Voice Types and Castrati
Ask the Tenor #2; What voice type do you want to be?
Today's installment of Ask a tenor deals with my personal voice type and if there will ever be a new age for the castrati in the future.
Today's installment of Ask a tenor deals with my personal voice type and if there will ever be a new age for the castrati in the future.
If you could be a different type of voice, whether another kind of tenor or other type of male voice, what would you like to be? - Andre in Minnesota
Thanks for the question. I am quite happy with my voice and voice type and love the repertoire that I have the opportunity to perform. I guess if I could be anything for a day, I would be lyric or lyrico-spinto tenor for one day. I think it would be fun to sing Don Jose in Carmen and Rudolfo in La Bohème.
Perhaps I would love to be a lyric Baritone for one day. To actually be in a production of Le Nozze di Figaro would be fun, since I am a big fan of Mozart. I can think of some great oratorio repertoire that I would love to sing as well, such as to sing Elijah (in Mendelssohn’s Elijah), the Songs of Travel, Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast, or the Brahms’ Requiem.
Of course, all of that being said and all things being equal, I am happy with who I am!
Thanks for the question!
Do you think the Castrati will ever make a comeback? – Mike in Florida
Interesting question; short answer:
In a word, no!
In modern classical music there is no need for them. The Catholic Church was a huge reason why we had them in the first place. By the time we get to Mozart and Rossini, the composers ruled the stage, not the singer! Here is a very watered down explaination.
During the Baroque period -- from 1600 to 1750 -- male sopranos and altos comprised about 70 percent of all operatic singers. Male sopranos in opera were a matter of necessity. Women, especially in countries where the Catholic Church had firm control, were forbidden on the stage so castrati played both the women’s parts as well as the hero. Nearly every church choir used pre-pubescent boys to sing the high parts in choral works because women were also not allowed to participate in church services. Basically, the finest boy-sopranos in the choir were chosen for castration. The music masters did this so that they would maintain their high-pitched voice past puberty, when their voice would change.
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Do you want some answers? Don’t forget to email me your questions. I look forward to hearing from you!
