Donna Summer's Live Vocal Range (D3 - A5 - D6)
It's finally here! I've been working on this video for a LONG time now. Way back before my hiatus on the channel. But I finally get my a** up to get this video published.
So here is the live vocal range video for the one and only, miss Donna Summer! You know I ADORE her so much and I know you do too. She's such an underrated vocalist. Truly underappreciated during her impactful career. This video is just a little tribute to her brilliant voice.
Vocally, she's a mezzo-soprano, possessing a very warm lower range and rich, full belts. "RICH" is truly the word to describe her tone. And it's powerful! Her head voice is also very sweet and has flexiblity all the way to the top of her range. Really refined instrument I must say.
Edit to correct: I have come to agree that she’s indeed a soprano. Her range sits pretty high.
But the most phenomenal thing about her vocal and what people appreciate most is how she preserved it. She's very strategic about staying in her comfort range. She ventured her upper mixed register more during her career's peak in the 70s. After the peak, she rarely belted above D5 and also rearranged her songs to suit her voice better. It paid off in the long run. Even until her final performance, her voice was still intact.
So without needing to say anything more, I hope you guys enjoy this video and appreciate Donna Summer's voice throughout the years of her iconic career.
I'll be back with more videos soon!
Seeya!
Contents:
0:00 Intro
0:19 Lower Register
2:32 Mixed Register
8:24 Head Register
10:46 Longest Notes
11:31 Outro
If you enjoyed this video, please like and subscribe to my channel for more content!
Пікірлер: 170
That first longest note I love how she just walks around the stage like it’s nothing. Everything she sang seemed so effortless.
Donna never got the credit she deserved, no doubt her and Whitney are the best female vocalists. Donna gets the edge as an artist because Donna could sing any genre of music anytime anywhere and acapella. Donna truly a once in a our lifetime voice!
@tyvanhworkout
6 ай бұрын
I hear you! I loved Donna before Whitney ever came on the scene but grew to love Whitney just as much, if not more, but I often find myself giving the edge to Donna. She was so consistent live, and the clarity and resonance of her voice are unmatched. She also seemed to get better with age, not worse.
I think that she took good care of her voice, not only maintained the quality of her voice but got better with edge until her death, something that didn't happen with other great vocalist such as Barbra, Aretha , Chaka or Whitney, Donna was one of the most under rated singers.
@jameshall9402
2 жыл бұрын
Barbra did pretty well all the way through her 60s...then natural degradation took hold. Aretha was a heavy smoker, Chaka had an early vocal decline, and Whitney was just a tragedy...so sad to witness. Donna took care of her voice, because she really loved to sing.
Her voice aged really well. She was still slaying in her 60’s
Simply put, one of the best female vocalist of our time.
@massimosigismondi699
Жыл бұрын
Vocalists you mean
Such a well built voice. Her head voice has this kind of haunting quality to it
@QanhMusicz
3 жыл бұрын
Agreed. She could’ve also utilized it more.
@tednorton5150
3 жыл бұрын
Lucky is best example of that. That song haunts me.
