What is a Countertenor? (Feat. Michael Skarke)

[@brandonacker]

Join my online guitar course!🎸classicalguitar-pro.com -53 videos -6 hours of content -Learn your first pieces -Simulated recital -Downloads and PDFs

[@hathouses]

its truly insane how cleanly this man transitions between chest and head voice. I sing bass in my school choir and my falsetto and mixed voice sounds ROUGH compared to my chest voice. Massive respect

[@DrDingsGaster]

x'D I feel that.

[@misscameroon8062]

how old are you?

[@arxsyn]

This comes with training, experience, and muscle memory navigating the passagio with various approaches in mix voice. I'm a natural female contralto. Like men my natural tendency is to use a heavy chest voice most of the time. The G4 note on me is very thick, strong and dark but the note above that is immediately lighter, head voice dominant sound. It's extremely jarring. Skilled singers know what to do to disguise the 'break'.

[@SpaceCattttt]

To be fair, a bass falsetto is probably going to sound like an average baritone...

[@Android480]

That voice is incredible. Doesn’t sound like a typical falsetto, it has so much power

[@LeroyLegacy]

Right

[@sharonmullins1957]

That is because it is a counter tenor.............smoothly moving (not strained falsetto)

[@arxsyn]

This is because he trained his head voice extensively, and of course projection in opera is incredibly important. My favorite male pop artists with a strong head voice are Miguel and early Maxwell. In pop music a falsetto is way of singing high in a soft, whispery, or airy way utilizing the head voice probably to avoid sounding overly sharp and bright. It can sound intimate. Mariah Carey has a very distinctive falsetto that is rather unique, kinda like a coquettish cooing into the mic!

[@sophelet]

Absolutely beautifully presented, explained, sung, and played. Bravo to each of you! There is a lengthy, strong tradition of countertenor/male alto singing in Britain because the cathedral and chapel choir traditions had choirs consisting only of boys and men. This is still prevalent. In fact, it's been less than two years since a female alto was added to the professional choir at St Paul's Cathedral in London-- and the choir was founded before 1127 AD (that's the earliest mention). Most (probably all) cathedrals and chapels (especially associated with universities such as Oxford and Cambridge) consist of men and boys; girls and women have only been added in the past couple of decades, and it remains controversial. Some great British countertenors: Peter Pears (Benjamin Britten's partner), Robin Blaze, Michael Chance, James Bowman, Iestyn Davies, Patrick Craig, and more. Other greats (mostly not British): Andreas Scholl, Bejun Mehta, David Daniels, Philippe Jaroussky, Jakub Józef Orliński, Brian Asawa, Derek Lee Ragin, Reginald Mobley (he and Brandon have made stunning videos on the channel), Franco Fagioli, Anthony Roth Costanzo, René Jacobs, Kangmin Justin Kim, Paul Esswood, . . . and more. It's my favorite voice type.

[@merri-toddwebster2473]

I'm another big countertenor fan and grew up singing a lot of the English cathedral repertoire as a girl treble. I still sing mostly straight tone.

[@arxsyn]

Well I'm a Contralto fan and l am also blessed to be one. Did you know natural countertenors and contraltos are basically one and the same, with the same range? Sometimes called male contraltos, these are men whose voices for whatever reason (usually a medical condition) never developed enough into the standard male singing voice. They may even be called natural castrati. My favourite countertenor is Jakub, because he sounds very much like a natural Alto, very rich, warm and full of colour Side note: In opera, due to the inclusion of men, the "Alto" category has expanded and I imagine, very competitive with a variety of voice types vying for the same roles

[@stevenqirkle]

Michael is supremely talented and I love the way his voice pairs with the theorbo

[@TylerDaleJr.McCarty]

I'm seriously enjoying how well edited and structured this video is! You guys are killing it!

[@fallowfieldoutwest]

Brandon is getting bolder with the vampire imagery...

[@IRwuzzle]

Right?? How long do you think they've known each other?

