[Magdalen] Counter-tenors

[Mahoney, W. Michael]

I have that recording, too.

"See nature rejoicing has shown us the way,
With innocent revels, to welcome the day."

Loved it then, love it still.


Mike Mahoney
Stoneledge
446 Long Mountain Road
Washington, VA 22747



On Mon, Nov 23, 2020 at 6:35 PM Marion Thompson <marionwhitevale at gmail.com>
wrote:

> I cut my teeth on Alfred Deller and still have the Oiseau Lyre recording of
> Come, ye Sons of Art' that I bought around the mid 50s.   I noted his
> plaque at Southwark Cathedral.
>
> Marion, a pilgrim
>
> On Mon, Nov 23, 2020 at 6:08 PM Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > I met the American countertenor Russell Oberlin when I was quite young,
> > thanks to an odd set of circumstances involving a childhood friend of my
> > father's who was, at the time, playing with the New York Pro Musica. I
> sat
> > quietly and listened to the conversation, but all I remember from it was
> > the wee nugget that there were pretty much two types of
> > countertenors--those who were baritones singing falsetto, and those who
> > just never stopped singing in that range. Mr. Oberlin said that he had
> just
> > never lost his upper register. I remember thinking it was kind of odd,
> > because when he spoke he sounded like any other adult male. I think I was
> > about 12 or 13 at the time.
> >
> > On Mon, Nov 23, 2020 at 2:16 PM Romain Kang <romain at kzsu.stanford.edu>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > There used to be an ongoing dispute about what "counter-tenor" is
> > > supposed to mean.  Historically, the term came from having 3-part
> > > polyphony with the cantus firmus roughly corresponding to modern tenor
> > > range, with "contratenor bassus" below and "contratenor altus" above.
> > > Hence, the modern "bass" and "alto."
> > >
> > > I'm not sure where the lines are currently drawn, but one school used
> > > "countertenor" to refer to any adult male singing in the alto range or
> > > higher.  Within that category are "falsettists" who can also
> comfortably
> > > sing in the bass to baritone range, though vocal production is clearly
> > > different between high and low ranges.  Then there are "haut-contres"
> > > (term borrowed from French) whose vocal compass extends into the higher
> > > ranges without obvious difference in tone/production.
> > >
> > > I have the film, "Countertenors" on a DVD I've been meaning to watch
> > > for several years now, but it's still gathering dust in its original
> > > shrinkwrap...
> > >
> > > Romain
> > >
> > > On Fri, Nov 20, 2020 at 10:18:30PM +0000, Roger Stokes via Magdalen
> > wrote:
> > > > I have long thought that traditional men and boys choirs have
> suffered
> > > from
> > > > a lack of depth in the Alto part. This evening I have been listening
> to
> > > the
> > > > transmission of a concert version of Handel's opera "Ariodante".
> While
> > > the
> > > > title role (which was originally sung by a castrato) was sung by a
> > > > mezzo-soprano another major male roile was sung by a counter-tenor.
> > This
> > > is
> > > > in the vocal range of an Alto but has far more depth of timbre than
> can
> > > be
> > > > offered by men singing falsetto.
> > > >
> > > > Roger
> > > >
> > >
> >
>