Cornell Macneil sings 6 times a High A Flat (1962-1975)

[@jeffreymiller4814]

That note always whipped his audiences in a such frenzy you never got to hear the cutoff. NOT ONCE! The applause and cheers always started before he ended this high A-flat.

[@frankfurter6561]

An icon among the baritones and one of my favorites.

[@pabloporrase]

Unreal!!!! One of my favorite baritones of all time. Period.

[@keith.pierson4243]

Absolutely. I attended the 1975 Richard Tucker gala and remember that Robert Merrill (host) commented on the glorious voice of this other American baritone. Merrill did the two death scene arias from Don Carlo. MacNeil was my all time favorite baritone

[@65attila]

On stage his voice and upper notes were huge. BRAVO !!!! .

[@Labienus]

I never heard him in this-but heard him at the Met many times His prologue from Pagliacci had also an A flat-I'm pretty sure which sounded like it was shot from a cannon His Rigoletto was one of the greatest ever

[@assindiastignani4599]

+Labienus Oh yes, "canon" is the word. His "...al pari di voi..." could pin your ears to the back wall of the MET standing room. What a great, great, great singer!

[@valeriomessersi1016]

Formidabileeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Una delle più belle voci di baritono del secolo !!!!!!!!!!!!

[@armandonazarenocerutti9860]

EN BUENOS AIRES , YO ESTUVE PRESENTE EN LAS CINCO REPRESENTACIONES DE ERNANI QUE SE LLEVARON A CABO EN EL TEATRO COLÓN. ESTE FUE UN MOMENTO ELECTRIZANTE, SI LOS HUBO EN LA HISTORIA DEL TEATRO Y YO AGREGARÍA DE LA LÍRICA. Armando Cerutti - Barítono

[@piterpiter4494]

This is the first time that I 'be heard him sing and love it, personally you cannot beat a good baritone.

[@definitelynosebreather]

No singers like him anymore.

[@radames5855]

vocalità eccellente ed interprete di qualità!!! Fuoriclasse!!!

[@johnblasiak607]

Exceptional

[@leonoradelagardie]

Bravissimo! LOVE IT!!!!

[@carlosfigueroa7110]

Extraordinario , que gran voz !!!!!!

[@joserobertocursod1341]

Yo cante varias veces vonmc Neil siento integrante del oro en stable del.colon técnica perfecta fraseo. Inñecable súper barítono junto a el coloso d warren

[@filippofontana-baritono1440]

Straordinario!

[@angelasullivan4190]

My favorite baritone!!!

[@giampierone010]

A parte i Lab emessi,è un Fuoriclasse del recitar-cantando!!! Grazie

[@thomasdahlen2158]

GREAT!

[@angelicaprofeta7387]

Pelle d oca all infinito Voce cavernosissima e ricchissima di vibrazioni Insomma, serotonina allo stato puro Diciamo la verità, questi calibri, come la Obratzova, hanno un po ucciso alcuni ruoli ......

[@ernestoross]

Bravo!

[@56mexicano]

No solo prodigio del canto, sino también aficionado a la carpintería... ¿ Qué más podría pedirse?

[@robert111k]

Sí, claro. Porque los aficionados a la ópera lo que más valoramos es cantantes que, además de cantar, sepan hacer una mesa que no cojee.

[@ericgraber7142]

1965 WOW!

[@gregorymowery8879]

I started to hear Macneil at the Met in the mid-70s. Past his best, but still impressive, especially in his higher register. The 60s were definitely his decade. The voice was enormous with. briliant top. Not my favorite actor.

[@labienus9968]

Not sure what favorite means? But his Rigoletto in the 60's when I first heard it, as well as being vocally splendid, was dramatically very effective. I think he still had it with some ups and downs in the 70s, but even when he clearly was not quite the same voice was still the real deal. His Scarpia or Germont past his prime, still had a lot to it vocally and as an actor.

[@petergraham8681]

Actually its an A flat in this ERNANI moment but Big Mac had A's as well!

[@ChrisStockslager]

Peter Graham According to James Morris, MacNeil had high Cs!!!

[@peloponisios]

A flat is within the range of a verdi baritone.

[@photo161]

but very rarely called upon

[@boundary2580]

I can count on one hand the amount of times anything over a G is required.

[@labienus9968]

@@boundary2580 the number of times that extension above g is rare but has become required in certain roles-obviously the prologue-try singing that without the A flat or here, or Rigoletto etc and a Verdi baritone must have it

[@boundary2580]

@@labienus9968 So? that’s on my hand. The problem with writing above a G for baritones is that you start losing that trumpet like quality that baritones have from the C-G range, and most of them start to thin out. Thankfully most of the written notes above G are leaps and don’t affect the tessitura of the piece too much, but there are some absurd operatic roles. Oppenheimer from Dr. Atomic has a ridiculous tessitura, and the aria sits in that space for a long time. Honestly a lot of the hardest works are fairly recent. Doesn’t mean I think they aren’t good, just saying the composers aren’t very good at writing for the voice.

[@labienus9968]

@@boundary2580 Some baritones had real squillo above g-it can be a fabulous sound if you have it- better than many tenors. This guy had it, Warren, Milnes Ruffo etc. So it's not a problem, but it's just really a late extension to even the Verdi baritone voice. And the small number, the hadnfull of them are interpolated or optional, and added by baritones who had it. and as you say leaps, and not really part of the tessitura, but like the tenor versions up a third or so-woe to the singer who doesn't have them, the hell with come scritto-yet some baritones become obsessed with it-Warenitis-Milnes especially. I saw Atomic once but not that familiar with it and most contemporary operas-but hasn't that been the take about "modern" composers forever-that they aren't very good at writing for the voice-excluding someone like Britten

[@nicolasromero6436]

Yo soy profesor de CANTO LÍRICO quien dijo que el señor Macneil es Barítono , es un Tenor solapado tiene muy fáciles los sol sostenidos o la bemoles.Con todo respeto hubiera sido un gran Tenor.

[@Michael-mh4vr]

Nicolas Romero no he was not a tenor. I've known people who've seen him live. .including a late/deceased former vocal department head at Indiana University .Mac just was unusually gifted..his low notes were dark and high notes bright and booming. His passagio..is in the correct place Was Leonard Warren a tenor too?because he had easy booming high notes? of course not.

[@antfrei1]

Maestro, la cuerda de un cantante no la decide su tessitura, pero el color de su voz. Warren podia cantar un do; lo hacia eso un tenor?

[@nicolasromero6436]

EL tema va mas allá y que se llama NARCISO. El ARTE DE LA OPERA es MAS ALGUIDO de lo que nos imaginamos. Yo se de lo hablo cada voz tiene que estar en su registro zapatero a su zapato. Y otra cosa , la ley de la testosterona es muy difícil entre hombres, cuanto mas grande la tenes los quieres pasar a todos por arriba, humildad 0. La OPERA la hemos convertido en una maquina de picar carne.

[@FitnessVocalCarlosVinsac]

Madre mía... TENER FÁCIL UN AGUDO ES SER TENOR? De verdad que es maestro de canto lírico? A parte que se ve que es un baritonazo en grabaciones, mi maestro Pedro Lavirgen cantó con él muchas veces y si mi maestro dice que es un barítono de voz enorme... Le haré más caso a él que a usted.

[@cheekbass]

McNeil had better low notes than most basses including a sonorous low D.