[@-peyat]

at least 279 years

[@ErickArchViz]

have we ever seen him in the sun??? yeah i dont think so

[@nikkithebulldozer2960]

@@ErickArchViz kzbin.info/www/bejne/l53cdX2vqLitgpY

[@nikkithebulldozer2960]

@@ErickArchViz fully intact, smiling even .

[@firesong83]

I could listen to the two of you for hours.

[@virginielafrench3921]

Me too !

[@Sirithang]

Another great video thank you! My first encounter with a Countertenor was with Luc Arbogast, busking with an Irish bouzouki, and something that mic and KZbin video have trouble illustrating is how powerful in the actual space that type of voice is, as the "wow" reaction from Brandon show when Michael demonstrate his head voice :D !

[@lucasdasilvapinto783]

According to my voice teacher, I'm a countertenor. It's being a journey of learning not only for me but also for her as I am the first countertenor in her career so far. I've started my lessons a few months ago and my vocal range at the moment is around an F2 up to B5. I still don't know how to use all the registers properly, but I hope one day I can sing half as beautifully as Michael can ❤️

[@HankySwankles]

Michael and I went to school together in undergrad. He’s got a great voice! And he’s pretty good at basketball too 🏀

[@ckturvey]

Great introduction and explanation of countertenors. Growing up in the 80' s I listened to a lot of very high tenor voices (Iron Maiden, Rush and Triumph to name a few.) I think another interesting facet of males singing high is not just for tenors. There are many Baritones that have falsetto that can go higher than even a tenor. A great example is Philip Bailey with Earth Wind and Fire. His "normal " vocal range is Baritone, but has a very extensive falsetto range.

[@hbmike47]

Thanks for doing this video. Countertenor is rarely discussed. They are each unique .

[@qhazwel]

I really like the way you brought out the metal voice of the 80's. There were so many great voices (known as hair bands or AOR) from the 80's. Rob Halford, Tony Harnell (TNT), Miljenko Matijevic (steelheart) Sebastian Bach (Skidrow) just to name a few.

[@Boodah_Bwoy]

Mr. Skarke is always incredible, I’m glad that I had the opportunity to learn from him during my high school years with him as my voice teacher. Love you Skarke🫶

[@vidsorama2]

I learned so much by watching this video. Thank you. Very interesting topic. I love Mitch Grassi. I was thrilled to hear his name mentioned. His voice is amazing.

[@cagolan]

This was super interesting ! And man ! What a voice ! 😯😯 You two playing and singing together really is a treat.

[@danforthprince849]

this was charming and informative. BRAVO to all parties involved. Many thanks x

[@lauracr7117]

Wonderful voice and very good explanation. Many poor people hoped their children would become rich as castrato singers .. unfortunately many did not even survive the "surgery" for infections ando so on. Beautiful voice and lute !!! 👏👏👏👏

[@norcimorci]

Countertenor is my absolute favorite! Especially when listening to Baroque music. ❤️

[@nickrobinson5895]

Listening to you guys play with thunder rolling in the distance and lightning illuminating the sky, it’s epic.

[@jameslouder]

An outstanding video, gentlemen! Michael's explanation of where the the countertenor voice came from is so lucid and complete. When you make the CD that I hope is in your future, you might well include a transcript of his remarks in the booklet. I'm glad Michael discussed how the countertenor voice crops up again and again in pop music. When I was in the tenth grade (c. 1964) one of our teachers played us a record of Alfred Deller singing Elizabethan lute songs. The guys were all going, "Gah, that's so weird!"--the same guys who didn't bat an eyelash when Paul McCartney of the newly renowned Beatles went up into falsetto, as he often did. The same teacher also played us the New York Pro Musica's recording of "The Play of Daniel". An epoch-making record in more ways than one, it featured the American counter-tenor Russell Oberlin in a number of roles. Interestingly, Oberlin's voice didn't provoke the reaction that Deller's had. But Oberlin was that rare bird, a natural counter-tenor with a robust chest-tone; whereas Deller was a falsettist, whose voice, though beautiful, was very light. Again, thanks for this video. Now about that CD...

