3 1924 021 787 415 Cornell University Library The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924021787415 tu Emi IDale Hlto OR Countertenor Uoice BY G. EDWARD STUBBS. M.A.. Mus.Doc. Organist and Choinnaster of St, Agnes* Chapel, Trinity Paiish, New YotV \uthoi of "Practical Hints on the Training o( Choir Boys" "A Manual of Intoning for Clergymen"; "Current Methods of Training Boys' Voices"; "The Choir Service Book "; The Church Service Book," &c., &c. Cloth, Price 75 Cents New York: The H. W. Gray Co. Sole Agents for NOVEI.LO & CO., Ltd., London Copyright, 1908, by The H. W. Gray Co. PREFACE The adult male alto b what may be styled an "ecclesiastical" voice. It is not much used outside of church choirs, and it has most unfortunately, and ignorantly, been confounded with a tabooed voice, from which, scientifically, it is completely dissociated. Consequently the subject treated in the following pages is not a popular one. Notwithstanding the enormous advance made by male choirs in recent years, a large majority of musicains, voice trainers, organists, choirmasters, music critics, etc., are not in- terested therein. A goodly number are actively opposed to ecclesiastical tradition, and to any further growth in the "boy choir" movement, as it is some- times (and very erroneously) called. A topic that appeals only to the minority, and is sniffed at by the majority, is not one that a writer embraces with avidity. Perhaps it is for this reason that so little has been written about the Counter-tenor. Ridicule and abuse are valuable enough in their way, and often serve important educative ends, but the Counter-tenor voice has suffered from an over-dose of these correctives. The readers of this book may not side with the author in the views presented. But on two salient particulars they will agree with him. The first is that the multiplication of male choirs has caused a coinci- dent demand for adult male altos — a demand that must be filled. And the second is that progress in any department of knowledge is not made by dodging the issues involved, and by keeping silence. In these two points the author finds ample reason for setting forth what he has written. Moreover there are vocal questions of the most vital importance connected vWth falsetto singing — problems that have a direct bearing upon voice pro- duction in general. The thanks of the writer are specially due to Mr. John Van Broekhoven of New York, author of the unique and scientific work entitled " The True Method of Tone Production," for his valuable con- tribution to Chapter VI., on the true nature of the falsetto register, and the harmlessness and usefulness of falsetto singing when practiced intelligently. Also to The H. W. Gray Company of New York, for permission to make advance quotations from the above work. St. Agnes' Chapel, Trinity Parish, N. Y. January, 1908. CONTENTS CHAPTER I. Pages 1-13 The increasing demand for male altos. Object of this treatise. Early history of the counter-tenor in the United States. Professional prejudice. Reasons for it. History of the counter-tenor in Europe. The terms alto, contralto, and counter-tenor. Male altos employed by Handel. The female contralto a modern voice. The demand for counter- tenors will continue. CHAPTER n. Pages 14-23 Varieties of counter-tenor. The falsetto alto. Natural and unnatural voices. Female tenors. Voices that do not mutate. Inconsistencies in using the term unnatural. The Russian bass. Celebrated female tenorists. The high male voice misunderstood. The counter-tenor a legitimate voice. Natural male altos and sopranos. Early choir schools, Sistine Chapel sopranos imported from Spain, True character of these voices. The difference between what is fashionably unnatural and what is phy- siologically unnatural. CHAPTER III. Pages 24^37 Undiscovered counter-tenors. An unsought voice. The high voice not very rare. Difference between the real counter- tenor and the falsetto alto. Anglican opinion on the use of the male alto. Indirect evidence of Dr. Martin and Mr. Terry. Direct evidence of Dr, Richardson and Dr. Roberts. Conflicting theories of falsetto. Three topics bearing on the harmlessness of falsetto singing. The author's testimony. The ease of falsetto production. Endorsed by Italians. Opinions of Mackenzie, Behnke, Browne, and Palmer. CHAPTER IV. Pages 38-49 Intelligent system of training necessary. Selection of material to train. DifSculty in securing material exaggerated. Examination of voices. Change in modern range of alto. DifiFerence in falsetto voices. Tlie break. Its locality variable. The falsetto sometimes incapable of a crescendo. Promising voices should be selected. Sustained tones and scales. Their value as exercises. Vocal studies re- commended. The importance of pure timbre in the coun- ter-tenor. Blend of tone. CHAPTER V. Pages 50-^0 Summary. Three types of alto. What is meant by exclusive falsetto production. Degeneration of counter-tenor voice through lack of practice. The boy alto. Wide range of boy voice. Strange contention of a noted English organ- ist. Artistic singing of boy altos very rare. The famous choir of