- Artist: Campbell Vertesi
- Title: Jacob's Ladder
- Album: Old Man River - a collection of American Spirituals
- Length: 2:21 minutes (2.15 MB)
- Format: Stereo 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)
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Who is this guy? Campbell Vertesi is an operatic bass, of the very low sort. His fach is sometimes called "Basso Profundo" - that's Italian for "he sings really low." Even lower than most basses, which is a bit frightening. He specializes in bass roles like Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), Sparafucile (Rigoletto), and Colline (La Bohème). This site chronicles Campbell's progress as he begins a career as a young opera singer. If you would like to know more, or wish to submit a complaint about any of the content posted here, please feel free to send him an email.
This page and all of it's contents are licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Mon, 2007-04-16 14:43
Hello, I am new to this blog, and like it already. Do you have any advice for an aspiring bass singer? I would love to be able to sing deep basso profundo notes like the Russian singers who can get down to low low G. Right now I can reach around a low C, maybe B. Apparantley being able to get down to an A is a benchmark of sorts. Any advice as to how to develop a good Basso Profundo voice and range? How low can you go?
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»Thu, 2007-04-19 08:28
Hi Sam -
I'm not much of a specialist in Oktavist singing, but you're right that it takes a lot of specialized training. I'm working my voice in the other direction: UP, in order to sing operatic repertoire.
I'm confused by your terminology for the octaves. a "low low G" is a G two octaves below the treble staff (G2). Yes, most basses (including myself) can sing that easily. A low C (C3) is a fifth above that, in the middle of the bass clef. If that is your lowest note, you are more likely a baritone or tenor of some description. Sorry, but you can't fight biology!
But from the context of your comment, it sounds like you're talking about the octave below that. G1 is a hell of a low note, but it's not the lowest I've heard. Real oktavists can be comfortable singing in that range, and even lower. I personally bottom out around A2 (one note higher than G1) or Bb2. I have vocal fry below that, but I've never developed it into a usable tone.
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»Thu, 2007-04-19 11:35
Thanks! I did mean G1- sorry for my incorrect terminology (I play the tuba, and I often call notes "low G" or "high G" because most tuba music doesn't range by more than two octaves for notes like G).
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»Sun, 2009-09-06 08:19
Yes I've heard a lot of JD Sumner. He definitely sings in a developed vocal fry, and with a microphone halfway down his throat. That's no criticism: microphones are a normal part of the gospel genre, and vocal fry is probably just as tricky to develop as any other part of the voice.
There's a balance of biology and training to sing those amazingly low notes. Someone who is biologically a tenor can practice every day of his life and he will never get them! But real basses - probably even cantantes - stand a good chance of being able to develop like that. Fry has almost zero carrying power on it's own though, making it useless for opera... plus, I don't know what it would do to the rest of your voice.
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»Mon, 2007-04-23 12:05
How would one go about trying to learn Oktavist singing? Is it true that the voices of most basses mature and get deeper with age, so you won't attain your lowest notes until perhaps 30 or even 40? Thanks!
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»Sun, 2009-08-16 20:36
I wouldn't know for sure, but I don't think that to be a Russian bass you must be older. My voice teacher, for example, was a real bass in his teen years-he could comfortably sing an Eb2, even though that's not quite low enough for the music. But that's beside the point. Anyways, when he was about 25, his voice changed to a high baritone. He can now no longer sing the Eb2-he is stuck with an Ab2 as his lowest note. So not all basses get lower with age.
I am a 16 year old basso cantabile, not a basso profondo, and I can hum/vocalize (not sing-I don't know the Russian language) the low bass parts for Russian choirs. What I did was besides having a naturally lower voice, I tried using my vocal fry register. I kept practicing every day trying to clearly reach the lower notes, and after about two months I could suddenly vocalize to "Do Not Reject Me In My Old Age"! It was a great moment and I am proud of it. It helps if you vocalize low notes in the morning immediately after waking up, because then your voice stays darker and it is easier to sing low notes throughout the day.
Keep this in mind, though:
1. It doesn't always sound like it, but there are always at least 2 basses singing the really low notes-don't think that one bass alone will carry that much power and resonance when you're listening (or singing the part-you'll wear your voice out fast if you try to be as loud as the 2 basses).
2. Learning vocal fry is key-I believe as long as you're producing a note, vocal fry won't hurt your voice. Learn to sing well in your fry register and you'll be surprised at how well you can sing the lowest notes. Believe me, singing a G1 is next to impossible to sing without using vocal fry.
I hope these tips help you in your octavist quest!
-Jason
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»Mon, 2007-04-23 15:03
I don't know what resources there are in North America for real profundo/oktavist training. My best guess would be to try contacting a Russian choral organization. They would know a lot more about it!
The sound of a bass voice tends to get richer and "deeper" with age, but not necessarily the range. A lot is dependent on training, of course! Good luck!
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