Contralto Corner
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contralto Profiles
    • A >
      • Daphne Alderson >
        • Daphne Alderson Articles Websites and Resources
        • Daphne Alderson Discography
        • Daphne Alderson YouTube Videos
      • Jean Allister >
        • Jean Allister Articles Websites and Resources
        • Jean Allister Discography
        • Jean Allister YouTube Videos
      • Avery Amereau >
        • Avery Amereau Articles Websites and Resources
        • Avery Amereau YouTube Videos
      • Lindsay Ammann >
        • Lindsay Ammann Articles Websites and Resources
        • Lindsay Ammann YouTube Videos
      • Sanja Anastasia >
        • Sanja Anastasia Articles Websites and Resources
        • Sanja Anastasia YouTube Videos
      • Marian Anderson >
        • Marian Anderson Articles Websites and Resources
        • Marian Anderson Discography
        • Marian Anderson YouTube Videos
      • Ulrike Andersen >
        • Ulrike Andersen Articles Websites and Resources
        • Ulrike Andersen Discography
        • Ulrike Andersen YouTube Videos
      • Elizabeth Anker >
        • Elizabeth Anker Articles Websites and Resources
        • Elizabeth Anker Discography
        • Elizabeth Anker YouTube Videos
      • Elisaveta Antonova >
        • Elisaveta Antonova Articles Websites and Resources
        • Elisaveta Antonova Discography
        • Elisaveta Antonova YouTube Videos
      • Meredith Arwady >
        • Meredith Arwady Articles Websites and Resources
        • Meredith Arwady Discography
        • Meredith Arwady YouTube Videos
    • B >
      • Galina Baranova >
        • Galina Baranova Articles Websites and Resources
        • Galina Baranova Discography
        • Galina Baranova YouTube Videos
      • Tanja Ariane Baumgartner >
        • Tanja Ariane Baumgartner Articles Websites and Resources
        • Tanja Ariane Baumgartner Discography
        • Tanja Ariane Baumgartner YouTube Videos
      • Eula Beal >
        • Eula Beal Articles Websites and Resources
        • Eula Beal Discography
        • Eula Beal YouTube Videos
      • Ursula Boese >
        • Ursula Boese Articles Websites and Resources
        • Ursula Boese Discography
        • Ursula Boese YouTube Videos
      • Romina Boscolo >
        • Romina Boscolo Articles Websites and Resources
        • Romina Boscolo Discography
        • Romina Boscolo YouTube Videos
      • Giovanna Dissera Bragadin >
        • Giovanna Dissera Bragadin Articles Websites and Resources
        • Giovanna Dissera Bragadin YouTube Videos
      • Karin Branzell >
        • Karin Branzell Articles Websites and Resources
        • Karin Branzell Discography
        • Karin Branzell YouTube Videos
      • Carol Brice >
        • Carol Brice Articles Websites and Resources
        • Carol Brice Discography
        • Carol Brice YouTube Videos
      • Birgit Breidenbach >
        • Birgit Breidenbach Articles Websites and Resources
        • Birgit Breidenbach Discography
        • Birgit Breidenbach YouTube Videos
      • Gwendolyn Brown >
        • Gwendolyn Brown Articles Websites and Resources
        • Gwendolyn Brown Discography
        • Gwendolyn Brown YouTube Videos
      • Margrét Brynjars >
        • Margrét Brynjars Articles Websites and Resources
      • Bridget Budge >
        • Bridget Budge Articles Websites and Resources
      • Natalie Burdeny >
        • Natalie Burdeny Articles Websites and Resources
        • Natalie Burdeny YouTube Videos
      • Dame Clara Butt >
        • Dame Clara Butt Articles Websites and Resources
        • Dame Clara Butt Discography
        • Dame Clara Butt YouTube Videos
    • C >
      • Lili Chookasian >
        • Lili Chookasian Articles Websites and Resources
        • Lili Chookasian Discography
        • Lili Chookasian YouTube Videos
      • Karen Clark >
        • Karen Clark Articles Websites and Resources
        • Karen Clark Discography
        • Karen Clark YouTube Videos
      • Belle Cole >
        • Belle Cole Articles Websites and Resources
        • Belle Cole YouTube Videos
      • Ala Coroid >
        • Ala Coroid Articles Websites and Resources
        • Ala Coroid YouTube Videos
      • Sara Couden >
        • Sara Couden Articles Websites and Resources
        • Sara Couden YouTube Videos
