As we reach the mid-twentieth century in our history it has become increasingly clear that, far from having a fixed identity, over time the counter-tenor has taken on a number of different guises. Before we come to the present incarnation of the counter-tenor, we might pause to look outside our standard, Western classical context, into the world of popular music. Can we find relatives of the modern falsetto counter-tenor in other spheres and hemispheres, now and in the past?

Historically, this is virtually impossible. If the arguments for what constitutes a counter-tenor can be far from leak-proof in the history of Western classical music, in non-literate traditions they are often holed well below the water-line. For instance, the theory that Sir Francis Drake might have been a counter-tenor has been seriously floated on nothing more substantial than the evidence that he sang in his father's church, liked the sound of his own voice, and liked music. Although not guilty of the original theory, as supportive evidence for Drake's being a counter-tenor Peter Giles cites a modern recording of an elderly sailor recalling a naval captain (around 1911) delivering orders in a high-pitched voice.