St. Cunibert's Church, Cologne. Proper method of training the boy alto. The loss of voice at mutation a strong argument against the juvenile voice. CHAPTER VI.. Pages 61-70 Is the singing voice caused by the vibration of the vocal bands F Van Broekhoven's nem work, "The True Method of Tone Production." Pertinent questions relating to the old theory of vibration. Remarks on falsetto singing, and kindred subjects, by Mr. Van Broekhovea. ZM nmt male m% or eoumer'tenor Uoice. CHAPTER I. OWING to the growth of the choral ser- vice in this country, and the consequent increase in the number of male choirs, there has sprung up in recent years a demand for the adult male alto that is considerably in advance of the supply. Notwithstanding the fact that the counter- tenor voice has amply demonstrated its use- fulness, it has been unaccountably neglected not only by teachers of singing, but also by writers on vocal science. The literature on the subject is scanty, consisting for the most part of occasional communications that have appeared in newspapers, magazines, and musi- cal journals. Much thus presented has been the chance expression of in- JI neglected dividual taste and opinion, QOiCC and has been to a great ex- tent amateurish in its char- acter, and proportionately unreliable. The ob- ject of this treatise is to impart some additional and more accurate information relative to a THE ADULT MALE ALTO voice that is becoming more and more indis- pensable in the artistic rendition of the choral service. Although the use of the counter-tenor is re- stricted to the Episcopal Church, and to the other religious bodies employing male choirs, no voice has ever been subjected to such un- restricted censure and abuse. The mere nov- elty of it has had much to do with this. A voice that is looked upon as "odd," and "new- fangled," naturally arouses a certain amount of musical distrust and suspicion, and is apt to be misunderstood. As far as this country is concerned, the counter-tenor may be said to have come into existence in the most casual fashion. The voice was practically un- known until the traditional choir came into favor. Though our male choirs date bade more than half a century, they were not ex- tensively introduced until about the year 1880. Prior to that time their growth was slow and laborious. At first the alto part was assigned to boys, who were sometimes assisted by women. Dr. Edward Hodges, the pioneer of cathe- dral tradition in this country, who was or- ganist and choirmaster of Trinity Church, New York, from 1839 to 1858, was perhaps the first of our imported organists who understood the THE ADULT MALE ALTO counter-tenor voice; but he was so seriously handicapped by ignorant opposition, and by the chaotic condition of church music at the time of his appointment, he could not establish the kind of choir he had been accustomed to in England. For alto purposes he was obliged to employ both boys and women. His suc- cessor. Dr. Henry Stephen Cutler, who was or- ganist of Trinity from 1858 to 1865, got rid of the women bequeathed to his choir by Dr. Hodges, as soon as he could, and used boys only as altos and sopranos. If he knew any- thing of the counter-tenor he did not put his knowledge into practice. The writer, who was one of his pupils, never heard him so much as mention the voice. Dr. Cutler trained his alto boys to use the lower register entirely. He made no attempt at equalisation, — in fact, his altos carried the chest register all the way up to fourth line D, and the problem of the break was thus effectually and summarily disposed of 1 We mention this matter here because the use of the chest register of the boy alto, as heard in the majority of choirs, forms one of the strongest arguments in favor of the coun- ter-tenor, as we shall see later. THE ADULT MALE ALTO FROM time to time cathedral trained coun- ter-tenors came over from England. Some of these drifted into the interior, and became vocally lost through lack of occu- pation. Others obtained positions in choirs in Boston, New York and Philadelphia, where they were welcomed as valuable choristers, but nevertheless regarded more or less as vocal curiosities. In course of time, these English choristers were copied by other singers who had the temerity to follow in their EaCfcOrCraiimifl ^°°*'^^P^- ^ut the copying process was mere clumsy, haphazard imitation. Of scientific vocal training there was none. Sing- ing teachers knew nothing whatever of the "new" voice, and were amazed at the very mention of it. Small wonder, then, that preju- dice increased as "novelty" wore off! Left to shift for itself, the voice followed its own in- clinations. Counter-tenors taught themselves, and picked up what little vocal information they could get. What they did get was the most caustic kind of criticism. Dr. Samuel Smiles has taught us the value of self-help, and all the world honors and admires a self-made man ; but a petition for de- liverance from the self-made male alto deserves THE ADULT MALE ALTO a place in the Litany. Under such circumstances the very survival of the voice almost com- mands respect. With a similar