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Friday, October 14, 2005
Aretha Franklin (born March 25, 1942) is an iconic African-American gospel, soul and R&B singer born in Memphis, Tennessee, but raised in Detroit, Michigan. On January 3, 1987 she became the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Many have called her "The Queen Of Soul" and "Lady Soul". She is generally regarded as being one of the best vocalists ever due to her phenomenal ability to inject whatever she may be singing about with gut wrenching soul and sheer conviction. She is renowned for her soul and R&B recordings but is also adept at jazz, rock, blues, pop, hip-hop, gospel, and even opera, The state of Michigan declared her voice to be a natural wonder. She has won 16 competitive Grammys (including 8 consecutive awards from 1968-1975) and she is normally ranked as the greatest female vocalist ever by such industry publications/media outlets as Rolling Stone and VH1.
Vocal Profile
Biography
As a child, Franklin and her sisters, Carolyn and Erma, sang at her father's Detroit-area church and made her first recordings at the age 14. She signed with Columbia Records after being discovered by legendary A&R man John Hammond. In the early 1960s, Franklin had a few popular songs, most notably "Rock-a-bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody." Though Columbia really wanted her as a jazz singer, the results never gave full rein to Franklin's talents. Her greatest and most innovative work was yet to come.
After moving to Atlantic Records in 1967, Franklin teamed up with producers Jerry Wexler and Arif Mardin, resulting in some of the most influential R&B recordings of the 1960s, including "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)", a much more soulful and impassioned song than most of her earlier work. By the late 1960s, Franklin had earned the nickname "The Queen of Soul", having become an internationally famous artist and a symbol of pride for the African American community. Franklin said herself of this period, "When I went to Atlantic, they just sat me down at the piano and the hits started coming."
She released numerous Top Ten hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s, dabbling in gospel music, blues music, pop music, psychedelic music and rock and roll, including notable covers of songs by The Beatles ("Eleanor Rigby"), The Band ("The Weight"), Simon & Garfunkel ("Bridge Over Troubled Water"), Sam Cooke and The Drifters. 'Live at Fillmore West' and 'Amazing Grace' were two of her most influential full-length releases, the latter a double LP of live gospel music recorded in a Los Angeles Baptist church. Surprisingly she never made it to number one in the UK pop charts - the best result being a number four with her version of Burt Bacharach's "I Say a Little Prayer" in 1968.
Among her most successful hit singles from this era were "Chain of Fools", "You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman", "Think", "Baby I Love You", "The House That Jack Built", and "Respect", a cover of an Otis Redding single which became her signature song. After the R&B category was added to the Grammy Awards in 1968, she was virtually unchallenged, winning eight successive awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance; she later added three more Grammies in this category in the 1980s.
In the early 1970s, her music mellowed slightly, though losing nothing of its power, and she continued the hugely successful relationship with Wexler and Mardin while beginning to take a greater role in producing her work. A partnership with Quincy Jones led to a disappointing album in 1973 'You.' But it still produced a standout track "Angel", written by her sister Carolyn which became a soul classic.
She returned to working with Wexler, but her last Atlantic LP 'You' was released in 1976. Wexler had now left Atlantic and the partnership was over. Despite working with artists of the stature of Curtis Mayfield, popularity and critical success waned during the mid to late 1970s and the 1980s, though she scored several hits, often with partners (such as Luther Vandross). Her most notable 1980s hit was the dance song Freeway of Love, which charted in 1985. Most critics dismiss her post-Atlantic material as far inferior to the legendary recordings of the mid to late sixties.
She married Ted White in 1962 and he became her manager during her years with Columbia Records. The marriage ended in 1969 and she has always refused to answer questions about it. A Time Magazine cover story in 1968 led to a lawsuit from Ted White over allegations that he had roughed her up in public. The affair made her guard her private life even more jealously and she gave no interviews for several years after that. She lives today in Detroit.
Interesting Facts
Aretha Franklin was sued for breach of contract in 1984 when she was unable to star in the Broadway musical "Sing, Mahalia, Sing," (based on the life of gospel legend Mahalia Jackson) mainly because of her phobia of flying.
She was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 2001.
