| I thought it might be useful to clarify to you all my views on the lower fachs of the contralto voice, and on the nomenclature used in my previous post.
If the singer could only produce a thin, gravely or harsh sound with a "spoken voice" quality below the notes below Eb3/D3, I would consider the singer to be a Tiefer Alt, and not acontralto profondo.
I hope the above clarifies my thoughts on the Fachs of the contralto voice, and the nomenclature I have used gives a clearer categorisation of the voice types. cor 5/8/2013 07:44:46 am I do appreciate your article very much, as I completely agree with the necessity of having appropriate terms to describe female low voices accurately and without reference to male voices. I also agree with the necessity of coining new precise terms able to describe "technically" every type of voice (as I agree with coining of new terms in any domain when necessary). My only concern is that "oktavistka" seems a rather difficult word to read and pronounce (at least for me, not being familiar with Russian) and I call in question its actual capacity of becoming a part of the vocabulary. However, as my competence is limited to Romance linguistics and my native language is a Romance one, it is very difficult for me to express an opinion about a "fresh-coined" word in English. Nevertheless, from a very practical point of view I think having a more "accessible" word would increase its chances to be adopted as a technical term. At first I had written a consideration about the treatment of loanwords, because I don't agree 100% with applying a Russian suffix to a word you want to forge in English, even if your starting point is indeed a word borrowed in English from Russian. On the other hand, English does not offer the possibility of deriving feminine nouns from a masculine form, so I understand your option for the Russian suffix... Anyway, my initial text was too long and finally I was afraid my suggestions there were not completely sustainable, so I gave up, but I will think over this problem. If somebody will share my opinion on creating a more "natural" word, so to speak, maybe we could go deeper and try together to identify other possible solutions. Reply 8/8/2013 04:42:14 am Hi Cor, Thank you very much for your thought-provoking comment, and our subsequent conversation. Initially, I thought of the term oktavistka as I was trying to make a direct correspondence with the lowest type of male singer. This way, rather than the “gendered” term of female bass, one could use a term which had a specific meaning with respect to the tessitura, weight and method of vocal production of the singer and her voice. My partner also suggested the term contralto basso. My hesitation with it stemmed from the idea that “the opera-going public”, and musicians in general, may not be able to distinguish between the contralto profondo (female tenor) and the contralto basso (female bass)? This is because, in the male singing lexicon, a basso profondo sings in a lower tessitura than a simple basso. However, I can see that the term contralto basso is by far a more accessible word, thus I am very much in agreement that contralto basso is a more appropriate replacement for the term female bass than is the term oktavistka. Contralto basso is not a term which excludes anyone, it is easy to understand, it is easy to merge into the current vocal Fach lexicon, and it is easy to say which, as you state, is an important part coining a new term. I will be putting a poll on the website to see which of the two terms my readers prefer, but I must say I am greatly impressed by the term, and am moving towards it as a replacement for female bass. Many thanks, James Edward Hughes www.contraltocorner.com Reply 10/8/2013 06:29:36 am I am the female bass from Vivaldi's women, depicted in the UTube clip on your site. I originally trained as a contralto but have for 30 + years sung tenor, mostly in my prefererred high ie 1st tenor voice, in a variety of auditioned mixed chamber choirs though I often do sing bass in a church choir as and when required. My lowest note is the C lying 2 octaves below middle C .A term I have often used is counteralto, by analogy with countertenor, but I prefer just to be known as a tenor who happens to be female, with a bass extension. 16/8/2013 02:46:21 am Hi Margaret, Thanks for your post, and for your input. All the best, James Edward Hughes www.contraltocorner.com Reply Susan Malczewski 26/2/2014 01:09:03 pm I am very glad the voice community is starting to come up with names for voices lower than contralto. By your range standards, I would be considered a "contralto basso". But my question is this: I still don't feel like there is a classification for my particular voice. Because although my range goes from about the G 1 1/2 octaves below middle C to the C an octave above (and on good days a few more notes on each end), my voice is really light and bright even on its' lowest notes, and I can do amazing coloratura. Also, I do not have the three-note middle register like David Jones talks about on voiceteacher. com. My middle register spans an octave, like with a mezzo-soprano. Also, unlike a contralto, my chest voice is my weakest register. I am much stronger in my middle register and head voice. When I sing in the tenor range, I sound much more like a male tenor than I do like Bally Prell or Ruby Helder. What would this be called? Mezzo-soprano Basso? Help! Reply anon 28/2/2015 08:50:52 pm You might be a tenor who happens to be female? Since your middle and head registers are the strongest. Do you sound most like a leggiero tenor? Reply Susan Malczewski 25/3/2015 02:20:36 pm Actually, recently, I took studio recordings of myself, and compared them to a bunch of female, and then male, voices. I actually am a tenor that happens to be female. But I do not sound most like a leggiero tenor. I sound most like a spinto tenor. Yes, I have an extremely powerful head voice, a baritonal quality when singing softly, and effortless dynamics-all qualities of the spinto tenor. Helen 20/10/2014 01:51:19 pm I'm what you'd call a contralto profondo. People usually call me "tenalto". Reply Susan Malczewski 8/3/2015 07:37:16 pm I believed I have solved the mystery of my baritone/tenor range voice that does not sound like a contralto voice at all. I sound almost identical to a spinto tenor. Therefore, I am actually a woman with a male voice. If I were male, spinto tenor would be my likely classification. I can attach some tracks of me singing if you're interested. Reply anon 26/3/2015 01:27:57 pm Please do share! Reply anon 26/3/2015 01:33:38 pm Oh, and this also got me thinking--perhaps you're the reverse of a modal countertenor (Michael Maniaci, Mitch Grassi, Chris Colfer.) :) Reply Susan Malczewski 28/3/2015 03:27:45 pm Notes for my recordings: One can hear on both these samples how I effortlessly transition between dynamics: soft to loud, and then back to soft again, particularly on tracks 1 and 7. One can hear the weakness of my chest voice compared to my middle register on track 3, and middle register to head voice on track 5. (On track 5, I had to turn down and compress my backing vocals, because I was getting red level readings on the track.) On all the tracks, especially 5-7, where no reverb was added, one can hear a light baritonal quality when I sing softly. 