Vocalist.org archive


From:  Tako Oda <toda@m...>
Date:  Tue May 30, 2000  6:07 pm
Subject:  RE: Bach, Baroque and Countertenors


John Alexander Blyth <BLYTHE@B...> wrote:
> No, Bach was a still greater composer than we usually think
> and timbre was important to him, even although he must rarely have had
> ideal circumstances to realise it.

You've got an Amen from me! In particular his choices of obbligato
instruments are always inspired. Sometimes I feel like he hated all
singers, though ;-) it's not easy stuff to sing!

> I've been working on this music for years now, and I can still
> get this excited about it! Suffice to say that Bach's alto writing
> would work superlatively well, no matter who sung it, but there is
> probably a particular timbre which would give it that extra something.

Most music historians seem to think Bach had only boy altos and
countertenors available to sing alto lines (based on the idiotic
interpretation of scripture that women should remain silent in church).
I suspect this is true, because half of his alto parts seem appropriate
for a boy alto (high tessitura with a few low notes like Erbarme dich)
and the other half seem appropriate for a countertenor with a much lower
tessitura.

Surely you're not suggesting Bach alto arias are best sung by mezzos?
Certainly there are cases of women (mostly contraltos) who shine in this
repertoire, but it's a stretch to say he wrote it with women in mind.

-Tako



  Replies Name/Email Yahoo! ID Date Size
1986 Re: Bach, Baroque and Countertenors John Alexander Blyth   Tue  5/30/2000   4 KB
2005 Re: Bach, Baroque and Countertenors LMorgan923@a...   Wed  5/31/2000   2 KB
2013 Re: Bach, Baroque and Countertenors Tako Oda   Wed  5/31/2000   3 KB
2041 Re: Bach, Baroque and Countertenors Reg Boyle   Thu  6/1/2000   4 KB
2032 Re: Bach, Baroque and Countertenors Mezzoid@a...   Wed  5/31/2000   2 KB
2043 Re: Bach, Baroque and Countertenors Axwell@a...   Thu  6/1/2000   2 KB
2057 Re: Bach, Baroque and Countertenors Tako Oda   Thu  6/1/2000   3 KB
2099 (Fe)male Falsetto/Chest/Head and Countertenors Tako Oda   Fri  6/2/2000   2 KB
2100 Re: (Fe)male Falsetto/Chest/Head and Countertenor John Alexander Blyth   Fri  6/2/2000   2 KB

emusic.com