A sopranist (also, sopranista or male soprano) is a male singer who is able to sing in the vocal

tessitura In music, tessitura (, pl. ''tessiture'', "texture"; ) is the most acceptable and comfortable vocal range for a given singer or less frequently, musical instrument, the range in which a given type of voice presents its best-sounding (or character ...

of a

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

usually through the use of

falsetto ''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous ed ...

head voice Head voice is a term used within vocal music. The use of this term varies widely within vocal pedagogical circles and there is currently no one consistent opinion among vocal music professionals in regard to this term. Head voice can be used in re ...

vocal production. This

voice type A voice type is a group of voices with similar vocal ranges, capable of singing in a similar tessitura, and with similar vocal transition points ('' passaggi''). Voice classification is most strongly associated with European classical music, t ...

is a specific kind of

countertenor A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist (a s ...

. In rare cases an adult man may be able to sing in the soprano range using his normal or

modal voice Modal voice is the vocal register used most frequently in speech and singing in most languages. It is also the term used in linguistics for the most common phonation of vowels. The term "modal" refers to the resonant mode of vocal folds; that is ...

(high chest voice) and not falsetto due to

endocrinological The endocrine system is a messenger system comprising feedback loops of the hormones released by internal glands of an organism directly into the circulatory system, regulating distant target organs. In vertebrates, the hypothalamus is the neur ...

reasons, like

Radu Marian Radu Marian (; born in 1977) is a Moldavian male soprano or sopranist. He possesses a pure soprano voice in the range of C4 to C6, and he is considered an important singer in Baroque music. His repertoire incorporates cantatas written for sopran ...

, or as a result of a

larynx The larynx (), commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the top of the neck involved in breathing, producing sound and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. The opening of larynx into pharynx known as the laryngeal inlet is about ...

that has not completely developed as is allegedly the case of

Michael Maniaci Michael Maniaci (born May 3, 1976) is an American opera singer. Possessing a male soprano voice, Maniaci is noted for his claim to be able to sing into the upper soprano range without resorting to falsetto, an otherwise common phonation for me ...

Voice

A sopranist is able to sing in the

vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of stud ...

which is approximately between C₄ and C₆, though at times may expand somewhat higher or lower. Men of all

s can possess the wide-ranged and effective

needed to produce the

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typically b ...

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

and

s. Some countertenors can sing up into the female vocal tessituras using the modal register (normal singing production) and need not employ any falsetto.

Controversy over the term male soprano

Typically, the term "soprano" refers to female singers but at times the term "male soprano" has been used by men who sing in the soprano vocal range using falsetto vocal production instead of the modal voice. This practice is most commonly found in the context of

choral music A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

in England. However, these men are more commonly referred to as countertenors or sopranists. The practice of referring to countertenors as "male sopranos" is somewhat controversial within vocal pedagogical circles as these men do not produce sound in the same physiological way that female sopranos do.

can refer to himself as a true male soprano because he is able to sing in the soprano vocal range using the

Repertoire

There is a large body of music for the male soprano that was written when it was common to use a

castrato A castrato (Italian, plural: ''castrati'') is a type of classical male singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto. The voice is produced by castration of the singer before puberty, or it occurs in one who, due to ...

– a voice type which, for all intents and purposes, no longer exists, as the practice of castrating trebles was abolished before the end of the 19th century. Sopranists are very rare, since most countertenors are altos and mezzos. In fact, probably because early famous countertenors were altos (like

Alfred Deller Alfred George Deller, CBE (31 May 1912 – 16 July 1979), was an English singer and one of the main figures in popularising the return of the countertenor voice in Renaissance and Baroque music during the 20th century. He is sometimes referre ...

), it was believed for a long time that countertenors can only be altos (and later, mezzo countertenors, like David Daniels or

Jochen Kowalski Jochen Kowalski (born 30 January 1954) is a German alto or mezzo countertenor, noted for his very rich timbre. Early life Jochen Kowalski was born in Wachow, Nauen District, Bezirk Potsdam, in East Germany (now a small village belonging to th ...

were recognized). While there is some modern repertoire written for countertenors (sometimes written specifically for certain singers, like Britten's ''Death in Venice'', which has a part that was written specifically for James Bowman), at present there are only a small number of modern pieces written specifically for the sopranist vocal type. An exception is

Alfred Schnittke Alfred Garrievich Schnittke (russian: Альфре́д Га́рриевич Шни́тке, link=no, Alfred Garriyevich Shnitke; 24 November 1934 – 3 August 1998) was a Russian composer of Jewish-German descent. Among the most performed and re ...

's 1995 opera '' Historia von D. Johann Fausten'' which calls for both a female alto and a male soprano

Mephistopheles Mephistopheles (, ), also known as Mephisto, is a demon featured in German folklore. He originally appeared in literature as the demon in the Faust legend, and he has since appeared in other works as a stock character (see: Mephistopheles in t ...

Notable sopranists

Present day notable sopranists include: *

Simone Bartolini Simone Bartolini is an Italian sopranist. Simone Bartolini was born in Pesaro, where he began to study singing. He moved to Rome where he carried out his studies with Anne English Santucci and began to study acting. He specialized with Gloria B ...

Aris Christofellis Aris Christofellis ( el, Άρης Χριστοφέλλης; born 5 February 1960) is a Greek sopranist (male soprano singer) and musicologist. Life and career Aris Christofellis was born in Athens. After studying piano in Athens and Paris with se ...

Edson Cordeiro Edson Cordeiro (born February 9, 1967) is a Brazilian sopranist countertenor and pop and jazz singer. Life and career Cordeiro was born in Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil. He began singing at 6 years old when he joined a church choir called "Co ...

(opera, pop, gospel) * Robert Crowe * David Hansen * Vyatcheslav Kagan-Paley *

Adam Lopez Adam Lopez Costa (born 26 August 1975) is an Australian pop musician, vocal coach, and session vocalist. He is noted for his ability to produce extremely high notes in his whistle register and for his extensive six-octave vocal range. From 2008 ...

(pop, opera, Latin) *

Angelo Manzotti Angelo Manzotti (born 1971 in Marmirolo, Italy) is an Italian countertenor or sopranist. He began singing in the falsetto register at the age of twelve. He studied at the Accademia Rossiniana in Pesaro and made his debut in August 1989 at the ...

* Tomotaka Okamoto * *

Brian Charles Rooney Brian Charles Rooney is an American actor and singer. Technically a sopranist (sopranista or male soprano), he has also sung high tenor roles in theatrical productions in the United States, Canada, and Europe. He made his Broadway debut in The ...

(musical theatre) *

Tonex Anthony Charles Williams II (born May 16, 1975), better known by his stage name B. Slade, formerly known under the gospel moniker Tonéx ( ), is an American singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, rapper, dancer, producer, and acti ...

(gospel) * Jihoon Moon * Bruno di Sa

References

External links