Freddie Mercury voice range. Freddie Mercury - the humble god of rock and roll

On September 5, 2018, the legendary singer Freddie Mercury would have turned 72 years old. It is noteworthy that the musician himself was confident that he would not live to see these years.

And if all people, as a rule, dream of living as long as possible and even look for ways to prolong youth, this is what Mercury said:

“I have absolutely no desire to live to be 70 years old. I think it's a very boring job."
Some believe that with such a bold statement, he himself predicted his fate. But it is worth noting that almost all legendary people died very early.
Research related to the life and work of Freddie Mercury is still ongoing, and his exceptional talent has been scientifically proven. In 2016, a group of scientists from the Czech Republic conducted research related to the singer's vocal range. His results are impressive!
For example, scientists have established that Mercury was a baritone, but became famous as a tenor. His vocal range was more than 3 but less than 4 octaves. While operatic baritones usually have voices within 2 octaves.
Opera singer Montserrat Caballe, who performed a duet with him, was amazed to learn that Freddie was her longtime fan and collected her CDs. An even greater discovery was that he was not just a talented musician, but also a person who seriously studied music.
When Montserrat asked Mercury why he didn’t sing with his beautiful baritone at his performances, the singer joked that in this case his fans wouldn’t come to his concerts.
The incredible popularity of Freddie Mercury is explained not only by his unique vocals. He had a strong, crazy energy. On stage, Freddie created a bright, memorable image, which, combined with his talent, gave fans great pleasure from every concert.
Here's what the musician said about his life and death:
“If I were to die tomorrow, I would have no regrets. I did everything I could in this life."

And, truly, he did everything he could and even more, completely dedicating himself to the stage. Many years have passed since his death, but his memory will always be alive!
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Freddie Mercury's farewell song - "Mother's Love"

A single father gives his daughter gorgeous hairstyles every day. Just look at these braids!

Cognitive 4,968 views

A long time ago, on this day, September 5, 1946, 69 years ago, on the distant island of Zanzibar, a boy was born with a strange name for us, Farrukh (which means “happy”, “handsome”)...
This could well have been the beginning of some kind of fairy tale in the spirit of Kipling or an adventure novel, but, in fact, it turned out to be the prologue to one of the greatest musical legends of our time. Because perhaps not everyone in the world knows who Farrukh Bulsara is - but it is difficult to find a person who has not heard of Freddie Mercury.

You can talk for hours about the professionalism of Queen musicians - but without Mercury's charisma, the group would not have achieved cult status. One can admire how similar Freddie’s vocals are to the voice of Paul Rodgers, with whom they are trying to replace him, but “Queen + Paul Rodgers” is simply a surrogate for the nostalgic. After all, it’s not about the voice... So, what is the essence of the legend? Among the idols modern world Freddie holds a special place. First of all, because there is a lot of it, it is redundant. He has one of the best votes rock" (in fact - one of the best voices of the twentieth century, Freddie can compete with the best operatic voices), a voice of amazing range (from baritone to counter-tenor), amazing strength, beauty, charm - this would be enough to be remembered to the world. Freddie Mercury is not only his instantly recognizable voice, but his instantly recognizable personality. And this is what makes his art irresistible, and this is what makes it impossible for Queen to work with any other vocalists. Freddie Mercury is one of the greatest singers in the world, his name is one of the legends, or rather, he himself has already become a legend. Even people who have absolutely nothing to do with music know him. Eccentric, energetic and artistic - this is how he remained forever, like an unfading star on the horizon of rock. His songs became symbols of 80s rock, classics, many of them are still popular today.

