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From:  Michelle Albert <drama_diva_au@y...>
Date:  Wed Mar 5, 2003  12:25 am
Subject:  Countertenors and repertoire.


There are two interesting threads going at once right now. The phenomenon of the
countertenor (*endlessly* it would seem LOL) and that of motivation to sing
which started life (sort of) as performance vs worship in Church. Bear with me
if you can as my train of thought rarely runs along straight or indeed parallel
tracks sometimes.
I'll set up where I'm coming from first. As I've said before, just because I
don't like something, or don't agree with you personally most times I will
defend to the knell your right to hold that opinion and by default I guess I
expect you not to get all bent out of shape with me no matter how contrary or
opposing my views are. I mean no harm or offence. I am the sum of my experiences
combined with a personality I had no choice in after all.
So when I say I don't like countertenors, it is not a personal attack, or
insulting to anyone here especially, it's just a bland statement of fact for me
personally. Indeed I keep wondering "what's wrong" with me. I remember being
utterly crushed when my singing teacher at the Conservatorium finally "decided"
I was a Mezzo-soprano, for reasons she never clearly articulated, as the major
part of a mezzos stage life, as presented to me at that stage of my life,
consisted of pants roles, something which I don't mind watching all that much if
I really must, by comparison, but just makes my stomach turn at the thought of
me having to perform them. I'm not homophobic, I just can't stand the thought of
dragging up as it were and pretending to be a man personally. Likewise, it
leaves me cold watching men pretend to be women, be it Les Girls, or Baroque
repertoire being performed by the voices it was actually written for, that is to
say, men singing the womens roles. Not only do I find it boring, it discomforts
me. My hang up. I won't go to see The Messiah performed by a counter tenor, it
really doesn't float my boat. (But then again neither do Tenors who sound like
they have their testicles in a vice either.)
Another (major) reason for my dislike of counter tenors is my "feminist
hostility" as it were, towards men taking away roles from women who can do it as
well if not better, just for the novelty of phenomenon. I am a product of the
women's movement of the 1970's after all. And I live in a country where women
have had to/still occassionally have to fight tooth and nail to get recognition,
let alone equal <fill in the blank> but that's another topic all together.
So ..... getting to the heart of the topic the title sets up ... what I am
curious about is what is the motivation to sing/to express yourself through
song, when the repertoire being sung is largely contrary to your sexuality
and/or life experiences? Why express yourself in this way especially if your
inclination from birth is not to androgeny or misassigned gender? (For a counter
tenor, isn't the repertoire even more overwhelmingly contrary than a mezzos?) Is
it that for the vast majority of the repertoire a counter tenor is just acting,
i.e. expressing feelings that are second hand rather than expressing
something/anything fundamental to themselves, their souls, their life
experiences?
Or am I so far off track it's not funny? I am of course making the presumption
that the majority of a countertenor's repertoire is indeed Baroque music and
music written for Castrati and contralto voices and liturgical music. I don't
know how a countertenor sings romantic repertoire unless you just transpose it
up and what's the point in that? Goodness knows we females cop enough stick over
transposing classical, especially the romantic repertoire to suit our voices,
but that is a debate for another thread also.
So where does motivation, self expression and selflessness merge? Or is it
perhaps just that I sadly miss what everyone else hears, ie the sheer beauty of
the voice type and the fact that that beauty can transcend all other
considerations? I feel somehow disadvantaged that I can't appreciate
countertenors, especially as it's more than obvious from those on the list how
hard they work to attain their art, and how much they contribute to it and how
much everyone also enjoys them.
I just thought it an interesting part of the motivation discussion given their
repertoire choices and limitations. Maybe it's just my ignorance. I know as a
soprano/mezzo-soprano when I perform I have a very broad range of repertoire
choices to motivate me. I can be acting a role, expressing poetry from a first
hand experience point of view, or second hand, being a conduit for God, etc etc
etc. and therefore I get to choose the whys and wherefores of performing with
much consideration and great thought and care. I don't recognise this as being
as complex for a countertenor. Where are/what are the roles and the poetry etc
that, an especially heterosexual, countertenor gets to express himself first
hand in? How much does this impact on the motivation to sustain a career in
singing that actually reaches out and impacts the audience at a fundamental
emotional level or is the point of the countertenor voice only primarily to
express the beauty inherent in the sound? And if all you are using, as a singer,
is your instrument to express yourself, are you shortchanging the expectation an
audience has a right to expect from a singer? In other words, why sing when any
other instrument could give just as satisfying performance? If you're not going
to go the extra mile and use what is unique to singers, the manipulation of text
to elicit response, why sing at all, why not just play it on the cello or
clarinet etc? Surely singing by it's very nature (and we as singers) has to
offer more than just pure beauty of sound to its intended audience?
What do you all think?
Michelle




Reality is just a figment of your imagination.


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  Replies Name/Email Yahoo! ID Date  
23065 Re: Countertenors and repertoire.Michaelchosdad Wed  3/5/2003  
23068 Re: Countertenors and repertoire.SMSchneidersusan5s Wed  3/5/2003  
23071 Re: Countertenors and repertoire.Edward Nortonbelcantist2003 Wed  3/5/2003  
23072 Re: Countertenors and repertoire.Leslie Christopherleskayc Wed  3/5/2003  
23074 Re: Countertenors and repertoire.Edward Nortonbelcantist2003 Wed  3/5/2003  
23073 Re: Countertenors and repertoire.Karen Mercedessingwiththespirit Wed  3/5/2003  
23075 Re: Countertenors and repertoire.Christine Thomasmezzoid Wed  3/5/2003  
23076 Re: Countertenors and repertoire.Mark Craytonmrcountertenor Wed  3/5/2003  
23108 Re: Countertenors and repertoire.Michelledrama_diva_au Thu  3/6/2003  
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