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From:  Tako Oda <toda@m...>
Date:  Mon Jul 3, 2000  8:27 pm
Subject:  Re: Height/Range (was pitch differences, bach and basses)


On Mon, 3 Jul 2000, David Cox wrote in response to me:
> > 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.
>
> Is it at all possible that these voices are actually singing in falsetto a
> good deal of the time?

Dear David,

It all depends on what you call falsetto! What Alain calls "mode 2",
maybe, but definitely not a "Hansonian" ;-) falsetto.

Many people call anything that is not the speaking voice "falsetto".
Brian Asawa even calls it so, despite the fact that he has perhaps the
most richly textured "feminine" tone of any countertenor.

As someone who is obsessed with details, however, I would prefer to have
a different name for each mode that feels qualitatively different.

-Tako


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