Modern “farinelli” are now trained not on the operating table, but in conservatories, and are called completely differently - countertenors. A countertenor is a male voice, equal in pitch to a female contralto, mezzo-soprano or soprano, but different in sound from female voices due to differences in the structure of the male and female vocal apparatus.
Unlike castrati, the countertenor’s voice has an absolutely natural origin: after age-related mutation of the vocal apparatus, such singers retain the ability to sing soprano or alto, and, in most cases, this has nothing to do with hormonal problems or sexual orientation.
Popular about countertenors
At first glance, this is the easiest way to explain what a countertenor is to a person who has never heard such a voice. However, it should be taken into account that, firstly, this statement is essentially incorrect: a man’s voice, no matter how high it is, will always be in fact a man’s voice and will always sound different from a woman’s due to differences in the structure of the female and male voice apparatus; secondly, such a formulation incorrectly guides listeners - traditionally considering a high singing voice to be the prerogative of women, they often draw conclusions about the effeminacy or some kind of physical inferiority of countertenor vocalists. Based on these considerations, from using the phrase “a man singing in a female voice"It's worth refusing.
Countertenor = castrato?
Many, hearing a countertenor sing for the first time, mistake the singer for a castrato, believing that only a castrato can sing so high. It's a delusion. The falsetto voice register, through the use of which an adult and physiologically full-fledged man can produce high-pitched sounds, is present in all men without exception, and the ability to sing in this register in the vast majority of cases is the result of the development of the innate vocal abilities of singers.
Many fans of countertenors are convinced that such voices are unique and extremely rare, to which skeptics often object something like this: “Yes, it’s just a falsetto - every man has it, every man can sing like that, and there’s nothing special or unique about it.” " Undoubtedly, every man has a falsetto voice register. However, it is worth considering the following:
Not every man, in principle, has the ability to sing;
Not every vocalist’s falsetto register has the qualities that make it possible to adapt it to perform a certain repertoire in a certain manner (remember that in modern meaning countertenor is a professional academic vocalist);
Not every vocalist has the desire to sing primarily in the falsetto register, develop it, and learn to sing falsetto professionally.
Alfred Deller, in one of his interviews, voiced the following observation: singers who would like to learn to sing as a countertenor often do not have the ability to do so, and those who have these abilities do not want to develop them, because they consider this style of singing effeminate. In addition, today countertenors are in much less professional demand than those with more “traditional” male voices. In particular, in the domestic musical culture there were no phenomena similar to the Italian tradition of castrate singing or the traditions of falsetto singing in England and Germany (Handel wrote 21 operas for countertenor, Mozart - several works for castrato Senesino, and Schnittke and Bernstein wrote for the same voices , and Monteverdi. Previously, the score did not include a “countertenor,” but a “soprano.” But the parts are male!), as a result of which in the works of Russian composers there are no parts for male altos and sopranos, and there are also no methods for training such singers, equally as well as interest in such voices and in the music that was written for them in a professional musical environment. This is the main reason for the notorious rarity and uniqueness of modern countertenors.
The repertoire of countertenors is most often based on the music of the Baroque era, the time of the meteoric rise of European vocal performing arts.
Here are some names: Javier Medina, Michael Maniaci, Jorge Cano, Aris Christofellis, Radu Marian, Jörg Waschinski, Ghio Nannini.
Paul Esswood is considered one of the best.
British countertenor Michael Chance has an incredibly well-crafted voice with a very special timbre.
The name of the German Jochen Kowalski stands apart. For many years now he has held the title of the most stellar countertenor, whose CDs sell in circulation unprecedented in classical music.
According to known historical facts, in Russia the existence of countertenors was not suspected until the end of the 80s of the twentieth century, and throughout the world the singing of men who naturally had such high voices was initially perceived as a pseudo-imitation of castrati. By the way, a countertenor is a rarity among opera singers. There are just over 20 vocalists in Russia who have similar superpowers. What all modern countertenors have in common is their growing popularity. Increasingly, they are becoming a decoration for concerts, including concerts of pop stars.
