Ian Howell - Countertenor

Countertenor Technique: An Introduction to Concepts

2011-04-15T12:56:00.003-04:00

This article first appeared in TheCountertenorVoice.com on April 12th, 2011. Read the full article here

Is countertenor technique different from standard classical vocal technique? Should a countertenor train like a male or female voice, and what pedagogical approach and conceptual model best elicits a healthy countertenor sound? Is a countertenor merely the intersection of gender and tessitura, or is there something specific to the technical approach and musical context that limits the definition?

Much of the language of our vocal pedagogy comes from the time before invasive scientific tools. It was as recently as 1854 that Manuel Garcia first viewed the vocal folds (his own, actually) in action with the use of a dentist’s mirror. By that point, words like chest, head, mixed voice, and falsetto (terms generally based on the location of the sensation of sympathetic vibrations) were so ingrained in the minds of 19th century voice teachers that the new information revealed by this direct scientific observation was made to conform to that basic conceptual system. However, success as a countertenor is no more or less physiologically likely than for any other voice-type, provided we have conceptual models that encourage singers to believe that it is possible…

Read more…

The reviews are in

2010-06-05T00:17:00.003-04:00

We have had three excellent reviews so far for Orchestra London's production of Handel's Giulio Cesare. Click each link to read the full article.

"Giulio Cesare brings two of the world’s leading counter tenors – Drew Minter (Cesare) and Ian Howell (Tolomeo) – to the stage. Both handled the intricacies of Handel’s vocal writing with marvelous finesse."
- Nicole Laidler - Beatmagazine.ca

"Arriving from opera’s international stages are American early music star and Grammy-winning countertenor Ian Howell who is remarkable as Tolomeo, Cleopatra’s fanatical, theocratic brother, and Dutch mezzo Rosanne van Sandwijk as Sesto."
- James Reaney - The London Free Press

"Ian Howell's portrayal of Tolomeo was chilling. And he has a beautiful voice. His final aria was heart-rending and also served as a reminder that his character too, was vulnerable."
- Brian Hay - norules-nolights.com

New Video - J.C. Bach "Ach daß ich Wassers gnug hätte" (Lamento) with Chatham Baroque

2010-03-18T11:08:00.002-04:00

This is one of my favorite pieces in the baroque repertory. Written by Johann Christoph Bach (1642-1703), this lament beautifully captures the German sense of intensely internalized personal piety. "Oh, that I had enough tears in my head to bewail my sins..." That sort of thing :-).
With Chatham Baroque, an amazing small ensemble based in Pittsburgh, PA. Recorded February 21st, 2010.

Translation:
Oh, that I had water enough in my head
And that my eyes were springs of tears,
So that I could bewail my sin night and day.

My sin overwhelms me.
Like a weighty burden,
it has become too much more me,
So I weep, and mine eyes flow with tears.
My sighing is great, and my heart is sad,
for the Lord has filled me with grief
In the day of his wrath.

A poem for the unexpected Spring day that makes me wonder if Winter happened at all

2010-03-09T12:37:00.003-05:00

Life is just the total sum of all the time we've spent
We pay our rent and eat our food and now and then help someone move
The day to day flies quick away and leaves a doubt that time is real
For though we all can see what changes here right now is all I feel.

~Ian Howell c. 1996

California Chronicle | Musica Angelica to present Bach's St. John Passion

2010-02-26T00:46:00.002-05:00

Here's a nice little preview of my upcoming St. John Passions: California Chronicle | Musica Angelica to present Bach's St. John Passion

SANTA MONICA, Calif. Although the son of J.S. Bach claimed that his father composed five Passions during his lifetime, evidence for only two – the St. John Passion and St. Matthew Passion – is documented. Music lovers will have a chance to hear the earlier work, described as "Bach´s most vivid and thrilling work" by the Gwent Bach Society, when the renowned baroque orchestra Musica Angelica presents the St. John Passion on Saturday, March 27 at 8 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Pasadena and Sunday, March 28 at 4 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica..... more

Best Marketing Idea Ever...

2009-12-07T10:22:00.004-05:00

How can something seem so silly and be so brilliant at the same time. Chanticleer will sell 1,000,000 copies, I predict.

Buy the DVD.

