"Since the Toils." by Purcell. Ian Howell-Countertenor

An Aria from Purcell's Dioclesian. Featuring Countertenor Ian Howell with the Choir of Trinity Wall St. New York and Rebel Baroque Orchestra

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[ianthecountertenor]

(please scroll down, as this is one of several comments in reaction to recent posts on this video)

...length of vocal fold while retaining the optimal balance between the CT/TA muscles that makes the chest/modal action (register) so full and loud.

:-).

Questions?

~Ian

[ianthecountertenor]

to behave in an optimal manner, but the basic information I provided is solid. Whether countertenors sing in falsetto or not is an outdated topic of discussion, as I hope I have shown that the word has no real useful meaning. It is a way of approaching singing, not a unique 'register.' It is much more accurate, and of far greater pedagogical value) to talk in terms of the muscles employed to elicit an efficient, optimal sound. What most countertenors do is sing on an adducted length (cont)

[ianthecountertenor]

logically explains why a falsetto approach has to be regulated to an adducted action. I can sing very whispy and weak pitches in my chest/modal range, and I would bet that they are the result of this same lack of TA engagement.

Now, what countertenors appear to do is to train their mechanism to adduct at a lower pitch than most tenors/basses/baritones, etc...

Of course it is more complicated than this (there are specific conditions that must be met in the throat for the CT/TA muscles (cont)

[ianthecountertenor]

the action head voice. here's where things get tricky. Some people are really good at continuing the antagonistic relationship between the CT and TA (I'll start abbreviating now) muscles as the adduction takes place. We tend to call what they do a mixed voice, or reinforced head voice or reinforced falsetto. If someone hasn't trained their mechanism to do this, we call it falsetto and lament how that is the only way that men can sing high pitches. IMHO, I haven't read anything that (cont..)

[ianthecountertenor]

section of the folds, leaving a shorter anterior portion to vibrate (less length is less mass, and can vibrate correspondingly faster = higher pitches). We tend to call the former action chest voice, or more recently, modal voice. The relationship between the crycothyroid and thyroarytenoid muscles (which one is winning the tug of war) changes through the range of the modal voice, but the folds retain their basic configuration. Once the posterior adduction takes place, we tend to call (cont.)

[ianthecountertenor]

the louder/denser/more colorful the sound will be. Despite the complexity of the larynx, there are really just a few competing muscle groups that offer a limited number of 'vibratory states' (what some people call registers). You can sing with a cricothyroid dominant action, or a thyroarytenoid dominant action (the vocalis muscle that wants to shorten and thicken the folds), or anywhere on the continuum between those two extremes. Around E4 in most voices, muscles close the posterior (cont..)

[highnote32]

This is an Alto!!!!

[cledezmaslp]

What a beautiful voice and beautiful man! :)

[ryan33bttm]

Ian you're so handsome.

[drj4u2b]

I'm a countertenor too I want to sing Son qual nave ch'agitata, can U upload a tutorial video?

Oh, thumbs up 4 ur voice

[rentourapartment]

@highnote32 did you read the entire long post? it stands for thyroarytenoid (the vocalis muscle)

[highnote32]

@ianthecountertenor What is a TA? What does that stand for?

[IcedFruitSlice00]

A captivating and beautiful voice. Can't stop listening to this!