Albums
Filmography
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Monday, October 10, 2005
Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer. She was born on October 7, 1967, in Severn, Maryland, the oldest of six children. Her father was a clergyman and the Braxton children were raised in a strict religious household. Braxton's first performing experience was singing with a church choir. She is most notable for her dark, deep and husky, contralto that is low even by contralto standards.
Toni on the cover of the single Hit The Freeway
Braxton attended Bowie State University to obtain a teaching degree but decided to pursue a musical career. She and her four sisters (Traci, Trina, Towanda and Tamar) performing as The Braxtons, released their first single The Good Life in 1990. This single attracted the attention of producer Antonio "L.A." Reid which led to Braxton recording demos of songs written for Anita Baker for a new Eddie Murphy movie. Pregnant, Baker passed and suggested the "girl in the demos". That was the break Toni needed, and she ended up performing for the soundtrack of the movie Boomerang in 1992 and releasing her first album, Toni Braxton in 1993. The album was a critical and popular success and Braxton won a Grammy as Best New Artist. Braxton's second album, Secrets (including her 'signature ballad' Un-Break My Heart written by Diane Warren), was released in 1996 and was another major success, leading to Braxton winning the 1997 Billboard Award for Female R&B Artist of the Year.
Braxton's career suffered a major downturn in 1998 when she declared bankruptcy following a legal dispute with her record company. Her recent albums; The Heat in 2000, Snowflakes, a 2001 Christmas themed album, and More Than A Woman in 2002, while successful, have not matched the phenomenal sales of her earlier work.
In 2001, Braxton made her acting debut in the film Kingdom Come. Braxton has also appeared on Broadway in two Disney shows, "Beauty & the Beast" and "Aida". She and her husband, Keri Lewis, also had their first child, a son Denim Cole Braxton-Lewis, that same year. Their second son Diezel Ky was born in 2003.
Vocal Profile
- Voice type: Deep Contralto
- Highest note: B5, C6
- Lowest note: A2
- Vocal range: 3.2 octaves
Discography
Albums
Singles
- "Another Sad Love Song" (1993) #7 US
- "Breath Again" (1994) #2 UK #3 US
- "Seven Whole Days" (1994)
- "Another Sad Love Song" (1994 Re-issue) #15 UK
- "You Mean The World To Me" (1994) #30 UK #7 US
- "Love Shoulda Bought You Home" #33 UK #33 US
- "You're Makin' Me High" (1996) #7 UK #1 (1 week) US
- "Un-Break My Heart" (1996) #2 UK #1 (11 weeks) US
- "I Don't Want To" (1997) #9 UK #19 US
- "I Love Me Some Him" (1997)
- "How Could An Angel Break My Heart" (featuring Kenny G) (1997) #22 UK
- "He Wasn't Man Enough" (2000) #5 UK #2 US
- "Spanish Guitar" (2000) #98 US
- "Just Be A Man About It" (2000) #32 US
- "Christmas In Jamaica" (2002)
- "Hit The Freeway" (featuring Loon) (2003) #29 UK #86 US
- "Please" (2005)
Filmography
External links
Born: 27 February 1981
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
Best Known As: Singer of "You Raise Me Up"
Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981 in Los Angeles, California) is an American singer. Known for his baritone voice and good looks, his musical style ranges from classical to pop.
In 1997 and 1998, Groban attended the Interlochen Arts Program, majoring in musical theater. In late 1998, the 17-year-old Groban was introduced by his vocal coach to Grammy-winning producer/arranger David Foster. Groban worked for Foster as a rehearsal singer on a series of high-profile events, including the 1999 Grammy Awards -- where, as a stand-in for Andrea Bocelli, he rehearsed Foster's "The Prayer" with Céline Dion -- and the January 1999 inauguration of Gray Davis as governor of California.
Accepted into the theater department at Carnegie Mellon University, Groban left after his freshman year, when he was offered a recording contract at Warner Bros. Records through Foster's own 143 Records imprint. He performed with Sarah Brightman on her 2000-2001 La Luna Tour, and made his recording debut by singing "For Always" with Lara Fabian on the movie soundtrack to A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001).
In May 2001, Groban played the role of Malcolm Wyatt in the season finale of the television series Ally McBeal, performing "You're Still You" and "To Where You Are" from his debut album. The series creator David E. Kelley had been impressed at the 1999 Gray Davis inauguration and based on the audience reaction to Groban's singing, Kelley wrote a similar scene in this finale. The character of Malcolm Wyatt was so popular that Groban was asked to come back the next season to reprise his role.
