Yeah, it’s probably fair to say that Queen are recognised as one of the world’s best bands. And it’s also probably fair to say, regardless of what you think of the band, that Freddie Mercury has one of the most amazing voices to have ever graced our planet.
The results are in and, as we all already knew, Freddie Mercury’s voice was one of the greatest of all time. Scientists have now researched exactly why…
Austrian, Czech and Swedish scientists have joined together to conduct research into Mercury’s vocal capabilities, shedding light on just how great his pipes really were. Although they couldn’t confirm the long standing belief that his vocals spanned four full octaves, they did manage to pull out a whole lot of information that we wouldn’t have otherwise known.
Despite the fact Mercury was widely considered to be a tenor, the research has actually found that he was closer to being a baritone, which was determined by listening to a number of interviews and determining the frequency he spoke in. Teamed with the fact that Mercury was once asked to do an opera duet, but turned down in fear of changing his image, leads to the conclusion that he was talented enough to often sing outside of his his base vocal range.
It has also been discovered that Mercury’s vocal chords moved faster than others. While an ordinary vibrato will fluctuate between 5.4 Hz and 6.9 Hz, Mercury’s was 7.04 Hz, meaning he was pretty damn close to singing the perfect vibrato and setting him at the vocal standard of Pavarotti.
Although the research isn’t too conclusive and just provides a few fun facts, it basically cements the fact that Freddie Mercury did, in fact have just about the most amazing voice in rock n roll, making him one of the most unique and undoubtedly magnificent musicians of all time.
While you’re here, have your mind blown by these song facts about classic tracks.
