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5. TIMBRE: VOICE

1. INTRODUCTION

Phases of voice emission

As any other instrument, the voice needs:
- a mechanism capable of generating a vibration.
- an elastic vibrating material.
- a sound box that amplifies and modulates the sound.

1. Breathing: a proper breathing technique includes inspiration, retention and expiration. Types of breathing:

  • Clavicular breathing: it's the way we breathe when we raise our shoulders, air enters the lungs and the chest expands.

  • Diaphragmatic breathing: it's the way we breathe when we contract the diaphragm, air enters the lungs and the belly expands. It's the most appropriate breathing type for singing.

2. Production: the voice is produced in the larynx, where the vocal cords are. The vocal cords, chords or folds are two small muscles, which contract and vibrate when air goes through.

3. Elaboration: the voice is amplified and modulated in the vocal resonators, which are thoracic cavity, trachea, mouth, nose and forehead. This last phase is where each voice acquires its unique timbre. Timbral possibilities of the human voice are very rich and varied according to the emission technique. E.g. head, chest, nasal, throaty or falsetto voice.

Clavicular breathing

Diaphragmatic breathing

Voice change

It is the deepening of the voice of people as they reach puberty (12-15 years). The larynx grows bigger and the vocal cords get thicker and longer. The process is different in male and female voices.

  • Male voice: vocal cords grow from 15 to 30 mm long and boys' voices lower one octave.

  • Female voice: vocal cords grow from 12 to 18 mm long and girls' voices lower two or three tones.

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Voice care tips

  • Hydration: keep the vocal cords moist both internally (drink water, avoid caffeine, alcohol, ice-cold drinks and tobacco) and externally (use humidifier in dry environments).

  • Breathing: use diaphragmatic breathing when speaking or singing.

  • Vocal misuse / overuse: avoid loud talking, yelling, coughing, throat clearing, whispering and singing without warming up.

  • Professional tips: professions that require prolonged vocal use, such as singers, actors, teachers and communicators, should follow all these recommendations. They should also rest the voice between times of heavy voice use, soundproof the space to minimize noise, use microphones or amplification, know their vocal limits (pitch and intensity) and stay within them.

2. CLASSIFICATION

Voices are classified by taking into account two aspects:

  1. Tessitura: is the most comfortable range of pitches that a human voice can sing (high, medium or low).

  2. Gender: male voices sound an octave lower than female voices.

Female voices

Soprano

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Mezzosoprano

 

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Contralto

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Male voices

Tenor

 

 

 

 

 

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Baritone

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Bass

Diana Damrau (classical)
Mozart - The Magic Flute. Der Hölle Rache

Anna Caterina Antonacci (classical)
Bizet - Carmen. Habanera

Hilary Summers (classical)
Michael Nyman - If

Luciano Pavarotti (classical)
Verdi - Rigoletto. La donna é mobile

Dmitri Hvorostovsky (classical)
Rossini - The Barber of Seville

Ariana Grande (pop)
Ariana Grande - Emotions

Amy Lee (rock)
Evanescence - My Inmortal

Diana Krall (jazz)
Diana Krall - Fly Me To The Moon

Freddy Mercury (rock)
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

Elvis Presley (rock)
Elvis Presley - Suspicious Minds

René Pape (classical)
Mozart - The Magic Flute. O Isis und Osiris

Josh Turner (country)
Josh Turner - Would You Go With Me

2. CLASSIFICATION

Special voices

  • Castrato (plural, castrati): male voice with soprano tessitura produced by castration. The parts originally written for castrati are sung by women or countertenors nowadays.
    Castration before puberty keeps the individual's larynx in its infantile form but with the lung capacity of an adult. This practice begun in the 16th century, it reached its peak in the 17th and 18th centuries and it ended in the 19th century. The most famous castrato was Farinelli and the last was Alessandro Moreschi, the only castrato to have made recordings.

  • Countertenor: male voice with mezzosoprano or contralto tessitura.

Farinelli (castrato)
Händel - Rinaldo. Lascia ch'io pianga

Alessandro Moreschi (castrato)
Gounod - Ave Maria

Philippe Jaroussky (countertenor)
Vivaldi - Il Giustino. Vedrò con mio diletto

3. VOCAL GROUPS

Types of vocal music:
- A cappella music: it is performed exclusively with voices.
- Music with instrumental accompaniment: it is performed with voices and instruments.

According to the number of members

  • Soloist: it's not a group because it's just one voice.

  • Small groups

    • Duet: made up of 2 voices.

    • Trio: made up of 3 voices.

    • Quartet: made up of 4 voices. The most common is the "mixed quartet" (soprano, contralto, tenor and bass).

    • Chamber choir: made up of between 10 and 20 voices.

  • Large groups

    • Symphonic choir: made up of between 30 and 60 voices.

    • Great choir/orfeón: made up of more than 80 voices.

According to the type of voices

  • Mixed choir: made up of male and female voices all together.
       4-part mixed choir                     6-part mixed choir

   Tenors      Basses           Tenors         Baritones          Basses

Sopranos  Contraltos     Sopranos  Mezzosopranos  Contraltos

        Conductor                                     Conductor

  • Equal voice choir: made up of all-male, all-female or all-children's voices.

3. VOCAL GROUPS

REVIEW AND SELF-ASSESSMENT
Quizlet

REVIEW AND SELF-ASSESSMENT

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Vocabulary

  • gallo: voice crack

  • ronquera, voz ronca: hoarseness, hoarse voice

  • afonía: aphonia, aphony, dysphonia

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