[@virginielafrench3921]

Compared to Philippe Jaroussky, Alfred Deller had a " big voice " though . As a french person , Alfred was obviously the first countertenor i heard ( called haute- contre at the time ). Andreas Scholl 's voice reminds me of Alfred 's very very much . My favourite is Philippe. I have most of his CDS

[@virginielafrench3921]

What ? I read that Alfred Deller was ....english ???!! 😲😲 But his name sounds very french . I think he was of french origin anyway . I 've learnt something new today on rhe net

[@jameslouder]

@@virginielafrench3921 Yes, Alfred Deller came from Margate, a seaside town in Kent (SE England). The name goes back to the Middle Ages, derived ultimately from Old English 'dell' : a shallow valley, often wooded. The French equivalent would be 'vallon'. So a deller is simply an inhabitant of a dell, as one of the late Afred's forebears must have been. The name is fairly common in southeast England, and found in the US and former British dominions.

[@luisinlondon]

Brilliant video! Thank you, I love countertenor voices and learnt a lot from you guys. Michael, please come again.

[@bahoonies]

Back in the day when I sang in cathedral choirs the male alto or countertenor was known as the funny voice department. Not anymore, I'm glad to say. I think we have Alfred Deller to thank for beginning that change of opinion. His voice had an easy quality that no other countertenor in his time could match. That brief excerpt from Thomas Campion's gorgeous Shall I Come Sweet Love To Thee is a beautiful example of how special his voice was. When Andreas Scholl came along I was astonished by the quality, tone and projection of his beautiful voice. There was obviously a big change in training methods and finally the countertenor voice had come into its own. In Deller's day the pool of countertenor soloists was small. You'd see singers like James Bowman and Paul Esswood appearing regularly on recordings of which I have quite a few. But now there is a wealth of absolutely glorious countertenors. All those mentioned in this video would move you to tears to listen to them. Aren't we lucky to have them?

[@jameslouder]

Alfred Deller himself came out of the English cathedral tradition (Canterbury?). After his voice broke he retained his high register--or perhaps 'maintained' is the better word. In this he was entirely self-taught--necessarily, for there was no one else to learn from. He and the few others we've mentioned were all flying without instruments, if I can put it that way. The pedagogy that has given us today's marvellous singers was built upon the their work. But it's important to stress, their work went beyond mere vocal technique. They were rediscovering a culture, and things about language that had almost been forgotten. A friend of mine, the tenor Edmund Brownless, once told me he had learned more about singing from listening to Deller recite poetry during a masterclass, than in any voice lesson he'd ever had.

[@bahoonies]

@James Louder We're definitely in agreement about them setting the foundations for those who came after. I have a book about Alfred Deller which I must dig out. I know he sang as a lay clerk in Canterbury Cathedral and his son Mark became a boy chorister there. And later, Mark became a fine countertenor too. I would love to have met Alfred Deller. I have loved his singing for as long as I can remember.

[@ericmcdonald8785]

Spot on. Alfred Deller (& his resurrection of Purcell) was important for the reemergence of the counter tenor voice.

[@Lamar933]

Keep the Early Music content coming, please! Good stuff!

[@johnatyoutube]

Thanks for this great discussion of a lost art due to the ceasing of the "snip" and how it has been beautifully recreated by men learning how to enrich the falsetto range in their voice. I assume that the only difference is that less of the vocal cords are used by men to sing in falsetto than castrati who sang in full voice and could use their full cords and that therefore the sound isn't as big in volume as what castrati could produce. Thankfully, we now have amplification and Michael has learned to use the most of his. He has a beautiful voice and it's wonderful to hear him sing. Thank you both for sharing!

[@JS-hu7pv]

A few years ago, we had second row seats to the New York Phil’s performance of Handel’s Messiah. Anthony Roth Costanzo was the countertenor. Brilliant performance and I don’t think Messiah or many of the pieces we appreciate today would be the same without the countertenor voicing.

