Vocalist.org archive

From: "Tako Oda" <toda@m...>
"Tako Oda" <toda@m...>
Date: Fri Mar 9, 2001 11:19 pm
Subject: Re: [vocalist] Countertenor hogs (was: silence of the lambs (errr... list))

In vocalist-temporary@y..., Karen Mercedes <vocalist-temporary@y..., Karen Mercedes < > But I do understand the "questioning" issue with countertenors. > Even among those who do recognise the existence of the fach > there seems to be a lot of controversy over which singers are > true countertenors... Sigh... this is a tough one. The term countertenor was coined by Michael Tippett and Alfred Deller. Until then, we were just called "altos" or "falsettists". Deller had baritone speaking voice. Tenors can also sing in this manner as well, but many high tenors use a more chest-centric technique for a similar range. When Russell Oberlin (very very high tenor) came on the scene, he declared that *he* was a countertenor, and that everyone else were just "male altos". The haute contre is an Oberlin-like voice (tenor at the bottom, and gradually shifting to a light mechanism head voice instead of a heavy mechanism head voice), and often looked upon as just a specialized tenor variety, yet the literal translation is "high countertenor". Very confusing. Here's my opinion (and it's only my opinion) - If we are to talk about countertenors as a *fach*, we must consider it in the context of operatic voices, since the fach system is meant for this kind of singer. In other words, if a high male voice can't produce enough volume for opera, they are not in the countertenor fach. This means that falsettists are out. Only a true high head voice technique would work. This does not mandate a natural tenor, bari, or bass speaking voice, or where the registration should change (though that may help define subcategories, as it does with women's voices). The prime factor is the use of a true head voice instead of falsetto at the top. When I say true head voice, I mean full closure of and tension in the vocal cords, like in any other operatic voice. Usually, the higher the register change, the more likely one is to be called a tenor instead of a countertenor. So there you have it, in *opera*, the countertenor fach should mean men who specialize in producing a light mechanism head voice for the majority of their range. Other, non-operatic high male voices (like Aaron Nevills) might be called countertenors, much as that 14 year old Welsh girl might be called a soprano, but that is not their fach in the formal sense. Bizarre tidbit: David Daniels and Brian Asawa are listed as "male altos" and Daniel Taylor as a "countertenor" at the Met. Their choice apparently. Tako

	Replies	Name/Email	Yahoo! ID	Date	Size
10080	Re: Countertenor hogs (was: silence of the lambs	John Link		Fri 3/9/2001	2 KB
10083	Re: Countertenor hogs (was: silence of the lambs	Tako Oda		Fri 3/9/2001	2 KB
10084	Re: Countertenor hogs (was: silence of the lambs	John Link		Sat 3/10/2001	2 KB
10100	Re: Countertenor hogs (was: silence of the lambs	Karen Mercedes		Sat 3/10/2001	2 KB
10101	Re: Countertenor hogs (was: silence of the lambs	gsanders@b...		Sat 3/10/2001	3 KB