Classification of singing voices. Male and female singing voices Tenor parts

- the highest male voice; in sound it can be compared to the timbre of a cello doubled by a clarinet, and perhaps a bassoon, as the dramatic notes of the voice's shades intensify.
Voice volume from C small octave (sometimes B large octave) to C2; for the tenor-altino to C-sharp2-D2. Judging by Sobiin’s aria with the choir “What is a blizzard for us” from “Ivan Susanin” (IV d.), in which D-flat is also found2, obviously, earlier dramatic tenors had these notes in their volume, the “Working middle” can be considered the segment from E-F of the small octave to F-sharp - G of the first octave.
The lower segment of the altino tenor and lyric tenor also sounds weak and inexpressive, like that of the coloratura and lyric-coloratura soprano;
on the piano, with light accompaniment, it sounds satisfactory. Higher notes sound lighter, brighter and more serene, becoming similar to a viola (hence - altino), while maintaining lightness, pleasantness and tenderness and acquiring some masculinity. These two voices are characterized by great mobility. Although they cope with coloratura technique quite easily, but not to the same extent as their corresponding female voices,

The lyric tenor is often called the di grace tenor and this addition gives a clear idea of ​​this voice.
The dramatic tenor or, as it was previously called, the tenor “di forza” (tenor of strength), or heroic, also testifies to certain properties, and mainly to the ever-increasing strength of the voice, its power, masculinity, and determination. To imagine its timbre, to the previous “fusion” of cello and bassoon, you need to add a horn, and perhaps a trumpet.
This dramatic-heroic sound intensifies towards the top;
Let us also mention the characteristic tenor, an invariable participant in all performances, playing supporting roles. However, among them there are also very noticeable ones.
A characteristic tenor can be both lyrical and dramatic, but, most importantly, it does not go beyond the “working middle”. He must work over such a small, comparatively average, segment so that any dynamic shade, any characteristic sound, for example, excessive obsequiousness, or, conversely, a threatening whisper, or perhaps a scream, is all easily achievable.
Such, for example, is the dramatic role of Shuisky (“Boris Godunov”), the comic role of Vinokura (“May Night”).
The properties of characteristic voices, and these can be both female and male, are revealed in the process of performing practice, less often at the beginning, more often when the singer already masters the skill of performing, but his vocal capabilities are subject to age-related changes. In theatrical practice there are not yet the terms “characteristic soprano, mezzo-soprano or baritone,” although there are such roles, for example, Domna Saburova (“The Tsar’s Bride”) or Sister-in-Law (“May Night”), however, the characteristic tenor and characteristic bass already exist.

A specific feature of male voices is the so-called falsetto sound, which is very similar in timbre to the female voice. Before the discovery made by Dupre, all tenors used this sound, taking sounds above A-flat of the second octave. To notate this method, the word “falsetto” is written above the corresponding notes (which means fistula, which is the name by which this sound is known among the people). This sound can almost always be heard when performing, for example, the aria “Oh, give me oblivion, dear” (“Dubrovsky”) and the cavatina “Slowly the day faded away” (“Prince Igor”). In both cases, the tenor takes the last syllable in the word “come” (with which both Dubrovsky’s aria and Vladimir Igorevich’s cavatina ends) in falsetto.
The images embodied by the tenor are very diverse: from young heroes to respectable old people. Moreover, it is characteristic that the parts of the highest male voices - tenors-altiio and tenors - are often intended for old people (for example, singer Bayan, Tsar Berendey, Astrologer, Fool-for-Christ, etc.), but most often they are young lovers.
The repertoire of lyric-dramatic and dramatic tenors is almost the same (due to the rare appearance of dramatic voices, as we already discussed in the section on dramatic soprano).
Speaking about the ever-decreasing influx of strong, powerful dramatic voices - most often in the categories of soprano, tenor, bass - we do not associate this circumstance with the vocal school, although individual miscalculations in this area are possible. The reason for this is probably some physiological changes in the human body, depending on changes in the conditions surrounding it. It is possible that there is another reason, which has been discussed and written more than once, namely: in schools, not only general education, but even music schools, there is still no proper musical education, and, consequently, there is no accounting, no selection of votes, no and their “growing”.
We make this digression as a reservation, so that when listening to the corresponding works, students take into account that the part of the dramatic tenor is probably also sung by a lyric-dramatic tenor.
Tenor-altino, lyrical light and strong tenor, we recommend listening to the following parts:

Almaviva, cavatina “Soon the golden east” (I d.)—Rossini, “The Barber of Seville.”
Leopold, part - Halevi, "Jew".
Duke, ballad “Ta il eta” (I d.); song “The Heart of a Beauty” (IV d.)—Verdi, “Rigoletto”.
Nadir, romance “In the radiance of a moonlit night” (I d.) - Bizet, “The Pearl Seekers”.
Faust, Cavatina “Hello, innocent shelter” (PG d.) - Gounod, “Faust”.
Romeo, cavatina “Sun, quickly rise” (I act., 2 k.) - Gounod, “Romeo and Juliet”.
Werther, aria "Oh, don't wake me" - Massenet, "Werther".
Harlequin, serenade “O Colombina” (2 parts)—Leoncavallo, “Pagliacci.”
Lohengrin, story “In a foreign land, in a distant mountain kingdom” (Sh d., 2 k.)—Wagner, “Lohengrin.”
Rudolph, arioso “The hand is completely frozen” (I stage)—Puccini, “La Bohème.”
Bayan, song “There is a desert land” (I d.) - Glinka, “Ruslan and Lyudmila”.
Holy Fool, song-saying “The moon is moving, the kitten is crying”; lament “Flow, flow, bitter tears” (IV d., 3 k.) - Mussorgsky, “Boris Godunov.”
Gritsko, thought “Why are you, my heart, crying and groaning” (I d.) - Mussorgsky, “Sorochinskaya Fair”.
Astrologer, appeal to King Dodon “Glorious be the great king” (I d.)—Rimsky-Korsakov, “The Tale of the Golden Cockerel.”
Berendey, cavatina “Full, full of miracles” (II d)—Rimsky-Korsakov, “The Snow Maiden”.
Indian guest, song “Can't Count Diamonds” (4 parts) - Rimsky-Korsakov, “Sadko”.
Levko, song “The Sun is Low” (I d.); arioso and the song “Sleep, my beauty” (III d.) - Rimsky-Korsakov, “May Night”.
Vladimir Igorevich, cavatina “Slowly the day faded away” (II d.) - Borodin, “Prince Igor”.
Sinodal, arioso “Turning into a falcon” (I d., 3" k.) - Rubinstein, “Demon”.
Vladimir, romance “Oh, give me oblivion, dear” (I d., 2 k.) - Napravnik, “Dubrovsky”.
Lensky, aria “Where, where have you gone” (II act, 4 k.) - Tchaikovsky, “Eugene Onegin”.
Young gypsy, song “Look, under the distant arch” - Rachmaninov, “Aleko”.
Alyosha Popovich, 2nd song “Flowers bloomed in the field” (I d) - Grechaninov, “Dobrynya Nikitich”,
Salavat Yulaev, part - Koval, "Emelyai Pugachev".
A bedraggled little man, the song “I had a godfather” (final of the 6th movement)—Shostakovich, “Katerina Izmailova.”
Kupchik, romance “I Don’t Know Why” (IV d.) - Khrennikov, “Mother”.
In symphonic literature there is also an interesting example of the part of the first tenor solo (teior-altino) - Knipper's Third Symphony (I and IV movements).
In the above list, only in the part of the Astrologer the author indicates that it is performed by an altino tenor. However, the role of the Draped Little Man was performed for the first time by an altino tenor (all its structure and character confirm the correctness of this). And, of course, only an alto tenor can sing the first tenor solo in Knipper's Third Symphony. The remaining parts - Berendey, and Count Almaviva, and the Holy Fool, and Salavat, and the Indian Guest, and Bayan, and Harlequin and a number of others can also be well performed by a tenor-altino.

In Almaviva’s cavatina you can show off both the inserted C and the coloratura of the inserted cadences.
We recommend listening to the lyric-dramatic and dramatic tenor in the following roles:

Raoul, romance “All the charm is in her” (I d.), duet of Valentina and Raoul (IV d.)—Meyerbeer, “The Huguenots.”
Vasco da Gama, aria “Oh, wonderful land” (IV d.)—Meyerbeer, “African Woman”.
Manrico, song “Eternally Alone with Longing” (I d., 2 k.); aria “When before the altar” (III d., 2 k.); cabaletta “No, daring villains will not succeed” (I. 1, 2.) - Verdi, “Il Trovatore”.
Radames, romance “Sweet Aida” (I d.)—Verdi, “Aida”.
Othello, arioso “I say goodbye to you forever, memories” (II d.); monologue “God, you could have given me shame” (III d.); monologue “I am not terrible, although armed” (IV d.)—Verdi, “Othello.”
Samson, part - Saint-Saëns, “Samson and Delilah”.
Jose, aria “You see how sacredly I preserve the flower” (II d.) - Wiese, “Carmen”.
Yenik, arioso “How can you believe” (And so on) - Smetana, “The Bartered Bride”.
Yontek, thought “The wind howls between the mountains” (IV d.) - Monyushko, “Pebble”.
Sigmund, spring song “The darkness of winter is now defeated” (I d.) - Wagner, “Walkyrie”.
Siegfried, the heroic song of the melting “Yotyig! Notung! The fighting sword" and the song of sword forging (I d.)—Wagner, "Siegfried",
Walter, song “The Garden Is Illuminated” (III act, 1 book)—Wagner, The Mastersingers of Nuremberg.”
Johnson, arioso “Let her believe that I am free” (III d.) - Puccini, “The Girl from the West”.
Kalaf, arioso “Don’t cry, my Liu” (Gd.); Arioso “Don’t you dare sleep” (III d.)—Puccini, “Turandot.”
Sobiin, part - Glinka, “Ivan Susanin”.
Sadko, recitative and aria “If only I had a treasury of gold” (I volume); “Height, height, heavenly” (4 books) - Rimsky-Korsakov, “Sadko”.
Vakula, song-complaint “Where are you, my strength?” (I d., 2 k.) - Rimsky-Korsakov, “The Night Before Christmas.”
Herman, arioso “I don’t know her name”; oath “You will receive a fatal blow.
Thunder, lightning." (final I d.); aria, "What is our life?" (7 k.)—Tchaikovsky, “The Queen of Spades.”
Vakula, aria “Oh, what is my mother, what is my father” (2 parts); aria-song “Does your heart hear, maiden” (2nd act, 1st chapter) - Tchaikovsky, “Cherevichki”.
Nero, stanzas “Oh, sadness and melancholy” - Rubinstein, “Nero”.
Ker-Ogly, song “Let the thunder roar”, arioso “We are all brothers”, aria “I am devoted to you” (NG d.) Gadzhibekov; "Ker-Ogly".
Lenka, lullaby (final 4 k.); song “It glows from behind the forest” (6 parts)—Khrennikov, “Into the Storm.”
Pierre Bezukhov, arioso “If only the most beautiful”, finale (b k.) - Prokofiev, “War and Peace”.
Matyushenko, song “Oh, you, wind” (II episode); recitative and arioso “What if I lead people the wrong way?” (III d.); monologue “So, in Temkin style, go back?”
(IV d.)—Chishko, “Battleship Potemkin.”
Bohun, recitative and aria “O native land” (III d.) - Dankevich, “Bogdan Khmelnitsky”.
All works indicated in the list are performed by both lyric-dramatic and dramatic tenor. Moreover, parts from the previous list such as Rudolf (“La Boheme”), Dubrovsky, Faust, Romeo were performed with success by a lyric-dramatic and dramatic tenor if the singer had a good school (for example, I. A. Alchevsky, I. V. Ershov). But even in the above list, some parts are performed by strong lyric tenors, such as the part of Lykov, Guidon, Iontek; Calaf, - each type of voice compensates for what it lacks with what it itself is endowed with in predominant quantities.
But there are parts that should be performed only by dramatic tenors, so that the strength and power of their voice matches the image of the hero embodied on stage; such, for example, are Sadko, Vakula, Sigmund, Siegfried, Samson, Othello.
When listening, all this must be taken into account, especially when translating the idea into an essay.

Among the vocalises we can recommend:
Shuisky, scene with Boris (2nd stage) -Mussorgsky, “Boris Godunov”. Misail, scene in the tavern (2nd act, 1st part)—Mussorgsky, “Boris Godunov.”
Popovich, scene with Khivrey (2nd stage)—Mussorgsky, “Sorochinskaya Fair”.
Clerk, part (I d.) - Mussorgsky, “Khovanshchina”. Bomelius, scene with Lyubasha (II d.) - Rimsky-Korsakov. "The Tsar's Bride".
Vinokur, story “In the evening, as I remember” (I dm 1 book) - Rimsky-Korsakov, “May Night”.
Sopel, part (4 parts) - Rimsky-Korsakov, “Sadko”.
Brooch, part - Borodin, "Kiyaz Igor".
Ovlur, “Let me, prince, say a word” (II d.) - Borodin, “Prince Igor.”
Triquet, verses “What a wonderful day this is” (II d.) - Tchaikovsky, “Eugene Onegin”.
The school teacher, the scene with Solokha and the song “Baba Has Become Attached to the Demon” (2nd episode)—Tchaikovsky, “Cherevichki.”
Vashek, aria “Mother said so” (etc.)—Smetana, “The Bartered Bride.”
Nazar, song “The Bear is Addicted” (II d.) - Kabalevsky, “Taras’s Family”.
Mishuk, song “Oh, you beautiful girls” (I d.)—Dzerzhinsky, “Quiet Don”.

Currently, professional voices have a very widely developed classification. Meanwhile, in the early periods of the development of vocal art, this was very simple. There were two types of male and two types of female voices - a classification that has been preserved to this day in choirs. As the vocal repertoire became more complex, this classification became more and more differentiated. In the men's group, an intermediate voice first emerged - the baritone. Then there was further division in each of the groups. The highest male tenor voice has a working range from C to the second octave.

Male voices:

Female voices:

Tenor altino, which has particularly high notes, sounds transparent and light. Usually these voices are not particularly strong, but they are capable of reaching D second octave. The role of the Astrologer in Rimsky-Korsakov's The Golden Cockerel is usually entrusted to this kind of voice.