Mourn, Day is with Darkness Fled - John Dowland Lute Song... Recent Videos

2009-11-10T12:00:00.001-05:00

A lute song by John Dowland (1563-1626). This is from Dowland's second book of Ayres, a collection that also contains his song, "Flow my Tears". The text describes a pseudo-apocalyptic scenario in which day is overcome by night, hell has taken over heaven, and evil mists are choking off our joys. Heavy stuff for a lute song!

Text:
Mourn, mourn, day is with darkness fled,
What heav'n then governs Earth?
Oh, none but hell in heaven's stead
Chokes with his mists our mirth.

Mourn, mourn, look now for no more day
Nor night, but that from hell.
Then all must, as they may,
In darkness learn to dwell.

But yet this change needs must change our delight.
That thus the Sun should harbor with the night.

Ian Howell - Countertenor
Karl Wohlwend - Guitar

Recorded live at the Merit Music School in Chicago, IL.
Thanks to the Ravinia Festival for arranging this lecture demonstration.
Audio and video recorded with a Flip HD video camera, edited in iMovie.

Laudate Dominum - C.M. Cozzolani... Recent Videos

2009-11-10T11:57:00.003-05:00

Chiara Margarita Cozzolani, a benedictine nun in the Italian city of Milan, published this cantata for solo voice and two violins in 1648.

Tableau Baroque:

Ian Howell - Coutertenor
Adam Lamotte & Tekla Cunningham - Violins
William Skeen - Viola da Gamba
Henry Lebedinsky - Harpsichord

Text:

Praise the Lord, all you nations.
Praise him, all you people.
For confirmed upon us is his mercy.
And the truth of the Lord remains forever.
Glory to the Father, glory to the Son
And glory to the holy spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now,
And always shall be.
Unto ages of ages.
So be it.

Recorded 15 August 2009 at the Whidbey Island Music Festival.

http://www.whidbeyislandmusicfestival...

For more information about Ian Howell and Tableau Baroque.
http://www.ianhowellcountertenor.com
http://www.tableaubaroque.org

Holy Messiah Source Material... Recent Videos

2009-11-10T11:45:00.002-05:00

One of Handel's Italian duets, originally for two sopranos, re-scored for alto and violin obligato. The two arias in this cantata served as the source material for Handel's choruses "His yoke is easy" and "And he shall purify" from his oratorio, "Messiah."

Ian Howell - Countertenor
Tekla Cunningham - Violin
William Skeen - Cello
Henry Lebedinsky - Harpsichord

Text:

The flower that laughs at dawn
later will be killed by the Sun
and has its tomb in the evening.

Life is a flower
it is destroyed at dawn
and in one single day loses its springtime.

Recorded 14 August 2009 at the Whidbey Island Music Festival.

http://www.whidbeyislandmusicfestival...

For more information about Ian Howell and Tableau Baroque.
http://www.ianhowellcountertenor.com
http://www.tableaubaroque.org

This video was recorded with a FlipHD camera (that didn't like the intensity of the stage lights).
Audio was recorded with a matched pair of Avenson ST0-2 omni-directional microphones.

Check one off the list

2009-05-07T23:02:00.003-04:00

So... in the way-back-time, before Yale, before Chanticleer, back when I was trying to decide if I had a future as a singer at all (and I was making most of my money wearing a hawaiian shirt and playing steel drum in central Ohio), I would make study CDs of my favorite singers (I had a super fancy 2x SCSI external CD burner). When I was learning Cacinni lute songs, the singer I studied was Julianne Baird. In 1999/2000, her recording of the Cacinni's song Dolcissimo Sospriro was the the template for both my pre-audition recording and subsequent successful audition performance of that piece for Chanticleer.

And now I'm singing the alto solos to her second soprano solos on a Bach B-minor Mass in Philadelphia.

Ain't life grand and full of fun connections? They say that the music world keeps getting smaller; the trick is to stay in the music world.

:-)

"1685 & the Art of Ian Howell" CD Release

2009-03-27T12:21:00.004-04:00

1685 & the Art of Ian Howell

My debut solo CD with the American Bach Soloists has been released!

The CD may be ordered through the American Bach Soloists website or purchased at any of my upcoming concerts. It will be available on iTunes in the coming months.

Click here to order and listen to online samples.

From the ABS website:

March 23, 2009

ABS's newest recording was released on Bach's birthday, March 21st, 2009.

