Greypins@a... wrote:
> would you make a distinction between the voice daniels uses and
the one
> philip bailey (earth wind & fire) uses? or, is it the same voice,
treated
> very differently? and, if they are the same used differently,
isn't the
> 'chalky anglo-choral sound' yet just another treatment of the same?
Dear Mike,
That's an awfully good question!
I think the spectrum from tenor to countertenor is defined primarily
by the switch-point between modal voice and what you'd call falsetto.
Light lyric tenors switch high (circa Bb4), whereas most
countertenors switch by E4. The haute-contre, naturally, changes
somewhere in between, around G4. There is generally an inverse
relationship between the height of the switch-point and the height of
the top notes.
For the most part, Bailey does the tenor thing, and uses falsetto
sparingly at the top (I'm not all that familiar with his music,
though). Daniels uses mostly falsetto. I do believe the coordination
necessary to move convincingly from tenor to Bailey's reinforced
falsetto is different from the transition Daniels makes around middle
C. Daniels skips the entire 'mix' range (E4-Bb4) most tenors must
learn to negotiate.
All the same, I think that above Bb4, both men are using the same
kind of production... Daniels just brings it down into his middle
range.
You've heard me do the "tenor on speed" thing. The notes above A4
sound more or less like my lower voice, but my experience with that
register is that it is precisely the same as the what I use singing
countertenor. If I simply lighten the sound, I can sing the usual CT
repertoire with it.
As for "chalky" choristers, it's more than just saying it's a breathy
version of what Daniels does, IMO. I think most men simply have lost
the ability to produce those notes with complete closure of the
folds. Maybe it's related to the phenomenon with some teenaged girls
who cannot get complete closure during puberty?
Perhaps the basic mechanics is the same, but the ability to utilize
it effectively is the difference. Maybe it's hormonal/neurological...
Tako
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