Some facts:
Farok (or, in other words, Farrukh) was born on September 5, 1946 in Zanzibar into a family of wealthy parents. His childhood was spent on two distant idyllic islands - Zanzibar and Pemba, located in Indian Ocean off the East coast of Africa. Little is known about his childhood. He grew up and was brought up in a boarding house for rich kids. He had few friends and Farrukh was always “on his own”, listened to the Beatles and Elvis Presley under the covers and had his head in the clouds... He put together his first group at the age of 12, together with classmates from the Indian school of St. Petra. Even then, he replaced the exotic name “Farukh” with the universal “Freddie”. When the war began in India, Freddie's ancestors took their son in their arms and moved to England out of harm's way. The boy was already 14 years old at that time and he had absolutely no idea what he should do in cold and inhospitable England, especially since he studied poorly and the only subject in which he excelled was drawing. But, since the boy was gifted - he composed music and poetry, drew well and adored beautiful clothes, he decided to become an art critic. In September 1966 he entered Ealing Art College and graduated three years later with a degree in painting and design. He later explained: "In college we were taught to understand fashion better and to always be one step ahead." Soon he settled in Kensington - a place famous for the fact that bohemians lived here: musicians, artists, people creative professions. And here a fateful meeting for the young man took place with Tim Staffel, the leader of the Smile group.

One of the first photos of Farrukh-Freddie:

Later, his artistic potential was expressed in eccentric and vibrant stage images, full of unexpected and bold details. In 1983, in Queen's video for the song "I Want to Break Free," Freddie appeared as a faun from the ballet "Afternoon of a Faun," in which Nijinsky became famous. He performed some choreographic numbers with the London Royal Ballet. Especially for these scenes, Mercury put on a spotted tights, shaved off his famous mustache and gave himself pointed ears:

Freddie said: “Going on stage in ballet slippers and tights is cool. At that time I needed this effect. I tried to fit it into the stage action, complement the music we were playing, and if it didn’t work, I would I didn’t do that. Besides, I really liked Nijinsky’s costume” (from the book “Life in His Words” about the early work of Freddie Mercury):

In 1969, Freddie and his friend Roger Taylor opened a store that, among other things, sold the young graduate's paintings. In 1970, Staffel decided to leave the group and Freddie took his place. He suggested renaming the group Queen, and also created a team emblem, taking the coat of arms of Great Britain as a basis and decorating all members of the group with zodiac signs.

Fredii became a success for the whole group, bringing it first to the British charts and then to the world level. At the same time, Freddie took the pseudonym Mercury, under which he became known to the world.

Mercury was the author of many Queen songs, including the most successful - Bohemian Rhapsody. When it was released as a single, many people said that it would be an epic failure - it lasted too long, and mixing musical styles seemed risky. But Mercury’s “musical madness” more than justified itself. The video for the song has become one of the most significant in world music, many even call it “the first video in history.

Any composition performed by Freddie Mercury had the imprint of his personality. There was no glossy beauty about it Hollywood stars, magazine gloss, artificial - calculated and verified ideality, just as there was no emphasized ugliness or “shocking” anti-aestheticism of many rock groups. There was a wonderful warmth of naturalness, sweet imperfection, original beauty in him. His entire appearance was marked by a heart-touching openness; one of his characteristic stage gestures was his arms outstretched for a hug or for flight, or rather, for both an embrace and for flight.

Of course, Freddie was very theatrical. His crazy parties with dressing up, a cake that needs to be transported by helicopter, his crowded videos, fantastic costumes (for example, covered with many eyes) betray a riot of imagination - this is a “feast of the imagination.” Hence his attraction to changes in appearance (“the great pretender”) Freddie, judging by the recollections of people who knew him closely, took pleasure in being the source of the holiday. “He loved to have fun” - almost everyone who left memories of Freddie writes about this, but in fact, it seems that, rather, he liked to have fun and stage holiday performances. And the wider the circle of participants, the better - just remember the famous birthday in Ibiza, where in the end there was a place for almost all the residents - “just like that”... A holiday to which you can give a lot. He liked to give - mansions, expensive trinkets, he liked to give money - to friends, lovers, the needy, whom he accidentally heard about. Giving, giving, giving (“All I do - is giving”) - he had some kind of instinct of generosity - and, of course, it manifested itself not only in the fact that he spent money uncontrollably and gave away things. The same boundless generosity is in what and how he sang, in the way he treated the world.
In 1980, Mercury changed his image - he cut his hair and grew a mustache.

