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hapter 10
ibrato
BR
TO
ND TR
MO LO
shaped for the vowel and the vocal cords are so far separated that they
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.
the
conditions, the vocal cords are still relatively widely separated. Under
work
set."
of the glottis. A
and larynx
to be held con-
stant and the breath pressure maintained. This intensity varies with differ-
ent voices. I
ustment. I
the F
.F
W hen this point at which the vocal muscular system (i.e., the muscles
of the thorax
, larynx
and pharynx
constant tension, is reached, the vibrato action begins to come into play;
proper conditions the vibrato swing can become very great, so that,
"
on"
the voice. I
and "
off"
the larynx
16
, pharynx
and thorax
n increased freq
uency
of vibrato is used for the trill and for the high speed running of musical
on"
and "
off"
impulses
true vibrato. I
vibrato freq
uency is about 6
-6
aruso'
.2 was
n ideal
uency 6
en from records is of
uantitative data.
en despite the
fact that but few unaccompanied tones appeared on the records of the
great singers. I
value, even if the other factors which render such readings unreliable
and that these tones should be sung under acoustical conditions which
ed. F
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
gain,
urthermore,
vibrato which has some of the characteristics of the tremolo, and the
tremolo. A
f he is an ex
it is unlik
ely
or this reason,
appear on the record, despite the fact that when the tone is pianissimo
"
off"
-6
and
on"
nc. I
t normal
en in the laboratories of E
lectrical R
esearch Products,
on"
and "
off"
thorax
instance, C
aruso'
or
words, when this supremely great artist sang a full, high tone he was
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
about six
ibrato of a
ortissimo
dots are involved in the vibrato (the pitch variation is about one
The ex
fact that there is no harmonic relationship between the high and low
freq
thorax
"
off"
, pharynx
for a full, free tone without this physical release of the "
on"
and
and
tone without vibrato, the entire resonance system will actually collapse.
Because every great voice has always had a vibrato, the ear has come
unpleasant q
uality.
at fortissimo. A
ee F
ig. 34 A
with
The actual effect of the vibrato, from the standpoint of the listener,
.)
thorax
, pharynx
and
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
before any definite statement can be made, in actual practice this shifting
in any mark
ed degree.
/^ -^ --Y
/w^ ~ ^ ^
ig. 34 H igh S
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.
voice.
This piece of apparatus registers, with great accuracy and at high speed,
every intensity variation. The reader will notice the definite increase in the
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
lik
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
tremolo. S
muscles. A
spread from the tongue, which will be seen to move in and out with
tetanic action.
freq
recent work
, has a freq
ee F
ig. 35.)
Lf
yi
ig. 35 A
H igh S
bsolute
oice
tremolo.
in these oscillograms.
The tremolo is ex
"
urious technical
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-
aw.
urious,
occurs, so that the mouth becomes the resonator of the tone, and pharyn-
with soft and loud tones, while the vibrato appears only at M.P. for the
171
ually
utmost importance.
The tremolo action occurs only when the throat is closed, i.e., when
ing tension and occurs only when opening tension has been established.
been reached. A
The teacher must not attempt to develop the vibrato before this stage
vibrato and the tremolo, despite the fact that the true vibrato and the
tremolo vibrato"
movement is far more vigorous than the insipid tongue tremolo of the
, larynx
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-
dead"
ected to inj
tremely
ods, he may have developed the habit of holding a steady tension on the
(especially on the ex
stances, however, where the pupil has a certain degree of talent for
, which move-
e can be
ed vibrato action.
.I
(6
perienced.
uency
per second), the pitch change should become normal (about a semi-
ticularly true of the pupil who inflates his chest and brings tension to
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
or this reason
inflates and raises his chest, must be carefully instructed in the proper
method of inspiration. I
cal tones, and more than this, musical figures and phrases. A
musical
melody. The musical phrase (the end of the phrase is always mark
ed
it be the single note or the group of notes forming the musical figure
uency, ex
for the vibrato variation. W hen playing the piano, one can only strik
the k
struck
, a sound of fix
eys. I
e a wrong k
ed pitch or freq
cept
ey on a piano is
uency
The singer, in company with the violinist, etc., is, unhappily, not in
other k
t instead of changing
the case of a singer whose high tones are incorrectly produced and out
of resonance adj
inhibition. S
vibrato mechanism which enables the singer to climb up or down the scale
in steps.
