Voice type in baroque operas. Except for a few very rare voices (such as the American male soprano Michael Maniaci or singers with a disorder such as Kallmann syndrome), singers called countertenors generally sing in the falsetto register, sometimes using their modal voice for the lowest notes. Historically, there is much evidence that the countertenor, in England at least, also designated a very high tenor voice, the equivalent of the French "haute-contre". Until about 1830, all male voices used some falsetto-type voice production in their upper range. Countertenor voices span a broad range, covering E3 to E5. Countertenor subtypes: Countertenors are often
Leeds Male Voice Choir the Broom Excelsior Male Voice performing for the first time in Stourton in September 1916. John Hickes was the conductor until 1953, overseeing the name change to Leeds Male Voice Choir in the late 1940s. John Wheeler took the Director's baton in 1962 with his wife Ursula as the accompanist. He was a principal singer at Leeds Parish Church and was also conductor of Batley Male Voice Choir and Phoenix Park Male Choir in Bradford. Wheeler led the choir and began a series of exchange visits in 1969 with Dortsfeld Male Voice Choir in Dortmund, Leeds’ twin city in Germany.