Countertenor Countertenor Commonwealth of Nations Category="Vocal ranges"A countertenor is an adult male who sings in an alto or Soprano range, often through use of Falsetto. This term is used almost exclusively in the context of the classical vocal tradition. The countertenor voice went through a massive resurgence in popularity in the latter half of the 20th century, partly caused by pioneers such as Alfred Deller and by the increased popularity of Baroque Opera. Although they have been considered largely an Early music phenomenon, some modern countertenors explore a much larger repertoire.

History

In early Polyphony, the contratenor was a voice part in melodic counterpoint against the tenor. It was written roughly in the same range as the tenor. In the 15th century, contratenor split into contratenor altus and contratenor bassus, which were respectively above and below the tenor. By the 16th century, however, the term became obselete as Latin lost popularity. In Italy, the contratenor altus became simply alto; in France, haute-contre; in England, countertenor.

Countertenors remained in the niche of sacred vocal music, in part because women were banned from singing in church services. However, they were not prominently featured in the rise of opera. Handel would occasionally write a part specifically for a countertenor, but the castrati were vastly more popular. As a result, the countertenor voice was found only in cathedral choirs and the occasional early music ensemble for a few centuries.

The most visible icon of the countertenor revival was Alfred Deller, an English singer and champion of authentic early music performance. Deller initially called himself an "alto", but his collaborator Michael Tippett recommended the archaic term "countertenor" to describe his voice. In the 1950s and 60s, his group, the Deller Consort, increased audiences' awareness of (and appreciation for) renaissance and Baroque music. Benjamin Britten wrote the role of Oberon in his setting of A Midsummer Night's Dream for him. Deller was the first modern countertenor to achieve such celebrity, but he would not be the last. Russell Oberlin was Deller's American counterpart, and another early music pioneer. Oberlin's success was entirely unprecedented in a country that had seen little exposure to anything before Bach, and it paved the way for the next generation of countertenors.

Today, countertenors are much in demand in many forms of classical music. In opera, many roles originally written for castrati are now sung by countertenors, as are some trousers roles. Modern composers write countertenor parts, both in choral works and opera. Men's choral groups such as Chanticleer and The King's Singers employ them to great effect in a variety of genres, including early music, gospel, and even folk songs.

The countertenor voice

The majority of countertenors use falsetto to sing in an alto range. The falsetto register tends to sound weak and hooty in untrained male voices, but it can achieve much greater resonance with correct technique. Many countertenors switch into chest voice for low notes, with varying degrees of grace. Those with baritone speaking voices usually switch around A3-C4; some of those with a root tenor voice use their chest voice up to a fifth higher. Successful navigation of register shifts is one of the most difficult challenges a novice countertenor faces.

A minority of countertenors possess light tenor speaking voices, and are able to mix their registers as they go higher without a clear shift into falsetto. This voice type is called the "haute-contre" or, less commonly, "altino". They are able to sing parts written for a lower tessitura than falsettist countertenors.

Some musicologists label the former sort of singer a "male alto" and reserve the term "true countertenor" for the latter, but this terminology is controversial, as many people use the two terms synonymously. The distinction between these voice types is not entirely clear: a study by Ardran and Wulstan in 1967 found little physiological difference between the means of production in countertenors with ostensibly different technique.

A few countertenors have a range comparable to a female soprano. They are usually called sopranists, and often sing higher castrato arias.

Although the results vary significantly between singers, a countertenor generally sounds quite different from a woman singing in the same range. The countertenor voice is sometimes described as "androgynous" or "otherworldly".

List of countertenors

External links