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Female Tenor and Female Bass, or Contralto Profondo and Oktavistka?

4/8/2013

16 Comments

 
I thought it might be useful to clarify to you all my views on the lower fachs of the contralto voice, and on the nomenclature used in my previous post.

When discussing those female singers whose voices sit below the accepted range of the contralto, I believe that we should move away from the terms female tenor and female bass. Instead, we should move towards terminology that is more descriptive of the timbre of the voice, and of the method of vocal production engaged to attain the required pitch.

It is for this reason that I suggest the terms contralto profondo for female tenor and oktavistka for the female bass.

I would like to demonstrate why I believe these terms are more appropriate.

In the case of the female tenor, women who sing in the tenor range are using the lowest register, the chest register, for the majority of the notes they produce. They may move into the middle register for the highest notes above F4, but they may also extend the use of the chest register to cover these notes, particularly when required to sing fortissimo. The chest register in any singer is darker and thicker than the other two registers. By contrast, a male tenor is spending the majority of his time in the middle and head registers. The head register of the male tenor is tight and piercing, not cavernous and expansive. Thus, in the case of the female tenor, both the method of producing the notes, and the timbre of the notes themselves, have little in common with the male tenor. In fact, she has more in common with the registration changes of the basso profondo, making the term contralto profondo, rather than female tenor, a more appropriate description of the voice type.

The same case can be made for the female bass. We use the term oktavist to describe a male singer who can sing in the octave below the basso profondo. Thus, rather than the term female bass, I suggest the term oktavistka. This term, oktavistka, is not in the Russian dictionary. An academic, who specialises in the Russian language, and who is a colleague of mine, has advised that the suffix –ka feminises the word oktavist. Hence I have used this neologism…

To adopt the terms contralto profondo and oktavistka would, I believe, give a greater credibility to the voice types, with respect to both the singers themselves and to their potential audience. “Low ladies” would no longer be seen as “women who sing like men”, but would instead be seen as “women who sing low”.

Now that I have explained these terms, I would now like to integrate them into the existing contralto terminology.

The three existing contralto voice types are (with the exclusion of the coloratura contralto) the lyric contralto (the highest contralto Fach) the dramatic contralto (the lowest contralto Fach in mainstream opera) and the tiefer alt (the current lowest contralto Fach, which I would consider to be the “Alto 2” of an eight part chorus, and which is seen rarely in opera; the role of Gaea in Strauss’ Daphne being the main example). The contralto profondo would sit below the tiefer alt, and the oktavistka below the contralto profondo.

With respect to range, timbre, resonance and vibrato, I would expect a tiefer alt to be comfortable down to Eb3, have a solid D3, and have a possible C3, though it may be raspy and not what one would consider a "soloists" note.

The contralto profondo would, I believe, be able to sing down to B2/Bb2, with a full resonant sound of operatic quality, with a full, vibrant vibrato and no vocal wobble. The sound would be richer and darker than the usual contralto sound, with similar qualities to that of the male baritone with respect to vocal colour. Here are two examples of singers that I believe demonstrate the qualities of the contralto profondo Fach.

"Una furtiva Lagrima"
G. Donizetti

Performer: Bally Prell

Songs of Araby
Frederic Clay

Performer: Ruby Helder
If the singer could only produce a thin, gravely or harsh sound with a "spoken voice" quality below the notes below Eb3/D3, I would consider the singer to be a Tiefer Alt, and not a contralto profondo.

"Gloria Patri" from Dixit Dominus
A. Vivaldi

Performer: Margaret Jackson-Roberts (Middle)
If the singer was able to sing in the range A2-E2 and below with a full and resonant sound, and with full vibrato, then I would consider her to be an oktavistka. To the left is an example of a singer that I believe demonstrates the qualities of the oktavistka Fach. 

If a female singer were to sing C3/Bb2 with full resonance and a full vibrato, but produced a thin, pushed down quality at A2-E2, then I would consider her to be a contralto profondo, and not an oktavistka.

In each of these voice types, it is important that the sound produced is full, resonant and executed with a full vibrato.
I hope the above clarifies my thoughts on the Fachs of the contralto voice, and the nomenclature I have used gives a clearer categorisation of the voice types.
16 Comments
cor
5/8/2013 07:44:46 am

I do appreciate your article very much, as I completely agree with the necessity of having appropriate terms to describe female low voices accurately and without reference to male voices.
In my opinion, "female tenor" or "female bass" are somehow misleading.

I also agree with the necessity of coining new precise terms able to describe "technically" every type of voice (as I agree with coining of new terms in any domain when necessary).

My only concern is that "oktavistka" seems a rather difficult word to read and pronounce (at least for me, not being familiar with Russian) and I call in question its actual capacity of becoming a part of the vocabulary.

However, as my competence is limited to Romance linguistics and my native language is a Romance one, it is very difficult for me to express an opinion about a "fresh-coined" word in English.

Nevertheless, from a very practical point of view I think having a more "accessible" word would increase its chances to be adopted as a technical term.