handicap any voice might have run the gauntlet of extermi- nation. But the ridiculed and abused coun- ter-tenor was simply too useful to die, and by living it has more than justified itself. With the enrichment of the musical ritual, the restoration of Choral Communion, and the introduction of elaborate anthems and ser- vices, the demand for sight readers became urgent. Choirmasters had all they could do to train their sopranos, and they begrudged the time spent upon boy altos. Then there was the loss of voice at mutation to be taken into consideration, so, on the whole, the juven- ile alto became a difficult proposition. THE counter-tenor, coming upon the scene at this juncture, fulfilled an im- portant mission, in spite of its many im- perfections. What we have said of the preju- dice against it applies more particularly to the musical profession in the United States. This bias was considerably aggravated by the atti- tude of organists and teachers of singing who were hostile to the movement in favor of male choirs The former were accustomed to the American quartet of two men and two THE ADULT MALE ALTO women, and dreaded the training of a large chorus of boys and men. They prophesied the final extinction of the sur- OPPOSitiOlt Of pliced male choir, looked OrfiiiniStS upon it as a passing "fad," and taught their pupils to have nothing whatever to do with it. They ridiculed the singing of boys, the cathedral ser- vice, and everjrthing connected therewith. Vo- cal teachers naturally joined forces with the organists, and lent their influence to the sup- pression of a form of choir which in their opinion would deprive them of pupils. The counter-tenor of course came in for its share in the general denunciation . In Europe this voice is not the novelty that it is here. Not only is it employed in the choirs of the Anglican, Greek and Roman churches, but there is also a wide field for its use in secular music. There are great num- bers of glees, part songs, madrigals, etc., com- posed, for, and arranged for, adult male voices, in which the counter-tenor plays an im- portant part. Yet abroad, where the voice Is well known, it has been neglected by singing masters. A good deal of ignorant prejudice surrounds it even in England and on the continent. Voice trainers are apt to spend most of their time THE ADULT MALE ALTO on voices that are in special demand for solo singing. Tenors receive the highest remuner- ation, and sopranos come next in market value, consequently these voices absorb most study and attention. In modern ecclesiastical music the counter-tenor has comparatively little op- portunity for solo work. But perhaps the most popular argument against the counter- tenor, and the one with the least scientific foundation, is that it is an unnatural voice, — a contention that has arisen from the care- less and misguided use of the falsetto of the light uncultivated bass, and from the confusion of the different kinds of counter-tenor. To this we shall refer again. IN this country the counter-tenor has been introduced to the public under the worst possible circumstances. When once opin- ion has been thoroughly formed, it is diffi- cult to change it. The public are apt to take a voice, generically, as they find it, and at its face value. Thus the coarse, rasping voices of boys, as heard in public schools and in con- certs where juveniles sing in chorus, convey an impression that this peculiar fish-horn quality of tone is the special hall-mark of the boy voice, stamping it with a distinctive charac- teristic, and differentiating it from any other 7 THE ADULT MALE ALTO kind of voice. As ninety-eight per cent, of boys' voices are badly trained, the pure voic- ing of a small number of "crack" choirs is in- significant, and wholly inoperative in educat- ing the public on this point. The rough voice is mistaken for the natural one. Give peo- ple a certain vocal timbre, associated with any kind of voice, and give it to them often enough, and in a sufficiently liberal quantity, and they will accept it as the legitimate arti- cle. Thus the shrill piping of the average coun- ter-tenor, as heg.rd in most of our choirs, is supposed to be the real thing, and it is al- most impossible to alter this judgment. Here the parallel ends, for even among musical per- sons who know good from bad, the boy's coarse hray is apt to be overlooked, while the cutting tone of the ill-trained counter-tenor is condemned off-hand, without appeal. WE have said that the voice is considered "new-fangled," and "novel." One of its most interesting features is its ex- treme antiquity ! It is commonly traced to the time of King Charles the Second, and it is supposed to have come into use in England 8 THE ADULT MALE ALTO just after the Great Rebellion, when, owing to the previous disbanding of Jlnti(|llHy Of choirs, there were no boys COHtlteroCcnOr left to sing either alto or treble. As adult voices were then pressed into service to sing the upper parts, musical authorities are over-fond of re- ferring to this period as the dawn of the counter-tenor. It is true that in the verse an- thems of Humphrey, Wise, Blow, Purcell