countertenor
A male voice type that sings in the alto or mezzo-soprano range, typically using a developed falsetto or head voice technique.
In Depth
The countertenor is the highest standard male voice type, singing in a range that overlaps with the female contralto and mezzo-soprano. Most countertenors employ a refined falsetto technique (also called head voice or modal voice in some pedagogical traditions), though some use a naturally high modal voice. The timbre is typically lighter and more ethereal than a female voice in the same range, with a distinctive pure, flute-like quality.
The countertenor voice was standard in Renaissance and Baroque music, particularly in English cathedral choirs, but fell out of fashion in the 19th century. Alfred Deller's pioneering career from the 1940s onward revived the voice type, and today countertenors like Andreas Scholl, Philippe Jaroussky, and Jakub Józef Orliński perform both Baroque repertoire and new works commissioned specifically for the voice. The countertenor has also taken on roles originally written for castrati in Baroque opera.
The countertenor revival was sparked largely by one singer — Alfred Deller — whose 1949 recording of Purcell so astonished listeners that many initially assumed they were hearing a woman.