C

hapter 10

ibrato

BR

TO

ND TR

MO LO

The absolute whisper is produced when the resonance cavities are

shaped for the vowel and the vocal cords are so far separated that they

do not come into vibration. There is, therefore, no variable fundamental

present, so that the pitch of the absolute whisper cannot be altered. The

air is ex

pelled from the lungs and, passing out in a stream, brings the air

in the shaped cavities into vibration, thereby producing the vowel sound.

s soon as the intensity rises above a whisper, phonation starts;

glottis begins to close. A

the

t very low intensities, under proper technical

conditions, the vocal cords are still relatively widely separated. Under

these circumstances the breath ex

work

pulsion is very high, and considerable

must be done by the singer to maintain the breath pressure and

phonate with the resonance cavities held in their proper "

set."

further increase in intensity augments the tension on the muscles

of both the larynx

and the pharynx

, and narrows, and finally closes, the slit

t a certain point of intensity, muscular fatigue would result,

of the glottis. A

were this tension on the muscles of the pharynx

and larynx

to be held con-

stant and the breath pressure maintained. This intensity varies with differ-

ent voices. I

t might be termed the mezzo-piano of any given voice which

is free and in correct adj

ustment. I

t is important to note that even this

intensity is not so very soft indeed it may be considerably louder than

the F

.F

. of the same singer were he to be using a throaty technic.

W hen this point at which the vocal muscular system (i.e., the muscles

of the thorax

, larynx

and pharynx

) would fatigue, if it were held in

constant tension, is reached, the vibrato action begins to come into play;

and this action increases in amplitude as the intensity rises. Under

proper conditions the vibrato swing can become very great, so that,

while the max

imum intensity of sound which can be produced by any

given vocal apparatus is fix

ed, a sense of increased loudness or emotion

may be conveyed by means of a greater swing of the vibrato.

Let it be perfectly clear, then, that the nature of the vibrato is an

"

on"

the voice. I

and "

off"

nerve impulse to the entire muscular system which actuates

n other words, the vibrato is, from the physiological stand-

point, a vibration on a tension. The nerve impulses should, under proper

conditions, be applied, at one and the same instant, to the muscles of

the larynx

16

, pharynx

and thorax

, released and reapplied, etc., very rapidly.

There is, of course, a definite limit to the freq

uency of the vibrato and,

under normal conditions, there is a normal speed. A

n increased freq

uency

of vibrato is used for the trill and for the high speed running of musical

figures scales, chromatic scales, cadenzas, etc.

The vibrato freq

uency, (i.e., the number of "

on"

and "

off"

impulses

per second) is probably never found to be too rapid in the case of a

true vibrato. I

vibrato freq

t is often too slow when the technic is faulty. A

uency is about 6

-6

.2 per second. The freq

found for a high B flat, sung forte, on a record of C

aruso'

uency of the vibrato should be the same at all pitches.

eadings of the vibrato freq

.2 was

s voice. The fre-

uency and, probably, the pitch variation

so found are reliable, but no other characteristic tak

any real value in obtaining q

n ideal

uency 6

en from records is of

uantitative data.

n the past a great many such readings have been tak

en despite the

fact that but few unaccompanied tones appeared on the records of the

great singers. I

t is impossible to obtain sufficient data from the records

of the voice of any given singer to mak

e such an investigation of real

value, even if the other factors which render such readings unreliable

were not present.

n an investigation of the vibrato it is necessary that the singer, in

person, should produce a series of tones of varying pitches and intensities,

and that these tones should be sung under acoustical conditions which

can be definitely check

ed. F

urthermore, the apparatus used must be

highly sensitive.

The investigator must also realize that a successful singer does not

necessarily use his voice well success may be due to other causes. A

even the greatest artists vary, to a mark

gain,

ed degree, with each tone they

sing, and the investigator must, therefore, be in a position to give a

definite criticism of each particular tone sung, from the standpoint of

registration and resonance adj

ustment as well as vibrato. F

urthermore,

he must be able to distinguish, definitely, between the true vibrato, the

vibrato which has some of the characteristics of the tremolo, and the

tremolo. A

s will be shown later, these phenomena can easily be confused.