1685 & The Art of Ian Howell features ABS International Young Artists Competition winner, Ian Howell, in works by three composers born in 1685: J.S. Bach, Handel, and Domenico Scarlatti.

Ian Howell was the featured soloist in our subscription concerts in April of last year. During the following week, he and the ABS musicians recorded this newest addition to the American Bach Soloists' discography. One of Bach's greatest solo cantatas, Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust!, is paired with Scarlatti's exquisite Salve Regina. A selection of arias from Handel's oratorios and operas - including Saul, Giulio Cesare, Orlando, Rinaldo, and Serse - completes the 72 minute disc.

Mr. Howell, Maestro Thomas, and recording producer Chris Landen spent Bach's birthday in the studio, putting the finishing touches on this beautiful compilation.

Rehearsals, Day 1

2009-02-18T08:10:00.002-05:00

posted by Henry Lebedinsky

17 February 2009

2:00 a.m.

Scenic Hartford, Connecticut. My home town, I guess. I miss New England in winter. Down home in NC, the trees are flowering, the crocuses are blooming (and being eaten by my chickens) and it's pushing 60 degrees every day. Up here, it's in the 20s. Bracing, wonderful cold.

Tableau is rehearsing at Asylum Hill Congregational Church on Asylum Ave. in Hartford. The recession is hitting the area hard. It makes me sad to see the empty buildings and general urban malaise. We're in for it, it seems. Inside, we escape from it all with our music. Ian and Michael met for the first time, and sang beautifully together.

A German baroque cantata by Johann Schelle and Italian duets by Steffani and Handel were on the menu, with extra virgin olive oil, freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, and prosciutto. Handel's 'Quel fior ch'al alba ride' was the source material for the Messiah chorus 'His yoke is easy.' The music makes much more sense with the Italian words, especially the rippling, jovial melisma on the word 'ride' (laughs)

Perhaps a nice chianti?

I'll take Guinness.

The famous House of Nanking

2008-12-19T18:13:00.006-05:00

When I first moved to San Francisco in 2000, I lived at a weekly hotel in Chinatown while I looked for a place to live. The first nice restaurant we went to (to congratulate ourselves on our fine Chinatown digs, I guess?) was the House of Nanking (on Kearny between Jackson and Columbus).

It was a small affair at the time. If you managed a seat at one of the six or so tables, the owner would greet you, ask what sort of food you were interested in, and order for you.

Well... seven years later they have expanded! Over dinner break yesterday (between rehearsal and our performance of Messiah at Grace Cathedral), a few of my colleagues and I headed over to the House of Nanking. (Thank you Blackberry for the navigation.)

The restaurant has expanded to include the next-door space. Gone was the long line (although it was 5 PM), and the over-eagerness of the owner.

The food was excellent! Of interest was this green tea concoction that they brought. The tea-tritus is a mixture of tea leaves, edible flower buds, and some sort of berry. And a bunch or completely inedible stems :-).

After the owner took our order, I asked him how we were supposed to drink it?

"Just sip it" was his response...

We ended up straining it with our teeth.

I would recommend the food to anyone visiting China town!

The purfuit of...

2008-12-15T16:44:00.006-05:00

Waiting in JFK's mighty terminal 8 for my San Francisco bound flight (taking me to my American Bach Soloists Messiahs), I smile at the name of these little arcade areas.

It reminds me of the 'free speech zones' at the 2004 RNC, as though the entire country weren't already zoned for that. Ok, less ominous to be sure, and Jefferson's promise of the pursuit of happiness isn't exactly a guarantee of fun... and perhaps it is a fair indictment of how 'un-fun' the rest of the airport can be. Ok, never mind :-)

Sent from my not quite iPhone.

Christmas comes late this year...

2008-12-04T16:06:00.005-05:00

Hello everyone. I just learned that the release date of my American Bach Soloists CD has officially been pushed back to April of 2009. *sighs* These things always take five times longer to assemble than you'd hope! I'll keep everyone posted as the process moves forward. The best way to keep informed is through my e-mailing list (no spam, and at most one email per month) you can sign up here.
I intend to offer a pre-release pre-order deal, so keep your interweb eyes peeled.

The Passing of Lynne Vardaman

2008-11-17T13:20:00.000-05:00

It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my technique teacher, Lynne Vardaman. She died in her New York apartment early last week.

