The Countertenor Voice

Male singers have long exploited the “artificial” head voice that allows them to sing in a register that’s natural to women. This was especially useful at times when women were forbidden from singing in ecclesiastical settings. The castrati of the 18th century also occupied the same register and were highly prized as the superstars of their day, and now countertenors often sing the parts written for them. After a long period of neglect, a new generation of countertenors (sometimes called male altos or falsettists), spearheaded by Russell Oberlin in the US and Alfred Deller in the UK, brought about a revival of interest in the voice, resuscitating old repertoire and inspiring the composers of their day to write for them. Benjamin Britten was, perhaps, the most high-profile composer up to that date to have written regularly for the countertenor. Nowadays, the voice type is widely encountered both in choirs and solo, and has greatly enhanced the revival of Baroque opera.