In 1982, the group went on vacation, and Mercury could realize himself in solo projects. Among other things, he recorded the album Mr. Bad Boy, which included the song I was born to love you:

Among the most famous Queen songs - We are the Champions, which is considered the anthem of football fans. It is traditionally played during the awards ceremony for the Champions League winners. Since 1977, the group has traditionally closed its concerts with two songs - We are the champions and We will rock you. The day of Queen's unconditional triumph was July 13, 1985, when the Live Aid charity concert took place at Wembley Stadium in London. The event attracted more than 80 thousand people. Despite the fact that Elton John, Paul McCartney, Sting, David Bowie and U2 also performed at the concert, it was Mercury's performance with his team that became the main event of the evening. In 1986, Queen returned to Wembley to promote their album A Kind of Magic.
In 1987, one of the most famous duets of Freddie Mercury took place - with the opera diva Montserat Caballe. It was a unique tandem in which mass and elite music harmoniously united, between which there seemed to be an abyss. By the way, before singing with Freddie, Monserat sang several of his songs during a concert in London's Covent Garden. Mercury, who had previously given the diva a cassette with his recordings, was extremely surprised by this step. According to the memoirs of composer Mike Moran, when they met, Freddie and Montserrat Caballe sang all night long: “they play not for money, but to spend eternity.”
A joint performance with Montserrat Caballe in 1988 was Mercury's last - by that time he had already been hit by AIDS... Already in 1986, they began to talk about Mercury's illness. Freddie made a statement that he had AIDS only on November 23, 1991, after several years of living as a recluse. The next day, November 24, he died.
Freddie Mercury was living proof that there are things in the world, feelings that can only be expressed through the means of art, perhaps they only live in art. Freddie's music is the music of “simple reactions”, simple feelings; it is extremely saturated with a sense of life, greedy love for an imperfect world, a thirst for freedom, and faith. And this is tragic music. His last albums were one better than the other. His voice became stronger and more perfect, and his compositions acquired greater depth. And the tragic nature of his work became more and more obvious: “This is what we have come to: people are divided ...”, “I am only a shadow of the person I should be ...”, “Look what people have done with their souls: they take away from themselves life...the main thing for them is pride...there is no tolerance in them, and the world could be a paradise for everyone,” “Too much love kills...”, etc.
And yet... and yet his gaze was always turned to life. There was something worthy of God, and forgiveness, and eternal life in Freddy’s farewell gesture of love, addressed to an invincibly beautiful life for him. In the song “Winter’s Tale,” life seems to be expiring before our eyes. “Everything is spinning, spinning... Everything is like in a dream...” - Freddie sings, and the “spinning” seems to be a fading consciousness, but at the same time - “Snowfall - red skies... silk moon in the sky... Everything is full of peace and quiet... It’s so beautiful! It's like it's painted in the sky! “The world is in your palms” - and all this crazy wealth ends with an exclamation and sigh - “Woohoo!” This is bliss! Delight in the beautiful world fades only with life.
We can talk for a long time about what ultimately led Mercury to his death. Go through all the details of it personal life and savor them, converging on the idea that everything happened for a reason. But what is all this for? He left, but the music remained - understandable to everyone, inspiring, strong. He died, but his songs inspire us to live.
In order to complete the story about Mercury, you don’t need to invent anything. He came up with everything himself, recording a farewell to everyone who knew him and those who had yet to know him - already like a deceased legend. “Show must go on” is a single that Queen recorded in 1991. Freddie was already so ill that he could not participate in the filming of the video. No one can sing Show must go on like Freddie. From an interview with Brian May on CNN, January 9, 2000. “This collection features The Show Must Go On, uh, which is a Queen song, because we once decided to give Queen credits to everything, but this song is kind of... I consider it my child, because I wrote most of it next to Freddie, who was sitting here (points to the next chair) and, um, it was a huge experience, because Freddie at that time really couldn’t (or didn’t want) to express himself in poetry, for except in some specific cases, and he knew... he knew that it had to do with how we felt about him... and I sang the lead vocal for Freddie, and had to sing mostly in falsetto, because I I just couldn’t sing that high, so I went up to Fred: “How’s it going?” - “Fine” - (Fred) puts down his glass of vodka, goes into the studio and just sings it straight away... and I think it's one of the best vocals Freddie has ever done - the original version of The Show Must Go On. .."

The tragedy of a grandiose life, all its violence, suffering and all-embracingness, the thirst for freedom, the unimaginable beauty of the world, which always beckons and is so rarely achievable - this is what sounds in this voice and awakens unquenchable love - because one cannot fully enjoy life. And in fact, this music is equal only to love, and in it there is a divine taste of freedom, and therefore the voice of victory sounds in it, and therefore, when I listen to Freddie, I feel as if his heart is beating inside me.