intervenes. I
erk
off"
cords to tak
e the ex
t"
on"
position"
the resonance
a rising musical figure, the vibrato impulse which raises the pitch and
t is possible to obtain ex
act adj
and intensity, and the muscles can only respond to this concept if they
fluid"
fluid,"
or moving, condition.
rhythm. W hen the voice is produced properly, the regularity of the vibrato
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
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,
resonance adj
speak
f he
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
speeded-up, ex
t is virtually a
ed "
reflex
because, while the speed of the vibrato can, within certain limits, be
t is probable
that both the laryngeal and the pharyngeal movements are greater in
ueak
irtually every pupil starts with either some form of tremolo, or with
a"
dead-steady"
dead-steady"
spontaneously. I
opened up,"
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
and ex
relax
uiver of the
and the lifting of the hyoid bone are of great value in check
ing the
when the j
175
ed"
iolent Tremolos
a pitch ex
larynx
muscular mix
Q uality, V
eproduction
n regard to singing on the radio and for the records and movies,
s voice. W e are,
consonants.
primarily upon the spectrum, but rather upon pitch and intensity
movements in time. I
six
uency, i.e.,
the middle pitch of the vibrato is constant (i.e., the pitch is cen-
tremolo is very regular and, provided that the voice is not pushed,
is why the radio crooner sounds rather nice, provided that he never
with the result that the pitch starts to wander, and the q
176
give,"
uality
Difference of V
t is more or less
constant over his entire very limited intensity range. The singer
ment at pianissimo. A
appear. A
t M.F
. it is about a semitone. A
ex
intensity ex
t fortissimo it may be as
ig. 33.)
ibrato in R
or ex
tremely loud
ee
eproduction
amplifier and no input control, the singer had to regulate the loud-
ness himself by moving into or away from the horn. Because the
be reproduced faithfully.
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
the tone which was reproduced had too little vibrato for its in-
tensity. I
was too wide for the loudness of the tone when it was reproduced.
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
of the vibrato for the intensity being sung. This effect was aggra-
urthermore,
the softer tones were then, inevitably far too loud in comparison
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
records of E
ingly ex
emplified on the
heard.
Great V
oices R
elatively S
teady
above pianissimo. V
tone should not be a wobble. W hen the technic is good, it is firm and
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-
cellent. I
freq
Lunn, S
irk
rhythmic phrasing and the flow and movement of the voice from tone
of slur
by
Pianissimo S
inging
ust-
sq
summate ease. I
opened up"
not throaty.
n decreasing the
becomes higher.*
pulsion
tained against a less closed valve (glottis), the tension on the breath-
t is, however,
ely to
t is well to point out that the result is far more deadly when a
open,"
oices
open"
voice goes
open"
shut off"
unk
their pupil'
s voices deliberately,
they have had time to develop. O nly mediocre voices survive such
training. I
fC
aruso'
fE
hands of a teacher who eliminated her lower register and made her
"
focus"
ontrol of I
masq
ue"
ntensity
and can gradually swell the tone from pianissimo to fortissimo and
striction. The singers of today generally have a loud voice (not very
of sq
ueak
ing, in
tone off"
chok
e the
-controlled, mezza-voce
s mezza voce is
beautiful, but that he forces his voice when he sings loudly is absurd.
180
opened up"
hold,"
ll he has to
or work
, harder, in-
hold"
pharyngeal resonance
adj
of the vibrato.
alsetto and V
ibrato (Male)
over most of his singing range, the vibrato should always be vir-
the falsetto,"
going through
movement whatever, ex
sing their falsetto tones with a definite tremolo action. This tremolo
tremolo. A
ll mix
tremolo mak
es a mix
dead"
especially in reproduction. A
e a real tone,
always mix
alsetto and V
The woman'
ibrato (F
emale)
tones, but because she sings an octave higher than a man, she will
unless a very full tone is sung, and such a tone would not be sung
16
cessive vibrato. I
182
opening"