She sang much more than that. If you have been to as many concerts and TV shows where she sang as I have, you would also know. One time, in San Diego, she held out this high note and as she held it out, she was slowly lowering the microphone to the floor. The music stopped, and she continued holding out that note, and I realized her voice was also slowly disappearing from the sound system. By the time the mic reached the floor, and she continued holding out the note, nothing was coming out of the speakers... yet, her voice FILLED that theater (a theater without a roof and whose back wall faced a marina). When she finally let go of the note and opened her eyes, she looked stunned. It was dead silent. You could have heard a pin drop. Then, finally, someone started clapping, and then the entire place went nuts and people were clapping, screaming, whistling, and crying. I turned to my friend (her first time seeing Donna LIVE) and I asked her, did what I think just happened really happen? And, my friend said, that she held out that note and without the Soundsystem, her voice still FILLED this place? And I said, "Yes!" (a little surprised that someone else confirmed that it really happened) and the crowd was still going crazy. At the end of the show, I stood between two exits and listened... MOST of the people leaving the theater were talking about THAT NOTE! You see, DONNA SUMMER made time stand still for a moment, just because she felt like it. Not only was she a great talent, but she was beautiful, and she had a beautiful heart, an ability to love and to make people feel loved. She has wonderful fans who are loyal to her and love her, and she got to know quite a few of them over the years and through the fan club, and she loves them too. She also felt very deeply, and could sometimes feel pain when someone else was in emotional pain. When I was very sick, she set aside her own pain to call and see how I was doing - the next day was her sister's funeral- but she took time out to check on me and to send a huge floral arrangement. It took me about a year before I could listen to her music again, after she passed away. I have been lucky to speak to her husband and her sister over the past few years. I am sad to say that, in this life, I won't ever hear her sing LIVE and IN PERSON again.... Also, sorry to say, that if you have never heard her sing LIVE and IN PERSON, you've never heard her sing. One time, we were alone in a photographer's studio and she sang "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac/Stevie Nicks, just for me. I can still hear her singing it if I close my eyes and it is quiet around me. For me, the world is a little darker and not as beautiful or bright without her. And, also, the singers Ofra Haza and Olivia Newton-John - life is a little less bright.... But, when my day comes to leave this place, my dying words will be: Don't feel sad for me. For, tomorrow, I shall hear Donna Summer sing LIVE AND IN PERSON in the Spirit World. She won't be singing her hit songs, but she will sing LIVE and IN PERSON... and, as on Earth so it is in Heaven, she has a powerful voice - so much so that her voice can bend the Universe. Until then... Take a Little Summer With You
Simply the best. Her range is unreal. Perfect clarity. Always such strong rich vocals.
Her resonance always amazes me. That's I know her placement is really amazing and the way she approaches a high note is always healthy and not pushed thus, it tells us that she has a good technique. Her tone in her 50's is her best tone for me; just the pure resonance is incomparable she always put her mic away because of the sheer resonance and frequency of her voice not because she is being loud. Her breath support is incomparable as well, her midbelt always sound so pleasant. Her being a worship leader and a trained operatic singer really shows. Her ability to sing so perfectly until before her death is just a pure testament of her healthy teachnique and voice. What a blessing from God indeed. For me the best belters are mariah carey, donna summer, and whitney houston. Because of the sheer resonance and tone💚. Technique as well!.
The Range, Clarity, and Resonance 🙌🏽
@QanhMusicz
3 жыл бұрын
Truly amazing!!
She's my number one female singer because she could sing so many different genres. Other female singers might turn down songs because they're not their style. Donna would make her voice fit the style. That's one of the things that makes her so great to me. SO musically and vocally versatile.
10:07 - the most beautiful she ever sounded
@QanhMusicz
3 жыл бұрын
Yes, it sounded very haunting!
Donnas voice is so beautiful I wonder if she had a vocal coach or something because its crazy how healthy and beautiful her voice sounded as she got older.😎
even in her last years, her voice was so strong
She is so underrated! Donna is a great technician and has resonance for days! She's actually a lower soprano. She's confused for a mezzo soprano due to her well developed instrument.
@QanhMusicz
3 жыл бұрын
Identifying her voice type is tricky to me. Because I feel like she’s not really comfortable at the upper mixed range (after her prime) so I just went with mezzo. And due to the richness of her voice as well.
@ThePianoguy89
3 жыл бұрын
@@QanhMusicz She had health issues after her prime and it pretty much affected her upper belts. A mezzo soprano would have a darker and lower voice like Mahalia Jackson, Judy Garland, Shirley Bassey, or Oleta Adams. Soprano voices that are developed well will sound dark and rich.
@odumosuolusegun2781
3 жыл бұрын
she is a lyric soprano, too clear...
@odumosuolusegun2781
3 жыл бұрын
@@ThePianoguy89 exactly people are confused when a sopranos voice is developed .It is the confusion because of all the constricted voices of today...most of them have no chest development..so when singers of old who sang correctly display a fat chest, they automatically think Mezzo. She is full bread Lyric Soprano Yes, she does use twang past D5 but her chest voice is developed and does not give the overbearing siren quality , although she does have it
@ThePianoguy89
3 жыл бұрын
@@odumosuolusegun2781 Yep!
OMG! HER VOICE WAS INCREDIBLE!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️
I always loved her performance of Papa Can You Hear Me, simply breathtaking.
