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From: dep@allegra.UUCP (Dewayne Perry)
Newsgroups: net.music.classical
Subject: Re: question about "sopranist" (in this case, counter-tenor)
Message-ID: <3793@allegra.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 23-Apr-85 13:25:26 EST
Article-I.D.: allegra.3793
Posted: Tue Apr 23 13:25:26 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 24-Apr-85 03:41:54 EST
References: <728@mako.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
Lines: 39

[I really wasn't cut out for this job!]

The use of male voices for treble sounds has a long history.  Our
present day incarnations include boys choirs (much more a part
of the tradition in England and Europe than here) and counter-tenors.
What you heard was a practicing counter-tenor, which as you described
is singing falsetto.  Mind you, this is no mean feat - while you correctly
observed that there is not much power, it is extremely hard to get the
amount of power just to get to that point.  There have been a number of
noted practicioners (eg, Alfred Deller) and they are often associated
with the performance of relatively early music (up through the baroque
generally).  For a contemporary group that really makes terrific use
of counter tenors in all styles of music, give a listen to the King 
Singers (there are about 15 albums available here in the states on
the MMG label) - there are two counter tenors, a tenor, two baritones
and one bass.  Everything from madrigals to pop (try "The Gambler"
in the album "New Day").  So much for current incarnations.

Up through the middle of the 18th century, it was common practice
for male voices to be used in all parts of performed vocal music.
In fact, most of the opera stars in the 17th-18th century were male
(well, at least they started out that way) with very few female
singers (though there were some quite famous ones).  The then current
practice was to take any boy vocalist who showed any promise whatsoever
and turn them into Castrati (Kingsley Amis has a novel about them, though
I cant remember the name of it).  While the gamble only worked a small
percentage of the time, the results were apparently spectacular: male
soprano and alto voices of extreme power and agility (most likely
with the "white" sound of boy sopranos) such that many of the parts
written for them in baroque opera are sung only with great difficulty
by sopranos of today.  One of the reasons for the power and long lines
was physical: they developed what might be described as pouter-pigeon
chests with great lung capacity.  Ah, the good old days when they
coud carry a line :-).  Apparently, there was still a castrato living
into this century who made a recording - I remember reading about
it somewhere, but cant remember where. 

As in language design, it is what you leave out that is important!
Dewayne