O ne last point with regard to deductions drawn from records: The

intensity range recorded is so limited that the singer is most unlik

to produce his voice normally. I

f he is an ex

he will probably never sing very loud or very soft tones. F

it is unlik

ely

perienced recording artist

or this reason,

ely that any tone which is so soft as to be without vibrato will

appear on the record, despite the fact that when the tone is pianissimo

the vibrato should be practically absent. A

"

off"

-6

s a result of the "

and

.2 times per second), and the degree of this intensity variation is

dependent upon the loudness of the tone being phonated. A

intensity this variation seems to be about 3-6

latest readings tak

on"

vibrato impulse, the intensity of the tone varies periodically (about

nc. I

t normal

decibels, according to the

en in the laboratories of E

lectrical R

esearch Products,

t is evident that this intensity variation must be accompanied by a

fluctuation of pitch, because the "

on"

and "

off"

nerve impulses are applied

to the laryngeal and pharyngeal muscles as well as to the muscles of the

thorax

. This pitch change is far greater than one would imagine. F

instance, C

aruso'

or

s vibrato shows a pitch variation of a semitone in other

words, when this supremely great artist sang a full, high tone he was

producing an interval change eq

ual to that of a semitone trill.

The pitch change of the vibrato can, however, be so greatly increased

that, in the case of an ex

treme fortissimo, an interval of no less than three

semitones has been recorded on the oscillograph. (S

iilH

ig. 33 A

coustic S

W ell-produced V

ee F

ig. 33.)

H im-

oice S

pectrometer R

inging F

eading of the V

ach dot (or line) indicates an interval of a q

about six

ibrato of a

ortissimo

uarter of a tone. Note that

dots are involved in the vibrato (the pitch variation is about one

and a half whole tones).

The ex

traordinary feature of this phenomenon is that the ear hardly

seems to detect any definite pitch change at all.

O ne would imagine that an alternating pitch change of one to three

semitones would effect the ear unpleasantly, especially in view of the

fact that there is no harmonic relationship between the high and low

freq

uencies of the vibrato. But here we come to one of those interesting

psychological factors with which we are so often faced in our study of

the human voice. E

very great voice of which we have any record has

always had a vibrato. I

n fact, it is not humanly possible for a singer to

hold the tension for the proper adj

thorax

"

off"

ustments of the larynx

, pharynx

for a full, free tone without this physical release of the "

on"

and

and

application of the nerve impulse. Thus, if he attempts to hold a full

tone without vibrato, the entire resonance system will actually collapse.

Because every great voice has always had a vibrato, the ear has come

to associate the vibrato with a well-produced tone. Therefore it not only

accepts this pitch change, but rej

ects the tone which is steady, because

such a tone is always associated with a throaty technic and, hence, an

unpleasant q

uality.

The intensity vibrato varies from zero at pianissimo to about 10 decibels

at fortissimo. A

t mezzo-forte, it is about 5 decibels. (S

ee F

ig. 34 A

The human voice differs from a mechanical sound-producing apparatus

inasmuch as the break

-down of any one part of the system will bring

about a change in the functioning of other parts of the apparatus;

with

the mechanical instrument, it will merely cause distortion or total collapse.

The actual effect of the vibrato, from the standpoint of the listener,

.)

the rise in intensity. I

thorax

f the nerve impulses to the larynx

are not in phase, the high freq

, pharynx

and

uency point of the vibrato may

occur at the point of low intensity. This is particularly true in the case

of a very loud tone. O ne would imagine that this phase relation would be

a vital factor in good q

uality, but, while further investigation is necessary

before any definite statement can be made, in actual practice this shifting

of the high freq

uency point does not seem to affect the q

in any mark

ed degree.

/^ -^ --Y

/w^ ~ ^ ^

uality of the tone

ig. 34 H igh S

This shows a reading of the intensity vibrato of a well-produced voice

peed Level-recordings of the V

ibrato

singing forte. Note the evenness of the vibrato. The space between the hori-

zontal lines is 10 d.b. Note that the vibrato variation is about half this space,

i.e., 5 d.b.

B This shows a reading of the crescendo on the vibrato of a well-produced

voice.