Lyric tenor is a tenor with a warm, gentle, silvery timbre, capable of expressing the entire lyrical range of feelings. It can be quite large and rich in sound. Sobinov and Lemeshev, for example, had a typical lyric tenor.

Characteristic tenor. A tenor who has a characteristic timbre, but does not have the beauty and warmth of a lyrical voice or the richness, richness and power of a dramatic one.

A lyric-dramatic tenor is a voice capable of performing a wide range of roles, both lyrical and dramatic. However, it cannot achieve the power and drama of a purely dramatic voice. These include the voices of Gigli, Nelepp, Uzunov.

A dramatic tenor is a large voice with a large dynamic range, capable of expressing the most powerful dramatic situations. The range of the dramatic voice may be shorter, not including high C. For example, the part of Othello in the opera Otello by Verdi was written for the dramatic voice. Dramatic tenors include, for example, the voice of Tamagno, Caruso, Monaco.

The lyric baritone, sounding light and lyrical, is close in character to the tenor timbre, but still always has a typical baritone tint. Parts written for this voice have the highest tessitura. Typical roles for this type of voice are Georges Germont, Onegin, Yeletsky. Lyric baritones - Battistini, Rodents, Becky, Migai, Gamrekeli, Lisitsian, Nortsov.

A lyric-dramatic baritone with a light, bright timbre and significant strength, he is capable of performing both lyrical and dramatic roles. Such voices include, for example, Khokhlova, Gobbi, Kherlya, Konya, Gnatyuk, Gulyaev. The roles of Demon, Mazepa, Valentin, and Renato are most often performed by voices of this character.

A dramatic baritone is a darker-sounding voice of great power, capable of powerful sounding in the central and upper range of the voice. The dramatic baritone parts are lower in tessitura, but at the moments of climax they rise to the highest notes. Typical roles are Iago, Scarpia, Rigoletto, Amonastro, Gryaznoy, Prince Igor. For example, Titta Ruffo Warren, Savransky, Golovin, Politkovsky, London had a dramatic baritone.

Bass, the lowest and most powerful male voice, has a working range from fa big octaves to F first. Among this type of voice, there are high bass, central (singing, cantante) and low bass. In addition, octavist basses are considered a very valuable voice in choirs, capable of taking on the lowest sounds of the large octave and even some sounds of the counter-octave.

Bass range

High bass, melodious bass (cantante), has a working range of up to F first octaves at the top. This is a voice with a light, bright sound, reminiscent of a baritone timbre. Sometimes some such voices are called baritone basses. Baritone basses perform the roles of Tomsky, Prince Igor, Mephistopheles, Count Almaviva in Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro”, and Nilakanta in Delibes’ “Lakmé”. Such basses include the voices of Chaliapin, Ognivtsev, and Hristov.

The central bass has a wider range and has a pronounced bass timbre. These voices can play not only high tessitura parts, but also lower ones, including the lower notes C F major octave, such as Gremin, Konchak, Ramfis, Zorastro, Sparafucil. The central basses include the voices of G. and A. Pirogov, Reisen, I. Petrov, Pints, V. R. Petrov, Gyaurov.

The low bass, in addition to a particularly dense bass color and shorter in the upper part of the voice range, has deep, powerful, low notes. This is the so-called profunda bass. Such basses include the voices of Mikhailov and Paul Robeson.

Octavist basses who find a place in choirs can sometimes take a range of counter-octave sounds, reaching astonishingly low sounds. There are cases when the voice could descend to F counter octaves.
There are also a number of different types in processed female voices.

All singing voices are divided into women's, men's and children's. The main female voices are soprano, mezzo-soprano and contralto, and the most common male voices are tenor, baritone and bass.

All sounds that can be sung or played on a musical instrument are high, medium and low. When musicians talk about the pitch of sounds, they use the term "register", implying whole groups of high, medium or low sounds.

In a global sense, female voices sing sounds of a high or “upper” register, children’s voices sing sounds of a middle register, and male voices sing sounds of a low or “lower” register. But this is only partly true; in fact, everything is much more interesting. Within each group of voices, and even within the range of each individual voice, there is also a division into high, middle and low register.

For example, a high male voice is a tenor, a middle voice is a baritone, and a low voice is a bass. Or, another example, singers have the highest voice - soprano, the middle voice of vocalists is mezzo-soprano, and the low voice is contralto. To finally understand the division of male and female, and at the same time, children’s voices into high and low, this tablet will help you:

If we talk about the registers of any one voice, then each of them has both low and high sounds. For example, a tenor sings both low chest sounds and high falsetto sounds, which are inaccessible to basses or baritones.

Female singing voices

So, the main types of female singing voices are soprano, mezzo-soprano and contralto. They differ primarily in range, as well as timbre coloring. Timbre properties include, for example, transparency, lightness or, conversely, saturation, and strength of voice.

