Professionals about Freddie Mercury's voice. Publications about Queen, Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon, Roger Taylor

The legend that Mercury could hit dishes with his voice on high notes was started by Queen bassist John Deacon.
In the spring of this year, two seemingly unrelated events took place: according to the results of a survey of Radio Luxembourg listeners (it is believed that this music radio station most accurately reflects the tastes of the “average European”), he was recognized as the best singer of the 20th century Freddie Mercury, more than 30 percent of respondents voted for him. Second-place finisher Elvis Presley received just under 15 percent of the vote. And at the online auction eBay a very strange tape recording was sold. That is, at first glance, there was nothing special about it: slightly creaking, an instrumental piece of some jazz orchestra sounds on the tape. And somewhere in the second minute of the recording, a male voice is clearly audible: “Damn it, how many times can I call you! It's time to get to work! "
As it turned out, it was a recording made by the owner of the Trident recording studio, Norman Sheffield, in 1972. He was taping a vinyl record of Count Basie's orchestra when he was called to work in the studio. And the man who barked so loudly that the sound vibrations of his voice were transmitted to the tonearm of the player and recorded on magnetic tape - Freddie.
Then, in 1972, Queen recorded their first disc at Trident in London, and the owner of the studio decided to use a break from work for that re-recording. But just imagine (or better yet, try it yourself) how powerful the voice must be to mechanically influence the operation of the “turntable”!
The legend that Mercury could hit dishes with his voice at high notes was started by Queen bassist John Deacon: in his first interviews, and then in his opinion piece for Record Collector magazine, Deacon claims that at least twice “Freddie let out a scream of such power and so loud that the crystal glasses burst on the table.”
And although no one except him confirms these facts, fans of Queen and Freddie do not doubt them. The range of Freddie Mercury's voice was four octaves, which is twice as wide as the voice of the average person, and with three octaves one can already think about a career as a singer. According to the Guinness Book of Records, American singer Tim Storms holds the palm for men here - six octaves; the women's record of eight octaves belongs to the Brazilian Georgia Brown. But as renowned vocal coach Janet Edwards says (her clients include Leona Lewis, Mariah Carey and Mel C), “With training, the range is brought up to three octaves, you can only be born with four. Relatively speaking, from two octaves to three is one step, from three to four – the distance is like from the Earth to the Moon.”
In the case of Freddie Mercury, the main thing, according to Edwards, is not the range of his voice or even its strength, but the staging, or rather, its complete absence!
“Unlike most rock singers, Mr. Mercury sang in the so-called long belly breath,” Edwards explains, “this is the school of operatic vocals.
But Freddie learned this technique on his own, and since he never had his own teacher, his manner is far from ideal, but it is in this, so to speak, defect that his charm and uniqueness lie.
In rock music, singers sing with their chests and sing in short phrases, and Mercury demonstrated the so-called continuous exhalation, we hear this in “Barcelona” and “Bohemian Rhapsody”. How is he different from, say, Mr. Ian Gillan? The Deep Purple singer in his youth also knew how to hit high notes, but they were just notes in the upper register, and Freddie Mercury sang the text and articulated phrases at these prohibitive heights.” The only rock singer Edwards believes has tried to work in Freddie's style is Judas Priest's Rob Halford, "but he's let down by his small voice compared to Freddie."
It’s interesting that Freddie Mercury himself did not consider his voice unique and certainly did not boast about it. As Brian May recalls, “in 1986 we were rehearsing “A Kind Of Magic” for a concert at Wembley, and Freddie suddenly insisted: “You’re playing too high, I can’t do it!” We say that we play in the usual key, that he sang this a hundred times, and he: “Well, to hell with you, sing it yourself!” Roger and I sang, and then he mocked our bleating for a whole year.”
How unique Freddie was became clear when Queen invited Paul Rodgers to sing: a three and a half octave voice seemed to be a worthy successor, but... Breathing, and breathing again! Rogers sings Queen's songs the way any professional rocker would sing them - with feeling, with excellent afterburner, and even uses the so-called non-closing ligaments (a complex technique of throat singing), but the effect of “There is no continuous exhalation!
As Robbie Williams, who at one time also auditioned for Freddt’s place, said, “compared to him, we are all ordinary mourners of rock, we can do a lot of things, we even feel his presence behind us. But no one can sing like him, it’s better not to try.”
The great Luciano Pavarotti once said: “I was tempted to sing “Another One Bites The Dustu”, and I even began to rehearse this thing, and suddenly I discovered that in the second verse I was constantly drawn to falsetto! I listened to the original and became convinced that Freddie Mercury did not sing this fragment in falsetto at all - high, but not falsetto. It’s very difficult, almost impossible, I know only two or three tenors who could repeat it.”
This is also a rather strange conclusion - if only because Freddie is considered not a tenor, but a baritone, but who in their right mind would argue with Pavarotti!
But the most surprising thing is probably who Mercury looked up to at the beginning of his singing career - John Lennon!
According to Freddie, Lennon’s vocal part in “Twist And Shout” is “the ultimate dream of a rock singer, the standard of expressiveness and expression, either sing like that or don’t sing at all!”

