VOICEPrints November--December 2018 JOURNAL OF THE NEW YORK SINGING TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS Holiday Event: Master Class and Reception with John Bucchino ...... 25 President’s and Editor’s Messages...... 26-29 On-Demand Learning with Scott McCoy: Vocal Acoustics and Resonance...... 28 2018--2019 Events Calendar...... 30 NYSTA Professional Development Program / Call for Singers...... 31 Feature Article: Vowel Migration and Modification by Kenneth Bozeman...... 32-38 Book Review by Anthony Radford: Singing in Brazilian Portuguese...... 39-40

Holiday Event Master Class and Reception with John Bucchino Sunday, December 2 6:00-8:00 PM EST Marc Scorca Hall at National Opera Center, 330 Seventh Avenue, NYC Free for NYSTA members, students, and guests. Donations welcome. Composer, lyricist, pianist, and teacher John Bucchino will work with five singers on his compositions. During the master class, Mr. Bucchino will accompany the singers himself the final time through. His songs are available in his two songbooks or for download at www.johnbucchino.com Bucchino’s songs have been performed and recorded by renowned pop (, ), theater (, Patti LuPone, , , Audra McDonald), cabaret (Barbara Cook, ), and classical (Yo-Yo Ma, Deborah Voigt, Nathan Gunn), artists as well as The Boston Pops, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Mormon in venues including

Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Opera, , Opera House, London’s O2 Arena, and The White House. Among his honors are two Drama Desk nominations, The Johnny Mercer Songwriter Award, ASCAP Foundation New Horizons Award, Jonathan Larson Award, Kleban Award, Los Angeles Ovation Award, DVD Premiere Award, and the first annual Award. He has written scores for the musicals Urban Myths, Lavender Girl, Broadway’s , It’s Only life, and the Dreamworks animated film Joseph, King of Dreams, and lyrics for the children’s musical Simeon’s Gift. His recordings include Grateful, The Songs of John Bucchino; Solitude Lessons; On Richard Rodger’s Piano, and the PS Classics releases of the cast albums of It’s Only Life and A Catered Affair. As part of its collection, Harper Collins published a children’s book, based on Bucchino’s song “Grateful, A Song of Giving Thanks” which was awarded the Parents’ Choice Gold Award. www.johnbucchino.com

25 Vol. 16, no. 2, November-December 2018 © NYSTA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE An Empirical Middle Ground

Last March, I was an invited featured guest for a webinar sponsored by the Pan-American Vocology Association (PAVA). The session was devoted to an online discussion of an editorial that I had coauthored with Mary Sandage entitled “Working toward a Common Vocabulary: Reconciling the Terminology of Teachers of Singing, Voice Scientists, and Speech-Language Pathologists.”1 In this article, we advocate for voice professionals to use standardized, agreed-upon terminology when describing phenomena across five areas of singing: Matthew Hoch loudness/intensity, breath management, singer’s formant/ 1 ring, vibrato, and registration. The article was something of This article was published in an expansion of the work I began when I advocated for a the Journal of Voice 31, no. 6 common terminology among singing teachers in my 2014 (2017): 647–648. Mary Sandage book, A Dictionary for the Modern Singer—a work I wanted to is an associate professor in the revise, expand, and update the second it was published due Department of Communication to the rapid pace at which our profession is evolving. Maybe Disorders at Auburn University. I will someday.

If achieving unity within a single discipline is ambitious, inter- disciplinary agreement is idealistic at best. While we were half expecting a bit of pushback—particularly from the scientific community—the opposite happened, and the article was surprisingly well received, with emails pouring in from around the country affirming our work. We were surprised, to say the least, especially since the editorial was not an outcome- based study or lengthy piece of deep scholarship. (I wish that much longer and more involved pieces that I have written in the past would have been read half as much as this one!) Clearly, as our art form becomes more interdisciplinary and scientific, the phenomenon of singing also becomes less mystifying. University voice pedagogy classes in 2018 look nothing like they did when I was in college twenty years ago, and that is probably a good thing. We have learned so much over the past two decades.

As discussion developed over the course of the one-hour webinar, philosophical questions began to emerge: If professional organizations—like NYSTA, NATS, PAVA, VASTA, and others—are advocating for fact-based pedagogy and evidence-based terminology, is there a risk that we’re insinuating that a “cookie-cutter” approach to voice teaching is best? Is there still room for singing teachers to have

26 Vol. 16, no. 2, November-December 2018 © NYSTA idiosyncratic, signature style? What about historical pedagogy, or non-fact-based imagery that seems to “work” with some students? At one point, I was asked directly by one participant about how my recent research and education—particularly the vocology training that I received from Ingo Titze at the Summer Vocology Institute—affected my teaching, and whether there were any echoes of the voice teacher I was ten years ago in my current pedagogy. I replied that I strive for an “empirical middle ground” in my teaching that is a blend of textbook knowledge and my own unique experiences and perspectives as a singer and teacher that I’ve gathered over the course of my lifetime.

I don’t think I had ever used this term before that moment, but the more I’ve thought about it, the more I believe it accurately describes how individual teaching styles develop over time. Merriam-Webster offers four definitions for the word “empirical”: 1. originating in or based on observation or experience (empirical data) 2. relying on experience or observation alone often without due regard for system and theory (an empirical basis for the theory) 3. capable of being verified or disproved by observation or experiment (empirical laws) 4. of or relating to empiricism (the theory that all knowledge originates in experience)

Reading over these four definitions—particularly the ironic clash that seems to exist between the second and third definitions—seems to describe the “melting pot” nature of the voice teaching profession. We have all had a unique path to get where we are. We are formed by our individual experiences. Many of us have earned degrees in voice performance, but our educations have been as diverse as the universities, colleges, and conservatories we attended and the teachers who taught us there. Still others have forged their own path outside of institutional instruction. And no two performance careers look alike. Observing five master teachers teach is five completely different experiences. No two voice teachers vocalize students in the same way. What a wonderful opportunity to learn from one another.