The accompanying tracing was registered on the high speed level-recorder

at the Bell Telephone Laboratories. The tone high F

f, sung by a baritone whose

technic was good, was started softly and swelled to fortissimo.

This piece of apparatus registers, with great accuracy and at high speed,

every intensity variation. The reader will notice the definite increase in the

intensity variation of the vibrato as the tone is swelled.

This increase in the amplitude of the vibrato produces the effect of a far

greater augmentation of the intensity than actually occurs. The rise in intensity

of this particular tone appeared to be very great, while the actual increase in

intensity the mean between the high and low point of the vibrato at fortissimo

as compared with the more or less even intensity of the soft part of the tone

which was practically without vibrato was relatively slight.

lik

t has been believed by certain investigators that the vibrato is switched on

e an organ-stop and does not vary with intensity. R

eadings traced by the

high speed level-recorder definitely prove the fallacy of this contention and show

that the amplitude of the vibrato is the main factor in intensity regulation.

f the vibrato is irregular, too slow, has too great a pitch change, or

O f all the misconceptions about the human voice, even in the writings

of famous musical critics, and some scientists, the confusion between

vibrato and tremolo is one of the most strik

ing. The vibrato is a vital

concomitant of good singing. The tremolo is a lamentable fault.

W hat is the nature of the tremolo?

t consists primarily of a flutter on

constriction, i.e., a flutter of the tongue. O nly a throaty singer has a

tremolo. S

uch a singer, especially if he persists in doing a great deal of

soft singing, will progressively increase the tension on the constrictor

muscles. A

s he continues to abuse his voice, this tetanic fluttering may

spread from the tongue, which will be seen to move in and out with

the tremolo action, to the j

aw, which will also come into sympathetic

tetanic action.

This tetanic movement which causes the tremolo is generally of higher

freq

uency than is the vibrato movement and, according to our more

recent work

, has a freq

uency of 7 to 11 flutters per second. The absolute

tremolo is without intensity variation. (S

ee F

ig. 35.)

Lf

yi

ig. 35 A

H igh S

peed Level-recorder Tracing of an A

Tremolo Badly Produced V

bsolute

oice

Note that no intensity variation is indicated.

The vibrato shows an intensity characteristic which is absent in the

tremolo.

nasmuch as the muscles of the thorax

action, one would ex

are not involved in the tremolo

pect the intensity variation to be absent, as indicated

in these oscillograms.

The tremolo is ex

tremely common, and is a most inj

fault. Teachers who "

build on the soft,"

"

urious technical

place the voice in the head,"

neglect the lower register with women and the falsetto with men, and

those who force their pupils to flatten and groove the tongue and hold it

pressed against the lower teeth, will (provided that the pupil is con-

scientious) very often induce this inj

epiglottis, tongue and finally the j

urious tetanic vibration of the

aw.

The vibrato consists of a periodically applied nerve impulse to all

muscles used in phonation, while the tremolo is merely an inj

urious,

tetanic fluttering of the walls of the resonance cavities. O f course, where

there is a tremolo, tension on the constrictor muscles of the throat always

occurs, so that the mouth becomes the resonator of the tone, and pharyn-

geal resonance adj

ustment is impossible. The tremolo occurs eq

with soft and loud tones, while the vibrato appears only at M.P. for the

given voice and then augments as the intensity increases.

171

ually

emember that when the vibrato is absent, the q

uality of the tone

is always unpleasant. The training of the vibrato is, therefore, of the

utmost importance.

The tremolo action occurs only when the throat is closed, i.e., when

the technic is throaty. The true vibrato is in effect a fluctuation on open-

ing tension and occurs only when opening tension has been established.

This means that an advanced stage in the technical development has

been reached. A

t this stage the tremolo has necessarily been eliminated.

The teacher must not attempt to develop the vibrato before this stage

has been reached. I

f any attempt is made to develop a vibrato from an

absolute tremolo, the effect will be merely to engender an unpleasant

wobble in the voice.