[@eckosters]

Excellent video, thank you. Also great to hear & see a little bit of that amazing Theorbe

[@federfarbenfee]

Thank you for these very interesting insights! The extreme difference between speech voice and the countertenor voice is really fascinating. I didn't think that this is possible. Apart from the ancient cruel castration merhod that you mentioned. And also the power and the tone control in these dizzying hights are amazing. And you are right: Extraordinary voices that brake out of the usual range are those that stay in mind. I also love very deep voices.

[@chorabari]

Will never forget sitting 3 meters from Andreas Scholl as he sang an informal recital a few years ago.

[@weriem]

Great to "see" Michael again!

[@BuceGar]

Klaus Nomi was a famous countertenor. His rendition of The Cold Song was particularly good.

[@ingreynelg]

You should definitely keep doing this interview format! Great chapter, very educational, I had no idea there was anything above tenor.

[@davidg5898]

David Daniels was my introduction to countertenor. I caught Gluck's _Orfeo ed Euridice_ at the Chicago Lyric Opera sometime around 2005 or 2006. The sound really is beautiful. And always surprising whenever you're at a performance and it gets to the countertenor's first lines.

[@arxsyn]

He sounds absolutely stunning to me. Would give any mezzo a run for their money

[@merri-toddwebster2473]

The portrait of Senesino reminds me strikingly of Michael Sheen as Aziraphale in Good Omens.

[@clairenicholls]

Loving Brandon and Michael performances! Please, if you’re looking for repertoire, I’d love to hear a performance of Bach’s “Wir Eilen Mit Schwachen Doch Emsigen Schritten”, sans cello and replace with “something that goes pluck”

[@joshualangworthy2195]

Thank you Brandon! Can't wait to win your guitar!

[@zxbn4566]

Excellent! So informative and well presented.

[@derrickbelmar]

I'm a countertenor tenor my voice sits very high and I'm comfortable singing soprano or alto I can sing tenor and baritone too but my true range is in the soprano or alto my voice changes when I get in my middle voice and my middle voice and upper voice are the same voice it just amazed me how my voice age well because when I was younger I could sing soprano now in my 30s I still can now in my teen years through 21 my voice was lower after 21 my voice mature and I started getting back my high notes.

[@irmelinpio]

Andreas* Scholl is also my all time favourite counter tenor… also the first one that I came across but noone has beaten his voice yet👀

[@karenhollywood3523]

My all time favorite Countertenor by far is Klaus Nomi. Early 1980's German New Wave Opera , avant- garde performance Artist. Truly other worldly. ♥️

[@CT-gy6us]

Brandon's channel is getting more and more interesting, great content. I'll check out the mentionned singers (most of them unknown to me).

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

I never actually know anything about this which is why this is so enlightening and entertaining!

[@mariasaha8303]

Fantastic! I learned so much, thanks!

[@StadinBasso]

Adding Jochen Kowalski on the list. What a voice!

[@Babbajune]

Thanks so much! Michael truly has such a beautiful voice ❤.

[@virginielafrench3921]

Oh yes ! I agree . Beautiful voice and beautiful piece of music

[@Robobagpiper]

Great time for this video! KZbin just recently recommended (and I watched) Total Baroque's video of the opera Carlo il Calvo at Beyruth Baroque 2020, an amazing performance that has three countertenors in the cast, so this topic has been on my mind recently!

[@iris_purpurea]

Beautiful and very interesting, thank you!

[@Elephantine999]

Really interesting. Michael was a great guest. I learned something!

[@melissamusick8300]

Thanks for the fascinating look into counter culture!

[@Substraal]

My favourite countertenor died last year....James Bowman. David Daniels and Alex Potter are in my top 10 But recently i hear Daniel Moody and you....and your voices are higher and very clear..beautiful ❤️

[@matikin9]

I recently saw Michael perform in Vivaldi's "Ercole su'l Termodonte" with Pacific Opera Project and he was so amazingly expressive. His performance really stood out to me and I instantly recognized him in this video! :D I didn't realize that countertenor singing is comparable to singing in falsetto. I'm realizing thow that I've grew up listening to this style of singing because it's used in Chinese opera, particularly Kunqu Opera.

[@jakelm4256]

Good video. I’ve had a lifelong fascination with both.