and other composers of the School of the Restora- tion, the status of the counter-tenor was fully acknowledged, — 'tut the voice was even then centuries old, for it made its appearance at the very birth of polyphony. While it is difi&cult to give the exact date of its origin, it prob- ably came into use for choral purposes during the century preceding or following the year 1 200 A. D. There has been careless writing on this point, especially in England where some musi- cal authorities^ claim a distinctively Anglican origin for the counter-tenor. Curwen goes so far as to say that the voice is entirely an Eng- lish institution, unknown on the continent! John Hullah comes nearer the mark when he states that the voice came into promi- nence just after the Commonwealth, and that Charles II. desired to reproduce at home "a. 9 THE ADULT MALE ALTO class of voice he had become accustomed to in continental chapels, royal and ducal." History and etymology both conflict with Curwen's view. THE terms "alto," "contralto" and "coun- ter-tenor" take us back a long way. In early times all voices were divided into two great classes, the Acute and the Grave. To the former belonged the high voices of men, and to the latter their low voices. The term "Altus" (from the Latin alius, high, — ^whence alto) was applied to voices of the Acute class, and when two parts were as- signed to high voices they were often desig- nated as Altus I., and Altus II. The four vocal parts were also known DcriViatiOn of as Cantus, Altus, Tenor and CcrittS Bassus. Women singers were not employed at the time of which we speak, and "alto" and "con- tralto" originally had no reference to them. Although it is now usual to apply the latter term specifically to the female voice, the cus- tom has no etymological foundation, as we shall see. In understanding the term contralto, or, more accurately, counter-alto, we must take into account that the prefix contra (or its THE ADULT MALE ALTO doublet, counter) is used in two ways. Contra is I^atin for against, and it is a compound of con (for cum) with, and tra, related to trans, beyond, which again is related to the root tar, to cross over. As applied to musical instruments, contra generally refers to a variety yielding tones an octave lower than the typical form. Thus we have contra-faggotto, contra-gamba, contra- basso, etc. But the prefix contra as applied to voices has a different meaning, and one simi- lar to counter, in counter-point, — which sig- nifies literally "point against point," — ^point being an old name for note. In counterpoint the parts nearest each other proceed against each other, sometimes crossing above and be- low. It is easy to see, then, how contra came to be prefixed to altus, the lower aitus moving against the upper, and sometimes crossing it, — whence "contralto." The derivation of counter-tenor may be ex- plained by the fact that the old "tenor," or melody (from teneo, to hold) may at times have been assigned to one of the various alti voices, in which case counter-tenor would have been the same as counter-alto, or contralto. In short, the terms alto, contralto and coun- ter-tenor, were formerly synonymous. The term "male alto" is, of course, a modern one. THE ADULT MALE ALTO When all alti were males, such an expression would have been considered as ridiculous as "female alto" at the present time. That there was an acknowledged similarity between the tenor and the contralto is fully proved by the so-called tenore contraltino. Of this voice, Mr. H. C. Deacon of the Royal College of Music, London (certainly a competent author- ity), says, "if the singer is not seen, it is quite possible to imagine that one is listening to a female contralto." THOSE who are opposed to the counter- tenor may perhaps be surprised to learn that Handel employed the voice fre- quently. In England, prior to the latter part of the eighteenth century, all oratorios and large choral works were performed with the assistance of male altos. As there is no record of the use of the "female alto" until 1773, and as the great composer died in 1759, _l^ it is more than probable that Tcmak contralto ^' "'^"^ ^" ^t ^^^ ^"^"^ ^ a moacrn uoicc TT." I 'T '" '"^ of his oratorio choruses! Even his trebles were to a large extent boys, taken from the choirs of the Chapel Royal, St. Paul's Cathedral, and other important churches. The first oratorio in which women THE ADULT MALE ALTO made their appearance as altos was "Judith," composed by Dr. Thomas A. Arne, and per- formed at Covent Garden on February 26th, 1773. The novelty was then the "female alto," and not the counter-tenor. THERE is every reason to suppose that the present demand for the adult male alto will steadily increase. Male choirs are now in the ascendant. Whereas they former- ly existed only on account of ecclesiastical rule and custom, they now exist for that reason plus the very important one that the boy voice has demonstrated its utility and musical value be- yond all argument. Consequently such choirs are being introduced in churches where ec- clesiastical rule often gives way to utilitarian- ism. In the face of such growth it is hardly wise to treat the counter-tenor voice with neglect and contempt. Furthermore we do not hesitate to say that such treatment is not mere- ly unwise ; it is thoroughly unscientific. Altos we must have, either boys or men. The difficulties connected with the training of the former are alone sufficient to insure the de- sirability of the latter. And aside from this, it has never been proved that the counter- tenor does not deserve the recognition and le- gitimate culture accredited to other voices. 