      • Emma Curtis >
        • Emma Curtis Articles Websites and Resources
        • Emma Curtis Discography
        • Emma Curtis YouTube Videos
      • Bonnie Cutsforth-Huber >
        • Bonnie Cutsforth-Huber Articles Websites and Resources
        • Bonnie Cutsforth-Huber YouTube Videos
    • D >
      • Jess Dandy >
        • Jess Dandy Articles Websites and Resources
        • Jess Dandy Discography
        • Jess Dandy YouTube Videos
    • E >
      • Marion Eckstein >
        • Marion Eckstein Articles Websites and Resources
        • Marion Eckstein Discography
        • Marion Eckstein YouTube Videos
    • F >
      • Ursula Ferri >
        • Ursula Ferri Articles Websites and Resources
        • Ursula Ferri Discography
        • Ursula Ferri YouTube Videos
      • Kathleen Ferrier >
        • Kathleen Ferrier Articles Websites and Resources
        • Kathleen Ferrier Discography
        • Kathleen Ferrier YouTube Videos
      • Arabella Fields Short Profile
      • Birgit Finnilä >
        • Birgit Finnilä Articles Websites and Resources
        • Birgit Finnilä Discography
        • Birgit Finnilä YouTube Videos
      • Bernadett Fodor >
        • Bernadett Fodor Articles Websites and Resources
        • Bernadett Fodor YouTube Videos
      • Patricia Forbes >
        • Patricia Forbes Articles Websites and Resources
        • Patricia Forbes YouTube Videos
      • Maureen Forrester >
        • Maureen Forrester Articles Websites and Resources
        • Maureen Forrester Discography
        • Maureen Forrester YouTube Videos
      • Noa Frenkel >
        • Noa Frenkel Articles Websites and Resources
        • Noa Frenkel Discography
        • Noa Frenkel YouTube Videos
    • G >
      • Delphine Galou >
        • Delphine Galou Articles Websites and Resources
        • Delphine Galou Discography
        • Delphine Galou YouTube Videos
      • Martine Gaspar >
        • Martine Gaspar Articles Websites and Resources
        • Martine Gaspar YouTube Videos
      • Jeanne Gerville-Réache >
        • Jeanne Gerville-Réache Articles Websites and Resources
        • Jeanne Gerville-Réache Discography
        • Jeanne Gerville-Réache YouTube Videos
      • Anne Gjevang >
        • Anne Gjevang Articles Websites and Resources
        • Anne Gjevang Discography
        • Anne Gjevang YouTube Videos
      • Gráinne Gillis >
        • Gráinne Gillis Articles Websites and Resources
        • Gráinne Gillis YouTube Videos
      • Candida Guida >
        • Candida Guida Articles Websites and Resources
        • Candida Guida YouTube Videos
    • H >
      • Alice Habellion >
        • Alice Habellion Articles Websites and Resources
        • Alice Habellion Discography
        • Alice Habellion YouTube Videos
      • Victoria Hart >
        • Victoria Hart Articles Websites and Resources
        • Victoria Hart YouTube Videos
      • Ruby Helder >
        • Ruby Helder Articles Websites and Resources
        • Ruby Helder Discography
        • Ruby Helder YouTube Videos
      • Aafje Heynis >
        • Aafje Heynis Articles Websites and Resources
        • Aafje Heynis Discography
        • Aafje Heynis YouTube Videos
      • Jennifer Hines >
        • Jennifer Hines Articles Websites and Resources
      • Alfreda Hodgson >
        • Alfreda Hodgson Articles Websites and Resources
        • Alfreda Hodgson Discography
        • Alfreda Hodgson YouTube Videos
      • Marga Höffgen >
        • Marga Höffgen Articles Websites and Resources
        • Marga Höffgen Discography
        • Marga Höffgen YouTube Videos
      • Louise Homer >
        • Louise Homer Articles Websites and Resources
        • Louise Homer Discography
        • Louise Homer YouTube Videos
      • Wiebke Hoogklimmer >
        • Wiebke Hoogklimmer Articles Websites and Resources
        • Wiebke Hoogklimmer Discography
        • Wiebke Hoogklimmer YouTube Videos
      • Claudia Huckle >
        • Claudia Huckle Articles Websites and Resources
        • Claudia Huckle YouTube Videos
    • J >
      • Louise Jones >
        • Louise Jones Articles Websites and Resources
        • Louise Jones YouTube Videos
    • K >
      • Raisa Kotova >
        • Raisa Kotova Articles Websites and Resources
        • Raisa Kotova Discography
        • Raisa Kotova YouTube Videos