Russian famous countertenors: Evgeny Argyshev, Oleg Bezinskikh, Yuri Borisov, Nikolai Gladskikh, Alexander Gorbatenko, Evgeny Zhuravkin, Konstantin Zbanychuk, Yaroslav Zdorov, Igor Ishchak, Vyacheslav Kagan-Paley, Grigory Konson, Artyom Krutko, Eric Kurmangaliev, Yuri Minenko, Evgeny Munko , Igor Retnev, Oleg Ryabets, Oleg Usov, Bagdasar Khachikyan, Vasily Khoroshev, Nikolay Shilintsev, Rustam Yavaev.
A little about some of them
Eric Salimovich Kurmangaliev(Kazakh Erik Salimuly Kurmangaliev, December 31, 1959, the city of Kulsary, Guryev region, Kazakhstan - November 13, 2007, Moscow, Russia) - opera singer (countertenor) and actor, owner of a unique timbre. According to some sources, the first countertenor in the USSR. In 2005, in Riga, he took part in a gala concert of five countertenors, on the basis of which the documentary film “Farinelli. Show must go on" with the participation of Eric Kurmangaliev.
Oleg Kasper has unique vocal abilities (4 octaves) - from baritone male notes to countertenor (female soprano).
Oleg Ryabets. The publication Diena called the vocalist “one of five such voices in the world, the period of mutation of which has successfully passed...” Ryabets performed in the opera halls of Lyon and Hamburg, Riga and Paris, in the royal houses of England, and in prestigious halls in Japan. Starred in documentary film Farinelli. Show must go on!” Oleg Ryabets has a countertenor of rare timbre and height. A recording of his voice is stored in the British National Sound Archive next to a unique recording of the last castrato of the 20th century, A. Moreschi. At the Prince of Edinburgh's 75th birthday celebrations, HRH Prince Philip awarded the singer the title "Mr Soprano".
Oleg Bezinskikh. He has a truly unique voice: his range is more than three octaves (from baritone to soprano). In the West, for several years now it has been called nothing less than the “Russian miracle.” He graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatory (class of Professor Viktor Yushmanov), for the first time in its 148-year history (opened in 1862) becoming a graduate with a diploma of “countertenor-soprano.” When he sang the Fool's aria from Mussorgsky's opera Boris Godunov at the St. Petersburg Opera, a huge scandal broke out. A whole controversy arose in the press on the topic - “Is it possible to use such voices in opera?”
Nikolai Gladskikh has such a unique voice timbre that he is compared to the great Farinelli. Experts predict a great future for Nikolai Gladskikh.
All singing voices are divided into women's, men's and children's. The main female voices are soprano, mezzo-soprano and contralto, and the most common male voices are tenor, baritone and bass.
All sounds that can be sung or played on a musical instrument are high, medium and low. When musicians talk about the pitch of sounds, they use the term "register", implying whole groups of high, middle or low sounds.
In a global sense, female voices sing sounds of a high or “upper” register, children’s voices sing sounds of a middle register, and male voices sing sounds of a low or “lower” register. But this is only partly true; in fact, everything is much more interesting. Within each group of voices, and even within the range of each individual voice, there is also a division into high, middle and low register.
For example, a high male voice is a tenor, a middle voice is a baritone, and a low voice is a bass. Or, another example, singers have the highest voice - soprano, the middle voice of vocalists is mezzo-soprano, and the low voice is contralto. To finally understand the division of male and female, and at the same time, children’s voices into high and low, this tablet will help you:
If we talk about the registers of any one voice, then each of them has both low and high sounds. For example, a tenor sings both low chest sounds and high falsetto sounds, which are inaccessible to basses or baritones.
Female singing voices
So, the main types of female singing voices are soprano, mezzo-soprano and contralto. They differ primarily in range, as well as timbre coloring. Timbre properties include, for example, transparency, lightness or, conversely, saturation, and strength of voice.
Soprano– the highest female singing voice, its usual range is two octaves (entirely the first and second octave). In opera performances, the roles of the main characters are often performed by singers with such a voice. If speak about artistic images, then a high-pitched voice best characterizes a young girl or some fantastic character (for example, a fairy).