13 T CHAPTER II. HERE ARE two varieties of the counter- tenor voice. First, there is a species of high, light tenor, ranging from This voice has the following characteristics. The chest and falsetto tones are readily joined, and they are often so blended by nature that it is impossible to detect a difiference of regis- ter in any part of the vocal range. The upper tones are easily reached, are entirely free from strain, and are full and rich. UiliiCfieS of The lower tones, although €OUntCr'CcnOf less powerful and sonorous than in the ordinary tenor, are remarkably pure and free from coarseness. A distinguishing mark of this voice is that the conversational and the singing tones corre- spond, the former being pitched near the mid- dle of the range. Second, there is the so-called "falsetto alto," in which the falsetto register is distinctly sep- arated from the chest register; in which there is a break which can only be eradicated by careful training in early adult life; and in which the colloquial and the singing tones do not correspond. The first class of voice is the 14 THE ADULT MALE ALTO better of the two. But even when round and resonant, possessing all the attributes generally looked for in the well cultivated voice, it is often criticised as being "unnatural," especially if the range is of unusual extent. HERE we come to the question : "What is an unnatural voice?" We can hardly answer by declaring it to be any kind that is at all out of the common. Such a defin- ition would be unscientific, to say the least of it. Perhaps the best definition is, "one in which tones cannot be produced without vocal strain" — for example, an ill-trained voice, in- volving the use of a forced register. In all the standard works on singing there are certain kinds of voices that are most unaccountably neglected. Among them we may mention the deep voices of women, and the high voices of men. Many women are have their voices trained, and in fact seldom sing at all, because they think their vocal tones unnaturally low, and masculine. And on the other hand there are many men who think their voices unnaturally high, and feminine. They also avoid singing, and avoid vocal training, excepting perhaps with a view toward deepening the voice. IS THE ADULT MALE ALTO Yet, scientifically speaking, there is nothing at all remarkable in either case. That unusu- ally long and unusually short vocal ligaments occur in both sexes just as naturally as long ears and short noses, has never been disproved by any recognized vocal authority. Hundreds of men's voices never undergo mutation, and women's voices of tenor and baritone range are not as rare as they are sup- posed to be. The fact that they are not, as a rule, cultivated for singing purposes, proves nothing whatever but the force of custom. WE MEET with some striking incon- sistencies in the use of the term "un- natural" as applied to voices. The low voice of the woman and the h^gh voice of the man are apt to be looked upon as abnormal, whereas the low voice of the man and the high voice of the woman are considered to be en- tirely natural, even when the usual vocal range is transcended in a remarkable degree. The ordinary basso does not extend much lower than F below the G clef. But the basso profondo extends to C, and the still deeper voice, commonly found in Russia, descends a whole octave lower than the usual bass. If a very low range in the man excites no adverse comment, pray why should it do so in the case of the woman ? A scientific answer is 16 THE ADULT MALE ALTO difficult, and we can only say that it is not customary for women to cultivate their voices when they extend lower than the contralto range. The female tenor is not infrequently em- ployed on the vaudeville stage, and in con- cert halls where variety performances take place, and this tends to stamp the voice as a curiosity, and to lower its artistic status. rh» Nevertheless this voice has Dm unnatural f ^" 'T^'\^ ^"1 ^'^^ lt1i«aMMli»d degree of excellence. Among celebrated tenorists of this type were Mela, Barlani-Dini, and Selvi. Mela appeared at concerts in L/ondon in 1868, and was particularly successful in Rossini's arias for the tenor. Barlani-Dini was widely known throughout Italy. Madame Selvi was at one time the tenor soloist at a prominent church in New York, and was celebrated in operatic cir- cles. She possessed a voice of unusual purity and power, and whenever she sang she was invariably mistaken for a man by those who could not see her. The writer has heard the most laudatory reports of Selvi's singing of the Sanctus in Gounod's "Messe