There is, however, a type of vocal movement which is between the

vibrato and the tremolo, despite the fact that the true vibrato and the

absolute tremolo are entirely different phenomena. This "

tremolo vibrato"

movement is far more vigorous than the insipid tongue tremolo of the

typical radio singer."

or this reason it is often possible to change the

former into a true vibrato. This process is often q

soon as pharyngeal resonance adj

uite a simple one. A

ustment has been established, the

teacher should, in most cases, be able to co-ordinate, without much diffi-

, larynx

culty, the muscular actions of the thorax

and tongue in their

proper phase and amplitude relations for the true vibrato. The hundred

percent light, soft tremolo must always be entirely eliminated and the

tongue action reversed, before any serious attempt can be made to de-

velop a true vibrato.

W hen the voice is "

dead"

steady, the process of developing a vibrato

may or may not be a difficult one. I

n some cases, when the concept of

what constitutes a beautiful tone is lack

ing, the process is ex

arduous. W hen the pupil has been subj

ected to inj

tremely

urious teaching meth-

ods, he may have developed the habit of holding a steady tension on the

muscles of the thorax

(especially on the ex

piratory muscles) to such a

degree that he has become virtually muscle-bound. Under such circum-

stances, the process of engendering the concept of a free movement of

the muscles of the thorax

is indeed difficult. The very untalented beginner

is sometimes found in a muscle-bound condition. Under normal circum-

stances, however, where the pupil has a certain degree of talent for

singing, this vibrato concept is easily attained. A

ctually the movement

of the diaphragm which actuates the vibrato is of very small amplitude,

but it can be definitely sensed.

s soon as the necessary stage in the technical development has been

reached, it is absolutely essential that work

on the vibrato should be

volves a vibration on a tension of the muscles of the thorax

, which move-

ment though slight can actually be felt. W hen this shak

e can be

performed vigorously and smoothly, it is often possible for the singer to

speed it up and thus change it into the semi-reflex

ed vibrato action.

ometimes the vibrato may be developed from a slow wobble which is

actuated by the muscles of the thorax

.I

f the wobble is slow, the pitch

change is very wide. W hen it is speeded up to the desired freq

(6

perienced.

tone) and the sensation of the vibrato movement should be ex

uency

per second), the pitch change should become normal (about a semi-

aulty methods of inspiration inhibit the vibrato action. This is par-

ticularly true of the pupil who inflates his chest and brings tension to

bear on the muscles of the upper ribs. A

proper inspiration is accom-

plished primarily through the inflation of the lower part of the lungs,

which engenders tension on the muscles of the diaphragm and the lower

ribs. I

t is these muscles which move for the vibrato. F

or this reason

anyone who, through faulty teaching methods, or because of bad habit,

inflates and raises his chest, must be carefully instructed in the proper

method of inspiration. I

f the muscles of the thorax

before the tone is attack

ed, the vibrato action is inhibited. The vibrato

action must be initiated at the moment of attack

are held in tension

and must persist as long

as the singer continues to phonate.

W hen a correct vibrato has been attained, the acq

to encompass all speed work

uisition of the ability

, legato singing, and even the trill, becomes

uite a simple matter, which, in the last analysis, is dependent solely

upon the singer'

s ear. By ear is meant the ability to conceive, as a single,

co-ordinated, muscle-controlling unit, groups of tones (musical phrases),

each tone with its own pitch, q

uality, intensity and duration.

O ne of the most vicious practices of the singer whose technic is faulty,

is slurring. The underlying principle of singing is the production of musi-

cal tones, and more than this, musical figures and phrases. A

musical

figure is a small group of notes. O ne or more of these groups comprise a

melody. The musical phrase (the end of the phrase is always mark

ed

with a cadence) generally consists of a far wider group of notes. W hether

it be the single note or the group of notes forming the musical figure

or the phrase, each note has in itself a definite pitch or freq

uency, ex

for the vibrato variation. W hen playing the piano, one can only strik

the k

eys, and although it is possible to strik

to play between the k

struck

, a sound of fix

eys. I

e a wrong k

ey, it is not possible

n other words, each time a k

ed pitch or freq

cept

ey on a piano is

uency is emitted, and this freq

uency

cannot be progressively modified, i.e., either sharped or flatted.