11 years later, my singing is much more free and technically sound, and all the above characteristics are even more obvious. Enjoy listening to these tracks, and learning something new: I tried attaching them here, but I can't :( I will have to send them to the administrator in an e-mail Reply Liz Walsh 5/4/2015 01:45:13 pm Thank you so much! As as serious musician with a love of singing I had given up hope and was beginning to think I was freak. I so enjoyed my singing at the cathedral today for Easter Sunday in the congregation that I searched to see if there was such a thing as a female tenor or bass. I will have the confidence now to audition for top choirs- or find a wonderful one like the Vivaldi clip where my unusual voice will be valued. I can confirm that I was a high soprano until 17 with full choir school training. I just got lower and lower. At music college I sang tenor (mainly as they were short and I had the range and could read). Over the years I just got lower. In the last choir ( now aged 50+ ) I sang Bass and my resonance seems to be best there. I have had my vocal chords checked. I think strain was partly responsible as I was leading singing about 4 hours a day. I stopped singing and have only been conducting and accompanying for the last 10 years. I was even criticized in an teaching observation 2 years ago, that I should sing at pitch for the younger singers ( aged 11-13) to model on. I did explain that I could not. Now retired I so wanted to join a choir- I will now. Thank you so much. Margaret seems just like me. I can comfortably get two Gs below middle C. I am inspired. There has been arguments on other postings about blending visually - I just wore a tuxedo mostly. My heart is full of joy of the thought of singing again. I cannot thank you enough. Reply Oliver 13/11/2016 12:34:32 pm This is an interesting resource, and I think it's good to give more recognition to low-voiced women. Is it possible to hear Liz's recordings anywhere? Reply Anne 7/2/2017 02:25:57 am I am so happy to have found this article and site! I have struggled for years with trying to classify my voice. I'm seventeen now, but I've been marked as an "alto" since I was about ten. In the past several years, my singing voice has dropped to what I've felt for a while is an unusual range. Reply Lizzy 7/1/2018 08:04:33 pm First of all, I'd like to thank you for taking your time in exploring the contralto voice, it's quite difficult to find information on this beautiful voice type. I'm a contralto, yes... But I'm deeper than a typical contralto because I noticed that I don't fit in with the contraltos in choir. The teacher noticed too as my fellow contraltos would constantly complain about my voice being off the charts. I later discovered that my range was within or rather filled the entire tenor range. (G4 - A2 ) so my highest note would be a mezzo singing in her moderate voice. I'd like to also add that, my chest register is the most powerful, and quite comfortable - it's quite heavy, dark, smokey texture that's almost sounds masculine. My middle register isn't quite bad. I'm able to tolerate it. Singing in my high notes (head voice) is quite straneous and uncomfortable and weak, even weaker than a typical contralto, therefore I sing using falsetto with the help of my chest register to sound more powerful. I can sing to songs sung by mezzos (not on their high registers), contraltos (but I sound slightly deeper than them.) I'm more comfortable singing to male songs by tenors and baritones. Reply Your comment will be posted after it is approved. | Dramatic ContraltosMeredith Arwady Contralto ProfondosGalina Baranova LinksHere are a few links which may prove useful. Blog RollBarihunks CategoriesAll ArchivesDecember 2023 |
RSS FeedAs an expert in vocal classification and contralto voices, I appreciate the detailed exploration of the lower fachs of the contralto voice in the provided article. The author proposes a shift in terminology from "female tenor" and "female bass" to more descriptive terms such as "contralto profondo" for female tenor and "oktavistka" for female bass. This shift is suggested to better capture the timbre of the voice and the method of vocal production.
The article introduces the concept of contralto profondo for female tenors, emphasizing that these singers predominantly use the chest register for the majority of their notes, akin to the registration changes of the basso profondo in male singers. The term oktavistka is proposed for female bass, drawing inspiration from the term "oktavist" used for male singers who can sing in the octave below the basso profondo.
To provide evidence for these proposed terms, the author discusses the method of producing notes and the timbre of the voice for each category. For contralto profondo, examples of singers like Bally Prell and Ruby Helder are presented, demonstrating the use of the chest register and a darker, thicker timbre similar to the male baritone. On the other hand, an example of oktavistka, a female singer comfortable singing in the A2-E2 range with full resonance and vibrato, is provided.
The article further integrates these proposed terms into the existing contralto terminology, positioning contralto profondo below tiefer alt and oktavistka below contralto profondo. Range, timbre, resonance, and vibrato characteristics for each voice type are discussed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the distinctions.
In response to reader comments, alternative terms such as "contralto basso" are considered, and a poll is suggested to gauge reader preferences. The author engages with feedback, demonstrating a commitment to refining the terminology for greater clarity in categorizing contralto voices.
In conclusion, the article offers a thorough analysis of the contralto voice, proposing new terms supported by examples and considerations of vocal characteristics. The author's expertise in vocal classification and attention to reader input contribute to a comprehensive discussion of the topic.
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