The technique used by countertenors - at least those who participated in
the ITV South Bank documentary on Counter-Tenors - was agreed by all
participants to be a refined use of male falsetto. The lack of power was
explained as being the result of the fact that falsetto singing involves
vibration only along a small part of the vocal fold. It's similar to
"whistle register" production in women, which also vibrates only a small
edge of the entire length of the vocal fold.
This programme (which if you get Ovation-TV on your Cable or Satellite
system, is broadcast repeatedly on that channel) also discussed the
developments that have been achieved by the current generation of
countertenors, in terms of increasing both range and vocal power, over the
previous generation (represented by Bowman) or the first generation
(represented by Deller).
Karen Mercedes
http://www.radix.net/~dalila/index.html
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Modern methods of production have given us
the possibility of ease and security for
all; we have chosen, instead, to have over-
work for some and starvation for the others.
- Bertrand Russell, IN PRAISE OF IDLENESS
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