INTERESTING FACTS

★ It is believed that the person with the widest range of voices was the American vaudeville performer Charles Kellogg (1868-1949): judging by the recordings left after him, the range of his voice was 12.5 octaves, he could imitate birdsong and went into ultrasound (14 thousand Hertz ).
★ According to some experts, Freddie’s voice had qualities “inherent in the voices of the great Italian castrati singers of the 17th-18th centuries: a wide range, equal strength in the upper and lower registers, the ability to change timbre coloring.”
★ According to Brian May, Freddie easily sang the part from Sergei Rachmaninoff's All-Night Vigil, which uses the lowest note in all world choral singing.
★ Freddie Mercury was one of the few major league rock singers who never used the services of a vocal consultant/teacher.

Ksenia POLINA

Why do so many people get excited when they hear Freddie Mercury sing? What is it about his voice that seems so seductive to the human ear? The research team decided to approach this issue from a scientific point of view. Here's what they found.

Scientific analysis

An analysis of the great singer's vocal range showed that he was able to quickly modulate his voice. This means that he was able to make himself sound both soft and rough. This, by the way, applies not only to singing, but also to ordinary conversation - for example, an interview. The results of the study were published in the journal Logopedics Phoniatrics Vocology.

Amazing ability

The effect was most likely achieved by rapidly changing the pitch. This skill is beyond the capabilities of most classically trained vocalists. Additionally, Freddie may have been able to control what are called the ventricular folds of his larynx (the little "wings" within his vocal cords).

All this led to the fact that Mercury was able to produce “subharmony” - a combination of sounds that the vast majority of people are not able to reproduce. They can only enjoy this sound from the lips of a genius. The team of researchers compares it to a sound system going into overdrive, calling the singer "on the path to chaos." The researchers concluded that these traits, combined with a fast and irregular vibrato, may have helped create Freddie Mercury's eccentric and flamboyant stage persona.

It was rumored that the Queen singer's vocal range spanned four octaves, but an international team of researchers found no evidence of this. But the absolute fact remains that the amazingly talented Freddie Mercury had an incredible voice, and science has only once again confirmed how truly unique he was.

On September 5, Freddie Mercury, the legendary frontman of Queen, would have turned 72 years old. It’s hard to imagine the Great Pretender as an old and frail retired rocker, surrounded by children and grandchildren. “I have no desire to live until I’m 70: it’s probably a very boring activity,”- he once said in an interview and.

You don't need to be a specialist to understand that Mercury's vocal abilities are exceptional. Even science recognized the greatness of his talent. In 2016, Swedish, Austrian and Czech scientists from Palacky University proved the uniqueness of the singer’s vocal range. The results of the study were published in the scientific journal Logopedics Phoniatrics Vocology.

To analyze the voice, scientists took studio recordings and archival interviews. During the experiment, researchers found that Mercury was a baritone by nature, although he became famous as a tenor. Scientists also proved that the singer’s vocal range was more than 3, but less than 4 octaves (ordinary opera baritones sing within 2 octaves).

An interesting fact: Freddie once jokingly refused to sing a duet with the opera diva Montserrat Caballe, because he was worried that the fans would not recognize him, singing as a baritone, and would no longer come to concerts.

Montserrat Caballe and Freddie Mercury, Barcelona

Scientists also studied Mercury’s “growling” singing and came to the conclusion that the singer used not only the usual vocal cords, but also the ventricular folds (the so-called false cords). This technique is mastered by masters of overtone throat singing from Yakutia, Tyva and Tibet. Finally, the Queen singer had an unusually fast and uneven vibrato (a periodic change in timbre, strength, or pitch of a sound).

The combination of these data, as well as a completely wild, powerful and sensitive soul, helped Freddie create a charismatic stage image. Every casually thrown phrase was frank and mystically fateful. This is probably why they touch the heart no less than his songs.

Here are some quotes from the artist.

“I think that in the eyes of the audience, I appear as a person from the stage, very arrogant, very aggressive, surrounded by brilliance, so whenever people talk about me and see me in society, they do not doubt my arrogance. To some extent, this is even good, since I don’t want everyone to know about my true feelings, because this is my personal life.”

“I didn’t want to do anything else, so in order to achieve success, I was ready to experience any difficulties and hardships that fate later presented to me. No matter how long it takes to succeed, you just have to believe in it, and I did. At the same time, it is necessary to have a certain amount of egoism, arrogance and self-confidence.”