At first I had written a consideration about the treatment of loanwords, because I don't agree 100% with applying a Russian suffix to a word you want to forge in English, even if your starting point is indeed a word borrowed in English from Russian. On the other hand, English does not offer the possibility of deriving feminine nouns from a masculine form, so I understand your option for the Russian suffix...

Anyway, my initial text was too long and finally I was afraid my suggestions there were not completely sustainable, so I gave up, but I will think over this problem.

If somebody will share my opinion on creating a more "natural" word, so to speak, maybe we could go deeper and try together to identify other possible solutions.

Reply
James Edward Hughes link
8/8/2013 04:42:14 am

Hi Cor,

Thank you very much for your thought-provoking comment, and our subsequent conversation.

Initially, I thought of the term oktavistka as I was trying to make a direct correspondence with the lowest type of male singer. This way, rather than the “gendered” term of female bass, one could use a term which had a specific meaning with respect to the tessitura, weight and method of vocal production of the singer and her voice.

My partner also suggested the term contralto basso. My hesitation with it stemmed from the idea that “the opera-going public”, and musicians in general, may not be able to distinguish between the contralto profondo (female tenor) and the contralto basso (female bass)? This is because, in the male singing lexicon, a basso profondo sings in a lower tessitura than a simple basso.

However, I can see that the term contralto basso is by far a more accessible word, thus I am very much in agreement that contralto basso is a more appropriate replacement for the term female bass than is the term oktavistka. Contralto basso is not a term which excludes anyone, it is easy to understand, it is easy to merge into the current vocal Fach lexicon, and it is easy to say which, as you state, is an important part coining a new term.

I will be putting a poll on the website to see which of the two terms my readers prefer, but I must say I am greatly impressed by the term, and am moving towards it as a replacement for female bass.

Many thanks,

James Edward Hughes

www.contraltocorner.com
www.jamesedwardhughes.com

Reply
Margaret Jackson-Roberts link
10/8/2013 06:29:36 am

I am the female bass from Vivaldi's women, depicted in the UTube clip on your site. I originally trained as a contralto but have for 30 + years sung tenor, mostly in my prefererred high ie 1st tenor voice, in a variety of auditioned mixed chamber choirs though I often do sing bass in a church choir as and when required. My lowest note is the C lying 2 octaves below middle C .A term I have often used is counteralto, by analogy with countertenor, but I prefer just to be known as a tenor who happens to be female, with a bass extension.

James Edward Hughes link
16/8/2013 02:46:21 am

Hi Margaret,

Thanks for your post, and for your input.

All the best,

James Edward Hughes

www.contraltocorner.com
www.jamesedwardhughes.com

Reply
Susan Malczewski
26/2/2014 01:09:03 pm

I am very glad the voice community is starting to come up with names for voices lower than contralto. By your range standards, I would be considered a "contralto basso". But my question is this: I still don't feel like there is a classification for my particular voice. Because although my range goes from about the G 1 1/2 octaves below middle C to the C an octave above (and on good days a few more notes on each end), my voice is really light and bright even on its' lowest notes, and I can do amazing coloratura. Also, I do not have the three-note middle register like David Jones talks about on voiceteacher. com. My middle register spans an octave, like with a mezzo-soprano. Also, unlike a contralto, my chest voice is my weakest register. I am much stronger in my middle register and head voice. When I sing in the tenor range, I sound much more like a male tenor than I do like Bally Prell or Ruby Helder. What would this be called? Mezzo-soprano Basso? Help!

Reply
anon
28/2/2015 08:50:52 pm

You might be a tenor who happens to be female? Since your middle and head registers are the strongest. Do you sound most like a leggiero tenor?

Reply
Susan Malczewski
25/3/2015 02:20:36 pm

Actually, recently, I took studio recordings of myself, and compared them to a bunch of female, and then male, voices. I actually am a tenor that happens to be female. But I do not sound most like a leggiero tenor. I sound most like a spinto tenor. Yes, I have an extremely powerful head voice, a baritonal quality when singing softly, and effortless dynamics-all qualities of the spinto tenor.

Helen
20/10/2014 01:51:19 pm

I'm what you'd call a contralto profondo. People usually call me "tenalto".

Reply
Susan Malczewski
8/3/2015 07:37:16 pm

I believed I have solved the mystery of my baritone/tenor range voice that does not sound like a contralto voice at all. I sound almost identical to a spinto tenor. Therefore, I am actually a woman with a male voice. If I were male, spinto tenor would be my likely classification. I can attach some tracks of me singing if you're interested.

Reply
anon
26/3/2015 01:27:57 pm

Please do share!

Reply
anon
26/3/2015 01:33:38 pm

Oh, and this also got me thinking--perhaps you're the reverse of a modal countertenor (Michael Maniaci, Mitch Grassi, Chris Colfer.) :)

Reply
Susan Malczewski
28/3/2015 03:27:45 pm

Notes for my recordings:
The first 3 were recorded 14 years ago, the second 3 were recorded 11 years ago. The second 3 were recorded while I was taking voice lessons to reduce tension in my neck and throat. One can hear a difference in power in just the 3 year period. I am much more powerful now.