Soprano– the highest female singing voice, its usual range is two octaves (entirely the first and second octave). In opera performances, the roles of the main characters are often performed by singers with such a voice. If we talk about artistic images, then a high-pitched voice best characterizes a young girl or some fantastic character (for example, a fairy).

Sopranos, according to the nature of their sound, are divided into lyrical and dramatic– you yourself can easily imagine that the parts of a very tender girl and a very passionate girl cannot be performed by the same performer. If a voice easily copes with fast passages and flourishes in its high register, then such a soprano is called coloratura.

Contralto– it has already been said that this is the lowest of women’s voices, moreover, very beautiful, velvety, and also very rare (in some opera houses there is not a single contralto). A singer with such a voice in operas is often assigned the roles of teenage boys.

Below is a table that names examples of opera roles that are often performed by certain female singing voices:

Let's listen to how women's singing voices sound. Here are three video examples for you:

Soprano. Aria of the Queen of the Night from the opera “The Magic Flute” by Mozart performed by Bela Rudenko

Mezzo-soprano. Habanera from the opera Carmen by Bizet performed by the famous singer Elena Obraztsova

Contralto. Ratmir's aria from the opera "Ruslan and Lyudmila" by Glinka, performed by Elizaveta Antonova.

Male singing voices

There are only three main male voices - tenor, bass and baritone. Tenor Of these, the highest, its pitch range is the notes of the small and first octaves. By analogy with the soprano timbre, performers with this timbre are divided into dramatic tenors and lyric tenors. In addition, sometimes they mention such a variety of singers as "characteristic" tenor. “Character” is given to it by some phonic effect - for example, silveriness or rattling. A characteristic tenor is simply irreplaceable where it is necessary to create the image of a gray-haired old man or some cunning rascal.

Baritone– this voice is distinguished by its softness, density and velvety sound. The range of sounds that a baritone can sing is from A major octave to A first octave. Performers with such a timbre are often entrusted with courageous roles of characters in operas of a heroic or patriotic nature, but the softness of the voice allows them to reveal loving and lyrical images.

Bass– the voice is the lowest, can sing sounds from F of the large octave to F of the first. The basses are different: some are rolling, “droning”, “bell-like”, others are hard and very “graphic”. Accordingly, the parts of the characters for the basses are distinguished by their diversity: these are heroic, “fatherly”, and ascetic, and even comic images.

You are probably interested to know which of the male singing voices is the lowest? This bass profundo, sometimes singers with such a voice are also called octavists, since they “take” low notes from the counter-octave. By the way, we have not yet mentioned the highest male voice - this tenor-altino or countertenor, who sings quite calmly in an almost feminine voice and easily reaches the high notes of the second octave.

As in the previous case, male singing voices with examples of their operatic roles are displayed in the table:

Now listen to the sound of male singing voices. Here are three more video examples for you.

Tenor. Song of the Indian guest from the opera “Sadko” by Rimsky-Korsakov, performed by David Poslukhin.

Baritone. Gliere's romance “The nightingale soul sang sweetly,” sung by Leonid Smetannikov

Bass. Prince Igor's aria from Borodin's opera "Prince Igor" was originally written for baritone, but in this case it is sung by one of the best basses of the 20th century - Alexander Pirogov.

The working range of a professionally trained vocalist's voice is usually two octaves on average, although sometimes singers and singers have much greater capabilities. In order for you to have a good understanding of tessitura when choosing notes for practice, I suggest you get acquainted with the picture, which clearly demonstrates the permissible ranges for each of the voices:

Before concluding, I want to please you with one more tablet, with which you can get acquainted with vocalists who have one or another voice timbre. This is necessary so that you can independently find and listen to even more audio examples of the sound of male and female singing voices:

That's all! We talked about what types of voices singers have, we figured out the basics of their classification, the size of their ranges, the expressive capabilities of timbres, and also listened to examples of the sound of the voices of famous vocalists. If you liked the material, share it on your contact page or on your Twitter feed. There are special buttons under the article for this. Good luck!

The tessitura may be low, but the work contains extreme upper sounds, and vice versa - high, but without extreme upper sounds. Thus, the concept of tessitura reflects that part of the range where the voice most often should remain when singing a given piece. If a voice, close in character to a tenor, stubbornly does not hold the tenor tessitura, then one can doubt the correctness of the chosen manner of voicing and indicates that this voice is probably a baritone. Tessitura is an important indicator in identifying the type of voice that determines the capabilities of a given singer in terms of singing certain parts.

Among the signs that help determine the type of voice, there are also anatomical and physiological ones. It has long been noted that different types of voices correspond to different lengths of vocal cords.

Indeed, numerous observations show the existence of such a dependence. The higher the voice type, the shorter and thinner the vocal cords.

