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Duet from Act 1 of the Opera Don Carlo by Giuseppi Verdi from Perry Smith on Vimeo. Opening Duet from the Opera Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti from Perry Smith on Vimeo. Quartet from last act of Giuseppi Verdi’s Opera Rigoletto from Perry Smith on Vimeo. Last scene from the opera Faust by Gounod from Perry Smith on Vimeo. Complete Opening Duet from Lucia di Lammermoor from Perry Smith on Vimeo.  WHAT IT IS, WHY IT IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTIONS What is vibrato? There are many sources that define vibrato. So let me start with the most accepted scientific definition. Vocal vibrato is the periodic oscillation of voice fundamental frequency (FO) at a rate of4-7 Hz which may be caused by periodic contractions of laryngeal, neck and jaw muscles. This definition is used as the basis for many scientific studies and observations about what is ‘normal’ vocal vibrato. “Evidence is growing that vocal vibrato, for example, may be a cultivated vocal tremor. A collection of tremor frequencies in the 4-7 Hz region is produced in the central nervous system.[i] THE PHYSICAL FUNCTION OF VIBRATO What are some of the modern views of vocal vibrato? “A vibrato is merely an outward expression of an inner functional condition, and not the cause of finely integrated physical processes.”[ii] Clifton Ware, in his book Basics of Vocal Pedagogy writes: “Students should be cautioned against manipulating vibrato patterns to satisfy personal tastes. According to principles of efficient vocal production, the natural vibrato pattern occurs only when the right conditions result in a well coordinated singing voice.”[iii] “In voices of any age, if sufficient energy and vocal-fold freedom pertain, vibrancy results.”[iv] This establishes the principle that vocal vibrato is a natural phenomenon that appears in a singing voice when it is coordinated in a particular way. This type of coordinated voice is common in the classical world today and is the professional standard. VOCAL VIBRATO IS NORMAL, VOCAL VIBRATO IS HEALTHY, STRAIGHT-TONE IS MANUFACTURED Why then can we not assume that this would also be the type of coordinated sound that would have occurred in the Baroque and Classical periods? Instruments have evolved and changed, but human voices have not evolved in the same way. Singers today face the same coordination difficulties and issues that singers of the past faced, the same health issues, and similar needs for projection using correct resonance balance. Normal vibrato has an oscillation of between 5-7 cps and a pitch variation of not more than a semitone.WHAT VOCAL VIBRATO IS NOT There are two abnormal conditions of vibrato. 1. The “wobble” which is a vibrato with a wide pitch variation and is slower than the 5-7 cps. 2. The “tremolo” which is a vibrato that is faster than the 5-7 cps and is sometimes unsteady in its oscillation pattern. Neither the wobble nor the tremolo is desirable, not today, not in the past. This abnormal condition is certainly problematic in the choral ensemble and for any solo singer! IF YOU NEED HELP WITH YOUR VIBRATO AND WANT A HEALTHIER, LOUDER VOICE, CONATACT DR. SMITH. HE HAS THE ANSWERS!!
1Ingo Titze, Singing: A Story of Entrained Oscillators, The NATS Journal Volume: 51, (November 1994): p. 25. [ii] Cornelius Reid, A Dictionary of Vocal Terminology: An Analysis, Music House, 1983. P. 397 [iii] Clifton Ware, Basics of Vocal Pedagogy, McGraw Hill, Boston, Massachusetts, 1998, p. 182. [iv] Richard Miller, Solutions for Singers, Oxford Press, 2004, p. 125. Tenor Matt King singing Pour mon ame from the Daughter of the Regiment, Donizetti (9 high Cs!!) Tenor Kevin Carswell singing Avete torto from Gianni Schicchi, Puccini Tenor Chris Neely singing Pourquoi me reveiller from Werther, Massenet Tenor John Williams singing Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön from The Magic Flute, Mozart Soprano Erin Moorman singing the aria Un bel di from Madame Butterfly by Puccini Butterfly Duet for web Matt and Erin |
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