men singing high

Subject: men singing high
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 20 Feb 09 - 12:22 PM

I've been listening to versions of 'Lift Every Voice,' the black (U.S.) national anthem.

Lately there have been threads on men singing falsetto,(using childhood voice) so I thought I'd pass on this link to a very professional example of that. I hope you find it interesting and enjoyable.

high quartet

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: gnu
Date: 20 Feb 09 - 12:35 PM

Excellent! Thanks.

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: Musket
Date: 20 Feb 09 - 12:35 PM

Many catters have sung whilst high....

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: Beer
Date: 20 Feb 09 - 12:41 PM

They are very good.
Beer (adrien)

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 20 Feb 09 - 02:49 PM

Glad you like it!

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: michaelr
Date: 20 Feb 09 - 03:23 PM

Castrati?

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: Don Firth
Date: 20 Feb 09 - 06:20 PM

With the very rare exception of the boy's voice that never changed and deepened at puberty, the countertenor voice is a developed falsetto. After puberty, the real voice of a potential countertenor is usually bass or baritone, but if the falsetto sounds good, is fairly easy to control, and has some range to it , a singer can opt to go that route.

I think just about everyone (especially Early Music buffs) has heard of Alfred Deller. He might be credited with digging the countertenor voice out of obscurity. Once he started concertizing in the mid Twentieth Century, other countertenors began to appear. Classic Alfred Deller.

Nick Zammit. I have no idea who he is, but seems to have two pretty acceptable voices (even if his piano needs to be tuned). Simple Gifts singing first as a Light baritone, then as a Countertenor.

I remember these fellows from wa-a-a-a-ay back. They were popular when I was growing up. Practically no perceptible break between his full voice and his falsetto. Clicky #1 and Clicky #2

The King's Singers have a couple of countertenors in the group. Here they are, having a bit of fun with a Rossini Overture. (This is a riot!)

Don Firth

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: Jayto
Date: 20 Feb 09 - 06:24 PM

Jim Morrison was well known for singing high. Just like Jimi Hendrix was well known for playing high. lol JK

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 20 Feb 09 - 06:25 PM

What about Peter Bellamy... a bit of Folk Falsetto.

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 21 Feb 09 - 01:03 PM

Thanks for the interested responses, everyone. It's nice to talk to people about music without crude jokes and bickering.

Don Firth and GeorgianSilver: thanks for the links to Rossini and Peter Bellamy. Both are well worth listening to. The Rossini produced some good laughter to start a Saturday off right.

Don, I remember hearing Albert Deller in college in the '60's, when a sophisticate from Boston played 'The Ode for St Cecelia's Day' in our dorm.

The most beautiful countertenor I have ever heard is sung by a twenty-something from eastern Kansas. His voice is so clear that one time I decided that he couldn't be singing, he must be lip-synching to a recording of a trained soprano. But no, it's his voice.

I haven't found any mention of him on the Internet, so apparently he is not ready to go public. So I won't mention his name. Wish I could share his art, but that's up to him.

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: Ron Davies
Date: 21 Feb 09 - 01:26 PM

First group is really wonderful. Great to know that "street corner harmony" is still around--just moved indoors.

And just about perfect intonation-- ain't easy for every chord to be precisely in tune--but it sure is just an unearthly experience to hear--and especially to be part of.

Thanks so much for this.

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: Ron Davies
Date: 21 Feb 09 - 01:31 PM

"Lift Every Voice" is also a great song--we sing it every year--with about 250 black and white singers--and the whole Kennedy Center Concert Hall belting it out--as part of an annual Martin Luther King celebration. Incredibly stirring--no matter how many times you do it.

The song also has in many ways a lot more to recommend it than the adopted and adapted English drinking song the US wound up with.

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: Pete MacGregor
Date: 21 Feb 09 - 01:34 PM

Try looking for John Jacob Niles on Facebook. A lot of people learned from him without giving much credit.

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: Stringsinger
Date: 21 Feb 09 - 01:36 PM

Leeneia, that was beautiful! What great singers! Harmonies were par excellence.
Thanks for that.

And they were so in-tune as well.

