    alfred george deller, cbe (31 may 1912 â 16 july 1979), was an english singer and one of the main figures in popularising the return of the countertenor voice in renaissance and baroque music during the 20th century. he is sometimes referred to as the "godfather of the countertenor". his style in singing lute song, with extensive use of rubato and extemporised ornamentation, was seen as radical and controversial in his day but is now considered the norm. deller was an influential figure in the renaissance of early music: an early proponent of original instrument performance and one of the first to bring this form to the popular consciousness through his broadcasts on the bbc. he also founded the stour music festival in 1962, one of the first and most important early music festivals in the world. ==life and career== ===church music=== deller was born in margate, a seaside resort in kent. as a boy, he sang in his local church choir. when his voice broke, he continued singing in his high register, eventually settling as a countertenor.giles and steane deller was successively a member of the choirs of canterbury and st. paul's cathedrals (1940â47 and 1947â62, respectively). ===solo career=== from this choral tradition, deller emerged as a soloist, largely as a result of the admiration of the composer michael tippett, who heard him while at canterbury and recognised the unique beauty of his voice. tippett introduced him to the public as a countertenor, rather than a male alto. he also became better known with a radio broadcast (on the bbc's new "third programme") of henry purcell's come ye sons of art. he concentrated on popularising and recording the music of english baroque and renaissance
1912_births 1979_deaths British_performers_of_early_music Commanders_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire English_male_singers English_opera_singers Musicians_from_Kent Operatic_countertenors People_from_Margate