Oktavist
Encyclopedia
Octavist or oktavist is a type of male singer who sings an octave
below the normal bass part, especially typical of Russian Orthodox
vocal music
. This voice type
has a much lower vocal range
than what the Western school of music terms "basso profondo". Indeed, a man of this voice type sings a full octave
below the normal bass register, having a comfortable vocal range of E1-E3. This practice and tradition is illustrated in the CD "Basso Profondo From Old Russia". On the sixth track, "Do Not Reject Me In My Old Age" (Ne Otverzhi Mene) by Pavel Chesnokov
, the oktavist soloist sings a G1
.
's Do Not Reject Me In My Old Age (Ne Otverzhi Mene).
) or F below those in Kheruvimskaya pesn (Song of Cherubim) by Krzysztof Penderecki."
This last song is rarely performed as it was written by Penderecki, since it is very, very rare to find a man who can sing a contra F-note.
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
below the normal bass part, especially typical of Russian Orthodox
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
vocal music
Vocal music
Vocal music is a genre of music performed by one or more singers, with or without instrumental accompaniment, in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which employs singing but does not feature it prominently is generally considered instrumental music Vocal music is a genre of...
. This voice type
Voice type
A voice type is a particular kind of human singing voice perceived as having certain identifying qualities or characteristics. Voice classification is the process by which human voices are evaluated and are thereby designated into voice types...
has a much lower vocal range
Vocal range
Vocal range is the measure of the breadth of pitches that a human voice can phonate. Although the study of vocal range has little practical application in terms of speech, it is a topic of study within linguistics, phonetics, and speech and language pathology, particularly in relation to the study...
than what the Western school of music terms "basso profondo". Indeed, a man of this voice type sings a full octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
below the normal bass register, having a comfortable vocal range of E1-E3. This practice and tradition is illustrated in the CD "Basso Profondo From Old Russia". On the sixth track, "Do Not Reject Me In My Old Age" (Ne Otverzhi Mene) by Pavel Chesnokov
Pavel Grigorievich Chesnokov
Pavel Grigorievich Chesnokov , also transliterated Tschesnokoff, Tchesnokov, Tchesnokoff, and Chesnokoff, was a Russian composer, choral conductor and teacher. He composed over five hundred choral works, over four hundred of which are sacred...
, the oktavist soloist sings a G1
Scientific pitch notation
Scientific pitch notation is one of several methods that name the notes of the standard Western chromatic scale by combining a letter-name, accidentals, and a number identifying the pitch's octave...
.
Famous oktavists
- Vladimir Pasyukov(24/07/1944-20/06/2011)
- Yuri WichniakovYuri WichniakovYuri Wichniakov is a Russian Basso Profondo singer known for his powerful lower register, and resonant low notes. He is the featured bass on the CD Basso Profondo From Old Russia. In the many songs on that CD, Wichniakov is regularly heard singing the bottom G on the piano. Several of the choir...
(1950-) - Vladimir MillerVladimir MillerVladimir Miller is a Russian opera singer possessing the rare low-ranging basso profondo voice. He was born in Siberia in 1964.-Biography:Miller was initially planning a singing career. He graduated from Leningrad State Conservatoire as a musicologist. Later he studied singing at Cologne Music...
(1964-) - Laszlo Domahidy
- Mikhail Kruglov (1972-)
- Alexander Ort
- J.D. Sumner
- Tim StormsTim StormsTim Storms is an American singer and composer. He holds the Guinness World Records for "lowest note produced by a human" and the "widest vocal range".- Musical career :...
Online popularity
In recent years, the warm, powerful oktavist sound has gained quite a following online. There are several videos on Youtube showcasing this unique sound, the comments on those videos are rife with praise and discussion, and there is even a Basso Profundo Blog. Old masters such as Vladimir Pasyukov (July 29, 1944 - June 20, 2011) and Yuri Wichniakov, as well as younger singers like Vladimir Miller (1964) and Mikhail Kruglov (1972) are all hailed for the power in their voice. All four have recorded Pavel ChesnokovPavel Grigorievich Chesnokov
Pavel Grigorievich Chesnokov , also transliterated Tschesnokoff, Tchesnokov, Tchesnokoff, and Chesnokoff, was a Russian composer, choral conductor and teacher. He composed over five hundred choral works, over four hundred of which are sacred...
's Do Not Reject Me In My Old Age (Ne Otverzhi Mene).
Recent Projects
Along with a third oktavist, Sergei Kochetov, Vladimir Miller and Mikhail Kruglov recently recorded a number of classic Russian folk songs and similar music, singing them in a low pitched key. The idea was to invoke the old oktavist tradition which dates back to the Tzar's court, where there would be several oktavists assembled to sing when called upon. The trio also sang in a number of concerts as a part of the project.Deepest repertoire
As it says on the Bass Wikipedia page: "Parts for basses have included notes as low as the B-flat two octaves and a tone below middle C (B♭1), for example in the Rachmaninov Vespers, G below that (e.g. Measure 76 of Ne Otverzhi Mene by Pavel ChesnokovPavel Grigorievich Chesnokov
Pavel Grigorievich Chesnokov , also transliterated Tschesnokoff, Tchesnokov, Tchesnokoff, and Chesnokoff, was a Russian composer, choral conductor and teacher. He composed over five hundred choral works, over four hundred of which are sacred...
) or F below those in Kheruvimskaya pesn (Song of Cherubim) by Krzysztof Penderecki."
This last song is rarely performed as it was written by Penderecki, since it is very, very rare to find a man who can sing a contra F-note.
Scarcity of oktavists
Vladimir Miller once said: "One million people, one Basso Profundo" (refer to his masterclass in the Netherlands, the year 2006).Further reading
- Morosan, Vladimir Choral Performance in Pre-revolutionary Russia, UMI Research Press, 1986. ISBN 0835717135
- Rommereim, J. C., "The Choir and How to Direct It: Pavel Chesnokov's magnum opus", Choral Journal, Official Publication of the American Choral Directors Association, XXXVIII, no. 7, 1998