The singer, in company with the violinist, etc., is, unhappily, not in

the same fortunate circumstances as the pianist or the performer on any

other k

eyed instrument. H e can slur. H e can at any moment, especially

when changing pitch, slide from one tone to the nex

the pitch without intermediate noises. I

t instead of changing

t is, of course, apparent, from

ll badly taught singers slur, as do practically all beginners. Badly trained

singers, however, are generally the worst offenders in this direction. I

the case of a singer whose high tones are incorrectly produced and out

of resonance adj

ustment, the struggle involved in the attempt to produce

these tones engenders, in his subconscious mind, a sense of fear, or

inhibition. S

uch inhibition inevitably results in slurring. There is only one

way in which slurring can be eliminated by means of the vibrato. Lack

of vibrato always causes slurring.

The slur may be defined as a smooth slide in freq

uency, whereas, when

the technic is correct, changes of pitch are accomplished by means of the

vibrato mechanism which enables the singer to climb up or down the scale

in steps.

During phonation, whether on one tone or over a series of tones, the

beat of the vibrato should continue uninterrupted, unless a consonant

intervenes. I

t is this vibrato movement which allows the voice to move

erk

from tone to tone without slurring, stopping or j

from one tone to another must tak

During the "

off"

phase of the vibrato, the laryngeal and pharyngeal mus-

cles are relatively relax

ed, and the nex

cords to tak

act tension for the nex

e the ex

actuate the tongue tak

system for the nex

ing. The transition

e place in the space of one vibrato.

t"

on"

impulse allows the vocal

t tone while the muscles which

e on their tension, and "

t tone in all its characteristics. A

position"

the resonance

s the singer moves up

a rising musical figure, the vibrato impulse which raises the pitch and

intensity must be augmented.

t is possible to obtain ex

act adj

ustments and avoid slurring only when

this movement on the vibrato is inculcated. The ex

act shaping of the

resonance cavities depends upon the mental concept of pitch, timbre

and intensity, and the muscles can only respond to this concept if they

are in what might be termed a "

fluid"

all the muscles used in phonation in this "

condition. The vibrato maintains

fluid,"

or moving, condition.

O ne of the most vital phases of singing is perfection of time and

rhythm. W hen the voice is produced properly, the regularity of the vibrato

is nearly mechanically perfect. H ence, the singer with a proper vibrato

becomes a sort of human metronome. E

ach note in a musical phrase has

a certain time spot. The minimum length of time a well-produced tone

can be held is one vibrato about a six

th of a second. I

t can also be

held any length of time which is a whole number times one vibrato. I

cannot be held for part of one vibrato. The time between tones is fix

ed

irrespective of the tempo it is one vibrato. Thus, in singing a musical

phrase, each note in the music, according to its value, is held for one,

he has no time-gauge for the value of each tone, and he will, therefore,

inevitably slur, because he is uncertain as to the ex

act moment at which

he is to change the pitch.

t is transparent that, if a singer slurs from one tone to another, the

resonance adj

ustment must be faulty for one or both of the tones. I

were to hold the adj

should have a different adj

speak

f he

ustment for the first tone, the second tone, which

ustment, would be out of adj

ustment. Generally

ing, however, the singer who slurs will not hold the adj

ustment of

the lower tone, but will actually go into constriction as he pushes or forces

his voice up the scale.

The trill also is dependent upon the vibrato action. I

speeded-up, ex

t is virtually a

aggerated vibrato, which has been reflex

ed "

reflex

because, while the speed of the vibrato can, within certain limits, be

regulated, the speed of the trill is fix

ed for a given voice. I

t is probable

that both the laryngeal and the pharyngeal movements are greater in

proportion to the movement of the thorax

for the trill than for the vibrato.

Unfortunately, imitations of vibrato runs and trills can be made with

the tremolo. The resultant effect is a sq

ueak

y, little run-up for the scale,

and a tremor for the trill.

