> Tracey Jones wondered what we thought of women who sing tenor in a
> choral setting, and mentioned some of the negative comments she has
> received. For me this is an interesting topic - I sang in the tenor
> section of a vocal jazz ensemble with a lovely and talented young
> woman "tenor" named Kristin and remember her also getting some funny
> comments. We tenors were delighted to have Kristin helping us...
When I was in college, I was in a chamber choir where the director
added a few tenor/countertenors to the alto section and some chesty
mezzos to the tenor section to sing some Bach. He wanted seemless
registration between sections from top to bottom. I really liked it.
IMO, choral range has little to do with your "real" range. It's about
group cohesion, not individuality and personal comfort.
> Without having heard you it is hard to say, but I doubt that you
> sound "like a tenor." In some group settings, that is fine, but not
> in others. For the vocal jazz group I was in, having a female tenor
> worked perfectly.
You're right about mezzo, but I've heard a few true contraltos who
really sound like tenors (even baritones) when they're in open chest.
My grandma talks on a baritone low A, and it can modulate easily to a
bass F !!! I actually think my (singing) chest voice sounds somewhat
womanly (anyone who heard my "arpeggio" clip last month can probably
attest to that). Even if a woman doesn't sound like a man, it is
sometimes nice to have an androgynous tone to a section due to the
mixed colors. Otherwise, there's usually too big a timbral jump from
tenor to alto...
-Tako
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