Men singing high or men singing low, makes no difference if they can sing like these guys.

Women singing high or low, the same.

The deal is this, there is propaganda out there that maintains a high voice in not masculine.
I say BS to that.

Stringsinger

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: Pete MacGregor
Date: 21 Feb 09 - 02:05 PM

Oops - should have said YouTube not Facebook. Senility galloping in!

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: Don Firth
Date: 21 Feb 09 - 02:33 PM

I'm not sure if John Jacob Niles would be considered a countertenor or not. He slides very easily from full voice to falsetto, and back again, and his falsetto is very sweet-sounding. He called himself a "mountain tenor."

The someone idiosyncratic and controversial John Jacob Niles.

This clip runs a little over two and a half minutes and then, for some reason, there is dead air from there on.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: Acorn4
Date: 21 Feb 09 - 06:18 PM

It's all Ok as long as you count your chromosomes regularly!

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: Acorn4
Date: 21 Feb 09 - 06:20 PM

....sorry and meant to add , Del Shannon's "Runaway" one of the alltime great recordings even though a little bit of "enhancement" went on apparently.

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: mkebenn
Date: 21 Feb 09 - 08:40 PM

I remember, barely, in my early twenties, trying to sing like Neil Young. My father took this for a while, and then said"why don't you use your own voice" I sound closer to Cash now. I love a good falsetto, 'tho, just don't have one. Mike

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 21 Feb 09 - 11:52 PM

'there is propaganda out there that maintains a high voice in not masculine.
I say BS to that.,

I went to workshop once where the presenter said that the male falsetto voice simply comes from a man using his vocal folds in the childhood way. When women and children sing, the edges of the vocal folds come together. When a man's voice changes at puberty, the side surfaces of the folds come together. However, if he has the knack, he can switch from one mode to the other.

So singing falsetto isn't a matter of not being masculine, it is a matter of being clever, amusing and adaptable. These are all traits which attract females and offer evolutionary advantage.

My husband loves to play with sound. He can sing an easy, light bass. He can boom like Earl Wrightson. He can do a comical falsetto. He can make a sound like the whistle on an ocean liner. He does a great whippoorwill imitation. In the long run, these are the things that matter.

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 22 Feb 09 - 10:09 AM

JJ Niles called himself a ' mountain tenor ' sounded more like a feckin banshee to me.

Remember ' Not The 9 O'Clock News ' doing ' Meaningless Songs In Very High Voices ' now who were they taking the mickey out of ?

anf having just watched ' Folk America ' Roger McGuinn sings like he's got a hernia.

Dave H

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 22 Feb 09 - 10:45 AM

Another country heard from...

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: Snuffy
Date: 22 Feb 09 - 02:28 PM

Dave H,

I always thought ' Meaningless Songs In Very High Voices ' was done by the Heebie-Beegies on Radio Active rather than on Not The Nine-O'Clock News.

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: Stringsinger
Date: 22 Feb 09 - 03:35 PM

Roger McGuinn is one of the finest contemporary folk singers around. He also writes
lovely songs. His voice is very natural and sweet. He has lots of fans and deserves
every one of them.

Frank Hamilton

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 23 Feb 09 - 03:18 AM

No it was definately Not The Nine O'Clock News taking the piss out of the BeeGees, and well deservedly.

Dave H

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 23 Feb 09 - 10:03 AM

Good heavens, Fat Tuesday is tomorrow!

Therefore, this is a fine point at which to share this Cajun classic,

DL Menard the Back Door

In this video, DL speaks a short introduction, which provides a chance to compare his baritone speaking voice with his high singing voice. I'm impressed by the young violinist, too.

For those of you new to Cajun music, the Back Door, (la Porte Arriere) which DL wrote, is one of its greatest hits.

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: topical tom
Date: 23 Feb 09 - 02:55 PM

Men singing in high voices is quite plentiful in bluegrass. Here is an example of the high AND the low.

Subject: RE: men singing high
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 23 Feb 09 - 10:05 PM

Thanks for the link, tom. That's a good example of what I like about bluegrass - good harmony, exciting strings, and mysterious chords.