“What will I be doing in 20 years? I'll be dead! Are you in doubt?

“If I am destined to die tomorrow, I will not regret. I really did everything I could."

Yes, Freddie, you really did everything and more. Geniuses are not forgotten. Thank you! Happy birthday!

« I won't be a rock star. I'll be a legend».
Freddie Mercury

The Queen vocalist, who became one of the most charismatic rock stars of all time, was born on September 5, 1946 on the island of Zanzibar under the name Farukh Bulsara. The singer's parents were Parsis (an ethnic group related to the ancient Persians) but were born in India.

In the television film "Freddie Mercury, the Untold Story" he appears as an artist whose musical skill was perfected in the West, but whose talent originated in the East. The film's director, Rudi Dolezal, points to the song Mustapha from Queen's 1978 album, Jazz.

« After listening to this song you will definitely find it very strange. What cultures influenced her, where did she come from?"says the director. " Freddie was born in Zanzibar, then moved to India, then to London - all these trips could well cause culture shock, right? A crazy mixture of completely different cultures flowed in his veins. He skillfully used this feature of his when writing music».

« He had a super sexy voice" says singer Adam Lambert. The "American Idol" winner spent hours listening to Queen, trying to understand how Mercury could sing so beautifully. At the casting for the show that brought him fame, the singer sang one of the most famous songs of the English rock band Bohemian Rhapsody.

« Freddie's voice has so much character and charisma!" says Lambert. " It’s as if he takes a little bit from every culture, from every performance style, and turns it all into a divine-sounding mixture».

Many are amazed at how Freddie Mercury was able to connect with both small audiences and stadiums filled with people in just a few seconds.

Jackie Smith, manager of the Queen fan club, first met the singer in 1982 about a job advert. She had constant backstage access to the band's stadium shows, but says she always preferred to see the band from the audience's seats.

« There was always an incredible atmosphere in front of the stage" Smith recalls. " There were about 120,000 people at the last show in Knebworth, but everyone felt as if they were in a small club, because Freddie in some incomprehensible way achieved contact with everyone, even with those sitting in the farthest stands».

One of Freddie Mercury's signature moves was the following: he called out to the audience, and they answered him. The singer could make the audience sing a ballad by playing along with them on the piano, or he could perform his signature dances on stage, waving a microphone.

« He was taller than everyone, more talented than everyone" says Adam Lambert. " In most cases, music is directly related to sexuality, whether you are straight, gay or bisexual. Rock and roll is about love and sex».

Lambert, who is openly gay, states that Freddie Mercury's lifestyle and image influenced him in many ways.

« Something is clearly missing from the scene right now.", says the singer. " Now there are not enough truly bright male artists who turn their performances into something like theater. There are many such singers, but where are the men? Where are the classic pop-rock showmen?».

Director Rudy Dolezal claims that in life Freddie Mercury was very modest and always put his talent, his music and his voice before his image. He cites the following story as proof:

« Everyone knows that Freddie had very strange teeth. Surely every person who saw a star with similar teeth wondered: “Lord, this guy has a lot of money, why doesn’t he finally go to the dentist?” Freddie was very afraid that such a trip to the dentist could irreversibly and forever change the sound of his voice. As you can see, he cared much more about his voice than how he looked. I think this story says a lot».

In 1991, the humble rock 'n' roll god with a voice as unpredictable as mercury died of complications from AIDS.
« The spirit of Freddie Mercury still lives on" says Adam Lambert. " He shocked everyone».

Statements about Freddie Mercury from his colleagues:

David Bowie(David Bowie): " Of all the theatrical rock performers, Freddie Mercury went further... he was beyond all boundaries and beyond all boundaries. And of course, I have always admired men who are not ashamed to wear tights. I saw Freddie only once at a concert: he was the man who won over the audience as if by magic.».

Axl Rose(Axl Rose) from Guns N'Roses: " If I hadn't heard Freddie's music as a child, I don't know where I would be now. I have never had such a wonderful teacher in my life».

Elton John(Elton John): " Freddie Mercury was an innovator both in his singing and in his behavior as a band frontman. We were good friends and I was incredibly lucky to have known this man for some time in his life. He had an amazing sense of humor, even outrageous at times, he was a very kind person and a great musician, one of the most amazing front men in a rock band. Overall, in the last 20 years, he has become one of the greatest figures in the history of rock and roll." I miss him, we all miss him, his music, his kindness... We will always remember that Freddie Mercury was special».

Dave Mustaine(Dave Mustaine) from Megadeth and Metallica: " I knew him and I saw him die. It was incredibly painful because I loved Freddie Mercury. This was a man who never betrayed himself and his voice».

Trent Reznor(Trent Reznor) from Nine Inch Nails: " The death of Freddie Mercury touched and influenced me much more than the death of John Lennon».