Donna could sing anything including the phone book🫶🏽🤎and cover anyone's song/genre. But I have yet to hear anyone attempt to cover a Donna Summer song and do it justice!😳🤔
Not only could Donna hit those beautiful high notes, she sustained them effortlessly and she did this until her untimely death at age 63. I love her lower register as well. Her rendition of Superstar is nothing short of spectacular.
Beautiful vibrato & resonant mid belts 🙌🏾
❤❤❤Donna's full voice was like an ocean of water being held back by a dam with little cracks to let drip drops through. She only scratched the surface of her beautiful voice on record and live. At 9:25 I feel like she is going into operatic territory. She could sing anything!!
Incredible vocalist. I see her as a soprano.
@QanhMusicz
3 жыл бұрын
I was actually kind of torn between soprano and mezzo, because I have heard different opinions. But yeah, I think you’re right!
@justinbraylock757
3 жыл бұрын
@@QanhMusicz i would’ve said high mezzo
@odumosuolusegun2781
3 жыл бұрын
clear Soprano too clear, Her voice will be bigger if she was mezzo, she just has great chest development like most old school singers have
@odumosuolusegun2781
3 жыл бұрын
I will say her belts are free up to E5..The f5 she hits and holds is constricted and you can hear a timbre shift from her fat chest voice...a lot of twang and some nasality there
@Calvin375
Жыл бұрын
What a big surprise. You see every female singer as a soprano .
Donna was amazing! She is probably THE MOST underrated female vocalist of all time! While she was a superstar and one of the hottest artists during the late 70s/early 80s, she is rarely mentioned in the lists of greatest female vocalists. While I loved disco, she is always associated with just that, but she had an incredible range and could sing the hell out of any genre and was eerily consistent live unlike so many other artists! Long live the voice, talent and legacy of Donna Summer!
Thank you so much for this video! Donna truly was a VERY talented singer. With that vocal clarity, strength and range...she could sing just about anything! I honestly can't remember hearing another singer that has had her type of vocal resonance. She had a very distinct voice and was very versatile. Not many singers are. She would at least try different singing styles to show versatility in her music. She should be seen as a top notch vocalist because she really was. She also reached higher notes .. an F6 in her song Summer Fever. She could probably go higher, who knows? It was just never recorded.
I'll never forget when Chaka shaded her back in the day. I love Chaka but she was wrong for that. Donna can sing in her range and higher. She can belt to Bb5 and her pure head voice extended to F6. Many people don't know that as Donna stayed in her comfort zone most of the time. I'm thinking she was more known for her mid belting but she could coordinate her voice to sing higher notes in full voice. She knew how to narrow the vowels at a certain point so they don't splatter. I always thought her voice was a precursor to the Whitney Houston sound.
@QanhMusicz
3 жыл бұрын
Didn’t know about their little “feud”. She could totally go all the way out with her voice if she wanted, but still what she showcased with her singing is amazing enough.
@slickrickdog4118
3 жыл бұрын
I don't think it was Chaka that shaded her. It was Quincy Jones who did it too bring the best out of her saying that Chaka can hit that note.
@odumosuolusegun2781
3 жыл бұрын
@@yotashabou Whitney could go as high and actually does have a C6 belt in mix and also a bb5 and an A5. It is just that folks that are not fans do not know of this notes..and Whitney sang with a different coordination. thEY SANG SIMILAR UP TO d5, after D5 Donna twangs up..Whitney keeps an open throated sound up to G#5, Whitney also twangs up at A5, BB5 AND c6 belts
@odumosuolusegun2781
3 жыл бұрын
@@yotashabou I am not being a fan at all. You are mistaking. I am also a fan of Donna? Donna actually was the one that did not venture that high up..They sang in a very similar fashion ,as someone said, she was a precursor to Whitney. I HAVE FOUND MORE CLIPS OF Whitney singing in the F5-G#5 region more than Donna. I also thought it was important to say that Whitney actually did sing higher, although she preferred to stay in the region where she wont need to use twang or nasality..A lot of people do not know Whitneys work in the 80s and in these 80s clips she sang up to C6 in mix! it is there truth , it has nothing to do with being a fan. I WOULD WELCOME A BIGGER dONNA FAN TO ALSO CORRECT ME..
