From: Tako Oda
To: VOCALIST <vocalist>
Subject: RE: 7 octaves (was: Questions)
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

> Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 20:27:34 -0000
> From: "Libenson, Roni"
>
> Do you mean you can hit a certain note (e.g. C) in 5 different octaves?
> That's a range of only 4 octaves. But even if you have a range of 5 octaves,
> again I say, every semitone counts - can you get another 2-3 semitones into
> your range? Difficult? Well, 2 additional octaves is 24 additional
> semitones... Now, think again!

It sort of depends on what you consider your range. There's my "bel
canto" voice which has the usual range, but then there's my "avant
garde" voice :) When beauty of tone and singing over an orchestra are
not an issue, you might be surprised how quickly one can tack on an
octave or two to one's range!

A couple of composers have asked an unamplified E1 of me. On another
occasion I had to record the B above the "Queen of the Night" F. Pretty?
No way, but it's still 5 and a half octaves. To consider one's operatic
range the only legitimate measure of range is to discount many different
kinds of singing. Consider: throat singing, harmonic chant, yodelling,
whistle voice, Russian choral strohbass, falsetto. All these are outside
the standard bel canto palette, yet they serve a highly expressive
purpose.

Tako Oda
Graduate Student in Composition
Mills College Music Department
http://www.mills.edu/PEOPLE/gr.pages/toda.public.html/music/singer.html