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From:  Greypins@a...
Date:  Wed Jan 2, 2002  4:04 am
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] Regarding the Am I a tenor or bass-baritone question

In a message dated 1/1/2002 10:51:25 PM Eastern Standard Time,
gwyee@r... writes:

<< I know baritones who have
higher notes than some tenors; and some tenors who have better low notes
than some baritones; but when they sing, it's seems pretty clear as to who's
what. So the differences appears to me to be more than range and tessitura
comfort. Isn't this a pretty important question for students and singing
teachers? Students may come to them with layers of other stuff covering up
their true voices? >>

gwendel,

timbre, in regard to voices, is not an absolute. we call ludwig suthaus
and peter pears both tenors, we call hermann prey and robert merrill both
baritones. (try listening to the old furtwangler recording of 'tristan und
isolde', with suthaus and fischer-dieskau, and tell me which one sounds more
like a baritone.) and, by what criteria do we decide what someone's 'true'
voice is? is it the voice they constructed through years of study or, the
voice they grew up with, complete with hometown accent? the debate could
rage on forever but, my point is, because the vocal tract is flexible, a
singer is uniquely positioned to be more than one instrument, unlike the
clarinet or, the violin.

mike




  Replies Name/Email Yahoo! ID Date  
16124 Re: Regarding the Am I a tenor or bass-baritone qBart   Wed  1/2/2002  
16131 Re: Regarding the Am I a tenor or bass-baritone Ian Belsey   Wed  1/2/2002  
16132 Re: Regarding the Am I a tenor or bass-baritone qJohn Link   Wed  1/2/2002  
16133 Re: Regarding the Am I a tenor or bass-baritone Ian Belsey   Wed  1/2/2002  
16134 Re: Regarding the Am I a tenor or bass-baritone qJohn Link   Wed  1/2/2002  
16152 Re: Regarding the Am I a tenor or bass-baritone Ian Belsey   Thu  1/3/2002  

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