Karen Mercedes <dalila@R...> wrote:
> The technique used by countertenors - at least those who
participated in
> the ITV South Bank documentary on Counter-Tenors - was agreed by all
> participants to be a refined use of male falsetto. The lack of
power was
> explained as being the result of the fact that falsetto singing
involves
> vibration only along a small part of the vocal fold. It's similar to
> "whistle register" production in women, which also vibrates only a
small
> edge of the entire length of the vocal fold.
Dear Karen,
I am capable of whistle, head, and falsetto, and these three
registers feel distinct to me. A bunch of countertenors may call what
they do "falsetto", but it is commonly used as a catch-all name for
anything a man sings above his modal voice. All three modes use less
than the full mass of the folds for vibration, which is why there is
a superficial resemblance.
That said, I seriously doubt any professional operatic countertenor
these days is using anything but head voice for their upper range...
true falsetto cannot produce squillo, and whistle voice (IMO) is very
difficult to control. Mind you, I'm talking about whistle, not
flageolet, which I think of as an extension of the head voice
mechanism.
Tako
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