A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Voices

VOICES. Though the human voice, in so far as its tone and capabilities are concerned, is naturally independent of changes like those through which every Orchestral Instrument must necessarily pass before it arrives at its perfect condition, it has none the less witnessed changes of treatment at least as noticeable as those of the Instrumental Orchestra itself.

The Madrigalists and Ecclesiastical Composers of the 16th century wrote for a far greater variety of voices than those now generally recognised;^[1] and distributed them on principles which experience has proved to be incompatible with the essential characteristics of modern Music. Their system was based upon the division of all Voices into two great classes—the Acute, and the Grave. The Acute class comprised the Voices of Boys, in their unbroken condition that is to say, before the change of timbre and compass which has already been described in the article Mutation; the rare high natural Voices of adult male singers, which are still occasionally heard in Italy and Spain; and the almost innumerable varieties of Soprano and Contralto Voices producible by artificial means. The Grave class represented the adult male Voice, in all its natural varieties:—Tenors, of every species, Basses, and even Contra-Bassi, of immense profundity, like those still cultivated in Russia, and some other European countries. Female Voices were not admitted into the Church Choir, and therefore found no place in the system adopted by Ecclesiastical Composers.

For Voices of the Acute class, five Clefs were used; the G Clef, on the first and second lines; and the C Clef, on the first, second, and third. For Grave Voices, the C Clef on the third, fourth, and fifth lines, and F Clef, in the same three positions; the F Clef on the fifth line being appropriated to the Contra-Basso, and the C Clef on the fifth line, to the Contra-Tenore—a very low Tenor Voice bearing no resemblance whatever to the 'Counter-Tenor' of our English Composers.

This formidable array of Clefs was, however, accompanied by a very simple form of nomenclature; the terms Cantus, Altus, Tenor, and Bassus, being used to designate Voices of every possible variety. When Acute Voices only were employed, they were described as Cantus I and II, and Altus I and II; and the Composition was then said to be written for Acute Equal Voices. In this case, the lowest Voice permissible was an Alto, sung by a Boy, or by an adult singer, or an artificial Voice. In Compositions for Grave Equal Voices, the highest part was sung by the natural Voice of an adult Alto—an organ now very rarely heard—or by a high Tenor; the lower parts by ordinary Tenors and Basses. When Acute and Grave Voices were employed together, the Composition was said to be for Mixed Voices. In Compositions of this kind, the lowest part was described as the Bassus, even when written in the Tenor Clef. In like manner, a middle part was frequently labelled Tenor, though written in the Alto, or even in the Mezzo-Soprano Clef; while Baritone parts, written with the F Clef on the third line, were invariably labelled Bassus. Parts written with the C Clef on the first line were labelled Cantus, or Altus, according to their position with regard to the other Voices; the term Cantus being usually applied to them when they occupied the highest position in the harmony, and Altus, when the G Clef was used for a still higher part, written above them. Parts written with the C Clef on the second line—the Mezzo-Soprano of modern Music— were almost always labelled Altus.

The selection of Clefs was governed, partly by the compass of the Voices, and partly by the nature of the Mode in which the Composition was written. The number of Clefs employed arose from the repugnance of Composers to ledger-lines, with which they were not altogether unacquainted, though they avoided them, as much as possible, by selecting Clefs which enabled them to write the whole of a vocal part within the limits of the Stave—an easy matter, with Polyphonic Composers of the best period, who frequently confined whole parts within the range of an Octave, as in the 'Missa Papae Marcelli,' in which, by writing the Cantus part in the Treble (G) Clef, the Altus in the Mezzo-Soprano, the two Tenors in the Alto, and the two Basses in the Tenor, Palestrina has avoided the use of a single ledger-line, from beginning to end.

The connection of the Clefs with the Mode was a more complicated matter. Certain combinations were used for the Modes, at their natural pitch (the Chiavi naturali); and certain others for the transposed Modes (Chiavi trasportate, or Chiavette).^[2] These however were chiefly used for Mixed Voices. In Compositions for Equal Voices, whether Acute, or Grave, the arrangement of the Clefs was more frequently dictated by the compass of the Voices, than by the transposition, or non transposition of the Modes.

The terms Cantus, Altus, Tenor, and Bassus, sufficed for Compositions written for any number of Voices. In the 'Missa Papae Marcelli,' and innumerable like Compositions, we find parts for Tenor I and II, and Bassus I and II. In these cases, the second Voice is always of exactly the same compass as the first; and, instead of singing constantly below it—as it certainly would now—sustains an equally important part, continually repeating the same passages, and crossing above, or below, its fellow-part, without reserve.

Another common arrangement, in Compositions for more than four Voices, was to label the fifth Voice, Quintus, or Pars Quinta, and the sixth, Sextus, or Pars Sexta; and this, without reference to the nature of the Voice: consequently, in old Part-Books, we constantly find, in the volume labelled Quintus, parts for Cantus, Altus, Tenor, and Bassus, all indiscriminately mingled together. But here, again, the arrangement was governed by a law as strict as that which regulated the conduct of Tenor or Bassus I and II. The Quintus and Sextus were exact duplicates of two other parts, with which they corresponded, throughout, both in compass and importance; so that, in fact, it was a matter of absolute indifference whether parts then associated were labelled Altus and Quintus, or, Altus I and Altus II. And the constant crossing of the parts, to which this arrangement gave rise, was used as a means of producing the most varied and beautiful effects. They used the device with unlimited freedom; frequently making one Voice cross over two as in Palestrina's 'Missa brevis,' where the Altus crosses below the Tenor and Bassus, and sings the lowest part of the harmony. The following example will show the immense advantage derivable from the distribution of certain passages between two Voices of strongly contrasted timbre.