On November 20, 2001, his self-titled debut album Josh Groban was released and over the next year, his album went from gold to double-platinum.
On February 24, 2002, Groban performed "The Prayer" with Charlotte Church at the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics, and in November, Groban had his own PBS special Josh Groban In Concert (2002). The following month, he performed "To Where You Are" and "The Prayer" at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, and joined The Corrs, Ronan Keating, Sting, Lionel Richie and others for a holiday performance at the Vatican in Rome.
On November 11, 2003, his second album Closer was released. Josh himself said that he believed that this second album was a better reflection of him and that his audience would be able to get a better idea of him personally from listening to Closer. Both of Groban's albums were produced by David Foster, released under Foster's 143 Records and distributed by Warner Music.
On November 30, 2004, his second live DVD, Live at the Greek, was released. It also ran as a Great Performances special on PBS. Also in 2004, Josh performed "Remember When It Rained" at the MTV music awards where he was up for best male singer in the pop cateogory, but lost out to Usher. Still his live performance of "Remember When it Rained", backed by a full orchestra, was most memorable.
Links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Friday, October 07, 2005
falsetto
Falsetto (fall-SET-oh) is a singing technique that produces sounds pitched higher than the singer's normal range.
Falsetto can also mean an artificially raised speaking pitch. This often occurs momentarily if repeatedly in males during puberty as their voice changes. The break between voice registers, audible or not, is called the passaggio.
The falsetto register is used by male countertenors to approximate the register in classical voice that previously employed castrati, in pieces written before castratism became socially unacceptable and eventually universally outlawed. It is also used by many male rock and roll singers such as Jon Anderson of Yes, King Diamond of Mercyful Fate, Justin Hawkins of the Darkness, reggae star Horace Andy and the solo artist David Usher to produce their over-the-top soaring vocals. Falsettos were also prominent lead singers in soul music groups, including Eddie Kendricks of The Temptations, Russell Thompkins Jr. of The Stylistics, and William Hart of The Delfonics.
Many people consider women, because of physical differences from males, to not have or be capable of falsetto. However, many female singers, such as Mariah Carey, do employ falsetto to extend their range. Female singers also have the capabilities of 'head voice' and 'whistle register.' Men also have these capabilities, although it is more rare.
Falsetto is employed through the expansion and separation of vocal cords in which case only the edges of the vocal cord vibrate, not the entire vocal cord.
See also: voice registers, vocal fry or glottal fry.
External link
An example of a very controlled falsetto voices are Martin Sexton and Aaron Neville.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Singers may be classified according to their vocal range — the highest and lowest pitches they can sing.
Vocal Ranges
according to the New Harvard Dictionary of Music
| High voice |
Medium voice |
Low voice |
These ranges correspond to the following: |
| Soprano: C4-A5 |
Mezzo soprano: A3-F5 |
Alto: F3-D5 |
| Tenor: B2-G4 |
Baritone: G2-E4 |
Bass: E2-C4 |
Typical ranges
Rather than saying low or high, the following range classifications are typically used (from highest to lowest):
The first three ranges are usually sung by women, and the last three are usually sung by men. Occasionally men will sing in the three female registers. When sung by men, they are renamed:
Complete ranges
The following ranges for French voices come from a plate in Diderot's Encyclopédie from the 1750s (descending from high to low.)
- Haut-dessus
- Bas-dessus
- Soprano
- Mezzo
- Haute-contre
- Haute-taille
- Taille
- Tenor
- Basse-taille
- Barytone
- Basse-contre
- Bass
Induced vocal range
Where the above are largely achieved through practice, and natural aptitude; vocal ranges can be achieved by means of physiological modification. Only a single significant example of this is notable: castrato.
See also
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Thursday, October 06, 2005
When referring to particular octave scale, you may see a number associated with it (i.e seventh octave ) or a note (C5). The following may offer some explanation.
An octave scale is named for the note that begins and ends it (they are the same, only one octave apart, or the end note is double the frequency of the beginning note. Note at the letters A, B, C, D, E, F, and G are used to name the musical notes. Using C major, the octave scale would be C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C. But which C to start with, as there are eight C notes on the 88-key piano? The octave number tells us which.