One can hear on both these samples how I effortlessly transition between dynamics: soft to loud, and then back to soft again, particularly on tracks 1 and 7.

One can hear the weakness of my chest voice compared to my middle register on track 3, and middle register to head voice on track 5. (On track 5, I had to turn down and compress my backing vocals, because I was getting red level readings on the track.)

On all the tracks, especially 5-7, where no reverb was added, one can hear a light baritonal quality when I sing softly.

11 years later, my singing is much more free and technically sound, and all the above characteristics are even more obvious. Enjoy listening to these tracks, and learning something new:

I tried attaching them here, but I can't :( I will have to send them to the administrator in an e-mail

Reply
Liz Walsh
5/4/2015 01:45:13 pm

Thank you so much! As as serious musician with a love of singing I had given up hope and was beginning to think I was freak. I so enjoyed my singing at the cathedral today for Easter Sunday in the congregation that I searched to see if there was such a thing as a female tenor or bass. I will have the confidence now to audition for top choirs- or find a wonderful one like the Vivaldi clip where my unusual voice will be valued. I can confirm that I was a high soprano until 17 with full choir school training. I just got lower and lower. At music college I sang tenor (mainly as they were short and I had the range and could read). Over the years I just got lower. In the last choir ( now aged 50+ ) I sang Bass and my resonance seems to be best there. I have had my vocal chords checked. I think strain was partly responsible as I was leading singing about 4 hours a day. I stopped singing and have only been conducting and accompanying for the last 10 years. I was even criticized in an teaching observation 2 years ago, that I should sing at pitch for the younger singers ( aged 11-13) to model on. I did explain that I could not. Now retired I so wanted to join a choir- I will now. Thank you so much. Margaret seems just like me. I can comfortably get two Gs below middle C. I am inspired. There has been arguments on other postings about blending visually - I just wore a tuxedo mostly. My heart is full of joy of the thought of singing again. I cannot thank you enough.

Reply
Oliver
13/11/2016 12:34:32 pm

This is an interesting resource, and I think it's good to give more recognition to low-voiced women. Is it possible to hear Liz's recordings anywhere?
I would agree that sometimes 'female tenors' do seem to go to their high notes with a slightly more of an easy and less pushed and bright sound than male ones. But I don't know if the difference is always so marked, especially with the lighter male voices (especially ones from the past, as opposed to today when a more chesty sound seems popular). But I notice for example that Bally Prell sang Una Furtiva Lagrima several steps down so as to be able to sing it all in chest voice. Here's an example of a male tenor from the past with no real sense of 'pushing' at the top: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSHnxlf2DPs
For interest here is also an amazing recording of one woman singing all of the main parts from the Magic Flute. I don't know how you would categorise her voice! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K_3nCklMBs&feature=youtu.be
I personally am physically male but have a voice which I think is more like a lyric contralto than a typical countertenor, and I have a comfortable range from roughly low E flat to high G# and my teacher is a mezzo who teachers me to blend my registers in the same way she does.

Reply
Anne
7/2/2017 02:25:57 am

I am so happy to have found this article and site! I have struggled for years with trying to classify my voice. I'm seventeen now, but I've been marked as an "alto" since I was about ten. In the past several years, my singing voice has dropped to what I've felt for a while is an unusual range.
Friends have told me that I "sing like a guy", "should join the church choir as a tenor", etc, but many resources on the internet indicate that it is unheard of for a female to hit my low sustained notes, and so I've brushed off my suspicions and figured that I wasn't singing as low as I thought. I think that I can sing as low as e2, and probably lower if I were really determined, but have always thought that I must just be a lowish range contralto. I mostly listen to classic rock, and am able to pretty easily sing along with most tenors, and even some baritones, although I cannot go as high as a lot of men. This article was really encouraging to me, as now I know that I'm not the only girl in the world who sings this low! Also, if I ever decide to join a church choir again, now I can feel more confident in saying that it might be best if I sang tenor!

Reply
Lizzy
7/1/2018 08:04:33 pm

First of all, I'd like to thank you for taking your time in exploring the contralto voice, it's quite difficult to find information on this beautiful voice type.

I'm a contralto, yes... But I'm deeper than a typical contralto because I noticed that I don't fit in with the contraltos in choir. The teacher noticed too as my fellow contraltos would constantly complain about my voice being off the charts.
Because of this I stayed away from joining choirs.

I later discovered that my range was within or rather filled the entire tenor range. (G4 - A2 ) so my highest note would be a mezzo singing in her moderate voice.

I'd like to also add that, my chest register is the most powerful, and quite comfortable - it's quite heavy, dark, smokey texture that's almost sounds masculine.

My middle register isn't quite bad. I'm able to tolerate it.


Singing in my high notes (head voice) is quite straneous and uncomfortable and weak, even weaker than a typical contralto, therefore I sing using falsetto with the help of my chest register to sound more powerful.

I can sing to songs sung by mezzos (not on their high registers), contraltos (but I sound slightly deeper than them.)

I'm more comfortable singing to male songs by tenors and baritones.

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