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From:  Tako Oda <toda@m...>
Date:  Mon Sep 11, 2000  8:32 pm
Subject:  Re: Would-be tenor help


On Mon, 11 Sep 2000, Karen Mercedes wrote:
> I thought a Haute Contre was more comparable to a Countertenor than to a
> Baryton Martin (or Baritenor).

Oh oh, I'm having the irresistable urge to open another can of worms :)

Some hautes contre (ex. Russell Oberlin) consider themselves the only
"true" countertenors. They think of all other male altos/sopranos as
"altos" or "falsettists". The primary difference between the two voices is
where they transition from the lower to upper registers.

A haute contre has an unusual gift (among men, anyway) - he makes the
transition without feeling a distinct speed bump. He has a level of
coordination that allows the oscillatory modes to shift gradually. This
allows for a dynamic balance between the two registers, making a much
higher transition possible (somewhere between Eb4 and Bb4, depending on
the height of the root voice).

Most countertenors cannot do this, and must make the transition much lower
(usually A3 to C4). For some reason, it is easier to mask the transition
in the lower ranges. The other obvious advantage is he does not have to
cross the break quite as often, since most alto rep rarely dips below A3.

Here's what is so interesting... There was a study (wish I could remember
the source) that showed that hautes contre, once past their breaks, used
an *identical* mode to other countertenors. They simply change higher. It
is commonly believed that all hautes contre have root tenorino voices.
This is not necessarily true - Oberlin himself does not have an uncommonly
high speaking voice. Since a haute contre is switching around F#4, it is
easily negotiable even for a baritenor, assuming he's got the right
wiring.

So to sum it up: The haute contre has an automatic transmission, while the
"male alto" countertenor has a manual transmission.

It is interesting to look at the roster for Julius Caesar from the Met a
year ago. David Daniels and Brian Asawa list themselves as "male alto",
whereas Daniel Taylor lists himself as "countertenor". Daniels and Asawa
usually do not bring their chest voices above middle C, while Taylor
changes a third or so higher. All three have root tenor or baritenor
voices, I believe.

-Tako


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