"Alain Zürcher" <az@c...> wrote: >> It's not well known, but countertenors have a much richer and longer >> history than the castrati. > > I'd like to learn more about this! I had read the opposite (and common) > opinion, that when castrati were available, there was no point in training > countertenors, whose technical possibilities were lower...
There was an extremely interesting post on the subject of the Spanish countertenors in Renaissance times on the AndreasScholl list a few days ago. Since it makes specific mention of their relationship to the castrati (who were soon to come), I asked the author, Stephen Guy, for permission to post his message here:
Steven Guy wrote: > Grandi, Victoria and Morales were all supposed to be falsetto sopranos. > Bartolomeo Barbarino (fl.1593 - ca.1617) was also a falsetto soprano > in Venice. Two of his remarkable compositions are sung by David Hurley > on the McCreesh/Gabrieli Consort's MUSIC FOR SAN ROCCO CD (ARCHIV 449 > 180-2) and Video. > > I am not sure but until Monteverdi took over at St.Mark's no castrati > were regular members of the 17 voice male choir which would have > consisted of falsetti, tenorini, tenors, baritones and basses. > Nearly all of Gabrieli's vocal works only need natural male voices and > no castrati or boy trebles are needed to perform this music. The > "cappella" parts for the choir are almost always: ATTB. > The solo vocal parts, the bottom voice of 'high choirs' and the > highest voice of 'low choirs', are always for tenors, countertenors or > baritones. > Sopranists ("falsetti") were often from Spain where there was a great > tradition for falsetto soprano singing (You're in the wrong century > Flavio!). The male sopranos were considered a better bet than boy > sopranos who would only be able to concentrate and sing for a few > years. The falsettists could be employed for 30 years or more (or > until their voices "packed up" after using the upper falsetto so > much!) a much better deal for the church's money! > > The Englishman, Thomas Coryat, witnessed the feast of St. Roche in > 1608 and described it in his travel journal published as Coryat's > Crudities is London in 1611. He wrote: > > The feast consisted principally of Musicke, which was both vocall and > instrumentall, so good, so delectable, so rare, so admirable, so super > excellent, that it did even ravish and stupifie all those strangers > that never heard the like. But how others were affected with it I know > not; for mine owne part I can say this, that I was for the time even > rapt up with Saint Paul into the third heaven. Sometimes there sung > sixteene or twenty men together (So much for "one voice per part in > Gabrieli and Monteverdi!!! Steven) , having their master or moderator > to keepe them in order; and when they sung, the instrumentall > musitians played also. Sometimes sixteene played together upon their > instruments, ten Sagbuts (trombones), foure Cornets, and two > Violdegambaes of an extraordinary greatnesse (must have been big > Violones - Steven); sometimes tenne, six Sagbuts and foure Cornets; > sometimes two, a Cornet and a treble violl (violin). Of those treble > viols I heard three severall there, whereof each was so good, > especially one that I observed above the rest, that I never heard the > like before. Those that played upon the treble viols, sung and played > together upon Theorboes, to which they sung also, who yeelded > admirable sweet musicke, but so still that they could scarce be heard > but by those that were very neare them. These two Theorbists concluded > that nights musicke, which continued three whole howers at the least. > For they beganne about five of the clock, and ended not before eight. > Also it continued as long in the morning: at every time that every > severall musicke played, the Organs, whereof there are seven faire > paire in that room, standing al in a rowe together, plaied with them. > Of the singers there were three or foure so excellent that I thinke > few or none in Christemdome do excell them, especially one, who had > such a peerelesse and (as I may in a manner say) such a supernaturall > voice for the sweetnesse that I thinke there was never a better singer > in all the world, insomuch that he did not onely give the most > pleasant contentment that could be imagined, to all the hearers, but > also did as it were astonish and amaze them. I alwaies thought that he > was a Eunuch, which if he had beene, it had taken away some part of my > admiration, because they do most commonly sing passing wel; but he was > not, therefore it was much more admirable. Againe it was the more > worthy of admiration, because he was a middle-aged man, as about forty > yeares old. For nature doth more commonly bestowe such a singularitie > of voice upon boyes and striplings, than upon men of such yeares. > Besides it was farre the more excellent, because it was nothing > forced, strained or affected, but came from him with the greatest > facilitie that I ever heard. Truely, I thinke that had a Nightengale > beene in the same roome, and contended with him for the superioritie, > something perhaps he might excell him, because God hath granted that > little birde such a priveledge for the sweetnesse of his voice, as to > none other: but I thinke he could not much. To conclude, I attribute > so much to this rare fellow for his singing, that I thinke the country > where he was borne, may be as proude for breeding so singular a person > as Smyrna was of her Homer, Verona of her Catullus, or Mantua of > Virgil: But exceeding happy may that Citie, or towne, or person bee > that possesseth this miracle of nature. > _______________________________________________________ > > Alas! We don't know the name of the singer! He could have well been > Grandi (who would have been around the right age) or Barbarino. > Some of the works mentioned are almost certainly works by Giovanni > Gabrieli - Magnificat a 33 voci for 7 Choirs (needing the seven > organs), Sonata XVIII a 14 for 4 cornetts and 10 trombones (a minor > masterpiece - full of colour and a wealth of melodic material) and the > Sonata con Tre Violini o altri instromenti for 3 violins and continuo. > The works for solo voice may have been by Barbarino or Grandi - we > have many to choose from. > > Blame Monteverdi for the Castrati! Gabrieli and Grandi were doing fine > without them! > > I hope Coryat's writings were readable - I preserved his original > spelling and language.
Thanks to Steven Guy.
Tako
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