Early Music Blog is dedicated to bring the early music community on the net together and link to blogs that post on the matter. Read more 
English singers
We already know that Mattheson disliked French singers, but he doesn’t spare the British either. Quoting chapter 9 in Der Vollkommene Capellmeister paragraph 13-14: ...Germans generally produce more basses and tenors but the Italians more altos and sopranos than all other regions: together with the more rugged climate and lifestyle also beer drinking contributes to this in the case of the Germans; but the Italians are the opposite in both respects, and in addition there is the frequent castration.
Thus it is also certain that for example in England there are not by a long shot as many well-trained voices, and in France everyone sings mroe out of the throat and not from the chest as in Italy, where the voices are more sonorous, clear, pure and expansive
There’s a wonderful book by George Newton called _Sonority in Singing: A Historical Essay_, unfortunately out of print, which is basically a history of vocal styles and techniques. Newton admits a) that a lot of it is speculation and b)that what one does now has to be a bit of a compromise, but he starts with Chaucer and the Prioress: “Well she sang a service fine/ Through her nose, as was most seemly. . .” and takes the wildly original position that Chaucer meant what he said, and that in much of the Middle Ages, the primary vocal tone was rather nasal. Hence their fondness for double reeds.
Any way, Newton collects a lot of these types of comments from writers all around Europe. It’s worth a read if you can get hold of it. Especially since he seems to know his stuff.
Beth
Comment by Beth Garfinkel — January 26, 2007 @ 1:42 am