Examples
The first note on the piano is 'A'. Since it is the first note, it is called A1. Note that it vibrates at only 27.5 Hz.
The next white note is B1. The black key in between is a half-step and is the sharp of A (Aò1) or the flat of B (Bó1).
The next white-key notes are C1, D1, E1, F1, and G1 respectively. The black keys in between are the flat of the note after it and the sharp of the note before it.
The next A is the second A, named A2. It vibrates at 55 Hz (double A1). This repeats again, to A3 (110 Hz).
So when we say a person can vocalize in the seventh octave, what we are really saying is the person's vocal cords are capable of producing a musical pitch between the seventh and the eighth A (in standard musical practice, C is the base). Although it is not customary to number the piano octaves (the seventh octave's controversy and rarity is the only real exception), the octaves are listed below to help gain a mental perspective of where a range is.
- First octave (C1 - C2) - Deepest notes
Only the deepest basses (i.e Barry White) can vocalize in the upper reaches on this low register
- Second octave (C2 - C3) - Most male voice
Most male voices can pitch in this octave, with the tenors barely skirting the top of it, while the basses can go almost all the way down through it. Some basses (basso profundo can go completely and beyond the bottom). A rare female (Mariah Carey or Toni Braxton) can also like the tenor skirt the top of this octave.
- Third octave (C3 - C4) - Most voices
Most voices have some abilities in this octave. All male voices are strong here and female low notes usually start in this octave. Contraltos can pitch D3 or E3, while sopranos start higher at G3 or A4* (see end of text).
- Fourth octave (C4 - C5) - Nearly universal (this is the middle octave)
Nearly any and every voice has an ability in some part of this octave. For the male voices, the higher notes (in head or mixed voice) are here. Basses will probably end around D4 or E4. This same octave is the lower part of most female vocal ranges
- Fifth octave (C5 - C6) - Most female voice
Many male voice do not enter this octave, but some voices (especially the tenor who must be able to vocalize the C5 or Tenor C to classify) can. Contraltos will end around the F5 or G5. Sopranos will reach the top out somewhere between A6 and D6, depending on color and altitude.
Very few men can do anything in this octave. The classical range for an operatic soprano ends at C6 or D6, although many, especially the coloratura can go higher. In contemporary music, sopranos are classified by level. A soprano's level is determined by her altitude. A soprano that has no abilities in the whistle register is a Soprano I (do not confuse this with the choir classification of first or second soprano). A soprano that can reach into the whistle register vocalizing over at least most of the sixth octave is a soprano II (example, Christina Aguilera)
- Seventh Octave (C7 - C8) - Rare soprano (see Whistle Register for full examples of singers capable of this altitude)
Classical music deems the seventh octave not musical; the highest operatic piece utilizes a Gò6. Sopranos that can vocalize here (significantly above C7) are Soprano IIIs. Very few have any significant ability here, thus a soprano III is rare. Mariah Carey, Minnie Riperton, and Rachelle Ferrell are examples.
Note
Many people start counting the octaves with C. Using that notation (which is utilized by many, including articles here in Wikipedia - see Piano key frequencies), the first notes are A0, Aò0, and B0 (since they are merely there for harmonic puposes and are RARELY used in any actual music). Then you have C1 go to up to A1, B1, and C2. If you read many articles about vocal range, this is how range is established. The octaves are incremented on C, not A (the picture at the top increments on A).
Determining vocal range
So does he or she have a one, two or three octave range? Ten? Mariah Carey is said to have a five octave range, but how is a singer's range calculated? A vocal coach (or other knowledgeable person) asks the singer the reach the lowest note they can hit (no matter how unmusical). Next, they climb the scale in various vocalise until they pitch their top note (again, they may push or force a little). This also helps explain why most singers do NOT use the very top of the range. Then you simply subtract low from high. Let's say your low note is an E3; your high is a B5. You're a solid mezzo-soprano. 5-3 = 2. Next, there are four whole steps between E and B, namely E to F, F to G, G to A, and finally A to B. So your range would be two and a half octaves, although many people would say simply two and change. Again, it is important to note that many people can vocalise higher than they normally sing in or record in.
See also
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
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