alcohol addictions, his reckless and thoughtless behavior, and his constant complaining about his frustrated ambitions. He also described Christopher as a "drag" on his emotions, and "a weak, lying drug addict." In a dream, Tony admits to Dr. Melfi that he did in fact murder Christopher as well as other friends and family members before, specifically mentioning Tony Blundetto, Big Pussy Bonpensiero and Ralph Cifaretto. In the final episodes of the series, a picture of Christopher is hung in the pork store in his honor; Paulie is disturbed that the resident cat spends its days staring at the picture.

Clandestine knowledge[link]

Because of his close relationship with Tony Soprano, Christopher is the only one (besides Tony) who knows which bodies were buried at "Uncle Pat" Blundetto's farm and where they were moved after Pat sold the farm, where Tony Blundetto's body was buried after Tony Soprano shot him, and what really happened to Ralph Cifaretto. Christopher is also one of the few (along with Furio Giunta) to know Richie Aprile was murdered by Janice Soprano, and (along with Silvio Dante) to know about Tony Soprano's murder of Fabian Petrulio, about the aborted plan to hit New York boss Carmine Lupertazzi, Sr. and about Silvio's murder of Christopher's fiancee, Adriana La Cerva.

Luxury vehicles owned by Moltisanti[link]

• Lexus LS400 (Season 1)

• Mercedes-Benz CLK 430 (Season 2)

• Range Rover 4.6 HSE (Seasons 3 and 4)

• Pontiac Bonneville (Season 4)

• Hummer H2 (Season 5)

• Maserati Coupe Cambiocorsa (formerly Johnny Sack's) (Season 6, part I)

• Cadillac Escalade EXT (Season 6, part II)

His longtime girlfriend, Adriana La Cerva is shown to be driving a 2nd generation Ford Explorer in Season 1 and Season 2, and a 2002 Ford Thunderbird in the 4th and 5th seasons.

Killings or possible killings committed or assisted by Moltisanti[link]

• Emil Kolar: Shot in the head by Christopher over a business deal gone wrong in the back of Satriale's Pork Store. (1999)

• Mikey Palmice: Shot in the chest by Christopher and Paulie for conspiring to kill Tony with Junior & for killing Brendan Filone, Christopher's friend. (1999)

• Sean Gismonte: Shot and killed by Christopher in self-defense after he and associate Matthew Bevilaqua attempted to kill him. (2000)

• Carlo Renzi: Shot in the head and killed by Christopher during poker game robbery. (2001)

• Dino Zerilli: Shot and killed by Christopher and Albert Barese after Zerilli and Jackie, Jr. shot and killed Sunshine and wounded Furio Giunta during a poker-game robbery. (2001)

• Det. Lt. Barry Haydu: Executed in his home by Christopher after Tony informed Christopher he was the man who was contracted to kill his father many years ago. (2002)

• J.T. Dolan: Shot in the head by an inebriated Christopher after Dolan persistently refused to listen to Christopher's personal problems and exclaimed, "Chris, you're in the Mafia!" (2007)

Christopher has helped dispose of several people murdered by other people throughout the series, mainly Tony.

• Jimmy Altieri: Lured by Christopher to his death, a bullet to the back of the head courtesy of Silvio Dante. Chrissy helped Silvio get rid of (or at least transport) the corpse, as he followed Silvio's orders to "get the piano dolly" to transport Jimmy's body. (1999)

• Richie Aprile: Bagged up, carried off, and cut up in the basement of Satriale's as requested by Tony after he was shot by Janice Soprano for hitting her. (2000)

• Tracee: Ralph Cifaretto beat the stripper to death; Tony and his crew were horrified at Ralphie's actions and Silvio told to Christopher to "get a sheet" from inside the strip club to cover up her corpse. (2001)

• Valery: Possibly alive, he was shot in the head by Paulie in the woods when Chris and Paulie were chasing him. (2001)

• Ralph Cifaretto: Decapitation of head and hands with a cleaver and placed in a bowling bag by Christopher after subsequently being beaten and choked to death by Tony. (2002)