Sopranos, according to the nature of their sound, are divided into lyrical and dramatic– you yourself can easily imagine that the parts of a very tender girl and a very passionate girl cannot be performed by the same performer. If a voice easily copes with fast passages and flourishes in its high register, then such a soprano is called coloratura.
Contralto– it has already been said that this is the lowest of women’s voices, moreover, very beautiful, velvety, and also very rare (in some opera houses there is not a single contralto). A singer with such a voice in operas is often assigned the roles of teenage boys.
Below is a table that names examples of opera roles that are often performed by certain female singing voices:
Let's listen to how women's singing voices sound. Here are three video examples for you:
Soprano. Aria of the Queen of the Night from the opera “The Magic Flute” by Mozart performed by Bela Rudenko
Mezzo-soprano. Habanera from the opera Carmen by Bizet performed by the famous singer Elena Obraztsova
Contralto. Ratmir's aria from the opera "Ruslan and Lyudmila" by Glinka, performed by Elizaveta Antonova.
Male singing voices
There are only three main male voices - tenor, bass and baritone. Tenor Of these, the highest, its pitch range is the notes of the small and first octaves. By analogy with the soprano timbre, performers with this timbre are divided into dramatic tenors and lyric tenors. In addition, sometimes they mention such a variety of singers as "characteristic" tenor. “Character” is given to it by some phonic effect - for example, silveriness or rattling. A characteristic tenor is simply irreplaceable where it is necessary to create the image of a gray-haired old man or some cunning rascal.
Baritone– this voice is distinguished by its softness, density and velvety sound. The range of sounds that a baritone can sing is from A major octave to A first octave. Performers with such a timbre are often entrusted with courageous roles of characters in operas of a heroic or patriotic nature, but the softness of the voice allows them to reveal loving and lyrical images.
Bass– the voice is the lowest, can sing sounds from F of the large octave to F of the first. The basses are different: some are rolling, “droning”, “bell-like”, others are hard and very “graphic”. Accordingly, the parts of the characters for the basses are varied: these are heroic, “fatherly”, and ascetic, and even comic images.
You are probably interested to know which of the male singing voices is the lowest? This bass profundo, sometimes singers with such a voice are also called octavists, since they “take” low notes from the counter-octave. By the way, we have not yet mentioned the highest male voice - this tenor-altino or countertenor, who sings quite calmly in an almost feminine voice and easily reaches the high notes of the second octave.
As in previous case, male singing voices with examples of their operatic roles are displayed in the tablet:
Now listen to the sound of male singing voices. Here are three more video examples for you.
Tenor. Song of the Indian guest from the opera “Sadko” by Rimsky-Korsakov, performed by David Poslukhin.
Baritone. Gliere's romance “The nightingale soul sang sweetly,” sung by Leonid Smetannikov
Bass. Prince Igor's aria from Borodin's opera "Prince Igor" was originally written for baritone, but in this case it is sung by one of the best basses of the 20th century - Alexander Pirogov.
The working range of a professionally trained vocalist's voice is usually two octaves on average, although sometimes singers and singers have much greater capabilities. In order for you to have a good understanding of tessitura when choosing notes for practice, I suggest you get acquainted with the picture, which clearly demonstrates the permissible ranges for each of the voices:
Before concluding, I want to please you with one more tablet, with which you can get acquainted with vocalists who have one or another voice timbre. This is necessary so that you can independently find and listen to even more audio examples of the sound of male and female singing voices:
That's all! We talked about what types of voices singers have, we figured out the basics of their classification, the size of their ranges, the expressive capabilities of timbres, and also listened to examples of the sound of the voices of famous vocalists. If you liked the material, share it on your contact page or on your Twitter feed. There are special buttons under the article for this. Good luck!
It's no secret that in the current realities of show business, the talent and vocal abilities of artists often fade into the background, giving way to a shocking image. Today we look with bitterness at the stars of a bygone era, realizing that, unfortunately, such people are no longer made. Or could history still repeat itself?
