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The Bee Gees did it. So do Smokey Robinson, Prince and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. They all sing in the high register usually associated with female singers. Men have cultivated their upper range in falsetto for centuries. They're called countertenors — at least in the classical world — and today we find ourselves in a golden age of such singers, thanks in part to continued interest in early music. One of the best of today's crop of countertenors is Iestyn Davies (pronounced YES-tin DAY-vis). Lately, he's been exploring the meticulously crafted, melancholy songs of Elizabethan composer John Dowland. Joining Davies is lutenist Thomas Dunford, who has been affectionately dubbed "the Eric Clapton of the lute" by the BBC. Dowland was a master of melancholy, a condition viewed differently in Elizabethan England than it is today. You might say that, back then, it was almost hip to have the blues, and Dowland instinctively knew how to tap into feelings of rejection, regret and general malaise in his music. (Dowland himself seemed to nurse a lifelong disappointment in never landing a job with Queen Elizabeth.) Yet not every Dowland song is a downer. The opening number, "Come again, sweet love doth now invite," finds the protagonist relishing the taste of love he's had, wondering if it will ever return. When he weeps over his bad dreams, Davies, an expressive singer with a sweet timbre and a keen ear for drama in the text, shades the music by lightening his tone to sound more vulnerable. We can't forget the lute in this partnership; it's crucial and shouldn't be viewed as mere accompaniment. Listen for the delicacy in the colors and lines Dowland builds in the lute's part, as if the instrument itself were singing a duet with the voice. --TOM HUIZENGA Set List Dowland: "Come again, sweet love doth now invite" Dowland: "Now, O now I needs must part" Dowland: "Can she excuse my wrongs" Credits Producers: Denise DeBelius, Tom Huizenga; Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait; Videographers: Denise DeBelius, Faith Masi, Olivia Merrion

June 22, 2018 | Tom Huizenga -- Whenever a symphony orchestra or opera house loses its financial footing, a chorus of classical music "coroners" quickly steps up to pronounce the imminent demise of an entire genre. The pianist and scholar Charles Rosen put it best when he said, "The death of classical music is perhaps its oldest continuing tradition." As proof that classical music in America is alive and kicking, I'd like to direct those perennial naysayers to the radio show, and podcast, From the Top. The program (distributed by NPR) is a potent antidote to any gloom-and-doom doubter. For over 20 years, From the Top has built an impressive platform to celebrate the music, lives and stories of youngsters playing classical music. That's right. Young people in this country love classical music. We invited three talented From the Top musicians to the Tiny Desk. No squeaky violins here. These kids are terrific players. Sparks fly (and bow hairs, too) when 12-year-old violinist Kaia Selden tears into Henryk Wieniawski's rip-snorting Scherzo-Tarentelle. Cellist Noah Lee uncovers fascinating new sounds on his instrument in Mark Summer's Julie-O, while Javier Morales-Martinez makes his velvety clarinet sing in elegant music by Francis Poulenc. From the Top alum Derek Wang is our good-natured emcee, in addition to serving as a sensitive accompanist. These incredibly talented young musicians are our future. Hear them breathe life into music that is very far from fading away. Set List Henryk Wieniawski: "Scherzo-Tarantelle, Op. 16" Mark Summer: "Julie-O" Francis Poulenc: "Clarinet Sonata, II. Romanza" MUSICIANS Kaia Selden (violin), Noah Lee (cello), Javier Morales-Martinez (clarinet), Derek Wang (piano) CREDITS Producers: Tom Huizenga, Morgan Noelle Smith; Creative Director: Bob Boilen; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Morgan Noelle Smith, Maia Stern, Khun Minn Ohn; Production Assistant: Catherine Zhang; Photo: Eslah Attar/NPR.

The classical violinist blends Bach and Charles Ives with flair, then tops it off with a fedora. Set List: Bach: Bouree (from Partita No. 3) Bach: Siciliana (from Sonata No. 1) Ives/Trad.: Medley For more videos and to subscribe to the Tiny Desk Concerts podcast, visit npr.org/tinydeskconcerts.