ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ต.ค. 2024
- The Bee Gees did it. So do Smokey Robinson, Prince and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. They all sing in the high register usually associated with female singers.
Men have cultivated their upper range in falsetto for centuries. They're called countertenors - at least in the classical world - and today we find ourselves in a golden age of such singers, thanks in part to continued interest in early music.
One of the best of today's crop of countertenors is Iestyn Davies (pronounced YES-tin DAY-vis). Lately, he's been exploring the meticulously crafted, melancholy songs of Elizabethan composer John Dowland. Joining Davies is lutenist Thomas Dunford, who has been affectionately dubbed "the Eric Clapton of the lute" by the BBC.
Dowland was a master of melancholy, a condition viewed differently in Elizabethan England than it is today. You might say that, back then, it was almost hip to have the blues, and Dowland instinctively knew how to tap into feelings of rejection, regret and general malaise in his music. (Dowland himself seemed to nurse a lifelong disappointment in never landing a job with Queen Elizabeth.)
Yet not every Dowland song is a downer. The opening number, "Come again, sweet love doth now invite," finds the protagonist relishing the taste of love he's had, wondering if it will ever return. When he weeps over his bad dreams, Davies, an expressive singer with a sweet timbre and a keen ear for drama in the text, shades the music by lightening his tone to sound more vulnerable.
We can't forget the lute in this partnership; it's crucial and shouldn't be viewed as mere accompaniment. Listen for the delicacy in the colors and lines Dowland builds in the lute's part, as if the instrument itself were singing a duet with the voice. --TOM HUIZENGA
Set List
Dowland: "Come again, sweet love doth now invite"
Dowland: "Now, O now I needs must part"
Dowland: "Can she excuse my wrongs"
Credits
Producers: Denise DeBelius, Tom Huizenga; Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait; Videographers: Denise DeBelius, Faith Masi, Olivia Merrion
superlative lute playing - matches Iestyn in quality - brilliant stuff
Unsurpassable version. They both are brilliant. Thanks for posting.
Two amazing talents!! Happy to see this among the Tiny Desk concerts.
That young lute player is kind of blowing my mind!
The voice is extraordinary, but what impressed me most was the lutist. Outstanding artistry!
I was planning on this being background music, but I found myself watching the entire video.
This is extremely beautiful.
beautiful, seems such an understatement! Emotions seem to seep through the centuries
Listening to his voice repeatedly n repeat again,,, yeah it sounds like a male's vocal,,, that's wonderful phenomenon !
Amazing. Whom ever disliked this must be tone deaf.
i'm not saying it deserves dislikes, but this is sort of weird.
Sadly (even in 2014) there is a deeply seated prejudice(and suspicion) amongst otherwise sensible music lovers as far as the CounterTenor voice goes.They seem unable to hear the voice in all it's beauty (as with Iestyn) but still get pleasure from pulling the CounterTenor voice to pieces by calling it "falsetist" which of course it is,but they use this as a term of dismissal.
Hopefully,given the number of CounterTenors around today people will be able to judge fairly,and in the future these vocal bigots will hear the error of their ways.
I for one enjoy ALL vocal singing of whatever type and range.
Just be grateful that you(and I) are of the enlightened ones.
In what way? And before you answer that question please go look in a history book of your choice.
@@AscentofTrollbane well countertenors even if they don’t sound quite as good are better then the alternative.
Merci pour ce partage... bravo !
Great video! I have all these pieces on my CD "The art of melancholy". To hear it live is something special! Thanks for posting.
The Eric Clapton of lute, huh? Well I'm afraid his hand is too fast for that':D
By the way, Iestyn's voice may just be the purest sound to ever ring in my ears... I am enchanted
Counter tenor jewel of the century and Thomas Dunford is no slouch either!🌹
Superb lutanist too
He is! I completely agree. A superstar of his instrument imo.
NPR Music, you forgot Bobby Hatfield, he had a purer voice than any of the rock gods you mentioned, more emotion and soul. Iestyn, you are soothing my weary heart and soul, thank you for this, it's fabulous. Your Prom 2021 appearance was a real treat, too.
🔥
are you still listening in 2020 march
This performance is extraordinary
1:17 🔥
👇👇👇👇👇💜
beautiful. Reclaiming the true male range! Right on!
Sublime.
Awesome!!!
Lutenist stole the show. Absolutely sublime.
Incredible awesome !!!
Splendid! Classical music -- early music to boot! -- on NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert, not the usual hipster offering I've come to believe is the ONLY music to which NPR programmers listen. Perhaps you've actually paid attention to your audience demographics!
Early music is hipster music
Lovely!
今こそ ああ 今こそは 別れねばならぬ
たとえ別れが孤独の嘆きをもたらそうとも
離れから喜びは得られぬ
ひとたび去った喜びは 二度と帰らぬ
生きている限り ぼくは愛さねばならぬ
希望がなきところに 愛に命はない
今 ついに 絶望によって証されたのだ
愛はひとつ 分かれた愛はなきに等しい と 絶望に悲しく打ちひしがれて ぼくは去る
この絶望は 薄情が遣わした手先
もし別れることが罪ならば
罪を作ったのは だれ? （参考まで翻訳） 高橋康也さんの訳を一部書き換えました。
I'm impressed.
THEY ARE ALL THE BEST
If anyone is nay-saying either musician's voice, then one obviously is not listening to the beautiful legato line that the two are creating.
gotta love that Jacobean Sad Boi(TM) the renaissance emo himself, john dowland. interesting tidbit: he was also a spy so jot that down
John Bartlet, also John Bartlett, (fl. 1606-1610) was an English Renaissance composer. He was employed as a musician by Sir Edward Seymour, Earl Hertford (1539-1621), and accompanied him on a diplomatic visit to Brussels in 1605. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bartlet
It seems that "diplomatic services" may have been a part of a Renaissance composer's duties!
love it
Indeed both brilliant. Wouldn’t mind having dinner with Thomas …
I have, and he’s as warm and delightful as you could hope for. A gem of a human being. Iestyn is also lovely company.
Breathtaking! And the lutenist is no slouch either!
I absolutely love his voice. If there were anything I would change. it would be a few of the tonal progressions on the last song. Otherwise, Iestyn is one of the most enjoyable artists I have listened to thus far.
💖💝
Blackadder... Blackaddddder
Wow
I feel you.
I didn´t know Podrick could play laud.
very good, but not for me. Still gotta show my respect.
Ud mu o?