The Supernatural Voice: A History of High Male Singing

By Simon Ravens

Many accounts of high-male singing have been based on the premise that the falsettist and the counter-tenor have always been synonymous. The Supernatural Voiceon the other hand, suggests that until very recently, falsettists and counter-tenors have been distinct vocal genres. Tracing the origins, influences and development of falsetto singing in Western music, Simon Ravens offers a revisionist history which embraces not just singers of counter-tenor and alto parts up to and including our own time but the castrati of the Ancient world, the male sopranists of late Medieval and Renaissance Europe, and the dual-register tenors of the Baroque and Classical periods. Ravens illuminates his chronological survey by exploring topics as diverse as human physiology, the stereotyping of national characters, gender identity, and the changing of boys' voices. The result is a complex and fascinating history.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1843839628
• ISBN13: 9781843839620
• Release Date: September 2014
• Publisher: Boydell Press
• Length: 254 Pages
• Weight: 1.19 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.2"