Solennelle," and of important solos in other ecclesiastical compositions. Such voices may be unconven- tional, and as such they may be subjected to 17 THE ADULT MALE ALTO any amount of criticism. But physiologically unnatural they certainly are not. IN comparing the very high voices of men with the very high voices of women, we encounter the same sort of criticism. The woman may have an unlimited upward range — the man must not! The ordinary female soprano rarely has oc- casion to sing higher than the B flat just above the stave. A great many women dislike to sing even the A, a semitone lower. This fact is abundantly proved in congregational singing. The majority of women slur and "scoop," even on F and G, when these notes occur in hymn tunes and in other compositions sung by the mass of people in church. But on the other hand there is no surprise manifested when a woman sings up to high C. There are female voices on record that have reached fourth line G above the stave. Lucrezia Agujari thought nothing of sing- ing the B flat in altissimo. Her voice was par- ticularly admired, and the great Mozart went „ into raptures over it. Such l)id» maU UOfCC r "^ "'■^, not spoken of as mUUnacrStOOfl "'J^-tural. We see then, that a woman may have a whole octave of tones, and even more, above the normal range, and be as free from adverse THE ADULT MALE ALTO criticism as the "basso profondo" of Russia. But let the high voice of the man exceed the limit arbitrarily fixed by custom, even half an octave instead of z. whole one, and the case is made out to be different. NOT only is the genuine counter-tenor a perfectly legitimate voice, but so also is the natural adult male soprano, — that is, the voice that has passed the period of muta- tion without having been affected by it. An exceedingly beautiful voice of this description was employed in the choir of St. John's Chapel, New York, in 1878. In Europe the writer has heard the unchanged voice in various choirs of renown. The reason why voices of this type seem to be comparatively rare in this country is not that they are actually scarce. Male voices that never mutate are numerous enough. But their owners misunderstand their own singing powers; they do not seek vocal training, but yield quietly to the tyranny of musical fashion, and even endeavor to hide what they consider a vocal defect. IN ITALY adult male trebles were in great demand, and reached a high degree of training., and development during the period 1550-1596^ They should not be con- founded with the cfelebrated artificial voices of 19 THE ADULT MALE ALTO the eighteenth century as exemplified* by Senesino, Carestini, CaffarelU, Farinelli, and others. The history of the Vatican Choir throws much valuable light upon this subject, and helps to dissipate some foolish and fantas- tic ideas regarding the adult male soprano. Voice culture may be said to have originated in the male choirs of the early church. In very ancient times the voices of boys and men were used in the Roman choirs, and a choir school was founded in the fourth century by S. Sylvester, whose Pon- SiXtecntD Century tificate lasted from the year UOiCeS 314 to 335. The next im- portant choir -school that we hear of was the one founded by S. Hilarius about a century and a half later. These insti- tutions were in course of time supplemented by others, planned on a larger scale. We are told that the term Scholae Cantorum was ap- plied to them, and that they were also called Orphanotropia, because they often sheltered fatherless children. Boys were admitted when they were very young, and placed in the Pre- paratory School, or Parvisium. Later, trained singers, both boys and adults, were supplied for the purpose of singing wherever the Pope officiated, and this custom eventually led to the establishment of the Sistine Chapel Choir. Dur- 20 THE ADULT MALE ALTO ing the latter part of the sixteenth century the boy trebles of this famous body of singers were augmented, and sometimes supplanted, by adult male sopranos imported at first from Spain, where they were trained by vocal teachers who made a specialty of such voices. There is a strong likelihood that these voices were of two kinds, which in certain character- istics may be said to correspond with the two varieties of counter-tenor already mentioned. There was the natural soprano, that is, the un- changed adult voice ; and there was' the fal- setto soprano. The leading distinction between the two bears an exact analogy to that we have made between the two kinds of counter- tenor. The natural soprano conversed as he sang, in his soprano range. The falsettist talked as a bass or baritone, or possibly tenor, and sang soprano. Some authorities, refer to what they call "the true adult soprano," to which they apply the expression arte fatta, — that is, made by vocal training. But the plain truth of the matter is that such a voice is made by nature rather than by art. That some of the Spanish trebles we have spoken of possessed voices that never mutated is highly probable. And as there was in those early times the natural male soprano, so also was there the 21 THE ADULT MALE