Countertenor

A great reference to this voice is Philippe Jaroussky.

The countertenor is the higher male voice particularly as an artificial resonance, with wider, higher notes sung by a male in head voice and breezy falsetto, using the vibration of a part of the vocal folds based on the resonance of the head and not through his chest voice or his falsetto. Very few countertenors can reach soprano repertoire but their voice resembles the voice of both a child and a woman.

In ancient times, castrati were men who were castrated before reaching puberty to preserve their high-pitched, childlike voice. Due to the controversies that this caused, the practice ended up being prohibited, and therefore the countertenors assumed the role of the castrati from Baroque opera.

Extension and range

The countertenor is not considered to have a precise range on the piano, since he is a man who can reach high notes in the female registers with his head voice (not falsetto).

Initial piano range

Start (do₄) and (do₆) (considering (do ₄) as the (middle C of the piano); end of the range (Countertenor).

Most have a very wide register and can hit high (high) notes. Only some can reach the range of the soprano.

Initial range of piano contratenor (soprano)

Start (fa₄) - (fa₆) end of range (countertenor/sopranist).

The natural head voice of a sopranist is versatile and can drop as low as (c#₃). Many sopranists can reach the coloratura notes of female sopranos and even higher.

The extension is situated, therefore, above that of the tenor (masculine) and coincides with that of the contralto (feminine), but the timbre of one and the other are clearly different.

Terminology

The term countertenor can be misleading, since it designates a specific type of voice, but it can also refer to a musical part in the medium-high register, generally entrusted to this type of voice. Likewise, the terms contralto, alto or altus are used as synonyms for countertenor, although the last three refer indistinctly to a man or woman who sings in that range, as well as to the musical part.

In works composed up to the 15th century, it is common to see the term associated with the lowest part of the music (countertenor, under the countertenor).

History

The use of the countertenor voice and the use of its head voice go back several centuries in Western history. With the birth of polyphony in the 12th and 13th centuries, we know of its use, which was perpetuated until the 18th century in polyphonic compositions. This type of voice is entrusted with the highest parts (generally "alto" and occasionally "superius", "cantus" or, in the Iberian Peninsula, &# 34;double").

With the birth of the solo voice, accompanied singing and the development of baroque music from the beginning of the 17th century, this type of voice gained much notoriety, writing an innumerable solo repertoire for it. With the arrival of classicism in the second half of the XVIII century, it was displaced by the taste of the new public and composers.

In the 20th century, interest in this voice was reborn and also in the historical interpretation of early music. The man who renewed his popularity was Alfred Deller. Deller began his career singing countertenor pieces in baroque music in the 1950s, and over time he gained fame. Since then, the number of countertenors who have made a career in the operatic world and in recording studios has increased significantly.

Countertenors are now most frequently employed in Baroque operas that contain parts originally written for castratos in pitches admissible for their vocal range (although works are sometimes modified to accommodate the length of the countertenor).

Type of countertenor

Soprano Countertenor

These are clear and light voices, often reaching very high notes, including b₅ or do_{6, and skillfully hone agility. They undoubtedly have a special natural disposition to emit those singularly high-pitched sounds, it may be due to a kind of atrophy of the larynx, which determines that they are individuals who have, even when speaking, a woman's voice. But otherwise, if they emit a masculine timbre when speaking, it is clear that the feminine coloring they obtain when singing derives from a very specific treatment of their technique. Dominique Visse, with her intimate singing, and Aris Christofellis, more loud and forced, are examples of this voice. Many also consider the young Frenchman Philippe Jaroussky and Andreas Scholl to be sopranos, although the range of their voices is close to that of a mezzo-soprano.}

Mezzo-soprano countertenor

Countertenor of the mezzo-soprano repertoire, belonging to this position of having a medium-high head voice, for the one who carries the voice of the countertenor can belong to the voice of the mezzo-soprano, there are more mezzos within this voice than altos and sopranos, Here are some of the mezzo-soprano repertoire such as Paul Esswood, James Bowman, Andreas Scholl, Brian Asawa, David Daniels, Alfred Deller.

Tesitura mezzosoprano

Contractor (mezzosoprano)

The range of the mezzo-soprano ranges from a3 to fa5 also depending on your upper middle register (head).

Alto Contratenor

Timbre equivalent to that of the female contralto. As is logical, the lowest part of his head voice explodes and, in the deepest zone, the chest register. René Jacobs, today in managerial work, belongs to this class. The most serious ones could be confused with the alto or contraltino tenors. But his technique is the same as everyone's. The Spanish Carlos Mena can be included in this type, who is considered by some to be the countertenor par excellence and who usually has a tenor voice when speaking; while, inversely, the highest-pitched countertenors, even sopranists, can, in locution, have darker timbres (Farinelli was a castrato).

Repertoire

Today, much of the repertoire sung by a countertenor was originally written for castrati. Some of the more prominent countertenor roles include:

Operatic roles

Famous Arias