Post by BassSquared on Sept 29, 2019 1:14:07 GMT
Cynthia Yih Shih (3 Oct 1978 - present)
Vocal Range: B♭2 - G♯5
{Bio/Vocal Summary}Though she was initially pegged as another purveyor of soft, sensitive piano-pop in the vein of Tori Amos or Sarah Mclachlan, singer-songwriter Vienna Teng (a stage name made out of her favorite European city and her parents' favorite Taiwanese pop singer) has swiftly evolved into a unique, envelope-pushing artist capable of throwing serious curveballs both musically and lyrically. Her material has incorporated everything from mechanical vocoder choirs to propulsive hip-hop beats, and her penchant for unusual time signatures and harmonies makes even her "regular" chamber pop tunes feel like something fresh and different.
Vocally, she is difficult to completely categorize- her light and crystalline-sounding (if not particularly stratospheric) higher register has led some critics to call her a soprano, though her solid and well-used lower range as well as her naturally deep speaking voice indicate this may not be entirely the case. Placement aside, however, the most notable thing about Teng's voice is its tone. Soft, angelic, and somewhat breathy most of the time, it is a lovely voice built for expressing the complex emotions that suffuse much of her music. She can change it up for more energetic material, however, going for a darker tone in her lows or a more strident tone in her highs as the style demands.
Though she has largely relegated music to a part-time career in recent years to focus on her family and her work on climate change, she continues to perform and write songs on a sporadic basis. Aside from the natural deepening in timbre that comes with age, she has sounded remarkably consistent vocally, maintaining the same energy and sensitivity she had seventeen years ago and hopefully keeping it up in the years to come.
Written by BassSquared .
Vocally, she is difficult to completely categorize- her light and crystalline-sounding (if not particularly stratospheric) higher register has led some critics to call her a soprano, though her solid and well-used lower range as well as her naturally deep speaking voice indicate this may not be entirely the case. Placement aside, however, the most notable thing about Teng's voice is its tone. Soft, angelic, and somewhat breathy most of the time, it is a lovely voice built for expressing the complex emotions that suffuse much of her music. She can change it up for more energetic material, however, going for a darker tone in her lows or a more strident tone in her highs as the style demands.
Though she has largely relegated music to a part-time career in recent years to focus on her family and her work on climate change, she continues to perform and write songs on a sporadic basis. Aside from the natural deepening in timbre that comes with age, she has sounded remarkably consistent vocally, maintaining the same energy and sensitivity she had seventeen years ago and hopefully keeping it up in the years to come.
Written by BassSquared .
Significant High Notes:
G♯5 ("Got to Get You Into My Life")
G5 ("The Last Snowfall")
F♯5 ("Abound", "Close to Home", "Drought", "The Hymn of Acxiom", "Never Look Away", "The Tower")
F5 ("Ain't No Sunshine/Lose Yourself" live West Virginia 2013, "Between", "Flyweight Love", "Got to Get You Into My Life", "Grandmother Song", "The Hymn of Acxiom", "White Light")
E5 ("As Long as I Am Living", "Cannonball", "Eric's Song", "Flyweight Love", "Hope on Fire", "Look to the Thought (Reprise)", "Radio", "St. Stephen's Cross", "You Are There")
E♭5 ("Ain't No Sunshine/Lose Yourself" live West Virginia 2013, "Bridge Over Troubled Water" live Berkeley 2017, "Decade and One", "Fire and Rain" live San Francisco 2006, "Goodnight New York", "Gravity", "Harbor", "The Hymn of Acxiom", "Knock Knock [Reprise]", "Momentum", "Never Look Away", "No Gringo", "Stray Italian Greyhound", "Whatever You Want", "You Are There")
D5 ("Between", "Bridge Over Troubled Water" live Berkeley 2017, "Cannonball", "City Hall", "Copenhagen (Let Me Go)", "Coventry Carol" live Berkeley 2019 "Eric's Song", "Fire and Rain" live San Francisco 2006, "Flyweight Love", "Grandmother Song", "Hope on Fire", "I Don't Feel So Well", "I Will Not Rise", "Kansas", "Landsailor", "The Last Snowfall", "Maya" live Berkeley 2017, "Mission Street", "Passage", "Say the Word", "Say Uncle", "Shine", "Soon Love Soon", "Radio", "Strong Enough" live Berkeley 2017, "St. Stephen's Cross", "True Colors" live Berkeley 2017, "White Light", "You've Got a Glow")
