Alfred Deller (31 May 1912 – 16 July 1979) was an English singer, one of the main figures in popularising the use of the countertenor voice in renaissance and baroque music. May 31 is the 151st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (152nd in leap years), with 214 days remaining. ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... July 16 is the 197th day (198th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 168 days remaining. ... For the song by The Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... Ercole de Roberti: Concert, c. ... A countertenor is an adult male who sings in an alto or soprano range, often through use of falsetto. ... Renaissance music is European classical music written during the Renaissance, approximately 1400 to 1600. ... Baroque music describes an era and a set of styles of European classical music which were in widespread use between approximately 1600 and 1750 (see Dates of classical music eras for a discussion of the problems inherent in defining the beginning and end points). ...

Deller was born in Margate, and as a boy sang in his local church choir. When his voice broke, he continued singing in his high register, eventually settling as a countertenor. Throughout the 19th century, it was only in the tradition of all-male cathedral choirs that the countertenor voice had survived.^[1] Deller was himself successively a member of the choirs of Canterbury and St Paul's Cathedrals (1940-47 and 1947-62 respectively). He emerged as a soloist from this choral tradition largely due to the admiration of the composer Michael Tippett, who heard him while at Canterbury, and recognised the unique beauty of his voice. Tippett introduced him to the public as a countertenor rather than a male alto. He also became better known with a BBC broadcast (on the then new "Third Programme") of Henry Purcell's Come ye sons of Art. He concentrated on popularizing and recording the music of English baroque and renaissance music by composers such as John Dowland and Purcell.^[2] He formed the Deller Consort in 1948, a group dedicated to historically accurate performances of that kind of music.^[3] The group significantly expanded popular notions of the baroque repertoire, producing high-quality authentic "period performances" of the works of Bach, Handel, Purcell, Dowland, and even John Blow. Later Deller's son, Mark Deller, joined the consort, with whom Deller later recorded a CD of English folk songs. Statistics Population: 58,465 (2001 census) Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: TR355705 Administration District: Thanet Shire county: Kent Region: South East England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Kent Historic county: Kent Services Police force: {{{Police}}} Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: South East Coast Post office... A countertenor is an adult male who sings in an alto or soprano range, often through use of falsetto. ... Canterbury Cathedral is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site. ... Sir Michael Kemp Tippett, O.M. (2 January 1905 – 8 January 1998) was one of the foremost English composers of the 20th century. ... This article is about the voice-type. ... Henry Purcell Henry Purcell (IPA: [1]; September 10 (?) [2], 1659–November 21, 1695), a Baroque composer, is generally considered to be one of Englands greatest composers—indeed, he has often been called Englands finest native composer. ... John Dowland (1563 – February 20, 1626) was an English, possibly Irish-born composer, singer, and lutenist. ... The authentic performance movement is an effort on the part of musicians and scholars to perform works of classical music in ways similar to how they were performed when they were originally written. ... In music, the BACH motif is the sequence of notes B flat, A, C, B natural. ... HANDEL was the code-name for the UKs National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. ... Henry Purcell Henry Purcell (IPA: [1]; September 10 (?) [2], 1659–November 21, 1695), a Baroque composer, is generally considered to be one of Englands greatest composers—indeed, he has often been called Englands finest native composer. ... John Dowland (pronounced to rhyme with Roland) (1563 – February 20, 1626) was an English, possibly Irish-born composer and lutenist. ... John Blow (1649 - October 1, 1708) was an English composer and organist. ... Mark Deller is a countertenor, the son of the first modern countertenor, Alfred Deller. ...

In 1960, Deller sang the role of Oberon in Benjamin Britten's opera A Midsummer Night's Dream. Britten wrote this role with Deller specifically in mind, although he was dropped from staged revivals of the work, against the composer's wishes.^[4] He recorded the opera, with the composer conducting. Oberon, also Auberon, King of the Fairies, is most well-known as a character in William Shakespeares play, A Midsummer Nights Dream, written in the mid-1590s. ... Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH (November 22, 1913 Lowestoft, Suffolk - December 4, 1976 Aldeburgh, Suffolk) was a British composer, conductor, and pianist. ... The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy. ... Benjamin Brittens A Midsummer Nights Dream is an opera based on the play of the same name by Shakespeare. ...

The lutenist Desmond Dupré performed with him, initially as a guitarist; in later years he also worked with the harpsichordist Harold Lester. His recordings (as both a performer and conductor) include the lute songs of Dowland, Handel operas, Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Purcell songs and semi-operas (such as The Fairy-Queen), traditional English folk songs, the works of Thomas Tallis, and the Bach alto repertoire. He recorded for HMV, Vanguard Classics and, after 1967, for Harmonia Mundi. The Fairy-Queen (Z.629) is a masque or semi-opera by Henry Purcell. ... Thomas Tallis Thomas Tallis (c 1505–23 November 1585) was an English composer. ... Vanguard Records was a record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York. ...

Deller died while working in Bologna, Italy. Bologna (IPA , from Latin Bononia, Bulåggna in the local dialect) is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy, in the Pianura Padana, between the Po River and the Apennines, exactly between the Reno River and the Sàvena River. ...

References

• J.B. Steane: "Deller, Alfred", Grove Music Online ed L. Macy (Accessed 06 February 2007), grovemusic.com, subscription access.
• Peter Giles and J.B. Steane: "Countertenor", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed 06 February 2007), grovemusic.com (subscription access).

The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians, considered by most scholars to be the best general reference source on the subject in the English language. ...

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