Word: tenorizing
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...human voice was always man's most expressive musical instrument, and until a few centuries ago it was also the most flexible. Then part singing was invented, and in time the singer's voice became corseted by custom into one of six categories: soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass. Like any set of muscles restricted to less than full capabilities, the human voice became the slave of the restriction. Individuals once even went to such extremes as castration to break out,* but occasionally a voice comes along that needs no adjustment to make musical news: the thrilling...
Jenny, like Agujari and Sumac, is no freak. Her range is considerably greater than most,† her voice is sweet and powerful, and she has it under reliable, effortless command. (She can cover almost an additional two octaves, but with little musical value.) In her tenor range she can sound either like a contralto or a real male tenor. Some critics find Jenny's voice a bit dry, but this can be overcome, she believes, before she makes her professional debut. She does not plan to make it for about two years. Until then, she will continue to study...
...Kind. Jenny Johnson is Wolfson's star pupil, the first with a quality fit for critics. After showing documents to prove that she has no structural abnormality in her voice mechanism, she sings the high notes of a coloratura selection, then switches to her male tenor voice for Ridi, Pagliaccio without apparent strain. Says Wolfson: "The famous larynx of gold of great singers is just a legend. Everyone possesses one." In Wolfson's dream Jenny and her co-pupils will be the first with a new kind of voice; it may have to be called an omnitone...
London's recording of La Forza is less successful than Turandot. Tebaldi and del Monaco are also in La Forza but they both contribute uneven performances. Although del Monaco is the outstanding Italian dramatic tenor of our day, too much forcing has taken its toll on his voice and he can no longer sustain the line as well as he should. He is still effective in declamatory passages, but the many lyric moments are sung roughly. Tebaldi tends to be shrill as Leonora, although parts of her performance are controlled and lovely. The opera itself is uneven, so the singers...
...exceptional young fellow announced himself as a baritone, and proceeded to sing Verdi's Celeste Aïda, one of the most famed arias for high tenor. Said Gutman with mild sarcasm: "Since you are a baritone, perhaps you would like to offer something from the baritone repertoire." "I have nothing from the baritone repertoire," the singer said. "I only started singing two weeks...