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CHAPTER VI |
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CONCEPTS OF RANGE |
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D
efinition: Vocal range in singing is defined as the number of frequency changes possible between the lowest and the highest pitches of the voice. Synonyms such as compass, gamut, reach, or scope are sometimes used to define the limits of vibratory activity of the vocal cords as measured in definite pitch intervals on a musical scale. (W) The pitch or frequency of any vocal sound is determined by the number of double vibrations (dv.) per second of the vocal cords or generator that produces the sound. [Grove's Dictionary 708 vol. IV, p. 189] Frequency is used to designate the number of sound waves per second as measured objectively, while pitch usually refers to the sound experienced or heard. [Wagner 626] A term that is often confused with range in describing and classifying voices is the Italian word tessitura (texture). Tessitura is defined as that part of the compass of a melody or voice part of a musical composition in which most of its tones lie. (W) This term does not denote the range of a voice but, rather, the adaptability of a given voice to a given piece of music. By extension, tessitura has also come to mean: the purest, most facile and singable portion of the vocal range.
Theories of Vocal Range
average compass of voices
Philip measures the total combined range of the human voice as "extending over some five octaves," from about A, to a'" or from 55 to 1760 dv. per second; a compass that is "considerably within the limits of the aural perception of musical tone." [446, p. 21] This overall range of the singing voice has two overlapping main divisions: a sector that encompasses the combined reaches of the male voice, amounting to about §1/2 octaves or, roughly, from A, to f'; and a combined female compass of about 314 octaves, from d to a'". Male voices are subdivided into three distinctive classes called tenor, baritone and bass; female voices into |
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