The voice is a kind of audible kiss of the soul that makes its way into the material world. It doesn’t matter what timbre the voice has, the main thing is its sincerity. It is thanks to the singer's vocals and charisma that fans fall in love with them again and again.
We have compiled our own list of the most outstanding and powerful male voices of our time, after hearing which you will never confuse this performer with anyone else.
Theo Hutchcraft
Our first vocal hero is Theo Hutchcraft, who, by the way, celebrates his 33rd birthday today. The young man is known to most of us as the vocalist of the British band Hurts. Having announced themselves for the first time in 2009 with a low-budget video for the song Wonderful Life, the guys immediately captured the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. To this day they remain one of the most recognizable British bands in the world, thanks in no small part to Theo's vocals.
Freddie Mercury
Freddie and Montserrat Caballe / Photo: @officialqueenmusic
We could just write the name without explanation and that would be enough. Musician, composer, outstanding vocalist - all this is about the main driving force by Queen. As the legendary Paul McCartney once said:
“All members of the group are talented musicians, but the first thing you hear in their music is their voice. Queen is Mercury."
Let's not argue with the legendary Beatle, let's just listen to this music again.
Dave Gahan
Dave Gahan's incredibly sensual voice also deserves a mention on our list. Having reached the Olympus of fame in the early 80s, this guy still has not lost his youthful enthusiasm and killer charisma. We are sure that everyone who has ever been to a Depeche Mode concert will agree with us.
Let's listen to the musician's first solo work from his debut album Paper Monsters - Dirty Sticky Floors.
George Michael
A favorite of fortune, he preferred to give more than to take. It would be unlikely to find a performer in the music world whose voice moved hearts so much. Alas, 2016 was fatal for George, and following such stars as David Bowie and Prince, he left this world. But the music remained. On this moment― this is the only consolation for millions of fans.
Dimash Kudaibergen
The youngest hero on our list has already become a star not only in his native Kazakhstan, but also far beyond its borders. The artist’s vocal range is striking in its strength and melody, and, of course, we could not help but note the amazing modesty and hard work of the Kazakhstan nightingale. Indeed, when we talk about Dimash, we understand that this is a rare case when the external is 100% consistent with the internal.
Phil Collins
Best known as a member of Genesis, Collins is also widely known as a stunning solo artist with a distinctive, recognizable voice. His awards include 8 Grammys, 2 Golden Globes, 6 Brit Awards, an Oscar, a Disney Legend Award, 6 awards from the British Academy of Composers and Authors, including an International Achievement Award. He also received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999 and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010. In a word - a legend!
Men singing with women's voices have always aroused unhealthy public interest. In the XVII and XVIII centuries many unfortunate Italian boys struggled to keep their voices high. At that time there was a ban on women singing in churches, and beautiful voices I really wanted to hear...
According to some reports, at that time, about 4,000 children and adolescents annually underwent surgery to cut the spermatic cord, and thanks to this simple action, the ligaments did not thicken, and the voice stopped “breaking.” Castrati, by the way, were required not only for churches - Italian singers were not allowed to appear on stage until the end of the 18th century. Almost all opera composers of the Barocco era wrote a part for the castrato in their works.
Castration is fashionable
The competition in the professional environment was enormous, but the result lived up to expectations: success accompanied men with angelic voices not only in the professional, but also in the personal field. Women loved to have relations with castrati, it was considered fashionable, and among other things, the ladies received a kind of bonus - it was impossible to get pregnant from a castrato. By the way, some people still mistakenly believe that castration automatically turned a man impotent, but this is not so: they were only incapable of reproductive activity. The most famous castrato of all times was Farinelli. He debuted in Rome in 1722. His gentle and soft voice delighted his listeners.
In 1870, the joys of Catholic parishioners, on the one hand, and loving women, on the other, ended: the practice of castration was considered barbaric and the operation was banned. The popularity of castrati also waned: in the 19th century it was already difficult to find them on the opera stage. The last castrated sopranist, Alessandro Moreschi, who was a choirmaster in the Sistine Chapel, died in 1922.