Crossing their Voices thus, the Polyphonic Composers frequently wrote passages, which, had the parts been arranged in the ordinary manner, would have exhibited glaring cases of Consecutive Fifths and Octaves, but which, thanks to this device, enriched their harmonies with indescribable beauty. The practice however died out with the School of Palestrina; and in modern Music the parts rarely cross, to any serious extent.

The opening of the 17th century witnessed a radical change in the distribution of Voices, as well as in all other matters connected with the Art of Composition. Except in Italy, artificial Soprani and Contralti were heard only at the Theatre. The beauty of the female Voice was universally recognised, both in its Soprano and Contralto registers; and cultivated with assiduity. In Germany, Boys were taught, as now, to sing both Soprano and Contralto parts, with equal success. In England, a different plan was adopted. After the Great Rebellion, the difficulty of obtaining Choir-Boys was so great, that Treble parts were either summarily dispensed with, or played, as a pis alter, upon Cornets. Adult Voices were, however, more easily attainable; and adult singers learned to execute Alto, and even low Treble parts, in Falsetto. And thus arose the cultivation of the peculiar form of Voice now called the Counter-Tenor; an unnatural register which still holds its ground in English Cathedrals, with a pertinacity which leads to the lamentable neglect, if not the absolute exclusion, of one of the most beautiful Voices in existence—the true Boy Contralto. This sweeping change in the constitution of our Cathedral Choirs naturally led to a change of corresponding magnitude in the character if the Music written for them. In the Verse-Anthems of Humfrey, Wise, Blow, Purcell, and other Masters of the School of the Restoration, the Falsetto part, under its title of Counter-Tenor, holds a very important position indeed; and still more prominent is the rôle accorded to it by Croft, Boyce, and other writers of a later generation. In truth, the new Voice, at first an unavoidable necessity, soon became the prevailing fashion; and Music was written for it, even at the time when the Chapel Royal at Whitehall was graced with the most talented and accomplished staff of Choir-Boys on record. So general was the custom of confiding the Alto part to Counter-Tenor singers, that it was adopted, even at the 'Oratorio Concerts' of the 18th century. The Alto parts in Handel's Choruses were sung chiefly, if not wholly, in Falsetto. It was not until 1773 [App. p.813 "1764"] that Dr. Arne first had the hardihood to employ female Voices in the Choruses of his Oratorio, 'Judith'; and it is doubtful whether, even then, they were entrusted with the Alto parts. Happily for Art, the value of the female Contralto is now no less freely recognised in England than in other countries; and it is only in Cathedral Choirs, and Choral Societies connected with them, that the Falsetto Counter-Tenor safely holds its ground.

In Germany, the Falsetto Voice has always been held in very low estimation indeed; while the true Boy-Contralto has been almost as extensively cultivated as the rich low tones of the deeper female register.^[3] We have heard the most excellent effect produced, at the Thomas-Schule, in Leipzig, and at the Cathedrals of Cologne, Mayence, and Regensburg, by unaccompanied Choirs, in which the Alto parts were entrusted entirely to the fresh young Voices of a well-trained body of Boy-Choristers, whose lower registers were cultivated, with success, for some considerable time after they were prevented, by the approach of the inevitable mutation, from singing Treble.^[4] Such Voices cannot be effectively used in combination with the Falsetto Counter-Tenor; but they combine perfectly with the rich female Contralto, with which they may be profitably associated, in Choral Music of all kinds.

This extensive modification in materials was followed by a corresponding modification of treatment. Acute Equal Voices are now understood to mean the Voices of Women and Children; and Grave Equal Voices, those of Men. When the two classes are employed together, each maintains its own accustomed level, in the distribution of the general harmony, more strictly, by far, than was the case under the older system. The contrast between the timbre of a Tenor, and that of a Contralto, is too great to allow the two to work together in the intimate association which formed so marked a feature in the Polyphonic Schools; and even when two Voices of the same class are employed, they seldom correspond exactly in compass. The Second Soprano really sings a second part, and only rises above the first in very exceptional cases; while the Second Bass is always understood to be responsible for the lowest sounds in the harmony. This disposition of the parts accords perfectly with the timbre of the Voices employed; and has been proved, by long experience, to be more perfectly adapted than any other to the requirements of modern Music, which, during its progress towards perfection, has demanded, from time to time, changes in the arrangement of the Vocal Orchestra little less revolutionary than those effected in the Instrumental Band.

[ W. S. R. ]

1. For a description of the peculiarities of each Individual Voice, the reader will consult the articles Soprano, Alto, Contralto, Tenor, Baryton, and Bass.
2. Examples of some of these combinations may be seen in vol. iii. p. 429 a.
3. Spohr, on his first visit to this country, expressed the greatest dislike to our English Counter-Tenor; and it may possibly have been a similar experience which induced Mendelssohn to inaugurate, in his 'St. Paul,' the practice of writing Oratorio Choruses for Soprano I and II. instead of Soprano and Alto.
4. The great Lablache sang, as a boy, with an exquisitely beautiful voice of this kind.