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TRAINING THE SINGING VOICE |
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of sounds "with musical inflections or melodious modulations of voice, according to fancy or the notes of a song or tune" (W); "singing is the musical expression of the voice" [Grove's Dictionary of Music 708]; "singing is the message that is sent by sound [voice] as emotion and thought qualify -and impart [musical] pitch and word forms to it" [Savage 490, p. 85]; singing is a musical-vocal interpretation of a text. [Henderson op. cit]
Training the singing voice. Training the singing voice may be defined as a process of administering systematic instruction and exercise to the individual student for the purpose of developing those mental and physical abilities that enter into the artistic performance of vocal expression in song. (W) The course of vocal training designed and administered by the teacher of singing has a usual five-fold purpose:
a) to develop the mental faculties that control singing;
b) to accustom the vocal organs to regular, systematic and sustained action in singing;
c) to bring under control all the musical-vocal resources of the student;
d) to regulate, train and improve the student's vocal expression and interpretative singing abilities, by means of corrective methods of exercise and study;
e) to impart knowledge of and expertness in the execution or performance of vocal music
The singer's vocal apparatus is unique in that it is the only musical instrument that is complete in itself, being player and instrument combined. [Hill 272, p. 14] Therefore, the singer must regard himself as both performer and instrument [Dunkley 151, p. 4] but, unlike an instrumentalist, he develops his own performing device while he is learning to master it. [Samoiloff 484, p. 14] This development calls for training undo: expert guidance, a process otherwise known as voice placement or voice culture. [Lombard! 555]
According to Samoiloff, the foundation of all good singing is correct placement of the voice, a product of perfect mental and physical coordination, the source of all purity, brilliance and beauty *of tone. [484, p. 16] The terms voice placement and voice culture are variously defined as follows:
1. Placing the voice means **un erring tuning" or learning to sound each tone in the vocal range so that it corresponds exactly with the pitch sounded on a reliably tuned instrument. [Henley 264] |
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