@issakelly8071
2 жыл бұрын
@@odumosuolusegun2781 hey. Which performance did she belt a C6, I've been trying to find it
I still mourns her as if she was gone just yesterday. She never received the recognition she deserved as a stand alone vocalist. Her last performance did not allowed for a single hint of how advanced her cancer was and how sick she really was. She was never honored by the Kennedy Center or the Presidential Medal, both given to performers less talented. She finally was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.....after she was dead, not before being rejected three times.
@QanhMusicz
3 жыл бұрын
Agreed on every part. I feel like she’s not recognized and celebrated enough.
Even though she gets the renown she deserves as a Legendary superstar, she's underrated as a vocalist! Thanks for this video, I didn't even know that her voice was this phenomenal! Wow, Kelly Rowland could be her long lost daughter; she bears a striking resemblance to her 👀 *P.S.* Truly glad you're back❣ _Notifications_ 🔛
@QanhMusicz
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you so much! She’s such an icon. And agree on the Kelly part. The people are waiting for a biopic!!!
@sergioampv1640
3 жыл бұрын
I think she is at the level of Whitney Houston and Barbra Straisand (whom she recorded a song with).
Those D6s are effortless.
@QanhMusicz
3 жыл бұрын
Have you heard her F6 in Summer Fever? Her high notes are so effortless.
She was so much more than "The Queen Of Disco"...unfairly pigeonholed. When the concert circuit is your bread and butter, you gotta give the public what they want and expect. She had a remarkable voice.
Oh yes! Shes so underrated! I'm so happy to see this video finally be made
I stumbled across this video, and man Donna Summer doesn’t get talked about enough when it comes to female vocalists. She’s literally in the my top 20. Excellent video btw.
@QanhMusicz
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you very much! Yes, it really is. I hope people appreciated her more.
i love this video!! thank you so much! some minor nitpicks re: pitch the A5 in macarthur park is actually a G5, although she has a _B5_ in the 1978 performance which vh1 showed only macarthur park
Based on these clips her free range is F3~G5~D6. I do hear some free Eb3s but she's mostly consistent up to F3 in her lows. Her belts sound free up to G5, and all of her head voice notes are free here.
@odumosuolusegun2781
3 жыл бұрын
Proves she is a Soprano..
@Calvin375
Жыл бұрын
@@odumosuolusegun2781 It only proves she can sing some soprano. Range has nothing to do with her vocal placement, tone or fach.
Donna Summer kept her voice in tip top shape until her death. Whitney Houston's voice was long gone before her death. Dame Shirley Bassey, Cynthia Johnson and Martha Wash have powerful voices up to these days. Anyway, Donna was always my favorite not only as a singer but also as a person. She was so cool with the audience during her concerts!
Queen of all Queens 👑👑👑👑👑💜💜💜💜💜
The mixed A5 is at 7:25 btw, just in case you guys missed it 😅
Love you for including the performances' titles !!! Amazing
@QanhMusicz
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks! That's kind of my thing to include those. Easier for everyone to find out about a performance.
I am so excited that you back posting videos.
@QanhMusicz
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks! I really enjoyed creating contents here!
I miss her so much ♥️💕
I love her voice!!!
I love to LOVE you Donna!!! RIP.
Such a well done video. Love that u put the name of the performances for every note
@QanhMusicz
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you!!! I just make sure to be detailed haha!
Love this woman Rip
From a technical (and physics) point of view. Her voice covered so many frequencies in the audio spectrum it was awesome. What do I mean? if you look at how sound appears in digital form on a computer a single note from this woman made the sound 'wave' look really wide because it covered the low end rich frequencies and the sparkly top frequencies all at the same time. Truly phenomenal. Her technique taught me how to belt a note.
Great job. But you left out more clips ..singing Friends Unknown in the Clint Holmes show was one of them the last note was amazing.Or the last note of Con Te Partido from the Summer Concert Series in 1999..
@QanhMusicz
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks! Yeah, I might've missed some moments!
clarity!
She sang an F6 on her album Four Seasons Of Love.