• Credenzo Curtis and Stanley Johnson: After being released from the Eleuthra drug recovery program, Tony gave Christopher the responsibility of hiring a couple of assassins to take out New York boss Carmine Lupertazzi, Sr. at the request of Johnny Sack. He chooses Curtis and Johnson, two African Americans from Irvington who he believes would be good at making it look like a carjacking. When Johnny comes to an agreement with Carmine and calls off the hit, Christopher is given the new task of eliminating the two hired hands. He meets with the hitmen in a parking lot and gives them the money for the hit that never happened. Benny Fazio and Petey LaRosa surprise the two hitmen when they suddenly appear, and shoot and kill them in their car. (2002)

• Raoul: Christopher threw a brick at him and then Paulie shot him. (2004)

• "Black" Jack Massarone: Christopher volunteered to do the hit on Massarone after Tony suspected "Black Jack" of wearing a wire under his hat; it is unclear who murdered Massarone later in the episode, but there is strong evidence that Moltisanti was directly responsible for it. (2004)

• Adriana La Cerva: Once she confessed to Christopher that she had been an FBI informant, divulging important information about the Soprano Crime Family, Christopher went to Tony's basement, distraught and in tears because he knew she would have to be killed. After checking Christopher for a wire, he agreed to Chris's request that he not murder his fiancee. However, Christopher did park Adriana's car (which contained a suitcase that he had stuffed with some of her personal belongings and clothes) at an airport's "Long Term Parking" lot in an attempt to make it look like she had fled. (2004)

• Tony Blundetto: Buried by Christopher after Tony shot him with a 12-gauge Ithaca 37 shotgun to appease New York. (2004)

• Teddy Spirodakis: Chris asked Eugene to do him the favor of going to whack Spirodakis in exchange for Chris' putting in a good word to Tony for Eugene's retirement from the Family. (2006)

• Rusty Millio: Organized the discreet hit on orders from Tony via Italian hitmen as a favor to Johnny Sack. (2006)

References to Imperioli's career[link]

• By far the most obvious reference to Imperioli's career is that both he and his character have an interest in film and television, and both are screenwriters.
• in the episode "46 Long", Christopher and Brendan Filone encounter with a look-alike Martin Scorsese outside of a club, whom in The Soprano world is the real Martin Scorsese^{[clarification needed]}, Christopher yells "Marty! Kundun! I liked it!". Imperioli acted in Martin Scorsese's gangster film Goodfellas in a minor role, "Spider".
• In Season 1 Moltisanti shoots a bakery clerk in the foot in retaliation for a perceived lack of respect and service — a nod to Imperioli's Goodfellas character Spider, shot in the foot for the same reason. When the bakery clerk was yelling in pain about his foot being shot, Christopher replies "It happens!".
• In reference to his Goodfellas character, Spider, being shot and killed by Joe Pesci's character , Tommy DeVito. In season 2 episode, "Big Girls Don't Cry", when Christopher gets his confidence up as a student actor, Adrianna tells him "I like you as an actor." and Christopher replies "Joe Pesci or so.", he then does a Joe Pesci impression of him saying a line in Jimmy Hollywood.
• In the episode "Live Free or Die", after it is confirmed that Vito Spatafore is a homosexual, Christopher states "I wanna kill the fat faggot myself, it'd be a fucking honor. Cut off his braciole and feed it to him" in reference to Michael Imperioli's character d'Ambrosio in the film Dead Presidents having exactly the same thing done to him by North Vietnamese. Braciole is an Italian-American dish made by rolling meat into tubes; thus, its slang connotation with penis.
• Christopher is in his fatal accident while listening to the soundtrack of The Departed, as Goodfellas directed by Martin Scorsese.

Reception[link]

TV Guide rated him #13 on their list of "TV's Top 100 Characters".

References[link]

External links[link]

• HBO Profile: Christopher Moltisanti
• IMDB: Christopher Moltisanti