The effect that she had upon my voice cannot be underestimated. I would not the the singer, teacher, thinker, or person that I am had it not been for my three years of private study with Lynne.

She was not always peaceful in her life; I hope that she has found peace in her death.

2008-2009 Season

2008-10-19T12:55:00.000-04:00

I am pleased to annouce my 2008-09 season.
I will make debuts with several groups, including:

The Vancouver Chamber Choir (Chichester Psalms),
The Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia (B-Minor Mass), and

The Staunton Music Festival (Theodora).

I return to sing with:

The Choir of Men and Boys of Saint Thomas
Fifth Ave (Messiah),
The Princeton Glee Club (B-minor),
and one of my favorite groups, The American Bach soloists
(Messiah, Pergolesi Stabat Mater & Handel Italian Duets with soprano Mary Wilson).

I also launch my first tour with the Baroque ensemble Tableau in February-March of 2009.

And don't forget, my CD with the American Bach Soloists (see story below) will be released in December! Check back for more info,
or
join my mailing list to receive a notice.

Handel's Inheritance/Tableau Web-launch

2008-09-02T13:05:00.000-04:00

Iconic composers are not born great; they are the synthesis of everything they have heard,
learned, and experienced and their music is a reflection of their world as they knew it.
Thus it was for George Frideric Handel (1685-1759), a composer best known for the Italian
Operas and English Oratorios that comprised the bulk of his mature output. But what about
young Handel? What music would have been playing in the courts and chapels of his youth?
What about the music of his teachers? What innovations did Handel borrow, and what new
musical ideas did he unleash upon the world?

Join me and Tableau Baroque in the Spring of 2009 for a concert exploring
the sonic landscape of Handel's formative years.

We are proud to launch a new website
promoting these concerts.

Debut Solo CD recorded with The American Bach Soloists

2008-04-28T13:42:00.000-04:00

I joined conductor Jeffrey Thomas and The American Bach Soloists April 23rd-26th
to record a CD of beautiful baroque music. Repertory includes:
Bach's Cantata 170 Vergn&252;gte Ruh, Domenico Scarlatti's Cantata Salve Regina, and Handel opera and oratorio arias from
Saul (O Lord whose mercies numberless), Giulio Cesare (Al lampo dell'armi), Orlando (Fammi combattere & Orlando's Mad Scene),
Rinaldo (Cara sposa), and Serse (Ombra mai fu). We are planning on a December release.
The CD, "1685 and the Art of Ian Howell," will be available for purchase online and in stores, and available for download from iTunes and Magnamusic. Stay tuned for more information.

Premiere of Songs by Pablo Ortiz

2008-02-18T13:43:00.001-05:00

I premiered a set of three songs written by Argentinian born composer

Pablo Ortiz, during a concert at UC Davis in Davis, CA. Russ Irwin commissioned these pieces for me
to texts by the Mexican poet Rosario Castellanos. Listen to a live recording of the second movement,
Elegia, by clicking here.

Setting the record Straight about Countertenors? Or, how we sing so high...

2007-05-07T19:56:00.001-04:00

From a discussion on one of my Youtube pages:

Jeffster09 (2 weeks ago)
Wow. is this man using falsetto?

loosthong (5 days ago)
No ! countertenors have no use for falsetto, there voice is naturally high and can hit the same notes as falsetto using there tenor voice

music13732 (20 hours ago)
I am a counter tenor, have been my whole life. I use nothing BUT falsetto to achieve the range I need to sing. So You might want to check your facts before stating something like that!

joewaggott (4 hours ago)
Yeah, the whole point of countertenor is that it's an expertly developed falsetto voice so that it becomes as useable as a 'normal' voice. Although there are some countertenors who do have the high notes in their 'normal' voice they're incredibly rare!

To falsetto or not to falsetto...

This is a hairy issue for countertenors, those who encourage countertenors, and those for whom the whole concept of a man singing high is a crime against nature. The very fact that words such as "Normal" are being thrown around indicates that, for some, discussing the phenomenon in the 'right' way can justify or explain the choice.

