Vocal Music Chapter 6. What You Will Learn Explain how vocal timbre and other features contribute to the uniqueness of a singer’s voice Determine your.

Vocal MusicChapter 6

What You Will Learn

•Explain how vocal timbre and other features contribute to the uniqueness of a singer’s voice

•Determine your vocal singing range•Define audiation•Explain the effects of culture and chose

style on a vocal performance

Terms• Register• Range• Soprano• Coloratura• Mezzo-soprano• Contralto• Countertenor• Tenor

• Baritone• Bass• Audiation • A capella• Bel canto• Blues• Blue notes

Musician Profiles

Marian Anderson

Andrea Bocelli

The Voice as a Musical Instrument

•The uniqueness of the voice▫Your voice is one of your most distinguishing

characteristics▫You can identify someone’s voice by 3 vocal

properties Timbre

Vocal quality Register

Vocal range Range

The distance between the lowest and highest pitches of the voice

Activity 1, p. 121 CD 4:13-14

•Analyze vocal register and timbre▫Listen to “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by

Bobby McFerrin, and identify the variety of vocal sounds in the performance

Characterize the voice

•Singers rely on the unique qualities of their voices to differentiate themselves from other performers

•Activity 2, p. 121 CD 4:15-20▫Describe vocal register and timbre

Listen to these distinctive pop artists, and try to identify their voices in terms of timbre and register

Operatic Voices from high to lowFemale Male

• Coloratura▫ The soprano voice that

is light and flexible enough to perform rapid scales and trills

• Soprano▫ The high female register

• Mezzo-soprano▫ The intermediate female

voice that sings in the lower part of the soprano range

• Contralto▫ A low female register

with a full, rich , dark, and powerful quality

• Countertenor▫ The highest male voice,

with a falsetto range and quality and a register in the female alto range

• Tenor▫ The high male range

with a powerful, ringing quality

• Baritone▫ The intermediate male

voice• Bass

▫ A lower male register with a rich, robust, resonant, and full quality

Activity 3. p. 122 CD 4:21-23 TRB 6-2

•Beverly Sills - coloratura soprano▫“Ruhe sanft, mein holdes Leben”

from Zaide•Denyce Graves – mezzo soprano

▫“Quand je vous aimerai?” from Carmen

•Marian Anderson – contralto▫“Deep River”

Marian Anderson 1902-1993•Legendary operatic contralto•Grew up in Philadelphia•Studied in Europe•Renowned in Europe – “voice heard once in a

century”•Not accepted in America because she was

African American• In 1939 she was refused access to the most

prestigious concert hall in Washington D.C.•First lady, Eleanor Roosevelt had the concert

moved to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial•75,ooo people came to hear her

Activity 4 p. 123 CD 4:24-27• David Daniels –

countertenor▫“Venti, turbine” from

Rinaldo• Luciano Pavarotti – tenor

▫“Che Gelida Manina” from La Boheme

• Sherrill Milnes – baritone▫“Shall We Gather (at the

River)”• Samuel Ramey – bass

▫“Oh, chi piange?” from Nabucco

Andrea Bocelli (b. 1958)

•Italian operatic singer•As famous as some pop stars•His album, Romanza, has sold more than

one million copies•Grew up in Italy•He is totally blind after being hit in the

head with a soccer ball at age 12

Crossover-Operatic and pop

•Recently many trained opera singers have found success in the pop market

•Charlotte Church▫International sales topping 10 million▫By age 14, she had performed for the

president and the queen▫Activity 4, p. 125 CD 4:28 – lyrics on p.125

“The Last Rose of Summer”

Voices in Your School Community

•Most high schools have choirs•Musical textures

▫The music that choirs sing is often classified by the way layers of sound are combined

▫Monophonic – a melody without accompaniment or harmony

▫Polyphonic – independent melodies that stand alone

▫Homophonic – accompanying harmony supports the main melody

▫Activity 7, p. 127 CD 4:29 “Hush, Hush, Somebody’s Callin’ Mah Name”

Using your voice to express yourself

•Expressing yourself through music▫Through music we can express ourselves

and communicate with one another▫Audition

The capacity to think sound▫Singing a capella

Singing without instrumental accompaniment Manhattan Transfer Activity 10 p. 131 CD 4:30

“The Lion Sleeps Tonight”

The Art of Vocal Performance•Cultural influences of the voice

▫Every culture has its own style of singing▫What is considered beautiful in some cultures

may not be appealing in others•Activity 12, p. 136 CD4:31-32

▫Two popular singers from Bulgaria and Mali “Homage a Baba Cissoko” “Mamo Marie Mamo”

▫How do these singers differ from one another, particularly in timbre?

