On Mon, 19 Jun 2000, John Alexander Blyth wrote:
> Aha! Now that's a fish of a different kettle! Height and *Chest voice*.
> But is not the beginning of one's passagio to some degree a matter of
> choice and/or training? john
Sure, and that generally translates for tenors/baritones/basses like so:
high passagio = high range.
But in sopranos, mezzos, contraltos, countertenors, the position of the
passagio is much more indicative of sub-fach (dramatic, lyric) than it
is of actual range. Dramatic sops have more in common passagio-wise with
mezzos than they do with lyric sops. Why? passagio determines just how
much chest weight a (primarily head-voice using) singer will carry into
the voice to keep the registration even. The lighest sopranos and
countertenors often tackle their passagios very low, sometimes never
even having to cross it! They tend to have a very flutely, transparent
tone.
-Tako
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