A beautiful, rich soprano voice. Incredible and underrated vocalist.
@benjaminbawa5273
Жыл бұрын
She’s mezzo.
@alessandromoura3322
Жыл бұрын
@@benjaminbawa5273You have yet to hear a true mezzo if you think Donna is one.
@benjaminbawa5273
Жыл бұрын
@@alessandromoura3322 IDK, but from what I hear her sing here, she’s mezzo. Prolly if she did contemporary music, she could be substituted as a soprano.
@Calvin375
Жыл бұрын
@@alessandromoura3322 Then what do you call opera singer Denyce Graves who sings arias in Dramatic soprano?! If you don't know who she is and her vocal fach , I suggest you look her up.
@KajiVocals
3 ай бұрын
@@Calvin375Denyce never sounded like a soprano… Donna did. There’s a difference. Mezzo with extended range like Huguette Tourangeau or soprano with very low range like Rosa Ponselle. A trained ear should be able to distinguish it.
Una de las mejores voces que es escuchado y es un cantante en vivo no como ahora que no cantan en vivo solo pistas
Great job👍👏
@QanhMusicz
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you so much!! 🙌
Lo máximo!!! Una voz como ninguna otra. Siempre será la reina de la música disco :) :)
Wow!
superstars donnaaa summerrr
Finally! Thanks for making this!
@QanhMusicz
2 жыл бұрын
Hope you enjoyed this!
Why arent people remastering her vids, making fanpages, representing her like the queen she is?!!
@XDF745
Жыл бұрын
She deserves it. 👍
Phenomenal voice!!
I think to hear some of her belty/high song would be Last dance high note:F5 or Macarthur park:G5-E5
Im making a vocal battle vid for donna and dionne warwick. Thx for putting the name of the peformances, its making my work become easier!!
@QanhMusicz
2 жыл бұрын
Ooooo so stoked!!! Hehe, you know, that’s why I put the performance name there, so it’s much easier for everyone lol.
@pebbie363
2 жыл бұрын
Hmm no g#5 mix from donna?
@QanhMusicz
2 жыл бұрын
@@pebbie363 hmm couldn't find any live. The footages are quite limited tbh. I believe there may be ones from studio!
@justinbraylock757
2 жыл бұрын
@@pebbie363 kzread.info/dash/bejne/omWfss18f7urYsY.html 4:15 ?
@Calvin375
Жыл бұрын
It was very interesting and I was impressed with both voices.
She had a very versatile mezzo-soprano voice.
@ri260
2 жыл бұрын
Soprano*
@ri260
2 жыл бұрын
She has easy f6 head voice in summer fever so every soprano with developed instrument chest and mid belt is a mezzo in pop smh mezzo and contralto is rarer than you think especially in pop
@ri260
2 жыл бұрын
Also the d6 in the video she has ease and control as well mezzo headvoice would sound bigger rather than light and flexible like her voice
@Calvin375
Жыл бұрын
@@ri260 Not true. Mezzo soprano voices as they ascend higher, their natural chest and head voices can thin out the higher they go.
@Calvin375
Жыл бұрын
@@ri260 Range has nothing to do with the actual natural vocal placement, tone or the fach.
I think she would've been able to become a full-lyric soprano had she received operaric training, but her voice seemed to fill out by her 30's and 40's so it think she's a natural higher mezzo. Most mezzo often go into soprano territory but sopranos have more ease
@QanhMusicz
3 жыл бұрын
In the 70s, she seemed like a soprano. But as her voice matured, I think she became a mezzo as well.
@justinbraylock757
3 жыл бұрын
@@QanhMusicz i think she was always a mezzo! just a young higher placed one that needed to grow and mature into her voice
@rii1240
3 жыл бұрын
She is Soprano and still is
@emiliojimenez8135
2 жыл бұрын
She's a Spinto Soprano. The same Whitney Houston's voice type
omg will u do Janelle’s vocal range again? or an update for twigs’?
@QanhMusicz
3 жыл бұрын
I’ll make sure to bring the Janelle’s video back! I loved that video so much. And she probably has newer vocals to update the video. And as for twigs though, she’s definitely improved, but I don’t intend to update anytime soon.