C♯5 ("Anna Rose", "Annie's Song" live Berkeley 2017, "Antebellum", "As Long as I Am Living", "Augustine", "Blue Caravan", "Close to Home", "Decade and One", "Drought", "Goodnight New York", "Gravity", "Green Island Serenade", "Harbor", "In Another Life", "Kansas", "My Medea", "Momentum", "Never Look Away", "No Gringo", "Nothing Without You", "Shine", "Soon Love Soon", "Stray Italian Greyhound", "The Tower")
C5 ("Abound", "Anna Rose", "Between", "Both Sides Now" live Freight & Salvage 2015, "Boy at the Piano" live Berkeley 2017, "Cannonball", "Fire and Rain" live San Francisco 2006, "Go On Make Promises" live Berkeley 2017, "Got to Get You Into My Life", "Grandmother Song", "Harbor", "The Human Experience", "I Don't Feel So Well", "Imagine" live Berkeley 2017, "In Another Life", "Isn't It Amazing?", "Knock Knock", "Level Up", "Look to the Thought", "No Gringo", "Passage", "Radio", "The Real Thing", "Recessional", "The Riversitter", "Say Uncle", "Sid's Temptations, Pt. 3: Come Back To Me", "Strong Enough" live Berkeley 2017, "Unwritten Letter No. 1", "Watershed", "Whatever You Want", "White Light", "You Are There")
B4 ("America", "Annie's Song" live Berkeley 2017, "The Atheist Christmas Carol", "Augustine", "Both Sides Now" live Freight & Salvage 2015, "City Hall", "Drought", "Eric's Song", "Fields of Gold", "Force of Nature", "Goodnight New York", "Hope on Fire", "Idioteque" live Saratoga 2007, "In the 99", "It Was You", "Landsailor", "Love Turns 40", "Lullabye for a Stormy Night", "Maya" live Berkeley 2017 , "Mission Street", "Nothing Left For Us to Find" live New York 2008, "Nothing Without You", "Say the Word", "Shasta (Carrie's Song)", "Soon Love Soon", "Stray Italian Greyhound", "True Colors" live Berkeley 2017, "The Tower", "Transcontinental, 1:30 a.m.", "Unwritten Letter No. 1", "You've Got a Glow")
Significant Low Notes:
A3 ("As Long as I Am Living", "Both Sides Now" live Freight & Salvage 2015, "Drought", "Grandmother Song", "The Human Experience", "Idioteque" live Saratoga 2007, "Imagine" live Berkeley 2017, "I Will Not Rise", "Knock Knock", "Landsailor", "Kansas", "Level Up", "Mission Street", "Nothing Without You", "Now Three", "Passage", "Rainwalk Song", "The Riversitter", "Say the Word", "Shine", "The Tower", "This Story is Mine [Final Reprise]", "True Colors" live Berkeley 2017, "Watershed", "Whatever You Want", "You Are There")
G♯3 ("Abound", "Anna Rose", "The Breaking Light", "Cannonball", "Daughter", "Decade and One", "Force of Nature", "Goodnight New York", "Got to Get You Into My Life", "Green Island Serenade", "Gravity", "Harbor", "In the 99", "It Was You", "Look to the Thought", "Lullabye for a Stormy Night", "Momentum", "Shasta (Carrie's Song)", "Stray Italian Greyhound")
G3 ("1br/1ba", "Between", "Both Sides Now" live Freight & Salvage 2015, "Boy at the Piano" live Berkeley 2017, "Bridge Over Troubled Water" live Berkeley 2017, "City Hall", "Enough to Go By", "Grandmother Song", "Hope on Fire", "I Don't Feel So Well", "Isn't It Amazing?", "Josephine", "Knock Knock", "Love Turns 40", "No Gringo", "Now Three", "Radio", "Recessional", "The Riversitter", "Say the Word", "Say Uncle", "Sid's Temptations, Pt. 3: Come Back To Me", "Soon Love Soon", "The Sound of Silence", "You've Got a Glow")
F♯3 ("Abound", "America", "As Long as I Am Living", "The Atheist Christmas Carol", "Blue Caravan", "Close to Home", "Drought", "Eric's Song", "Flyweight Love", "Goodnight New York", "Kansas", "The Last Snowfall", "Lullabye for a Stormy Night", "Mission Street", "Momentum", "Never Look Away", "Nothing Left For Us to Find" live New York 2008, "Nothing Without You", "Pencil Sketch" live Berkeley 2017 , "Pontchartrain", "Shine", "Soon Love Soon", "St. Stephen's Cross", "Stray Italian Greyhound")
F3 ("Ain't No Sunshine/Lose Yourself" live West Virginia 2013, "Antebellum", "Between", "Daughter", "Enough to Go By", Feather Moon", "Fields of Gold", "Go On Make Promises" live Berkeley 2017, "Green Island Serenade", "I Don't Feel So Well", "In Another Life", "In the 99", "Leaving on a Jet Plane", "Level Up", "Look to the Thought", "Oh Mama No", "Recessional", "Say Uncle", "The Sound of Silence", "Whatever You Want", "White Light")
E3 ("America", "Antebellum", "The Atheist Christmas Carol", "Blue Caravan", "Close to Home", "Decade and One", "Eric's Song", "Flyweight Love", "Gravity", "Homecoming (Walter's Song)", "The Last Snowfall", "Love Turns 40", "Nothing Left For Us to Find" live New York 2008, "Pencil Sketch" live Berkeley 2017 , "Pontchartrain", "Radio", "St. Stephen's Cross", "Transcontinental, 1:30 a.m.", "Unwritten Letter No. 1")
E♭3 ("Daughter", "In Another Life", "In the 99", "Oh Mama No", "Recessional", "Transcontinental, 1:30 a.m.")
