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 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 Andrea Bocelli Marian Anderson

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 low Female 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 12 bar blues 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 Audiation A cappella Bass Bel canto 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 Blues Contralto Range Tenor 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 Countertenor Baritone 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 In Blues, what provides the basis for improvisation? 12 bar blues chord pattern 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

Compare the careers of American Born at the turn of the 20th century Marian 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