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High C is a Drink Best Served Bold

Pavarotti had blend of talent, self-confidence to hit hard note

By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 9, 2007 5:00 PM CDT
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(Newser) – Pavarotti’s obits called him “King of the High C’s,” a nickname he earned for hitting a note that many tenors have to fake in falsetto. “It’s the absolute summit of technique,” says a coach. “More than anywhere else in your voice, you have to know what you’re doing.” The alluring note has made and ended operatic careers, and even helped drive one star to suicide, the New York Times reports.

Pavarotti joined the ranks of “High C” tenors by knocking out 9 in a row in a performance of Donizetti’s Fille du Régiment at the Met in ’72. "The moment I actually hit the note, I almost lose consciousness," he said. "A physical, animal sensation seizes me.” One expert claims that the note generates such excitement because “it’s based on the human cry. You’re pulled into it.”

Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti performs in the desert near Mexicali, Mexico, as part of the city's centennial celebration in this Oct. 18, 2003 file photo. Pavarotti, whose vibrant high C's and ebullient showmanship made him one the most beloved tenors, has died, his manager said Thursday, Sept. 6, 2007. (AP...
Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti performs in the desert near Mexicali, Mexico, as part of the city's centennial celebration in this Oct. 18, 2003 file photo. Pavarotti, whose vibrant high C's and ebullient...   (Associated Press)
Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti sings during his concert in Hamburg, northern Germany, on Aug. 21, 2004. Pavarotti, whose vibrant high C's and ebullient showmanship made him one the most beloved tenors, has died, his manager told The Associated Press Thursday Sept. 6, 2007. He was 71. (AP Photo/Fabian Bimmer)
Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti sings during his concert in Hamburg, northern Germany, on Aug. 21, 2004. Pavarotti, whose vibrant high C's and ebullient showmanship made him one the most beloved tenors,...   (Associated Press)
Friends charity concert for Iraqi children at the Novi Sad Park in Modena, Italy, on May 27, 2003. Pavarotti, whose vibrant high C's and ebullient showmanship made him one the most beloved tenors, has died, his manager told The Associated Press Thursday Sept. 6, 2007. He was 71. (AP...
Friends charity concert for Iraqi children at the Novi Sad Park in Modena, Italy, on May 27, 2003. Pavarotti, whose vibrant high C's and ebullient showmanship made him one the most beloved tenors, has...   (Associated Press)
Opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti listens to his introduction at the begining of a news conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, in this 1995 file photo. Pavarotti, whose vibrant high C's and ebullient showmanship made him one the most beloved tenors, has died, his manager said Thursday, Sept. 6, 2007. (AP PHOTO/Chuck...
Opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti listens to his introduction at the begining of a news conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, in this 1995 file photo. Pavarotti, whose vibrant high C's and ebullient...   (Associated Press)
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opera • Luciano Pavarotti • tenor • Placido Domingo • high C • aria • Romanticism • Metropolitan Opera • falsetto • castrati

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