[@frogmouth]

If you play the duet with Jarrouski and Stutzmann from Handel: Son nata a lagrimar you get the counter tenor singing above the contralto . Nice comparison contrast male and female

[@ezumach]

This man has a beautiful voice

[@AreEnTee]

Early Music Sources has a more in depth video of counter tenors and constrati if anyone wants to learn more about the topic Thank you Maestro Acker for the video (and flashbacks) :)

[@virginielafrench3921]

To Brandon Acker : i don't know if it could ever be possible some day but my dream is a duet ( ot several why not , still better !) between you my favourite musician and Philippe Jaroussky my favourite countertenor singer 😊😊😊😍😍

[@mooncarvlog]

examples of natural male alto-tenor(high tessitura and light timbre) are Geddy Lee(RUSH), Roger Hodgson(Supertramp), Jon Anderson(YES), Mickey Thomas(Jefferson Starship), Tony Lewis(The Outfields), Russell Hitchcock(Air Supply)

[@DannyXNightmarez]

@brandonacker if it hasn't been mentioned already, one of the most famous countertenors in modern music/avant garde was Klaus Nomi, who only had a career from mid 70s till his death in 83

[@kathyhollenbach7413]

So interesting. Thanks to the both of you for this. Would have loved to have heard more of Michael singing and you playing. Too bad this couldn't have been 5 min longer. This was great however. 👏👏👏👏❤

[@brandonacker]

Thanks! This is why we included the performance links in the description if you'd like to hear more :)

[@DouglasJWalker]

What a wonderfully informative video

[@superbone16]

Thank you for this video, beautiful.

[@brennonmcfarlane429]

Hey Brandon! I studied with Michael at Baylor and he is truly a phenomenal voice! If you are ever interested to explore, Henry Lawes has some phenomenal restoration compositions for Basso Profundo and Lute. They are full of humor, and great part writing. I no longer sing professionally, I teach middle school Choir. But it may be worth finding a Basso for a collaboration video! One great American Basso is Curtis Streetman from WKU.

[@kipponi]

In Finland we have only one countertenor(kontratenori in finnish) Pasi Hyökki. We called him sopranista too. This is a very rare voice type. I am bass/baritone in our choir. We need low voices too. Every voice type is unique. I hate it when generally saying highest voice is best. No it is not. Listen like baritone Dietrich Fisher-Dieskau. Or our Finland bass voice Martti Talvela. Both are pass now.

[@VivaLaVittoria]

I always assumed that the quality of sound from a castrato would be very different from a modern countertenor. Since a castrato's voice never "dropped", they wouldn't be singing in their head voice as much in order to achieve the same range. I thought their voice might sound more like a female mezzo soprano.

[@frogmouth]

But the castrato had a big chest more air than females . They were typically tall . We can't tell what the voice was like Moreschi's recording is poor quality and not very appealing. I liked the digital combination of Ewa Malas Godlewska and Derek Lee Ragin 's voices to produce a possible sound for The castrato very agile very powerful

[@FollowTheLion01]

I love Philippe Jaroursky!

[@shaqalito8740]

As a countertenor myself with a 5 octave range, I often like to tell people that I have 2 registers with 2 ranges. I view it as male register for the chest to very low falsetto, and female for falsetto and high head voice. Sometimes I have a hard time understanding my own voice. Specially when I go very very high as I feel it's not even a head voice but more of a chest voice in this "female register". It is actually easier to sing extremely high, than it is to sing in the blend of these registers. Very interesting nonetheless to get to learn about my voice type.

[@ScubzMcTalBowling]

The only countertenor I have really listened to was Anthony Roth Costanzo in Philip Glass Akhnaten. It is an amazing performance.

[@oxoelfoxo]

thanks for the links in the description!

[@yusufardabicer5009]

Thanks for video

[@Ettoredipugnar]

Great presentation!

[@feralbluee]

Thank you. I didn’t really know what a countertenor was. I tried singing “countersoprano”. I’m not trained, but can sing. Amazingly, I was able to sing that way. Never was able to sing that high. :) 🌷🌱

[@robertbogomolec8763]

As a metalhead, I can't help but wonder how awesome this guy would sound if he added some dirt to that high voice of his.

