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countertenor

(Encyclopedia)countertenor, a male singing voice in the alto range. Singing in this range requires either a special vocal technique called falsetto, or a high extension of the tenor range. Countertenors were requir...

Deller, Alfred

(Encyclopedia)Deller, Alfred, 1912–79, English countertenor. He began his career as a chorister in his parish church. From 1940–47 he was a lay clerk at Canterbury Cathedral, and in 1947 he was appointed to the...

Oberlin, Russell Keys

(Encyclopedia)Oberlin, Russell Keys, 1928–2016, American countertenor, b. Akron, Ohio, grad. Juilliard, 1951. A boy soprano, he sang in his church choir and on the radio, and won a nationwide radio talent competi...

Asawa, Brian Laurence

(Encyclopedia)Asawa, Brian Laurence äsäˈwä [key], 1966–2016, American countertenor, b. Fullerton, Calif., B.A., Univ. of Calif., Los Angeles. Known for the the clear, silvery fluidity of his voice and his ele...

alto

(Encyclopedia)alto, singing voice the range of which is lower than the soprano by the interval of a fifth. More generally, the term refers to the register in which this voice sings, i.e., the second highest part in...

contralto

(Encyclopedia)contralto kəntrălˈtō [key], female voice of lowest pitch. Originally, the term denoted a second voice set against (contra) a high voice (alto); thus, a second high voice. Since most second parts w...

Leonhardt, Gustav

(Encyclopedia)Leonhardt, Gustav, 1928–2012, Dutch harpsicordist, organist, and conductor, studied Schola Cantorum, Basel, Switzerland (1947–50). Leonhardt researched Baroque performing styles and was a key figu...

tenor

(Encyclopedia)tenor, highest natural male voice. In medieval polyphony, tenor was the name given to the voice that had the cantus firmus, a preexisting melody, often a fragment of plainsong, to which other voices i...

music

(Encyclopedia)music. For information on types of music see such articles as absolute music; aleatory music; chamber music; church music; computer music; electronic music; jazz; program music; rock music; serial mus...

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