And in honor of the Birthday of this legendary man, the greatest singer of rock music, our community proposes to hold, as part of our main project, “Queen: We will ROCK YOU!” mini-project "Freddie Mercury - a Legend Man", which will last from September 5 to September 30, 2015. All communities participating in the main project can join our main project if they wish.

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.

Born on the island of Zanzibar to a Parsi family (an ethno-religious group of followers of Zoroastrianism in South Asia), Farrukh ("lucky") Bulsara studied at St. Peter's School in the city of Panchgani (500 km from Bombay). The name "Farrukh" turned out to be inconvenient for his mostly English-speaking classmates, and they began to call him "Freddie".
In 1947, a photograph of one-year-old Freddie won the title of photograph of the year in a competition in his hometown.
Freddie's father worked as a cashier at Supreme Court England and Wales.
Of all the sports available at school, Freddie preferred hockey, boxing and sprinting. In addition, he won the title of school champion in table tennis at 10.
The school director drew attention to the future singer’s interest in music; he organized piano courses for the boy, as a result of which Freddie received a fourth degree in theory and practice (Piano Grade IV).
Mercury created his first rock band (together with four school friends) in 1958. It was called The Hectics (“Fidgets”) and performed at school events and anniversaries.
In May 1966, Freddie entered the department of graphic illustration at Ealing College of Art in London, where he began studying in the autumn. It was there that he met bassist and vocalist Tim Staffel, who invited Freddie to the rehearsals of his band Smile. There, Mercury meets Brian May and Roger Taylor.
In the year Queen was founded (1970), the singer officially changed his first and last name. Now according to his passport he was “Frederick Mercury”.
Despite the piano lessons he received as a child, Mercury never considered himself a good pianist. For this reason, he always felt insecure when performing keyboard parts on stage (in particular, from the first part of Bohemian Rhapsody). Subsequently, Freddie began to use the piano less in the studio, and at concerts, most of the keyboard parts were taken over by guest musicians, which allowed the frontman to concentrate on the show.
Freddie was fond of philately.
The musician's vocal range was 4 octaves.
Although Mercury had a microwave in the house, he did not use it because he did not know how.
Contrary to rumors and some Queen songs, Freddie spoke only two languages - English and his native Gujarati.
A passionate cat lover, Mercury dedicated his solo album Mr. to them. Bad Guy, and also loved to talk to his favorites on the phone during tours, in which the musician was helped by his long-term friend Mary Austin.
One of the main characters in the Guilty Gear series of fighting games, Sol is inspired by Freddy.
Mercury was afraid to correct his famous malocclusion and remove polyps on vocal cords, because I thought it might damage the voice data. Nevertheless, Freddie gave up smoking only in last years life.
On the singer’s last birthday (September 5, 1991), the premiere of the film “Freddy is Dead” took place. The Last Nightmare" from the "Nightmare on Elm Street" series.
Energetic and open on stage, in life Freddie was a rather reserved person and rarely gave interviews.
Mercury wrote the song “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” (the only one during which Fredia played the guitar at concerts) in the bathroom.
A song from the album A Kind of Magic, Princess of the Universe, became the theme song for the film and television series Highlander.
Freddie's last public performance took place on October 8, 1988, when he performed Golden Boy, How Can I Go On and Barcelona in a duet with Montserrat Caballe at the La Nit festival in Barcelona.
The last song Freddie wrote was A Winter's Tale. The last lifetime recordings of the singer's vocals can be heard in the song Mother Love.
On November 25, 1996, a monument to Freddie Mercury was unveiled in Montreux, Switzerland. The opening of another one took place on June 18, 2003 in London near the Dominion Theatre, where productions of the musical We Will Rock You.. are regularly held.

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

The pseudonym Freddie Mercury (mercury translated from English is mercury) is in perfect harmony with his voice.

The lead singer of Queen, 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 came from Parsis ( ethnic group, associated with 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. magic wand ».

Axel 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, sometimes he was even outrageous kind person and a great musician, one of the most amazing frontmen of 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».