Well, Cathy,
I'm usually a first name kinda guy, despite my British origin. I din't
really ask enough for even me to be able to give you a 'diagnosis', but
maybe my questions have helped you into the 'ballpark'. I would guess,
hoever that different kinds of practice would either give you a nice mezzo
or maybe even an alto. I recently heard a singer at the Met called Birgitta
Svenden who sang the small but important part of Erda in Wagner's 'Ring'.
She is on the odd Met roster as a mezzo-soprano and yet here she was
singing one of the famous contralto parts. I thought she did well, though I
could hear her low notes coming from the pit of her stomach with a slow
wide vibrato that didn't seem entirely characteristic of her voice or her
normal production. She did it though, and I heard her even from high
amongst the gods.
On the mezzo end of things, I bet you would probably find anything up to
and including Mozart rewarding. The Lieder repertoire usually doesn't go to
above an A even for the high voice versions, on the other hand I think I
live in a cloud-cuckoo-land where there is still such a thing as the Lieder
recital!
Regarding higher literature: when I have to sing something, I am at a
stage in my development where I pretty well have to find a technique for
each aria, rather than one-size-fits-all. I think that, so long as it
doesn't hurt, your higher repertoire ought to give you more ease in that
range.
In high-lying parts, what has worked for me is a head-tone sound, with a
rather small mouth opening, only allowing more 'warmth' to creep in once
I'm really sure of what I'm doing.
Happy singing!
john
At 08:48 PM 6/9/00 -0400, you wrote:
>...
>Mr. Blyth (since you responded to me very formally as Ms. Ardrey ;) you
>wrote:
...
>When you sing something you like from the radio or such, where does your
>voice lie?>>>
>Answer: in the high part of middle!
><<< Can you find very odd squeaks way above that elusive high C?>
>Answer: Nope!
>>>> What sort of feedback have you had from teachers and other singers when
>you have attempted really low repertoire?>>>
>Answer: I haven't really attempted *really* low repertoire in public, but
>when I sing alto in church choir, people seem surprised that I can do it
>(*pleasantly* surprised, I hope.)
><<<What is your speaking voice like? Do you feel you aupport
>appropriately?>>>
>I do have a low speaking voice, although I think that talking may be a part
>of my problem; since I teach four-year old kindergarten I talk, sing, and
>read aloud all day long. I'm not sure I speak correctly. I have good
>support when I sing, but I'm not sure it's correct when I speak.
><<<What is your vibrato like in different parts of your range?>>>
>Answer: I like my vibrato. It is neither too fast or slow.
><<< I think (perhaps only I) that most voices have a wide range of
>capabilities, for instance, I can sound like a true bass, if I don't go too
>low and expose me for the baritone I am. I can also sound like a tenor,
>provided you don't want any of those horrible high 'c's out of me. And I can
>sound like a variety of baritones, any choose to, depending on the
>repertoire I am called upon to do, or that I choose to do. presumably there
>is one thing that I can do the best, though it wouldn't surprise me if the
>next best thing is still pretty close. All that seems to be clear from your
>post is that high notes have givenyou grief, either because of technique
>ideas, or because your voice doesn't go there.>>>
>This could apply to me as well, if you substituted alto for bass, and
>soprano for tenor. I agree with you wholeheartedly. My main concern was
>whether the higher literature I was studying was harmful to my voice.
>
>Thank you, John, for your questions and advice!
...>Thank you all,
>Cathy Ardrey
John Blyth
Baritono robusto e lirico
Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
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