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From:
"Tako Oda" <
toda@m...
>
"Tako Oda" <
toda@m...
>
Date:
Fri Mar 9, 2001 11:19 pm
Subject:
Re: [vocalist] Countertenor hogs (was: silence of the lambs (errr... list))
In
vocalist-temporary@y...
, Karen Mercedes <
vocalist-temporary@y...
, Karen Mercedes <
> But I do understand the "questioning" issue with countertenors.
> Even among those who do recognise the existence of the fach
> there seems to be a lot of controversy over which singers are
> true countertenors...
Sigh... this is a tough one. The term countertenor was coined by
Michael Tippett and Alfred Deller. Until then, we were just called
"altos" or "falsettists". Deller had baritone speaking voice. Tenors
can also sing in this manner as well, but many high tenors use a more
chest-centric technique for a similar range. When Russell Oberlin
(very very high tenor) came on the scene, he declared that *he* was a
countertenor, and that everyone else were just "male altos". The haute
contre is an Oberlin-like voice (tenor at the bottom, and gradually
shifting to a light mechanism head voice instead of a heavy mechanism
head voice), and often looked upon as just a specialized tenor
variety, yet the literal translation is "high countertenor". Very
confusing.
Here's my opinion (and it's only my opinion) - If we are to talk about
countertenors as a *fach*, we must consider it in the context of
operatic voices, since the fach system is meant for this kind of
singer. In other words, if a high male voice can't produce enough
volume for opera, they are not in the countertenor fach. This means
that falsettists are out. Only a true high head voice technique would
work. This does not mandate a natural tenor, bari, or bass speaking
voice, or where the registration should change (though that may help
define subcategories, as it does with women's voices). The prime
factor is the use of a true head voice instead of falsetto at the top.
When I say true head voice, I mean full closure of and tension in the
vocal cords, like in any other operatic voice.
Usually, the higher the register change, the more likely one is to be
called a tenor instead of a countertenor. So there you have it, in
*opera*, the countertenor fach should mean men who specialize in
producing a light mechanism head voice for the majority of their
range. Other, non-operatic high male voices (like Aaron Nevills) might
be called countertenors, much as that 14 year old Welsh girl might be
called a soprano, but that is not their fach in the formal sense.
Bizarre tidbit: David Daniels and Brian Asawa are listed as "male
altos" and Daniel Taylor as a "countertenor" at the Met. Their choice
apparently.
Tako
Replies
Name/Email
Yahoo! ID
Date
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10080
Re: Countertenor hogs (was: silence of the lambs
John Link
Fri 3/9/2001
2 KB
10083
Re: Countertenor hogs (was: silence of the lambs
Tako Oda
Fri 3/9/2001
2 KB
10084
Re: Countertenor hogs (was: silence of the lambs
John Link
Sat 3/10/2001
2 KB
10100
Re: Countertenor hogs (was: silence of the lambs
Karen Mercedes
Sat 3/10/2001
2 KB
10101
Re: Countertenor hogs (was: silence of the lambs
gsanders@b...
Sat 3/10/2001
3 KB