O ne point regarding vibrato and tremolo must be emphasized.

irtually every pupil starts with either some form of tremolo, or with

a"

dead-steady"

W hen the "

tone. O nly a well-produced voice has a true vibrato.

dead-steady"

has been completely "

spontaneously. I

tone, which is always more or less throaty,

opened up,"

the vibrato nearly always appears

f it does not do so, it is a relatively simple matter

for the pupil to bring it into action. A

ctually there is seldom, if ever,

any difficulty with the vibrato with voices which have been really

"

opened up."

limination of Tremolo

The elimination of the tremolo is, then, one of the first problems

to be work

ed out in training the voice. The tremolo generally

emanates from a lack

and ex

relax

of development of the genio-glossus muscle

cessive tension on the antagonistic tongue muscles, also from

ation of the genio-hyoid muscle, from a tetanic q

uiver of the

aw, or from a combination of these causes. The tongue instrument

and the lifting of the hyoid bone are of great value in check

tremolo, but where it is seated in the j

ing the

aw, the complete opening of

this member should eliminate it. Tremolo is nearly always associated

with the lock

when the j

175

, or middle, position of the j

aw is closed, or nearly closed.

aw, although it can occur

ed"

iolent Tremolos

ometimes the tremolo action is so pronounced that it involves

the entire suspension of the larynx

. Under such circumstances all

the manipulations which can be employed should be brought to

bear on the elimination of this shock

a pitch ex

ing wobble, which may have

cursion of a fifth or even more.

There is also a violent tremolo which seems to be seated in the

larynx

and is probably a result of ex

cessive tension on the thyro-

arytenoid muscles. This tremolo is the result of a virulent form of

muscular mix

ed registration and is eliminated as soon as pure regis-

tration has been established.

Q uality, V

oice Movement and R

eproduction

n regard to singing on the radio and for the records and movies,

there is not very much to be said here. Power is not a factor in

reproduction, because the amount of energy delivered to the am-

plifier depends upon the setting of the input control, which is

regulated according to the loudness of the singer'

s voice. W e are,

therefore, only reproducing pitch, vowel, movement and, of course,

consonants.

Q uality, i.e., pleasant or unpleasant q

uality, does not depend

primarily upon the spectrum, but rather upon pitch and intensity

movements in time. I

t is possible that changes of spectrum may occur

during the vibrato cycle, but further research is necessary before

anything more can be said on this subj

ect. The fact remains, how-

ever, that if the movement is regular, of the proper freq

six

uency, i.e.,

a second, and of the proper amplitude for the intensity, and if

the middle pitch of the vibrato is constant (i.e., the pitch is cen-

tered properly) the q

uality is pleasing. Now, unfortunately, a gentle

tremolo is very regular and, provided that the voice is not pushed,

the middle pitch of this movement may be relatively constant. This

is why the radio crooner sounds rather nice, provided that he never

attempts to sing out loud. O f course, if he does try to do so, the

laryngeal muscles do not hold and the arytenoid cartilages "

with the result that the pitch starts to wander, and the q

becomes definitely unpleasant.

176

give,"

uality

Difference of V

ibrato from Tremolo

The singer whose voice is throaty and has a tremolo maintains

this flutter in his voice all the time he is singing. I

t is more or less

constant over his entire very limited intensity range. The singer

whose voice is produced properly, however, has virtually no move-

ment at pianissimo. A

appear. A

t M.F

s he swells the tone, the vibrato starts to

. it is about a semitone. A

much as a whole tone. F

ex

cursion of the vibrato is almost ex

intensity ex

t fortissimo it may be as

or all normal, full, free singing the pitch

actly a semitone, while the

cursion is from three to five decibels. F

effects the pitch ex

ig. 33.)

ibrato in R

or ex

tremely loud

cursion may be as much as three semitones. (S

ee

eproduction

W ith the old acoustical method of recording, when there was no

amplifier and no input control, the singer had to regulate the loud-

ness himself by moving into or away from the horn. Because the

intensity range which could be recorded was very limited, it was

necessary for him to become highly proficient in these movements.

Nevertheless, this procedure made it impossible for the vibrato to

be reproduced faithfully.

n order that the amplitude of the vibrato may be faithfully repro-

duced, it is essential that the intensity should not be monitored.

