jae@hou2g.UUCP (J.ELKINS) (04/23/85)
To Glenn McCluskey: I'm not very familiar with "Jephtha," but I wouldn't imagine that any of Handel's oratorio roles are meant to sound weak. The nature of falsetto is that few vocalists are able to get very much power out of it, even though some can produce an amazing range and very pretty tone. Those who cannot avoid sounding weak when going beyond "head voice" make some sort of concession. They either go for the forced volume and end up sounding shrill, or they hold back and go for quality instead of power. Some countertenors can maintain what sounds like full voice singing all the way through the alto range, and it blows me away. I sang for a living for many years without ever being able to use my falsetto for anything other than high-range relief during choir rehearsals, and I was considered a somewhat creditable tenor.