1. The Voice as a Musical Instrument

2. -Your voice is one of your distinguishing characteristics.
Uniqueness of Voice
-Your voice is one of your distinguishing characteristics.
-When you hear a familiar voice, you are able to identify the speaker even if you can’t see the person’s face.
-Your ability to make this identification is based on unique vocal properties, including timbre, register, and range.
-timbre – describes tone quality of the voice or instrument
-registers – vocal ranges
-range – the distance between the lowest and highest pitches of the voice.
-Bobby McFerrin – vocalist who has the ability to create an exceptional variety of sounds and tone color with his voice.
Don’t Worry Be Happy
Ave Maria

3. Characterize the Voice
-Singers rely on unique qualities of their voices to differentiate themselves from other performers.
-Even your favorite singers can be recognized right away when you hear them.
***Activity***
Think of your favorite singers. Name 3 of them as a class.
Develop a list of words that might describe each of these vocal qualities as you listen to them.
Words that describe timbre might include bright, dark, harsh, heavy, light, mellow, etc.
Words that describe register are high, medium, and low

4. -The human voice has a wide range and a variety of timbres.
Operatic Voices
-The human voice has a wide range and a variety of timbres.
-The system for classifying voices as soprano, alto, tenor, and bass developed in Europe in the 17th century.
-This was a time when opera was popular and was becoming very complex and demanding.
-Vocal characteristics of opera were greatly extended range, especially at the top of the voice, and increased volume and projection.
-Operatic voices are generally categorized according to range:
Register
Male
Female
Highest
Countertenor
Coloratura soprano
High
Tenor
Soprano
Mid
Baritone
Mezzo-Soprano
Low
Bass
Contralto

5. Females:
-Coloratura – the soprano voice that is light and flexible enough to perform rapid scales and trills.
Beverly Sills
-Soprano – the high female register
-Mezzo-soprano – the intermediate female voice that sings in the lower part of the soprano range
Denyce Grave
-Contralto – a low female register with full, rich, dark, and powerful quality
Marian Anderson

6. Males:
-Countertenor – the highest male voices with falsetto range and quality and a register in the female alto range
David Daniels
-Tenor – the high male range with a powerful, ringing quality
Luciano Pavarotti
-Baritone – the intermediate male voice
Sherrill Milnes
-Bass – a lower male register with a rich, robust, resonant, and full quality
Samuel Ramey

7. Crossover – Operatic and Pop
-Many trained opera singers have migrated into the pop industry (more $$$)
-Andrea Bocelli – became totally blind at the age of 12.
-graduated law school, then began studying voice
-became famous after being discovered by Franco Corelli and Luciano Pavarotti
-Has since performed on television, the White House, and for the pope at the Vatican.
Time to Say Goodbye
-Charlotte Church – Welsh soprano
-first album at 12 years old – sold more than a million copies
-by age 14 had already performed for President Clinton and Queen Elizabeth of England
The Last Rose of Summer
***Activity***
While listening to The Last Rose of Summer, make sure you pay attention to the lyrics. It’s a beautifully written simple song in which a single, surviving flower is used as a metaphor for the sadness of being left to carry on alone after the people we care for have gone.