Background

Back in the 30s, Dumont drew attention to the fact that the type of voice is related to the excitability of the motor nerve of the larynx. In connection with works devoted to a deep study of the activity of the neuromuscular apparatus of the larynx, carried out mainly by French authors, the excitability of the motor (recurrent, recurrent) nerve of the larynx was measured, in particular, in more than 150 professional singers. These studies, carried out by R. Husson and K. Sheney in 1953-1955, showed that each type of voice has its own excitability of the recurrent nerve. These studies, which confirmed the neurochronaxial theory of the functioning of the vocal cords, provide a new, unique classification of voices based on the excitability of the recurrent nerve, the so-called chronaxy, measured using a special device - a chronaximeter.

In physiology, chronaxy refers to the minimum time required for an electric current of a certain strength to cause muscle contraction. The shorter this time, the higher the excitability. Chronaxy of the recurrent nerve is measured in milliseconds (thousandths of a second) by applying an electrode to the skin of the neck in the area of ​​the sternocleidomastial muscle. The chronaxy of a particular nerve or muscle is an innate quality of a given organism and is therefore stable, changing only due to fatigue. The technique of chronaximetry of the recurrent nerve is very subtle, requires a lot of skill and has not yet become widespread in our country. Below we present data on chronaxy characteristic of different types of voices, taken from the work of R. Husson “The Singing Voice”.

Rice. 90. Carrying out chronaximetry in the laboratory of the Musical Pedagogical Institute named after. Gnesins.

In these data, attention is drawn to the fact that the table of chronaxies includes a number of intermediate voices, and also shows that the same type of voice can have several close chronaxies. This fundamentally new look at the nature of this or that type of voice, however, does not at all remove the question of the importance of the length and thickness of the vocal cords in the formation of the type of voice, as the author of the study and the creator of the neuro-chronaxial theory of phonation R. Husson is trying to do. Actually, chronaxy reflects only the ability of a given vocal apparatus to take sounds of one or another pitch, but not the quality of its timbre. Meanwhile, we know that timbre coloring in determining the type of voice is no less important than range. Consequently, the chronaxy of the recurrent nerve can only suggest the most natural boundaries of the range for a given voice and thus suggest, in case of doubt, what type of voice the singer should use. However, like other signs, it cannot make a definitive diagnosis of voice type.

It should also be remembered that the vocal cords can be organized in different ways and therefore used to form different timbres. This is clearly evidenced by cases of changes in voice type among professional singers. The same vocal cords can be used for singing by different types of voices, depending on their adaptation. However, their typical length, and with the experienced eye of a phoniatrist, an approximate idea of ​​the thickness of the vocal cords, can provide guidance regarding the type of voice. The domestic scientist E.N. Malyutin, who first drew attention to the shape and size of the palatine vault in singers, tried to connect its structure with the type of voice. He, in particular, pointed out that high voices have a deep and steep palatine vault, and lower voices have a cup-shaped vault, etc. However, more numerous observations by other authors (I. L. Yamshtekin, L. B. Dmitriev) did not find such a relationship and show that the shape of the palatine vault does not determine the type of voice, but is related to the general convenience of the vocal apparatus of a given person to singing phonation.

There is no doubt that the neuro-endocrine constitution, as well as the general structure of the body, its anatomical structure, make it possible, to a certain extent, to judge the type of voice. In a number of cases, already when a singer appears on stage, one can unmistakably judge the type of his voice. That is why, for example, there are terms such as “tenor” or “bass” appearance. However, the connection between voice type and the constitutional characteristics of the body cannot be considered a developed area of ​​knowledge and cannot be relied on when determining voice type. But here, too, some additional addition may be added to the total sum of characteristics.

INSTALLATION OF THE BODY, HEAD AND MOUTH IN SINGING

When starting to practice singing with a new student, you should immediately pay attention to some external aspects: the installation of the body, head, mouth.

The installation of the body during singing has been written in many methodological works on vocal art. In some schools this point is given exceptional importance, in others it is mentioned in passing. Many teachers consider it necessary when singing to lean well on both yogas, straighten the spinal column and move the chest forward. So, for example, some insistently recommend for such an installation to intertwine your hands from behind and, turning them out, straighten your shoulders, while pushing your chest forward, and such a tense pose is considered correct for singing. Others offer a free position of the body, without placing it in any specific position. Some say that since the singer must move and sing standing, sitting and lying down, there is no point in accustoming the student to a certain, once forever fixed position, and in this sense they give him complete freedom. The extreme antipode to this opinion can be considered the opinion of Rutz, who believes that it is the posture that determines the character and correctness of the sound, that the singer’s body plays a role similar to the body of a musical instrument. Therefore, in his book, posture is given one of the most important places.

When considering the question of the position of the body in singing, one should, first of all, admit that this position in itself cannot play a serious role in voice formation. Therefore, Rutz's opinion that the torso plays a role similar to that of the body of a musical instrument is completely untenable. Such an analogy is only external in nature, and, as we remember from the chapter on the acoustic structure of the voice, has no basis. One cannot but agree with the opinion that a singer must be able to sing well and correctly in any body position, depending on the stage situation offered to him. However, can we conclude from this that serious attention should not be paid to the position of the body when learning to sing? Definitely not.

