thomas mark montgomery <thomas8@t...> wrote:
thomas mark montgomery <thomas8@t...> wrote:
>
> Here are some interesting comments made by Drew...
> "Physiologically," Mr. Minter said, "in terms of the size of
> the chest cavity, and the pressure on the vocal cords, the
> closest thing we have to a castrato today is a dramatic tenor.
> A countertenor is probably the furthest thing away."
This is coming from Drew Minter, though, who, while a great musician,
is a somewhat falsettoey (is that a word?) countertenor with a hooty
top. Minter has a bass-baritone speaking voice, which is quite
detached from his CT voice. *He* may be far removed from the castrato
experience, but a barrel-chested natural tenor with good closure on
the upper range may not be (i.e. David Daniels).
I've heard a recording of "the last castrato" (admittedly not the
best proof, since it's decades after the last *operatic* castrato,
and he was past his prime) - he never brings that tenor quality above
the usual tenor range. It's all "feminine" brand head voice above
that. The fact that Handel considered male and female voices
interchangeable suggests the tone between castrati and women wasn't
*all* that different... at the least not as much as the difference
between a dramatic tenor (which I don't even think existed back in
the day) and a soprano.
Tako
|
|  |