[@dylancarroll9709]

I’m surprised I’ve seen nothing about Michael Jackson so far he has a very high talking voice and can sing extreme pitches.

[@dereonbailey2372]

Thanky to you guys i found out im a countertenor

[@brandonacker]

Wow! Wonderful :)

[@Elasworld71]

Amazing. My favourite is John Holiday. I never heard about countertenors before JH. Amazing skill.

[@julieressler1301]

So NEW TO ME! Interesting!....and beautiful to hear!

[@lwgrantsmom1603]

Awesome info and presentation.

[@KorKhan89]

Great video, thanks! Early Music Sources also did a fascinating video on the topic recently - another channel definitely worth checking out for those that haven’t already.

[@brandonacker]

Thanks! I love that channel too

[@mdunkman]

Here’s a link, unless KZbin blocks it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n4GVp6psf66XhLM

[@Mario-xr3jo]

Great interview! Thanks!

[@NeilABliss]

Sensational duet. I don't suppose you have any friends from the other end of the male range you could perform with?

[@vai160]

That thumbnail tho.. 🧛‍♂️

[@MFjaYWiLL]

This is my range!!! 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@christiankandt7773]

Beatiful, thank you!

[@marie-josetimperley3825]

Beautiful and very interesting! Have you considered making an album together?

[@unice5656]

If you ever want to have your mind blown by how high a male voice can go, I highly recommend looking up Dimash Kudaibergen

[@virginielafrench3921]

Oh yes ! I forgot to mention this one ! He 's from Ouzbékistan, right ?

[@asherbeal8357]

Thank you!!! 🤘❤️🍻❤️🤘

[@Runoratsu]

I naturally fall into my falsetto voice a lot, too. Then again, I‘m not technically a very good singer-good enough for accompanying my hobbyist guitar playing, but that’s about it.

[@frizero]

What a voice!!!

[@resipsaloquitur13]

Would live to hear Schubert, "Nacht und Träume" With his voice

[@merri-toddwebster2473]

I am amused that the subtitles rendered "trek" with a capital T, "Trek".

[@DrDingsGaster]

I'm a trans guy who sang all the female sections in choir throughout highschool. First foray into honors choir was as a 1rst soprano and honestly if I can reclaim that high voice it'd be hella voice goals. It's absolutely gorgeous.

[@lf7184]

Castrati So hitting those pitches within that range and calling it by another name is hysterical. The register is exactly the same should be called what it is.

[@josephinerobinson1093]

Men back then would really do the absolute most extra thing before they would let women sing, wouldn’t they?

[@thephoenixcycle8854]

Yeah.. they're nuts, lol

[@derlumpenhund]

@@thephoenixcycle8854 well, the castrati don't have nuts so

[@thephoenixcycle8854]

@@derlumpenhund and there lies the joke🫠

[@virginielafrench3921]

@@derlumpenhund 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Ah yes , i understand what kind of nuts you 're talking about

[@dudenamedchris3325]

It was different times. They weren't acting egotistical or something. It was simply the status quo.

[@virginielafrench3921]

Good video ,thanks ! Please , could you do one about the true story of Farinelli ,please ?

[@Krfification101]

I love singing in my Countertenor range, but I haven't had much of a chance to develop it except on my own. None of my teachers have really taken me seriously when I say I would like to develop that part of my voice.

[@cheapgear6709]

i remember reading about a jazz singer who had "undecended testicles" and sang really high. he was married, had a "normal" life (whatever that means).This was back in the 80's

[@KarlFluesse]

There is also the term sopranist for those who sing falsetto in the soprano register.

[@fatweevlogs]

I am really into countertenor singing, but it makes me wonder why it is very few of the countertenors who dont sing operatic kind of music. It would be wonderful having more countertenors in pop music, RnB, n many other genres.

[@brunosipavicius7867]

I love deep villan, heron adviser, old men of a nation religious voices: bass baritone. My voice is normally In this voice scale. Are they any videos here with this kind of vocals?