# Countertenors



## Retrograde Inversion (Nov 27, 2016)

I've seen a lot of dislike for countertenors expressed on this forum. For those of you who dislike them, what are your reasons? Conversely, what do those of you who do like countertenors have to say about them?


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

I simply do not like the sounds emanating from their throats. I have no idea what castratos sounded like in Handel's time, but they were wildly popular superstars. If someone on TC wishes to volunteer and do the castrato thing, after recuperation, post a You Tube video of some Handel arias, I would definitely listen. This would be very helpful to me. 
Countertenors are most likely very poor imitators of castrati.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

The voices are not the same, or as good in my opinion, as a woman singing the same range. 

Besides that, they give me the creeps.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

I suppose countertenors have their place but, speaking personally for myself, I'd rather count on tenors.

Having said that, I have enjoyed occasionally listening to Emanuel Cencic and Philippe Jaroussky.

:tiphat:

Kind regards,

George


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Florestan said:


> The voices are not the same, or as good in my opinion, as a woman singing the same range.
> 
> Besides that, they give me the creeps.


This will do for me .:angel:


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

I love the countertenor voice, both in Baroque opera replacing castrati, and in new operas from 20th/21st century. I think this is one of the great adventures of our times.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Retrograde Inversion said:


> I've seen a lot of dislike for countertenors expressed on this forum. For those of you who dislike them, what are your reasons? Conversely, what do those of you who do like countertenors have to say about them?


My first experience of countertenors was in a record that I loved so much, it's probably not exaggerating too much to say that it kind of changed my life, or really enhanced my life. That was Alfred Deller singing a Bach cantata called "Widerstehe doch der sünde"

One thing I've noticed is that some people link countertenors with historically informed performance, and react against it for basically conservative reasons.

Another countertenor who I very much appreciate is Yosjikazu Mera. One I have a harder time enjoying is David James. But in truth I'm not a great connoisseur of the art of singing, I am probably reacting more to their way of dealing with the poetry than anything to do with their tone of voice.


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## Guest (Jan 11, 2017)

Listen to this aria sung by a counter tenor,in this case Rene Jacobs,I realy love it .After 7.30 minutes starts this aria,Why talk about the music of Bach, it is so utterly beautiful so let us listening.
If you do not like the sound of a counter tenor please do not ridicule others who do.


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## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

^ I love this too. And Andreas Scholl - another countertenor I really like:


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## pcnog11 (Nov 14, 2016)

Music were written for men and women to sing for reasons sometime beyond our comprehension. Putting a women to sing a countertenor line instead of a men singing a tenor line may destroys the very reasons why the piece is written in the first place. However, if pieces were written for a countertenor and this should not be substituted by a tenor.


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

I've often thought that there must be genuine pre-pubertal eunuchs out there (for congenital or other reasons) who could make a small fortune if they chose to pursue a singing career. On that basis, perhaps one day we'll know what a genuine "castrato" sounded like. We get a hint from the recordings of Moreschi, of course, but he was well past his prime; a fascinating sound, nonetheless.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Whatever sounds good is the most important thing to me. I've heard multiple recordings with counter tenors that sound good, so I don't have a problem with it. Its not a big issue in my opinion.


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

Handel's _Crude furie degli orridi abissi_ thrillingly sung by Yuriy Mynenko:






Rarely will you hear a finer coloratura technique.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Reichstag aus LICHT said:


> Handel's _Crude furie degli orridi abissi_ thrillingly sung by Yuriy Mynenko:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Countertenors tend to sound different (if only subtly) from female sopranos and altos, but in this case I don't think I would identify the singer as male.


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

Woodduck said:


> Countertenors tend to sound different (if only subtly) from female sopranos and altos, but in this case I don't think I would identify the singer as male.


I agree. A good yardstick, if ever there was one.


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## Scott in PA (Aug 13, 2016)

I count Andreas Scholl as one of the great singers of the past 50 years. While some countertenors have a "womanly" tone, he has a perfectly masculine sound that happens to lie in the alto range, and is evenly covered throughout the range.

His recordings of "But Who may Abide?" from _Messiah_, or the Agnus Dei from Bach's B Minor Mass are desert island classics.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Scott in PA said:


> I count Andreas Scholl as one of the great singers of the past 50 years. While some countertenors have a "womanly" tone, he has a perfectly masculine sound that happens to lie in the alto range, and is evenly covered throughout the range.
> 
> His recordings of "But Who may Abide?" from _Messiah_, or the Agnus Dei from Bach's B Minor Mass are desert island classics.


Look at his Rodelinda with Fleming, gives me the creeps.


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## Dedalus (Jun 27, 2014)

Reichstag aus LICHT said:


> I've often thought that there must be genuine pre-pubertal eunuchs out there (for congenital or other reasons) who could make a small fortune if they chose to pursue a singing career. On that basis, perhaps one day we'll know what a genuine "castrato" sounded like. We get a hint from the recordings of Moreschi, of course, but he was well past his prime; a fascinating sound, nonetheless.


There's a sort of conspiracy claiming that Michael Jackson was a castrato.... Done by his father. Remaining childlike, pleasing and relatively high pitched vocals. Difficulty maintaining relationships with women... So maybe we have heard a castrato!

I don't believe it, however.


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

i like em!


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)




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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)




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## GodotsArrived (Jan 12, 2017)

hpowders said:


> I have no idea what castratos sounded like in Handel's time


Ask your partner (nicely) to squeeze your family jewels very firmly, then simultaneously break into "Ode to Joy". This should bring you into the picture


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

GodotsArrived said:


> Ask your partner (nicely) to squeeze your family jewels very firmly, then simultaneously break into "Ode to Joy". This should bring you into the picture


​


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## jenspen (Apr 25, 2015)

Some countertenors I like, some I don't. It might be the vocal range? because I feel equally unenthusiastic about many mezzos and contraltos (though, to my ears, countertenors have the advantage in earlier repertoire because of their more focussed sound).

I hope some of you will thrill to this performance by Robin Blaze of "Es ist vollbracht" from the St Matthew Passion:






Starts about 2:32.


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## jenspen (Apr 25, 2015)

Mandryka said:


> My first experience of countertenors was in a record that I loved so much, it's probably not exaggerating too much to say that it kind of changed my life, or really enhanced my life. That was Alfred Deller singing a Bach cantata called "Widerstehe doch der sünde" .


The recordings of the Deller Consort did much the same for me. What a pioneer.


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## Marinera (May 13, 2016)

ldiat said:


>


Just love how Boman's channeling royal ambitious pharao, but is still awfully amusing. Though i prefer in original language, I enjoyed listening to this one very much. 
The only role where I don't like countertenors for some unfathomable reason, is Giulio Cesare, and don't ask why, because I don't know for sure. And those dreadfull EU uniforms don't help either (Scholl). However, I never had any issues with countertenors as Tolomeo in the same opera.


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## Marinera (May 13, 2016)

jenspen said:


> The recordings of the Deller Consort did much the same for me. What a pioneer.


Incredible. Thanks for this video. I mainly listened to Dellers early and Elizabethan songs in English. This one is a gem


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