The issue of installing the body in singing should be considered from two sides - from an aesthetic point of view and from the point of view of the influence of posture on voice formation.

The singer's posture while singing is one of the most important aspects of the singer's behavior on the stage. How to go on stage, how to stand at the instrument, how to hold yourself during a performance - all this is very important for professional singing. Developing behavioral skills on the stage is one of the tasks of a teacher of a solo singing class, and therefore the teacher should pay attention to this from the very first steps of classes. The singer must immediately get used to a natural, relaxed, beautiful pose at the instrument, without any clamps inside, and especially without cramped hands or clenched fists, i.e., without all those unnecessary, accompanying movements that distract attention and violate the harmony that the listener always wants to see the artist standing on the stage. A singer who knows how to stand beautifully on the stage has already done a lot for the success of his performance. The habit of a natural body position, free hands, and a straight back should be cultivated from the very first stages of training. The teacher is obliged to avoid any unnecessary movements, accompanying tension, or deliberate posture. If you allow them at the beginning of work, they will quickly take root and fighting them in the future will be very difficult. Thus, the aesthetic side of this issue requires serious attention from both the singer and the teacher from the very first steps.

However, on the other hand, from the point of view of the influence of the installation of the housing on phonation, this issue is also of very great importance. One should not, of course, think that the position of the body determines the nature of voice formation, however, the position in which the abdominal press is tense and the chest is in a free, expanded state can be considered the best for working on the singing voice. Everyone knows that it is more difficult to sing while sitting than standing, and that when singers sing in opera while sitting, they either drop one knee off the chair or try to sing stretched out, reclining. This is determined by the fact that when sitting, the abdominal press is relaxed due to a change in the position of the pelvis. Having lowered their leg or straightened up, reclining in a chair, singers extend their pelvis, and the abdominal press receives better conditions for its exhalation work. An expanded chest creates the best opportunities for the diaphragm to work and for good tone of the respiratory muscles. This is discussed in more detail in the chapter on breathing.

But this is not what makes us pay the most serious attention to the student’s posture while singing. As is known, the free but active state of the body, which is declared by most schools (straightened body, good emphasis on one or both legs, shoulders turned to varying degrees, free arms), mobilizes our muscles to perform the phonation task. Drawing attention to the posture, to the installation of the body, creates the muscle matching that is necessary for the successful implementation of such a complex function as singing. It is especially important during the training period, at a time when singing skills are being formed. If the muscles are loose, the posture is sluggish, passive, it is difficult to count on the rapid development of the necessary skills. We must always remember that muscular composure is, in essence, neuromuscular composure, and that mobilizing the muscles simultaneously mobilizes the nervous system. And we know that it is in the nervous system that those reflexes, those skills that we want to instill in the student are established.

After all, any athlete - for example, a gymnast, a weightlifter, as well as a circus performer in the arena, never begins exercises, does not approach the apparatus without standing at attention, without approaching it with a gymnastic step. These manufacturing moments play a significant role in the successful execution of the subsequent function. Muscular discipline - disciplines our brain, sharpens our attention, raises the tone of the nervous system, creates a state of readiness to perform activities, similar to the pre-start state of athletes. Singing should not be allowed to begin without prior preparation for it. It should go both along the lines of focusing attention on the content, on the music, and purely externally, for the neuromuscular mobilization of the body.

Thus, the main reason for which attention is required to the installation of the body in singing is determined primarily by its general mobilizing effect and the aesthetic side of the issue. The influence of posture directly on the work of the respiratory muscles is perhaps of less importance.

The position of the head is also important both from the aesthetic side and from the point of view of its influence on voice formation. An artist's entire appearance should be harmonious. A singer who lifts his head high up, or lowers it to his chest, or even worse, tilts it to one side, makes an unpleasant impression. The head should look directly at the audience and turn and move depending on the performing task. Its tense position in a lowered or raised state, even when it is determined by supposedly better singing sound or convenience for singing, always hurts the eye and cannot be justified from the point of view of the physiology of singing. A strong degree of head elevation always leads to tension in the anterior muscles of the neck and constrains the larynx, which cannot but have a detrimental effect on the sound. On the contrary, tilting the head too low through the articulatory movements of the lower jaw also interferes with free sound formation, as it affects the position of the larynx. A head that is too thrown back or too lowered is usually the result of bad habits that were not corrected in time by the teacher. The teacher can only allow a relatively slight rise or fall, during which conditions favorable for singing can be created in the vocal apparatus. Side tilts of the head cannot be justified in any way - it is only a bad habit that must be fought as soon as it begins to appear.