      • Biljana Kovac >
        • Biljana Kovac Articles Websites and Resources
        • Biljana Kovac YouTube Videos
      • Dalma Krajnyak >
        • Dalma Krajnyak Articles Websites and Resources
        • Dalma Krajnyak YouTube Videos
    • L >
      • Anna Larsson >
        • Anna Larsson Articles Websites and Resources
        • Anna Larsson Discography
        • Anna Larsson YouTube Videos
      • Guadalupe Larzabal
      • Katerina Lavrinyuk Short Profile
      • Oksana Lazareva >
        • Oksana Lazareva Articles Websites and Resources
        • Oksana Lazareva Discography
        • Oksana Lazareva YouTube Videos
      • Wiebke Lehmkuhl >
        • Wiebke Lehmkuhl Articles Websites and Resources
        • Wiebke Lehmkuhl Discography
        • Wiebke Lehmkuhl YouTube Videos
      • Emmi Leisner >
        • Emmi Leisner Articles Websites and Resources
        • Emmi Leisner Discography
        • Emmi Leisner YouTube Videos
      • Marie-Nicole Lemieux >
        • Marie-Nicole Lemieux Articles Websites and Resources
        • Marie-Nicole Lemieux Discography
        • Marie-Nicole Lemieux YouTube Videos
      • Nan Li Short Profile
      • Christel Lindstat >
        • Christel Lindstat Articles Websites and Resources
        • Christel Lindstat YouTube Videos
      • Marjana Lipovšek >
        • Marjana Lipovšek Articles Websites and Resources
        • Marjana Lipovšek Discography
        • Marjana Lipovšek YouTube Videos
      • Ariana Lucas >
        • Ariana Lucas Articles Websites and Resources
        • Ariana Lucas YouTube Videos
      • Angharad Lyddon Short Profile
    • M >
      • Jean Madeira >
        • Jean Madeira Articles Websites and Resources
        • Jean Madeira Discography
        • Jean Madeira YouTube Videos
      • Bernadette Manca di Nissa >
        • Bernadette Manca di Nissa Articles Websites and Resources
        • Bernadette Manca di Nissa Discography
        • Bernadette Manca di Nissa YouTube Videos
      • Emily Marvosh >
        • Emily Marvosh Articles Websites and Resources
        • Emily Marvosh YouTube Videos
      • Marijana Mijanovic >
        • Marijana Mijanovic Articles Websites and Resources
        • Marijana Mijanovic Discography
        • Marijana Mijanovic YouTube Videos
      • Antonina Minecan-Parghel Short Profile
      • Sara Mingardo >
        • Sara Mingardo Articles Websites and Resources
        • Sara Mingardo Discography
        • Sara Mingardo YouTube Videos
      • Nicole Mitchell >
        • Nicole Mitchell Articles Websites and Resources
        • Nicole Mitchell YouTube Videos
      • Lina Mkrtchyan >
        • Lina Mkrtchyan Articles Websites and Resources
        • Lina Mkrtchyan Discography
        • Lina Mkrtchyan YouTube Videos
      • Maura Moreira >
        • Maura Moreira Articles Websites and Resources
        • Maura Moreira Discography
        • Maura Moreira YouTube Videos
      • Rachelle Moss >
        • Rachelle Moss Articles Websites and Resources
        • Rachelle Moss YouTube Videos
      • Dilyara Muravitskaya >
        • Dilyara Muravitskaya Articles, Websites & Resources
        • Dilyara Muravitskaya YouTube Videos
      • Sharmay Musacchio >
        • Sharmay Musacchio Articles Websites and Resources
        • Sharmay Musacchio YouTube Videos
    • N >
      • Makiko Narumi >
        • Makiko Narumi Articles Websites and Resources
        • Makiko Narumi YouTube Videos
    • O >
      • Sigrid Onégin >
        • Sigrid Onégin Articles Websites and Resources
        • Sigrid Onégin Discography
        • Sigrid Onégin YouTube Videos
    • P >
      • Kismara Pessatti >
        • Kismara Pessatti Articles Websites and Resources
        • Kismara Pessatti Discography
        • Kismara Pessatti YouTube Videos
      • Elizabeth Petillot >
        • Elizabeth Petillot Articles Websites and Resources
        • Elizabeth Petillot Discography
        • Elizabeth Petillot YouTube Videos
      • Ewa Podles >
        • Ewa Podles Articles Websites and Resources
        • Ewa Podles Discography
        • Ewa Podles YouTube Videos
      • Bally Prell >
        • Bally Prell Articles Websites and Resources
        • Bally Prell Discography
        • Bally Prell YouTube Videos
      • Sonia Prina >
        • Sonia Prina Articles Websites and Resources