@catherineparr2344
3 жыл бұрын
@@QanhMusicz what about Jessie Ware?
@catherineparr2344
3 жыл бұрын
@@QanhMusicz her new album was quite a masterpiece
@QanhMusicz
3 жыл бұрын
@@catherineparr2344 yepp! She gave us a masterpiece!!
@MSFilms
3 жыл бұрын
Janelle’s got a lot more updated stuff that I’ve seen.
Supported range: A3-E5
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Increíble te faltaron TRES Agnetha de ABBA, Donna Sumer y Mireille Mathieu
I thought her vocal range was *(Eb3-F5)*
@QanhMusicz
3 жыл бұрын
She actually had gone higher in studio, all the way to F6.
@aduhaduh4426
3 жыл бұрын
@@QanhMusicz where ? I wanna hear
@QanhMusicz
3 жыл бұрын
@@aduhaduh4426 I was actually going to link you to her studio vocal range video, but I guess it was taken down, unfortunately. In the song “Summer Fever”, she hit those high note at 4:15! kzread.info/dash/bejne/gmGottNqe8upoqg.html
@aduhaduh4426
3 жыл бұрын
@@QanhMusicz Is she a soprano or nezzo
@aduhaduh4426
3 жыл бұрын
@@QanhMusicz I herd a Eb6 and F6 😱💖💖💖
Por favor não sumam😁🇧🇷
Make a video of YMA sumac
Anyone know what note she hit at the end of I will go with you?
@QanhMusicz
3 жыл бұрын
It's E5!
Who is her free vocal range?
@carlosroble9025
3 жыл бұрын
F3-F5-C6?
@aduhaduh4426
3 жыл бұрын
Who is ? You mean what's her supported range Omg vocabulary
@QanhMusicz
3 жыл бұрын
Probably supported range haha. I cannot really tell actually. 😅
@ThePianoguy89
3 жыл бұрын
@@aduhaduh4426 It actually should be free range because support is a breath management technique. It doesn't have a sound. Vocal freedom is actually a better term than support.
Johnny Cash
Not this video proving that Donna was a better singer than Whitney Houston
@QanhMusicz
3 жыл бұрын
She was definitely on par with many top vocalists.
@mat_o8975
2 жыл бұрын
💀Here we have one of Whitney's lamb haters trying to prove nothing at all lmao
@mat_o8975
2 жыл бұрын
@@QanhMusiczDonna is underrated and she has good full voice. People need to know her as a vocalist more.
Lyric mezzo?
@ThePianoguy89
3 жыл бұрын
She's a full-lyric soprano. She just has a well developed instrument. Many women with well developed voices are usually mistaken for mezzo sopranos. Whitney is another one that comes to mind.
@brianmelnick1117
3 жыл бұрын
@@ThePianoguy89 Or even women that have a larger-than-average sized lyric voice, I've noticed. If their mid-belts are rich and steely, they're automatically assumed to be a mezzo. I've fallen prey to this misconception myself, as sometimes you just unwittingly become conditioned to think a certain way, especially when these ideas are transmitted by individuals that we take for granted must really know what they are talking about. I noticed on the popular channel "IloveArethaFranklin," the owner often presents erroneous information based on very superficial, black-and-white reasoning. A lot of his content is bang on target, but there are definitely some questionable tidbits in many of the videos I've watched. The way he broke down and concluded that Whitney must have been a mezzo is one example.
@QanhMusicz
3 жыл бұрын
Very interesting! I think Donna’s voice was not the type of voice that can be easily identified right away, like you just can tell if she’s soprano or mezzo. It’s rather tricky.
@Calvin375
Жыл бұрын
This must be a non trained vocal thing or a non trained ear thing or a really bad wanna be novice thing where every female who sings and belts above F5 is a soprano. What ignorance is that out here today?! Not one person on here professing all these singers are sopranos have ever had any vocal music training to make such erroneous claims! Maybe it's something in today's culture where everybody wants to be an expert and no one wants to do the real work to become an expert, or maybe it is as superficial as a " gay thang", where everyone wants their favorite singer/idol to be a soprano just because they can belt an F5 or G5 in their chest voice?!
@valentinovega5804
9 ай бұрын
She was a lyric mezzo soprano