D3 ("Copenhagen (Let Me Go)", "Coventry Carol" live Berkeley 2019, "Feather Moon", "Go On Make Promises" live Berkeley 2017, "Love Turns 40")
C♯3 ("Copenhagen (Let Me Go)", "Homecoming (Walter's Song)")
C3 ("Ain't No Sunshine/Lose Yourself" live West Virginia 2013, "Go On Make Promises" live Berkeley 2017, "Pontchartrain")
B♭2 ("Coventry Carol" live Berkeley 2019)
.......................................................
Underlines mark notes that are obscured in the song mix.
Italics mark non-melodic notes.
Boldface marks notes that are considered to be particularly notable examples of this person's vocal capabilities.
{Questionable Notes}
D6 "You Are There" [2]
A5 "Grandmother Song" [2]
F3 "My Medea" [1],
E3 "The Tower" [1],
D3 "Soon Love Soon" [5], "Watershed" [2]
C♯3 "Oh Mama No" [4],
B♭2 "Go On Make Promises" live Berkeley 2017 [5]
A2 "Watershed" [2]
D2 "The Last Snowfall" [2] [4]
C♯2 "The Hymn of Acxiom*" [4],
.......................................................
[1] marks yelps and short trills in high range or anacrusis and short dips in low range.
[2] marks notes of questionable identity that cannot be confirmed to be the singer in question.
[3] marks non-melodic notes that don't have a significant enough pitch to warrant inclusion.
[4] marks notes that possess uncertain pitch or have been pitch-shifted.
* All Hymn of Acxiom lows go here, as the song was made with a vocoder.
[5] marks notes that do not fit the previous criteria but are not of a substantial enough quality to warrant counting towards the singer's range.
D6 "You Are There" [2]
A5 "Grandmother Song" [2]
F3 "My Medea" [1],
E3 "The Tower" [1],
D3 "Soon Love Soon" [5], "Watershed" [2]
C♯3 "Oh Mama No" [4],
B♭2 "Go On Make Promises" live Berkeley 2017 [5]
A2 "Watershed" [2]
D2 "The Last Snowfall" [2] [4]
C♯2 "The Hymn of Acxiom*" [4],
.......................................................
[1] marks yelps and short trills in high range or anacrusis and short dips in low range.
[2] marks notes of questionable identity that cannot be confirmed to be the singer in question.
[3] marks non-melodic notes that don't have a significant enough pitch to warrant inclusion.
[4] marks notes that possess uncertain pitch or have been pitch-shifted.
* All Hymn of Acxiom lows go here, as the song was made with a vocoder.
[5] marks notes that do not fit the previous criteria but are not of a substantial enough quality to warrant counting towards the singer's range.
{Album Ranges}Waking Hour (2002): E♭3- F♯5
Warm Strangers (2004): C♯3- E5
Dreaming Through the Noise (2006): C3- E♭5
Inland Territory (2009): D3- G5
Aims (2013): C♯3-F♯5
The Fourth Messenger (2015): F3-E5
Warm Strangers (2004): C♯3- E5
Dreaming Through the Noise (2006): C3- E♭5
Inland Territory (2009): D3- G5
Aims (2013): C♯3-F♯5
The Fourth Messenger (2015): F3-E5