A sopranist (also known as male soprano) is a male singer who is able to sing in vocal

tessitura In music, tessitura ( , , ; ; ) is the most acceptable and comfortable vocal range for a given singer (or, less frequently, musical instrument). It is the range in which a given type of voice presents its best-sounding (or characteristic) tim ...

of a

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical 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 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

, usually through

falsetto Falsetto ( , ; Italian language, 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 ...

or head voice technique. This

voice type A voice type is a classification of the human singing voice into perceivable categories or groups. Particular human singing human voice, voices are identified as having certain qualities or characteristics of vocal range, vocal weight, tessitura ...

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 ...

. 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 ...

(high chest voice) and not falsetto due to endocrinological reasons, like Radu Marian, or as a result of a

larynx The larynx (), commonly called the voice box, is an organ (anatomy), 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 ...

that has not completely developed as is allegedly the case of Michael Maniaci.

Voice

A sopranist is able to sing in the

vocal range 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

or head voice needed to produce the

contralto A contralto () is a classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range is the lowest of their voice type, voice types. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare, similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to ...

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...

and

vocal ranges. 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 (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

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. Radu Marian 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; : castrati) is a male singer who underwent castration before puberty in order to retain a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto. The voice can also occur in one who, due to an endocrino ...

– 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), it was believed for a long time that countertenors can only be altos (and later, mezzo countertenors, like David Daniels or Jochen Kowalski 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 (24 November 1934 – 3 August 1998) was a Russian composer. Among the most performed and recorded composers of late 20th-century classical music, he is described by musicologist Ivan Moody (composer), Ivan Moody as a ...

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

Notable sopranists

Present day notable sopranists include: * Paulo Abel do Nascimento * Maayan Licht * Simone Bartolini *

Aris Christofellis Aris Christofellis (; 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 several teachers including the famous p ...

* Edson Cordeiro (opera, pop, gospel) * Robert Crowe * David Hansen * Russell Hitchcock * Vyatcheslav Kagan-Paley * Adam Lopez (pop, opera, Latin) * Michael Maniaci * Angelo Manzotti * Radu Marian * Samuel Mariño * Tomotaka Okamoto * * Brian Charles Rooney (musical theatre) * Tonex (gospel) * Jihoon Moon * Bruno de Sá * Vince Yi * Zhou Shen * Patrick Husson * Dennis Orellana * André Vásáry (opera, pop) * Vitas * Cem Adrian * Dimash Kudaibergen * JJ

References

External links