        • Sonia Prina Discography
        • Sonia Prina YouTube Videos
      • Norma Procter >
        • Norma Procter Articles Websites and Resources
        • Norma Procter Discography
        • Norma Procter YouTube Videos
    • R >
      • Ellen Rabiner >
        • Ellen Rabiner Articles Websites and Resources
        • Ellen Rabiner Discography
        • Ellen Rabiner YouTube Videos
      • Maria Radner >
        • Maria Radner Articles Websites and Resources
        • Maria Radner YouTube Videos
      • Rebecca Raffell >
        • Rebecca Raffell Articles Websites and Resources
        • Rebecca Raffell YouTube Videos
      • Marion Ramsay >
        • Marion Ramsay Articles Websites and Resources
      • Jadwiga Rappé >
        • Jadwiga Rappé Articles Websites and Resources
        • Jadwiga Rappé Discography
        • Jadwiga Rappé YouTube Videos
      • Helena Rasker >
        • Helena Rasker Articles Websites and Resources
        • Helena Rasker Discography
        • Helena Rasker YouTube Videos
      • Lois Raye Short Profile
      • Monica Reinagel >
        • Monica Reinagel Articles Websites and Resources
      • Hilde Rössel-Majdan >
        • Hilde Rössel-Majdan Articles Websites and Resources
        • Hilde Rössel-Majdan Discography
        • Hilde Rössel-Majdan YouTube Videos
    • S >
      • Cindy Sadler >
        • Cindy Sadler Articles Websites and Resources
        • Cindy Sadler YouTube Videos
      • Ernestine Schumann-Heink >
        • Ernestine Schumann-Heink Articles Websites and Resources
        • Ernestine Schumann-Heink Discography
        • Ernestine Schumann-Heink YouTube Videos
      • Thalie Séféris >
        • Thalie Séféris Articles Websites and Resources
        • Thalie Séféris YouTube Videos
      • Tamara Sinyavskaya >
        • Tamara Sinyavskaya Articles Websites and Resources
        • Tamara Sinyavskaya Discography
        • Tamara Sinyavskaya YouTube Videos
      • Judith Skinner >
        • Judith Skinner Articles Websites and Resources
      • Angela Christine Smith >
        • Angela Christine Smith Articles Websites and Resources
        • Angela Christine Smith YouTube Videos
      • Samantha Stiner >
        • Samantha Stiner Articles Websites and Resources
        • Samantha Stiner YouTube Videos
      • Nathalie Stutzmann >
        • Nathalie Stutzmann Articles Websites and Resources
        • Nathalie Stutzmann Discography
        • Nathalie Stutzmann YouTube Videos
      • Hilary Summers >
        • Hilary Summers Articles Websites and Resources
        • Hilary Summers Discography
        • Hilary Summers YouTube Videos
      • Susanna Sundberg >
        • Susanna Sundberg Articles Websites and Resources
        • Susanna Sundberg Discography
        • Susanna Sundberg YouTube Videos
    • T >
      • Kerstin Thorborg >
        • Kerstin Thorborg Articles Websites and Resources
        • Kerstin Thorborg Discography
        • Kerstin Thorborg YouTube Videos
      • Claramae Turner >
        • Claramae Turner Articles Websites and Resources
        • Claramae Turner Discography
        • Claramae Turner YouTube Videos
    • V >
      • Lydia Vierlinger >
        • Lydia Vierlinger Articles Websites and Resources
        • Lydia Vierlinger Discography
    • W >
      • Elsa Waage >
        • Elsa Waage Articles Websites and Resources
        • Elsa Waage Discography
        • Elsa Waage YouTube Videos
      • Helen Watts >
        • Helen Watts Articles Websites and Resources
        • Helen Watts Discography
        • Helen Watts YouTube Videos
      • Ortrun Wenkel >
        • Ortrun Wenkel Articles Websites and Resources
        • Ortrun Wenkel Discography
        • Ortrun Wenkel YouTube Videos
      • Ewa Wolak >
        • Ewa Wolak Articles Websites and Resources
        • Ewa Wolak Discography
        • Ewa Wolak YouTube Videos
    • Y >
      • Jiansheng Yang Short Profile
    • Z >
      • Mira Zakai >
        • Mira Zakai Articles Websites and Resources
        • Mira Zakai Discography
        • Mira Zakai YouTube Videos
      • Ulrike Zech >
        • Ulrike Zech Articles Websites and Resources
      • Qiu Lin Zhang >
        • Qiu Lin Zhang Articles Websites and Resources
        • Qiu Lin Zhang YouTube Videos
  • Resources
    • Arias
    • Interview with Ewa Podleś
  • Contact

