Training the Singing Voice - online book

An exploration of the theories, methods & techniques of Voice training.

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	CONCEPTS OF EAR TRAINING	187
	SUMMARY AND INTERPRETATION THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS "Hearing," says Redfield, "is the ultimate goal toward which all musi­cal activities tend." [462, p. 123] The subject of ear training is common ground to most vocal authorities and generalities abound, in the vocal texts examined, concerning the importance of a good ear as a singing req­uisite. One hundred and fifty-seven statements of specific pedagogical im­port were gathered, indicating a fairly wide-spread interest in this subject. These statements are summarized in Table Seven. Singing, like any other acoustical phenomenon, depends upon three physical factors: a) a generator of sound, b) a medium of transmission, and c) a receptor or device for receiving (hearing) sounds and interpret­ing them. None of these three factors can function as such without the other two. It is apparent, therefore, that the act of hearing is inseparably associated with all other functional aspects of voice production and pro­jection. The terms ear and hearing are often used synonymously. Authors gen­erally agree that the ear (hearing) is the organ by which initial percep­tions of acoustical phenomena are recognized, correlated and controlled for purposes of vocal expression. In other words the ear (hearing) is the monitor that governs both the input and output of sensory impressions of the singing voice. Hence, the importance of ear training to the singer is obvious. Pedagogical discussions of ear training are complicated by the fact that the ear may function in this dual capacity, as both receptor and transmitter of acoustical energy. As a subjective experience, hearing takes place without any conscious effort on the part of the listener. In this proc­ess a phenomenon of "central or mental integration** is said to occur whereby external auditory stimuli are fused into intelligible vocal con­cepts and expressional impulses in the mind of the listener. [Mursell 411, p. 71] On the other hand, hearing may be consciously or objectively di­rected toward certain tonal experiences. There is very little objective evidence concerning the relation of the hearing function to the vocal act and most author opinions grow out of empirical observations or guesswork. The theoretical discussions are largely based on the premise that the ear (hearing) intimately governs such vocal actions as phonation, pitch attack, vocal range, resonation and the determination of vocal quality, tonal dynamics and projection factors of voice production. With incredible versatility and selectivity, hearing apparently plays an important role in the vocal act, and it is doubtful