ALTO natural adult male contralto. The latter voice was not considered a rare one, and to it was applied the expression voce naturale. The reader will doubtless observe the sig- nificance of the nomenclature: voce naturale, and not voce "unnaturale." The former term carries peculiar weight when we take into ac- count the artificial operatic sopranists of the seventeenth century, who must be held re- sponsible for the origin of much of the preju- dice we have mentioned. COMPARED with the male soprano, the counter-tenor is quite a low voice. If men can sing, as many can, throughout the ordinary soprano range, easily and without muscular effort, it is far less surprising that they should be able to sing alto. There are certain laws of voice culture that are universally conceded to be of fundamental importance. One of these is that vocal pro- duction should be perfectly natural and free from strain. It is practically impossible to damage the singing voice when undue muscular effort is habitually avoided. Therein lies the golden fashion an ™'^ °^ singing. Custom „„„^„.fc,, should not be allowed to rHt^Han confuse and mislead us on this point. What is fashion- 22 THE ADULT MALE ALTO ably unnatural is not of necessity physiologi- cally unnatural. Let the Russian bass sing to unlimited depths if it is easy for him to do so. To make him do otherwise would be to injure his voice. Mela, Barlani-Dini, and Selvi were perfectly right in singing tenor. It was the part that suited them best. Had their voices been trained to a higher range the process would have resulted in strain and perhaps vocal ruin. So also it would have been foolish to have made Agujari into a mezzo-soprano. And to lower the vocal range of the normal counter- tenor would be to make an unnatural voice out of a natural one. The second kind of counter-tenor, the "fal- setto alto," we shall speak of in the next chapter. 23 CHAPTER III. WE HAVE seen that the real counter- tenor is a legitimate voice, in every way worthy of artistic cultivation. While not as uncommon as it is generally sup- posed to be, it is apparently rare because it so frequently remains undiscovered. There are numbers of natural counter-tenors who are quite unaware that they possess valuable voices, and who pass through their entire lives without singing. In this country the ecclesi- astical status of the voice is not yet sufSficiently recognized, and male voice glees, part songs, and other secular pieces in which the counter- tenor part is prominent, are little known and seldom performed in public. If male choirs were employed in all churches, and if compositions for the counter- tenor were widely used, the Colloquial demand for the voice would Counter-tenors undoubtedly increase the supply to a very consider- able extent. The voice is not systematically sought for, and what we do not seek we do not find. A most interesting way to discover the propor- tion of counter-tenor voices, as compared with the number of basses, baritones, and tenors, 24 THE ADULT MALE ALTO lies through close observation of the speaking voice. Among clerg)rmen, actors, lecturers, politicians, and other public speakers, collo- quial counter-tenors are not marvelously scarce. Orators may not sing, but they are obliged to speak, and in speaking they disclose their voices, — as indeed all men do. BUT THE average choirmaster, in looking for counter-tenors, too often limits his search to a narrow field which does not extend much beyond the confines of his own parish. It is to the youthful graduates of his choir that he is apt to turn for help in solving the alto problem. If he can find any ex-choir- boys who have grown to manhood, and who can readily sing falsetto, he utilizes them to the best of his ability. The comparative scarcity of the real coun- ter-^enor, and the frequency with which the falsetto alto is met with, will always be consid- ered a practical argument in favor of the lat- ter. The chief characteristics of this second voice are the marked break between the regis- ters, and the lack of correspondence between the speaking and the singing tones. The first variety of counter-tenor may be called a one-register voice, and the second a two-register voice. The falsetto exists in all 25 THE ADULT MALE ALTO basses, baritones, and tenors. But in certain voices the lower register, in comparison with the upper, appears to be inadequate, and not particularly useful for singing purposes. In such cases the cultivation of the upper regis- ter is suggested by the natural condition of the voice. ANGLICAN opinion on this subject, as far as Cathedral choirmasters are concerned, is practically unanimous. Among English musicians of note, who have expressed their views in favor of the adult alto, may be mentioned the late Dr. George Garrett, of St. John's College, Cambridge ; Dr. Haydn Keeton, of Peterborough Cathedral; and Mr. T. H. Collinson, Mus. Bac, of St. Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh. In addition, we may cite the important fact that many dis- tinguished choir trainers who have not pub- lished their opinions in print virtually acknowl- edge the superiority of adult voices by exclud- ing boy altos from their choirs. Dr. George C. Martin, organist and choir- master of St. Paul's Cathedral, in his work on choir training, devotes him- JlngliCan Opinion self exclusively to the cul- ture of the treble voice. That he totally ignores the juvenile alto is most significant. His book is 26 THE ADULT MALE ALTO designed for all grades of choirs, good, bad and indifferent, and the fact that none of his own cathedral boys sing alto is certainly not sufficient to account for his silence. The read- er is led to the conclusion that Dr. Martin looks upon the employment of adult altos as a matter of course. Mr. Richard R. Terry, the distinguished or- ganist of Westminster Cathedral, London (Roman), in his recent work entitled "Cath- olic Church Music," shelves the boy alto ques- tion completely. Mr. Terry is one of the most successful choirmasters of the day, and to him belongs the remarkable honor of having trained the only Roman choir in all England that has achieved an international reputation for artistic singing. His remarks on the train- ing of the boy treble are most valuable and practical. Is his silence on the alto question similar to that of Dr. Martin? BUT WHILE silence seems to give con- sent, there are authors of prominence who are very outspoken, and who unhes- itatingly recommend the adult voice. Dr. A. Madeley Richardson, organist of Southwark Cathedral, London, says: "It is sometimes urged that male altos are scarce, and in some cases cannot be obtained at all. There are plenty of baritones who could sing alto if 27 THE ADULT MALE ALTO trained, and we recommend that when none ready-formed present themselves, the choir- master should take some young men who have served their time as choir boys, and start them as altos. The male alto, though not often ef- fective as a solo voice, is very useful for pur- poses of harmony, and blends admirably with boys' and men's natural voices." Dr. J. Varley Roberts, organist and director of the choir at Magdalen College, Oxford, is still more emphatic. In his JldUlt JlltOS treatise on choir training, RCCOtntlKllded he says: "Boy altos must necessarily use almost en- tirely the chest register, which is thick and rough, and this quality of voice is most ob- jectionable in an inner part — indeed, as objec- tionable as contraltos (i. e., when women sing the alto part). Boys should only be resorted to when it is absolutely impossible to obtain men altos. Many bass singers might sing alto, and if they would confine themselves to ex- clusively practising the falsetto voice, men altos would be sufBciently numerous to supply the demand. The old Church composers wrote for men altos. Few things are more intoler- able than to hear a boy alto, or lady contralto sing the highest part, say, in a trio for alto, tenor, and bass voices, in anthems by such 28 THE ADULT MALE ALTO Church writers as Greene, Croft, Boyce, etc. Of course, if it be quite impossible to ob- tain men altos, then, as a last resource, adopt boy altos or contraltos. For the singing of solos, no doubt a contralto is better than an alto voice, but to obtain the quality of tone most desirable in choirs, men altos are essen- tial. "For some years it was the experience of the writer of this treatise to have a mixed choir of women and men, several of whom were pro- fessional singers. After a certain evensong when Boyce's anthem, 'O where shall wisdom be found,' had been sung, an eminent musi- cian, who happened to be in the church, sub- sequently remarked of the singular and dis- astrous efifect of a 'thick' chest voice singing the highest part in the verse portion of the anthem. It was, he said, 'as if a bass singer's quality of tone was singing the top part.' "He said the truth. Nothing can replace the beautiful thin flute-like tone of the pure alto ; it brightens the entire quality of the tone of the choir." Here we have direct advice from two of the most eminent of living choirmasters. But in all fairness we must express surprise at Dr. Roberts' remarks about the female voice. The "professional" (?) contralto he men- 29 THE ADULT MALE ALTO tions could not have been a cultivated artist, and that such a singer should have gained admittance to any reputable choir fills one with amazement. Does the well-trained woman contralto sing with "a bass singer's quality of tone"? IT IS not our object to venture into a scien- tific explanation of the falsetto vocal mech- anism, or to attempt to solve hidden mys- teries that have long eluded the grasp of the most celebrated vocal scientists. To this day we do not know exactly what the falsetto reg- ister is. All sorts of conflicting theories have been advanced in regard to it, and yet we seem to be as far away from a consensus of opinion as ever^ Sir Morell Mackenzie gives us some insight into the war of arguments on this subject, iij Appendix II. of his remark- able work entitled "The Hygiene of the Vocal Organs," — a book we commend to the consid- eration of our readers. There is, as choirmasters well know, a hesi- tation on the part of many young men in allow- ing their voices to be CftC T