▫Which singer is from the West African nation of Mali?

▫What makes these voices expressive?

Vocal timbre and musical style

•Bel canto▫A style characterized by lyrical and flowing

phrases, beauty of vocal color and brilliant technique

•Activity 13, p. 137 CD 4:21-27▫Identify Bel Canto style male & female

In your opinion, which artist’s singing is the best example of bel canto style?

What effect does the artist’s tone quality and singing range have on your answer? Explain.

Blues Style

•Blues-▫A genre of African American music that often

expresses frustration, sadness, or longing▫Vocal timbres reflect sadness▫Vocal quality is a straghtforward, folk-like singing

that dips and slides▫Style comes from spirituals and work songs of

enslaved Africans▫W. C. Handy is considered the father of the blues and

was first to popularize this jazz form▫The lyrics are in verses that usually consist of 3 lines

The first two lines are the same while the last line resolves the situation.

Blues• Improvisation

▫Many blues songs became the basis for jazz improvisation

▫The chord structure provides a pattern for improvisation

• 12 bar blues▫The blues are based on a 12 measure pattern that

is repeated▫Blue notes-

Selected pitches, usually on the third and seventh degrees of the scale whose intonation is altered at the discretion of the performer

Activity 16, p. 141 CD:34

•“Emergency” by Sweet Honey in the Rock▫Identify the variety of vocal sounds used in

the performance. Can you determine how the sounds are created

▫How is the concept of emergency reflected in the sounds you hear?

•From the Top – Chicago Children’s Choir CD 1:11-12

Review - terms• Coloratura

▫Soprano voice that is light and flexible enough to perform rapid scales and trills

• Audiation▫The capacity to think sounds

• A cappella▫A term used to designate singing without

instrumental accompaniment• Bass

▫A lower male register with a rich, robust, resonant, and full quality

• Bel canto▫A style characterized by lyrical and flowing phrases,

beauty of vocal color, and brilliant technique

More terms• Blue notes

▫Selected pitches, usually on the third and seventh degrees of the scale, whose intonation is altered at the discretion of the performer

• Blues▫A genre of African American music that often expresses

frustration, sadness, or longing• Contralto

▫A low female register with a full, rich, dark, and powerful quality

• Range▫The distance between the lowest and highest pitches of

the voice• Tenor

▫A high male range with a powerful, ringing quality

Even more terms•Mezzo-soprano

▫The intermediate female voice that sings in the lower part of the soprano range

•Countertenor▫The highest male voice with a falsetto range▫In the female alto range

•Baritone▫The intermediate male voice

•Classical “crossover” singer▫An opera singer who also sings popular songs

When did A capella singing originate?• early days of the Christian church

What are the three different musical textures or layers of sound heard in choral music?• monophonic• Single melody

• homophonic• Melody and harmony

• polyphonic• Many melodies

In Blues, what provides the basis for improvisation?• 12 bar blues chord pattern

Compare the careers ofMarian Anderson Andrea Bocelli

• American• Born at the turn of the 20th

century• Began singing in church

choirs• Studied and toured in

Europe• Refused access to concert

halls• The First Lady, Eleanor

Roosevelt helped her career by moving her concert to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial

• Italian• Born in mid-20th century• Sang for relatives but

didn’t study voice until adulthood

• His career was help by famous tenors Corelli and Pavarotti

Discuss the factors that make one singer’s voice and performance different from another’s. Provide examples.

•Factors▫Register

High, medium, or low▫Timbre – unique vocal quality

Bright, dark, harsh, heavy, husky, sweet, nasal▫Culture

What is considered beautiful in one culture may be less appealing in another

▫Style The choice of music impacts the performance Bel canto style is heard in opera