I want to argue that all of you are wrong... in that you may have a point but are using archaic words that fail to accurately describe what a countertenor does. More than that, though, the words we use determine what we think is possible, and therefore engender prejudice before a note is sung. We must be careful with our words.***

First of all, let's set some terminology ground rules. There are several broad categories of 'men who sing high' as determined by the physical manner in which the tone is produced. I divide them into three groups:
1) An haut-contre: a tenor with an unusually high voice, most likely the result of a smaller than average larynx. These are the guys who can sing high, and have a naturally high speaking voice.
2) An endocrinologically challenged countertenor: Those who through surgery (almost none), disease (some), or wild boar accidents (yeah right Senesino) never experienced the hormonal effects of male puberty.
3) What is commonly know as a 'Countertenor,' sometimes incorrectly labeled a 'Falsettist': These are the guys who sing as altos/sopranos, but do not sing with a full length of vibrating vocal cord. Their full voices are usually lower (bass/baritone) and they speak at a naturally lower pitch.

I am one of the third group. That's all I have experience being, so that's all I'll talk about.

So... falsetto... means 'false voice.' What it describes is the vibrating of just the edges of a short length of the vocal cords. That's why the sound is so quiet, breathy, and weak; as I'll explain below, not enough mass is vibrating to produce a bigger sound. One could argue that it is just one more color in the palette; it works for Justin Timberlake (he is the future of sex, it would seem?) Where most folks get tripped up is believing that falsetto is the only way for a man to produce sound in that higher register. We are trapped in the paradigm of head voice/mix voice/chest voice. These are labels that resulted from a vocal pedagogy that predated modern scientific investigation, and they were based on the location of the sensation of resonance (vibration) as perceived by the singer.

What actually happens in the throat is much more interesting. When a man sings well in the Countertenor range, his larynx is stable. That is to say, his larynx does not move up and down as he changes pitches. If you have any doubt about whether you do this well, look at your Adam's apple in the mirror while you sing. In fact, go do it now. I'll wait...

Humbling, isn't it?

Stable singing requires a great deal of work and diligence (and no small amount of actual strengthening of the proper laryngal muscles). Voice technique is voice technique, no matter where we sing in our range. I can sing low a's (baritone) and do every time that I work on my technique. As I sing in the higher range, all that happens is that coordinated pairs of muscles that are incorporated into my vocal cord tissue close off in little segments, thus shortening the length of vibrating vocal cord. Imagine an open guitar string. Strike it. Now fret it half way and strike again. The pitch is higher because the mass of the vibrating portion of the string is less than the full length. Same idea (but much more interesting) in your throat. Why does a baritone sound horrible and crack when he sings too high in his 'chest' voice? He's using too long a length of cord and that amount of mass cannot vibrate at the intensity of frequency required to produce that pitch. Why do most countertenors sound weak towards the bottom of their alto range? Because they are using too short a vibrating length to clearly produce the tone.

So, what we are moving towards is a model in which the human voice is no longer like a flute, with definite registers determined by thumb holes and over-blowing techniques (head/mix/chest). Training the human voice well involves finding the optimal vibrating length for each area of frequencies (perceived as pitches), and these optimal lengths each cover about a tri-tone of range. The closures take place around Bb and B and E and F across the entire range. The overall goal of what is called 'classical' voice technique is to produce a beautiful, clearly audible, and even sound across the entire range. Much like, I think, a fine wine, you can't have any part of it be too brash or too subtle. That distracts from the message the singer wants to convey (the words!) What you need is balance.

The point that I am winding up to is... Falsetto is a choice. It always has been. I do not use falsetto when I sing... most of the time anyway. I sing in a way that doesn't fit into the inaccurate definitions that we are used to. I sing with a fully engaged larynx in a relaxed, low position. This allows me to sound remarkably full while singing on a shorter length of vocal cord than a baritone or a tenor does. I do, however, use what some people incorrectly determine to be falsetto. See how important words are?

Thanks to wonderful Countertenors who are tearing it up on stage and in recorded media, we are slowly lifting out of the cultural prejudices surrounding this voice type. Do most people who sing countertenor sing well? No. They substitute the ability to squeak out a high note for craft. But... the quality level is definitely rising. Can we stop talking about head voice and chest voice as though the terms made sense? The whole idea limits us and the choices that we give ourselves permission to believe that we have.

Now go practice :-).

*** Ok, moment of honesty, in this essay I mention 'higher and lower' to reference pitch. That is an incorrect use of those terms. What happens is that the frequency of vibration increases and decreases. We perceive that change as producing higher and lower pitches. To avoid confusion, I used these terms in their familiar, though incorrect manner.