In a message dated 11/30/2001 10:59:59 PM Eastern Standard Time,
tidwellc@e... writes:
tidwellc@e... writes:
<< I've always been told that voice categorization has less to do with
range than with the timbre and/or weight of the voice. >>
i agree that this is frequently the standard by how singers are
categorized. but, range is objective where timbre is not. in the case of
placido domingo, for example, there had been more than a few discussions,
early in his career, as to what kind of tenor he is or, even if he really was
a tenor. compared to pavarotti, his timbre is what most consider to be more
baritonal. however, compared to ramon vinay, his timbre is more tenorial.
there are some who might argue with me on this and i can offer nothing to
support my opinion. and yet, through all these discussions, there would
never be a problem recognizing domingo as placido domingo, a matter of
timbre.
so, how can we call domingo and corelli both tenors if they sound so
different? how can we call both merrill and warren baritones if they sound
so different? and what if jacques jansen and pierre bernac had grown up in
italy instead of france? would they now be looked upon as tenors (borrowing
on richard miller's notion that the differences in the languages and cultures
of southern france and northern italy produce an unusual number of baryton
martin in france and an unusual number of dramatic tenors in italy, out of
what is, essentially, the same group of people. miller stated this in an
earlier book so, i don't know if he still thinks this)?
the late richard cassilly felt that categorization of voices should be
based on where a singer's 'climax notes' are (assuming that range is not an
issue). for example, a male who can sing a 'climactic' F above middle C but
who starts to thin out on the G above middle C, is probably a bass-baritone
rather than a baritone, if there is such a question.
clearly, there are more variables between individual singers than is
allowed for in these rather arbitrary labels of tenor and baritone. what
would domingo's career have been like if the label of baritone-tenor was as
acceptable as the label bass-baritone? instead of being too harshly judged
for his high C, he might have been able to just say "i'm a baritone-tenor.
i don't need a high C."
mike
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