Thus, if the singer moved closer to the horn for a soft tone, the

reproduced sound was far louder in the intensity scale than he was

actually singing. H ence, every time he moved towards the horn,

the tone which was reproduced had too little vibrato for its in-

tensity. I

nversely, when he moved away from the horn, the intensity

was very much reduced. Therefore, the amplitude of the vibrato

was too wide for the loudness of the tone when it was reproduced.

t was, of course, impossible for him to avoid these movements,

towards and away from the horn, because if he had remained sta-

tionary, and far enough away from it not to overcut the groove for

his loudest tones, the soft tones would have been entirely submerged

by surface noise, and therefore inaudible.

The old records, therefore, do not show the proper amplitude

of the vibrato for the intensity being sung. This effect was aggra-

vated because of the ex

tremely high surface noise. F

urthermore,

the softer tones were then, inevitably far too loud in comparison

with the louder ones. F

or this reason, the records of the voices of

the great singers of the past often show what seems to be too little

movement for the relative intensity of the tone being sung. This

177

is especially true of women and is strik

records of E

ingly ex

emplified on the

mmy Destinn, probably the greatest woman singer ever

heard.

Great V

oices R

elatively S

teady

great voice is generally far steadier than a throaty one, and a

perceptible vibrato movement occurs only when the intensity rises

above pianissimo. V

irtually every singer today has much too much

movement, and this is especially true at low intensity. The basic

tone should not be a wobble. W hen the technic is good, it is firm and

the pitch is absolutely defined.

These facts must be borne in mind when listening to the record-

ings of the great singers of the past, because these records were all

made by the old acoustical method. Their voices are apt to sound

rather dead. This was most emphatically not true in life then-

vibrato control was ex

cellent. I

n listening to these records, the dis-

tortion of the vibrato, as well as the failure to reproduce the higher

freq

uencies, and the irregular speed of the turntable in the record-

ing mechanism, must be tak

en into account. Nevertheless, the in-

telligent listener should be able to detect the incredible difference

between the voices of such singers as C

Lunn, S

aruso, Destinn, Melba, K

irk

ammarco, etc., and those of the best singers of today.

The reader should listen, for ex

tion, the perfection of attack

ample, for the precision of intona-

, the continuity of the musical line, the

definition of intensity for each tone in a musical phrase, the vibrato-

regulated intensity control, the legitimate, open pianissimo, the

rhythmic phrasing and the flow and movement of the voice from tone

to tone. The most strik

ing difference lies perhaps in the lack

of slur

by

control, all runs can be made legitimately and without difficulty.

The singer who uses a throaty tremolo should not be allowed to

attempt runs until she has learned how to sing.

Pianissimo S

inging

There has been a great deal of discussion about pianissimo sing-

ing. No pupil should sing softly until pharyngeal resonance adj

ust-

ment is completely established. There is nothing so technically

destructive as illegitimate, soft singing. The throaty singer can

sq

ueeze off the tone with his neck

summate ease. I

and tongue muscles with con-

t is far easier for him to sing a soft than a loud tone.

The inverse is true when the voice is "

opened up"

not throaty.

This is not only because the control of intensity should be a function

of the laryngeal muscles, not of the neck

and tongue muscles, but

also because there is virtually no vibrato in a soft tone, and a tone

sung without the muscular release of the vibrato action demands a

definitely augmented muscular effort and control. I

n decreasing the

intensity the balance of arytenoid to thyroid tension becomes

greater and the glottis opens slightly, so that the breath ex

becomes higher.*

pulsion

n order that the breath pressure may be main-

tained against a less closed valve (glottis), the tension on the breath-

ing muscles must be augmented. F

urthermore, because the

veys many intensely poignant interpretive effects. I

something of a tour de force. The effort req

t is, however,

uired to sing an entire

song pianissimo is at least as great as it would be to sing it trans-

posed up four semitones. E

ven the greatest singer is unlik

ely to

be able to maintain this level of tension throughout a recital.

onstriction Particularly Destructive to Great V

t is well to point out that the result is far more deadly when a

great, really "

open,"

oices

voice than when a partly "

open"

voice goes

into constriction. H ighly developed, opening muscles are balanced

by developed antagonistic muscles. F

or this reason, when an "

voice produces a throaty tone, it is ex

tremely throaty. This is why

open"

a great voice is so very rapidly destroyed by incompetent teaching.

shut off"

