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i§* TRAINING THE SINGING VOICE |
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utilize soft singing and not to increase it in strength'or volume" until the
transition and the entire head range **can be produced with ease and freedom." [446* p. 89]
SUMMARY AND INTERPRETATION
THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS
The 228 concepts of vocal range used in training the singing voice fall into two main categories: The first of these, containing 99 statements, deals with such theoretical concepts as definitions of range, the average compass of voices, the value of falsetto tones, and the theory of registers. The second, containing 129 statements, deals with psychological and technical methods of cultivating range, such as sectional and directional scale work and the blending of registers. Further subdivisions of these topics are classified in Table Five.
Theoretical discussions of range are often opinionated and controversial issues predominate. Experimental data are at a premium and many questions are left unanswered. The following conclusions indicate a definite need for further investigation in this area:
1. Opinions vary (from 11/2 to 4 octaves) as to the average range of untrained and trained singers* voices.
2. Opinion is divided on fundamentals of the theory of registration.
3. Definitions are vague and contradictory.
4. Authors disagree as to the cause, nature and even the existence of registers.
5. Conflicting opinions are open to misinterpretation due to the absence of a standard terminology.
6. The action of registration is not clearly explained and the exact causes of registration remain undecided.
7. Opinion is evenly divided on the legitimacy of falsetto tones for singing and on the relation of pitch level to vocal intensity.
8. The method of register blending remains a trade secret.
Theories of average vocal compass. This subject could be clarified if a distinction were made between vocable compass and singable compass. The former is the extreme range of the individual's voice, consisting of non-utilitarian, utterable but nondescript vocal sounds, measured from the lowest grunt to the highest obtainable vocal squeak, a range that covers three or more octaves in the average voice. The latter includes only those vocal tones that can be rendered with some degree of musical, if not |
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