Objectives: Vibrato is an integral and desirable feature of the classical singing voice. For elite singing students, achieving and developing vibrato may constitute one of the essential elements of their vocal training, although it is not necessarily a focus of that training.
Study Design: In this longitudinal study, we measured vibrato rate (VR) and vibrato extent (VE) and regularity (SD) of VR and VE in student singers over the course of four semesters of tertiary level voice training at a conservatorium of music to determine how these parameters changed during training.
Method: Fifteen singers completed four semesters (2 years) of training. Singers performed four sustained pitches across their vocal range. Peaks and troughs of vibrato were isolated from the fundamental frequency trace to calculate VR in hertz and VE in semitones.
Results: Analysis using linear mixed models revealed significant increases in VE and decreases in VRSD over time. VR was within expected limits for classical singers in all semesters, and small VR reductions were not statistically significant between semesters over 2 years of training. VE showed significant increases between the start of year 1 and year 2. Periodicity of singers' VR (SD) improved over training, with significant decreases to VRSD over time. There was no significant change to VESD.
Conclusions: Future studies will ascertain whether further changes to VR and VE occur over longer training periods, or whether the major changes occur early in tertiary training.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2008.12.003 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
A Comparison of Countertenor Singing at Various Professional Levels Using Acoustic, Electroglottographic, and Videofluoroscopic Methods.
J Voice
April 2024
Curtin School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia. Electronic address:
Introduction: The vocal characteristics of countertenors (CTTs) are poorly understood due to a lack of studies in this field. This study aims to explore differences among CTTs at various professional levels, examining both disparities and congruences in singing styles to better understand the CTT voice.
Materials And Methods: Four CTTs (one student, one amateur, and two professionals) sang "La giustizia ha già sull'arco" from Handel's Giulio Cesare, with concurrent videofluoroscopic, electroglottography (EGG), and acoustic data collection.
Complexity of Vocal Vibrato in Opera and Jazz Recordings: Insights From Entropy and Recurrence Analyses.
J Voice
December 2023
AudioLab, School of Physics, Engineering and Technology, University of York, York, United Kingdom.
Introduction: Vibrato is an oscillation in frequency, intensity, and timbre of the singing voice. Previous studies have found a relationship between its periodicity and perceived quality. The diversity of vibrato enriches the music and singer's performances but create challenges for quantifying and capturing the characteristics that contribute to achieving these expressive goals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBaseline Serum and Stool Microbiome Biomarkers Predict Clinical Efficacy and Tissue Molecular Response After Ritlecitinib Induction Therapy in Ulcerative Colitis.
J Crohns Colitis
September 2024
Pfizer Inc, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Article Synopsis
- Ritlecitinib, a treatment for moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis, shows promise based on a study that evaluated serum and microbiome markers to predict treatment efficacy.
- Researchers analyzed blood and fecal samples from participants before and after 8 weeks of ritlecitinib therapy to identify specific biomarkers associated with patient responses.
- Findings revealed that certain blood proteins and microbiome characteristics can effectively predict clinical outcomes, suggesting potential for personalized treatment strategies in ulcerative colitis management.
Perception of Vibrato by Professional Voice Teachers: A Pilot Study.
J Voice
November 2023
School of Music, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, Texas 78249.
Objectives: Voice teachers and clinicians often use vibrato characteristics as auditory-perceptual cues for giving functional instructions. Historical texts also point to the use of vibrato characteristics as a diagnostic tool as far back as the 18th century. This study investigates the relationship between vibrato rate and vibrato extent, and the auditory-perceptual ability of professional voice teachers to assess the vibrato rate of a synthesized singing voice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExperienced Listeners' Perception of Timbre Dissimilarity Within and Between Voice Categories.
J Voice
June 2023
Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Knoxville, Tennessee. Electronic address:
Objective/hypotheses: The terms "soprano" and "mezzo-soprano" are frequently used by vocal pedagogues to describe a main category of singing timbre categorization, while the terms "lyric" and "dramatic" are often used to describe sub-categories of "soprano" and "mezzo-soprano". A handful of studies have reported on the perceptual dissimilarity of main voice categories, but few, if any, have focused on within voice category perceptual distinctions such as dramatic and lyric vocal timbre. Using stimuli collected from cisgender female singers of varying voice categories and voice weights across the pitches C4, G4, and F5, this study sought (1) to visualize an experienced listener's perception of vocal timbre dissimilarity within and between voice categories using the statistical technique of multidimensional scaling (MDS), (2) to identify salient acoustic predictors of voice category and voice weight, and (3) to determine any dependencies on pitch for the perception of vocal timbre.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!