Confused with a woman
It was possible not to deprive so many Italian youth of the Enlightenment era of their offspring, because already at that time there were male sopranos, says Oleg Ryabets. “And these singers, they are also called countertenors, from a physiological point of view were and are absolutely normal people.”
Until now, neither scientists nor the vocalists themselves can come to a consensus regarding the nature of the countertenor. Some believe that this is just a strong falsetto 1, others believe that this is a full-fledged voice with a good range.
When asked what happened to his voice, Oleg Ryabets answers: “I, as you hear, am not speaking to you in a woman’s voice, that is, it is obvious that a mutation has occurred. It's about about sound quality. I understand well what I have. Indeed, the voice is unlike anyone else's. Don’t think that I’m cultivating my otherness, I’m just preserving nature. And I studied at the conservatory as a female soprano, and fortunately, they met me halfway.”
At the Kyiv Conservatory they really did meet Oleg halfway, but to be a countertenor in our country, especially in Soviet times, it was not easy: “There were questions, and bewilderment, and laughter, and they were confused with a woman. It was psychologically difficult, but we gave ourselves to the music with all our being.” When speaking “we”, Oleg Ryabets means himself and Erik Kurmangaliev 2. Both of them are the brightest representatives of countertenors of their generation.
Mad Ilyich
It is a mistake to think that countertenors play female roles and run around the stage in a dress. This happens, of course, but not often. Several years ago, Oleg Ryabets amazed musical America by performing the role of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin in Soldier's opera The Naked Revolution. “Indeed, I performed the part of Lenin,” says Oleg. - This opera was written especially for me. There is a so-called Kitchen Theater in New York. They celebrated their 25th anniversary and staged this crazy story with Ilyich. Soldier's amazing, talented music captivated me, and I worked on this project with passion. It was just strange to put on Lenin’s makeup and put on all these strange clothes. But I had to get used to a role that was not typical for me.”
The repertoire for male sopranos is actually not that small. German, Italian music, Mozart's early operas - everything can be sung. But in Russia there is little interest in this phenomenon. “This is probably due to some kind of uncertainty, partly even with cultural aspects,” says the singer. “You see, in Russia a man singing in a woman’s voice seems strange...”
In the West the situation is different; there is both interest and professional training. “In Italy, however, they don’t really like countertenors. Probably for the harsh sound... Modern Western countertenors for the most part are well-made “computer” voices. They are all too perfect and do not delight me. I was fascinated by Kurmangaliev: the spontaneity in his voice, his performance, his unique timbre. There is no such thing and no one has ever had this. Voice is timbre, it is sound. If this is not the case, then why all these technical capabilities? Let better woman will sing. And it will do it much better."
In parting, Oleg Ryabets embarrassedly says: “Maybe they still exist, these castrati. Someone told me that in Italy they still have it... They still make it..."
Oleg Ryabets was born in 1967 in Kyiv. He sang in the “Zvonochek” choir, then in the boys’ choir at the Kyiv Men’s Chapel named after L. Revutsky. He studied at the Kyiv State Conservatory with Professor K. Radchenko, at the State Classical Academy named after. Maimonides with Professor V. Chachava, interned with Professor Z. Dolukhanova. The publication Diena called the vocalist “one of five such voices in the world, the period of mutation of which has successfully passed...” Ryabets performed in the opera halls of Lyon and Hamburg, Riga and Paris, in the royal houses of England, and in prestigious halls in Japan. Starred in the documentary film “Farinelli. Show must go on!” Oleg Ryabets has a countertenor of rare timbre and height. A recording of his voice is stored in the British National Sound Archive next to a unique recording of the last castrato of the 20th century, A. Moreschi. At the Prince of Edinburgh's 75th birthday celebrations, HRH Prince Philip awarded the singer the title "Mr Soprano".
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1 Falsetto is a very high sound, usually male voice, a peculiar timbre.
2 Eric (Salim-Meruert) Kurmangaliev (1959-2007) - an outstanding countertenor. Participant of the most prestigious international festivals. Among the admirers of his talent were Svyatoslav Richter and Pierre Cardin.