David L. Jones: The Voice Teacher

David L. Jones studied at Texas Christian University, and the University of North Texas. After suffering vocal difficulties over a period of years, he decided to seek out a vocal technician of Old World training. After studying with Alan R. Lindquest, he came to understand the Old Italian School with the Swedish influence. He is now a highly respected Voice Teacher, guest professor and vocal pedagogue.

Return to Resources

On the Contralto Singer

by David L. Jones
07/08/2013
For those of you who do not believe there is such a thing as a contralto voice, THINK AGAIN! There are great examples of this voice type. Sadly many younger contralto singers are ruined because they are misdiagnosed as mezzo-sopranos. It is as though few instructors are willing to admit that the contralto is a valid vocal fach. This consistent ignorance about this vocal fach has cost many singers their career and it reflects a limited way to thinking.

A few years ago, I presented a master class in London. As part of the class, I offered a section on the contralto singer. I had FIVE; yes count them: FIVE contraltos on the same class. There are many different types of contraltos, just as there are different types of sopranos and mezzos. There are lyrical contraltos, middleweight contraltos, and dramatic contraltos. So this vocal fach needs to be discussed in the public arena, plus there needs to be more light shed on the fact that they exist and that they offer a wonderful contribution to the world of singing. Yes there is repertoire written for the contralto, which is often sung by mezzos because in general people think that contraltos do not exist.

I have recently been teaching a young contralto from Europe. She has sung everything from soprano to mezzo. Any aware vocal professional can hear a deep timbre in the speaking voice, even though this is not always an indicator. Her tessitura is much lower than a mezzo, and she finally is achieving high notes as a result of singing in the correct vocal fach. When we squeeze a voice higher, the head voice does NOT come into function properly at the correct transitional pitch. A laryngeal squeeze is yet another way of dragging up too much vocal weight, which I have been recently writing about for several days previously.

This young singer now is achieving more flexibility, more fullness of tone, the vibrato is stabilizing, the registers are blending, and the joy is coming back into her singing. She has stuggled with teacher after teacher who did not have the awareness that she was a true and beautiful contralto singer. In this singer’s case, she has little or no registration issues, which some contraltos suffer, especially the dramatic contralto. The dramatic contralto often takes the chest voice higher in pitch, sometimes up to F natural. It is imperative that they learn to manage breath pressure to diguise the lower passaggio ‘break’. Also the dramatic contralto must work consistently against the tendency to use too much chest register too high in pitch. Often, after singing larger higher notes, the lower passaggio break becomes higher in pitch. This voice type is not designed to stay in the high range. This is the time to thin out the cords in the chest register by using staccato exercises and imaging how to touch just the fine edges of the vocal folds. This is a concept that Lindquest taught me in 1979 to thin my cords so I got a better approximation and released the vocal weight in my voice. 

Working the contralto high range: Often the contralto singer loves the ‘o’ vowel. When vocalized on this vowel, they tend to accomplish a lower larynx position and achieve fullness of tone without too much weight. They also work well on the umlaut sounds, as this opens the pharynx, especially if the cheeks are sunken between the teeth. With this particular singer, we worked a sequence of pitches (5, 8, 5, 3, 1) to begin approaching the upper range. This was fear provoking for this singer, as she had always squeezed the larynx in her upper register. We started on 5 with a forte umlauted ‘i’ vowel with a released jaw and a feeling of the ‘o’ vowel in the throat. THEN I had her decresendo as she went to 8, almost to a falsetto function. This is related to Lindquest’s ‘voce cuperto’. Using this exercise, I took her up to a relatively easy high B-flat. Before she had been afraid of even high F on the staff.

In the end, we must re-establish a public understanding that this vocal fach DOES exist. We must give contraltos their proper place in the singing world again, and we must start to develop this voice type with an open-throated and grounded approach.
© David L. Jones 2013

More Articles by David L. Jones


Training the Contralto Voice

2007

How often have you attended a concert and felt the excitement of the audience, as a real Contralto was about to take the stage? Whether in opera or oratorio... (click here for full article)

Types of Contraltos

16/08/2013

I still find it fascinating that there seems to be a consistent denial that contraltos exist. They DO exist and are alive and well. Perhaps those in the teaching field think... (click here for full article)

A Little More on the Contralto

17/08/2013

I have sometimes been asked about contralto register transitions. They are quite a bit lower than the mezzo, sometimes a major 3rd lower. I have one contralto... (click here for full article)

Unusual Vocal Characteristics

23/07/2017
It is interesting to me that these characteristics occur mainly in one voice type. They include (1) a full chest register with a dark smokey colour... (click here for full article)
© James Edward Hughes 2012

No Intellectual Property Rights are claimed to the material on this website, unless stated.