countertenor

countertenor, also spelled Contra Tenor, in music, adult male alto voice, either natural or falsetto. In England the word generally refers to a falsetto alto rather than a high tenor. Some writers reserve the term countertenor for a naturally produced voice, terming the falsetto voice a male alto.

There are a huge variety of voices. So you can find coloratura soprano. Voice you can find a contralto.

Countertenor is a male voice of unusually high range, broadly equivalent to a female contralto or mezzo-soprano. In terms of pitch notation, it generally extends from around G3 to D5 or E5, that is from the note G one octave below middle C (or C4) up to the D or E an octave above middle C.

As men's voices tend to be naturally lower than women's, adult male singers generally fall within the tenor and bass ranges (though most likely tenor). However, men who are able to manipulate their vocal cords to sing in the higher registers – i.e., those above the range of a tenor – are known as countertenors.

What is a countertenor? A countertenor is a male singer who can sing as high as a soprano or mezzo-soprano. The countertenor is the rarest of all voice types.

Countertenor subtypes: Countertenors are often broken down into three subcategories: sopranist or "male soprano", the haute-contre, and the castrato. The last "true" castrato singer, Alessandro Moreschi, died in 1922.

The difference between a trained countertenor and a falsettist singing in this range is that the countertenor can close and open their vocal folds with each vibration cycle – effectively singing "naturally", rather than the idiosyncratic straining of falsetto.

Some examples of singers who have a countertenor voice include: James Bowman. Andreas Scholl. David Daniels.

The difference between a trained countertenor and a falsettist singing in this range is that the countertenor can close and open their vocal folds with each vibration cycle – effectively singing "naturally", rather than the idiosyncratic straining of falsetto.

What is a countertenor? A countertenor is a male singer who can sing as high as a soprano or mezzo-soprano. The countertenor is the rarest of all voice types.

In actual practice, it is generally acknowledged that a majority of countertenors sing with a falsetto vocal production for at least the upper half of this range, although most use some form of "chest voice" (akin to the range of their speaking voice) for the lower notes.

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