One of the external points that you have to pay attention to is the facial muscles, its calmness, and ease of singing. The face must be free from grimaces and subordinated to the general task of expressing the content of the work. Toti dal Monte says that a free face, a free mouth, a soft chin are necessary conditions for correct voice formation, and that any specially held position of the mouth is a big mistake. The obligatory smile, which, according to some teachers, is supposedly necessary for proper singing, is in fact not at all necessary for everyone. It can be used during classes - as an important technique, which we discussed in the section on the work of the articulatory apparatus in singing. Singing practice clearly shows that excellent sound production is possible without any smile; that many singers, especially those who use a dark timbre when singing, sing all sounds with their lips extended forward, completely ignoring a smile.

During the practice, a smile is important as a factor that, regardless of the will of the singer, has a tonic effect on the state of the body. Just as a feeling of joy and pleasure causes a smile and sparkle in the eyes, so a smile on the face and in the eyes makes the student feel joyful elation, which is so important for success in the lesson. K. S. Stanislavsky based his method of physical actions on this reverse influence of motor skills (muscle work) on the psyche. It is no coincidence that old Italian teachers demanded that while singing and in front of him one should smile and make “tender eyes.” All these actions, according to the law of reflex, cause the necessary internal state of joyful elation and, just like muscular composure, nervous readiness to complete the task. It is extremely important to use them for voice training. However, these external aspects, so important from the point of view of the success of the lesson, can play a negative role if they become “on duty”, mandatory in all cases of singing. You must be able to take the student away from them in time, using all their positive sides, otherwise the singer on stage will not feel that necessary freedom of the muscles of his body, which is so necessary in order to express with facial expressions and movement what he is singing about.

It is important to implement all these establishing points from the very first lessons. It is imperative to ensure that the student fulfills them. The singer easily copes with these tasks because they are performed before the sound begins, when attention is still free from phonation tasks. The whole point is that the teacher tirelessly monitors and reminds the singer about them.

Singing voices can be classified in various ways. Division into groups is carried out taking into account physiological characteristics, timbre, mobility, pitch range, location of transition notes, and other parameters. The most convenient and popular today, known since the 16th century, is the classification of vocalists by gender and range. In our vocal studio we distinguish six main types:

• baritone;
• tenor.

• contralto;
• mezzo-soprano;
• soprano.

Characteristics of the singing voice

Soprano. The highest variety of female vocal voices. It stands out for its imagery, sonority, transparency, and flight. The vocalist is characterized by a light, agile, open sound. Soprano character:

• dramatic;
• lyrical;
• coloratura

There are also singers with lyric-dramatic, lyric-coloratura soprano.

Famous soprano vocalists: Montserrat Caballe, Maria Callas. Famous stars of Russian opera: Vishnevskaya G.P., Kazarnovskaya L.Yu., Netrebko A.Yu. Parts written for soprano: Queen of the Night (The Magic Flute by Mozart), Violetta (La Traviata by Verdi). Pop singers with soprano: Lyubov Orlova, Valentina Vasilievna Tolkunova, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears.

Mezzo-soprano. It is remembered for its rich, rich sound, sonorous, deep timbre. It sounds lower than soprano, but higher than contralto. Subtypes: dramatic, lyrical. Famous owners of this type were Tatyana Troyanos, E.V. Obraztsova, I.K. Arkhipova. The operatic role of Amneris in Aida was written for mezzo-soprano. Mezzo-soprano pop singers: Avril Lavigne, Lady Gaga, Lana Del Rey.

The lowest, rarest female voice is contralto. It is distinguished by a velvety powerful sound and luxurious chest notes. Examples of contralto can be found in Tchaikovsky’s operas “Eugene Onegin” (Olga), Verdi’s “Un ballo in maschera” (Ulrika). The owner of the contralto was the soloist of the Mariinsky Theater M. Dolina. Singers with contralto on the stage: Cher, Edita Piekha, Sofia Rotaru, Courtney Love, Katy Perry, Shirley Manson, Tina Turner.

High male voice types are represented by lyric, dramatic or lyric-dramatic tenor. They are characterized by mobility, melodiousness, lightness, and softness. An example of a lyric tenor is Lensky in Eugene Onegin, a dramatic tenor is Manrico from Il Trovatore, and a lyric-dramatic tenor is Alfred (the hero of La Traviata). Famous tenors: I. Kozlovsky, S. Lemeshev, Jose Carreras. Tenors on stage: Nikolai Baskov, Anton Makarsky, Jared Leto, David Miller.

The name "baritone" comes from Greek and means heavy. The sound is between bass and tenor. It is distinguished by great strength and brightness in the upper half of the range. There are lyrical (Figaro in “The Barber of Seville” by Rossini) and dramatic (Amonasro in “Aida” by Verdi) baritones. Of the famous opera singers, Pasquale Amato, D.A. Hvorostovsky owned the baritone. Pop baritone singers: Joseph Kobzon, Mikhail Krug, Muslim Magomayev, John Cooper, Marilyn Manson.