Teachers of today who "

unk

their pupil'

s voices deliberately,

nowingly can destroy great, contemporary, natural voices before

they have had time to develop. O nly mediocre voices survive such

training. I

fC

aruso'

s voice had gone into constriction it would have

been completely eliminated. I

fE

mmy Destinn had fallen into the

hands of a teacher who eliminated her lower register and made her

"

focus"

ontrol of I

her voice in the "

masq

ue"

she never would have sung at all.

ntensity

The fully-trained voice can sing at virtually any level of intensity,

and can gradually swell the tone from pianissimo to fortissimo and

then decresendo to pianissimo again on a perfectly even line with-

out any transition of q

uality, and without, at any time, going into con-

striction. The singers of today generally have a loud voice (not very

loud) and a mezza voce, which is merely a trick

absolute constriction, in a more or less mix

of sq

ueak

ing, in

ed register. These two

methods of production are unrelated and such singers are unable

to swell the tone without a pronounced q

uality transition. They

never sing a legitimate, pianissimo tone. They merely "

tone off"

with their tongues and neck

chok

e the

s. This, most emphatically, is

not singing pianissimo. Many of the most successful singers of today

go through entire recitals with this neck

technic. Let it be emphasized again: I

-controlled, mezza-voce

t is a fact that it is impossible

for anyone to sing a legitimate pianissimo tone unless he can sing

an absolutely open fortissimo tone, at least four semitones higher.

The comment of a critic who states that a singer'

s mezza voce is

beautiful, but that he forces his voice when he sings loudly is absurd.

H is mezza voce must be completely throaty. The loud tones, derived

180

from this technic, are obj

tion becomes very mix

ectionable to the ear because the registra-

ed and the throatiness becomes apparent,

even to the uninitiated, at the higher intensity level.

W hen the voice is "

opened up"

and registered properly, it is not

difficult for the pupil to produce pianissimo tones. A

learn to do is to stop the vibrato and "

creasing the work

hold,"

ll he has to

or work

, harder, in-

by about the same amount that would be de-

manded for the production of a tone four semitones higher than

the one he is singing.

Legitimate control of intensity depends, then, upon pure, devel-

oped, balanced registration, ability to "

hold"

pharyngeal resonance

ustment at all intensities, and upon control over the amplitude

adj

of the vibrato.

alsetto and V

ibrato (Male)

Because the falsetto, in the man'

s voice, is pianissimo, or softer,

over most of his singing range, the vibrato should always be vir-

tually absent from this register. I

t should always be sung without

any movement at all below about high B. Thus, in "

the falsetto,"

going through

the falsetto tone should be sung firmly without any

movement whatever, ex

cept for the very high tones. Most beginners

sing their falsetto tones with a definite tremolo action. This tremolo

must be eliminated, or the lower-register tone, derived from such

a falsetto tone, will be throaty and will have a very pronounced

tremolo. A

ll mix

ed-falsetto singers use a definite, and often a pro-

nounced, tremolo action at all times, or a "

tremolo mak

es a mix

dead"

steady tone. The

ed-falsetto tone sound more lik

especially in reproduction. A

high D does not sound lik

e a real tone,

properly-produced falsetto tone below

e real singing when it is unco-ordinated

with the lower register. W hen it does, it is throaty, has a tremolo

and is not legitimate singing at all. Under such conditions it is

always mix

ed and has an irritatingly effeminate sound.

alsetto and V

The woman'

ibrato (F

emale)

s falsetto should have no movement for the low

tones, but because she sings an octave higher than a man, she will

sing legitimately in the falsetto register at about middle B, at M.P.

Therefore, at this pitch, some vibrato is desirable. A

bove this pitch

a definite vibrato should be present and its amplitude should depend

upon the loudness of the tone. I

t should not be too pronounced,

unless a very full tone is sung, and such a tone would not be sung

in the falsetto below about F

16

#, on the top line of the treble clef.

gain most voices have far too much movement. O ur principal

problem with regard to movement lies in the elimination of tremolo

and in the cutting down of ex

cessive vibrato. I

n most cases the

vibrato appears more or less automatically as soon as real "

tension has been established.

182

opening"