Scandal - Freddie Really a Baritone ?

I decided to make a new thread about this after I was originally going to post in the "Last Songs of Queen" thread (where the thought was sparked) - but decided it was probably too off-topic.

I remember a quote (I don't know where, or if it had any credence or not) that I THINK was Montserrat Caballé* quoting Freddie or something as saying that he was "really a baritone" but "his fans would never accept that".

I was wondering what other people think of that, if the quote is authentic... blah, blah, blah.







* Truly, this ranks up there with when I bought a fashion book and could find how to spell Zandra Rhodes without the magic of google - ahem. Disregard.

Should this have been in Serious Discussion ?

HERE AND EVERYWHERE, FREDDIE IS A FUCKING TENOR

I'd classify him as a baritenor. His speaking voice was low like a baritone, but no baritone can hit high C and D like Freddie could hit.

Baritone? Tenor? Come on guys! He's Freddie! He can do anything!

IMHO, natural light lyric baritone - pushed up to tenor.

It's not about range - it's about vocal color.

My personal opinion is that if I go by what I've read about his voice (I don't have perfect pitch, at can't test low notes)... I can't really classify that. His range extends all over the place. Baritenor would make sense.

Definately lower than what a Tenor is required to sing (though I don't know if the average tenor can sing lower than he is usually asked to).

But with the whole "vocal cord nodule" thing, it would seem like a great deal of strain to get the high notes. Which is what really made me think about the "really a baritone" quote.

And the note that I remember really making me go "wow" is the last "love" in the Live at Wembley "Radio Ga Ga". Because it was so rich and powerful that I was just blown away.

And I don't see what the big deal is for some people if the label isn't "Tenor". Does it make him less of a vocalist ?


Post Script : I'm don't really care, personally, what Freddie's voice is called - "would not a rose by any other name smell just as sweet" - to paraphrase. But I'm interested because I think by understanding familiar voices' "types", it could help me understand my own. Plus, the voice is such an interesting topic - which shouldn't be limited to shouting "He was a Tenor !" or "She's a Colouratura Soprano !".



And thank you to everyone who posted in complete sentences.

I really do appreciate it.

IF HE HITS A D4... HE IS A FUCKING TENOR!!!

FOR FUCK'S SAKE!!!

Here is a friendly answer from a person who is involved in the opera 'business' since her birth (my parents are both opera singers and I have vocal training too): Freddie was a baritone, but he often sang 'falsetto', i.e. with his 'head voice' - beyond his 'natural range'. Actually, baritones are perfectly suited for a rock/pop branche and there are in fact nearly only baritones in this business, because they have a much stronger voice in the 'falsetto range': f. ex. Elton John, Elvis Presley, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix...
A tenor voice is a 'weaker' or better said sensible voice for the pop rock branche, but this doesn't mean that their voice is less beautiful - Jon Anderson from Yes is a tenor f. ex. Hope that helps.

If you're interested: baritones are also Sting, Robert Plant (that's because he can 'scream' so well:)), Michael Jackson (his falsetto use is excellent), Rod Steward...

I used to think of him as a baritone, but I was wrong.

I have to disagree, because baritones cannot turn into tenors and viceversa. The term 'baritone' and 'tenor' describes the natural range; everything that goes beyond is 'squeezed' out or sung with falsetto.
In the case of Freddie's: his natural range was always baritone. In his early days his 'respiring technique' was not developed and his voice therefore too weak to hold the notes like he did later. Only later he gained experience and his voice became stronger.

[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]<b><font color=B22222>daria k. wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Here is a friendly answer from a person who is involved in the opera 'business' since her birth (my parents are both opera singers and I have vocal training too): Freddie was a baritone, but he often sang 'falsetto', i.e. with his 'head voice' - beyond his 'natural range'. Actually, baritones are perfectly suited for a rock/pop branche and there are in fact nearly only baritones in this business, because they have a much stronger voice in the 'falsetto range': f. ex. Elton John, Elvis Presley, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix...
A tenor voice is a 'weaker' or better said sensible voice for the pop rock branche, but this doesn't mean that their voice is less beautiful - Jon Anderson from Yes is a tenor f. ex. Hope that helps.[/QUOTE]

Thank you very much for taking your time to write that ! It was very helpful. :)


[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]M a t i a s M a y<h6><i>QZ's Rainmaker wrote: [/QUOTENAME]IF HE HITS A D4... HE IS A FUCKING TENOR!!!

FOR FUCK'S SAKE!!![/QUOTE]

It's not just range that determines voice "type". I mean, if you have "3.5" octaves or whatnot, it's going to, by conventional definition, overlap the ranges to several "types".

I can hit, (according to your notations) an A5, but this does not automatically make me a colouratura soprano, no more than hitting D2 makes me a tenor.

If you have evidence to support your opinion that Freddie was unequivocally a tenor, please present it.

"If you have evidence to support your opinion that Freddie was unequivocally a tenor, please present it."

Don't hold your breath.

Um... I'd say he's a tenor, because he has a range of about 3 octaves.

But then again, he was able to sing both baritone and tenor.