On Sat, 26 Aug 2000, MC Silon wrote:
> Thank you very much for your answer! If you don't mind, could you explain me
> how countertenors who don't use falsetto (you wrote: "few, most or all
> countertenors use it...") produce their voice? I thought that countertenor
> was a falsetto voice that has been developped by vocal technique training.
Dear Marie-Claire,
It all depends on what you call falsetto. In my narrow definition, it is a
mode of phonation in which one blows air through flaccid vocal cords. Due
to the lightness of the vibrating body, the pitch is relatively high. Due
to the way it is produced, true falsetto has an extremely limited pitch
and dynamic range. The only people who use this tend to be amateur
choristers in English churches.
All other (true) countertenors use another mode. It is my belief that it
is the same mode that boy sopranos use. The pitch is lower (the larynx
does grow, after all), but it is the same mechanism. This explains why boy
sopranos turned countertenor have such incredible agility (Derek Lee
Ragin, Bejun Mehta, Andreas Scholl, etc.) They are as comfortable with
their adult voices as women are, since they have lived with them their
entire lives.
You will hear all sorts of things about the "American", or "English", or
"European" schools of countertenor. The underlying mechanism is the
same. The differences are in resonance, larynx position, style, vibrato,
registration gear shifting points. Some people call it falsetto for lack
of a better word, since it is not the speaking voice. The truth is, this
register is distinct from falsetto.
Tako
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