Even in the age of voice science, it is this personal touch that allows us to connect with our students, to engage with our colleagues, and make our own individual stamp on the voice teaching world. As NYSTA continues to educate voice

27 Vol. 16, no. 2, November-December 2018 © NYSTA professionals worldwide, we also want each and every one of you to find your own empirical middle ground, integrating current research in singing with your own personal teaching style. There is no other voice teacher in the world like you, which is exactly how it should be.

I wish each and every one of you a joyous holiday season.

Sincerely, Matthew Hoch, DMA President, New York Singing Teachers Association (NYSTA)

ON-DEMAND LEARNING WITH DR. SCOTT MCCOY Study 24/7 at your convenience. Start anytime and receive four months of access. NYSTA’s Oren Lathrop Brown Professional Development Program presents VOCAL ACOUSTICS AND RESONANCE In this introduction to the science of sound for voice professionals, Dr. McCoy makes a challenging topic enjoyable and easy to understand. His exploration of the acoustics of the singing voice covers basics such as the nature of sound and practical applications of acoustics and resonance, as well as an introduction to computerized voice analysis. Using Your Voice: An Inside View, 2nd edition, as the accompanying text, this course is an exceptional resource, providing tools for both emerging and established voice professionals. NYSTA OFFICERS 2020-2023 TERM

PROPOSED SLATE OF OFFICERS President: Elizabeth Saunders Vice President: Felix Graham Registrar: Diane Aragona Secretary: Benjamin Berman Treasurer: Sahoko Sato Timpone Dr. Scott McCoy Register at WWW.NYST.ORG Members are invited to vote online via the NYSTA For information, contact NYSTA’s Profes- website during the months of November and December sional Development Program Director 2018. Felix Graham at [email protected].

28 Vol. 16, no. 2, November-December 2018 © NYSTA EDITOR’S MESSAGE

Dear Colleagues, Over the past several years, in my role as editor-elect and subsequently editor-in-chief for VOICEPrints, I have been honored to have been an integral part of the “academic conversation” that takes place in our discipline’s journals. I’m proud of the progress the publication has made as it continues to evolve from its history as a newsletter for NYSTA to a peer- reviewed and indexed journal. Anna Hersey Upcoming professional projects and new service opportunities require that I step down as editor-in-chief, and we now begin the transition process of selecting and orienting a new editor. In the coming months, NYSTA president Matthew Hoch and I will begin interviewing candidates for the position of editor-elect. The individual selected will work alongside me during the VOICEPrints 2019–2020 season before assuming the role of editor-in-chief on Volume 16, No. 2 June 1, 2020. Dr. Anna Hersey I look forward to overseeing the publication of eight more Editor-in-Chief issues, and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to Dr. Loralee Songer serve our organization. Meantime, please send questions, Associate Editor comments, or article submissions to me directly at [email protected]. As always, archives of past issues are Dr. Ian Howell available on the NYSTA website. Associate Editor Anna Hersey John Ostendorf Editor-in-Chief Designer

Call for Letters of Interest Editor-in-Chief of VOICEPrints: The Official Journal of NYSTA NYSTA seeks a qualified individual to assume the editorship of VOICEPrints, a peer-reviewed academic journal published five times a year. The editor-in-chief works closely with the NYSTA president and the board of directors, and will be responsible for gathering and editing all content of the publication with the assistance of an appointed editorial staff. Interested applicants should send a letter of interest and curriculum vitae to [email protected]. Materials will be accepted through January 1, 2019. Applicants may be contacted for further interviews or materials in the following months, with an editor-elect named in the May/June 2019 issue of VOICEPrints. Please do not hesitate to contact [email protected] for any further information or questions about the position.

29 Vol. 16, no. 2, November-December 2018 © NYSTA 2018--2019 EVENTS CALENDAR

Holiday Event Master Class and Reception with John Bucchino Sunday, December 2, 2018 6:00-8:00 PM EST Marc Scorca Hall at National Opera Center, 330 Seventh Avenue, NYC Free for NYSTA members, students, and guests. Donations welcome. Mr. Bucchino will work with five singers on his compositions. Suggested song list will be posted on NYSTA website. See Call for Singers (page 31) for application information.

Winter Event with Live Streaming Complete Vocal Fitness with Claudia Friedlander: Laryngeal and Articulatory Function Sunday, February 24, 2019 4:00-6:00 PM EST Pearl Studios, 500 Eighth Avenue, NYC Free for NYSTA members, students, and guests. Donations welcome. This workshop offers a practical overview of laryngeal and articulatory anatomy and function without a bias for any particular approach to technique. Four participants of varying voice types and level of experience will be selected. Interested singers should send their resume, photo and audio or video recordings of two contrasting selections to: [email protected] by January 24.

Spring Event College Audition Workshop with lorraine Nubar Sunday, April 28, 2019 3:30--5:30 PM EDT Pearl Studios, 500 Eighth Avenue, NYC Free for NYSTA members, students, and guests. Donations welcome. In our first event specifically designed for high school voice students, Lorraine Nubar from the Juilliard School’s Pre-College will work with five singers on how to prepare for your college entrance auditions. Interested high school sophomores and juniors should send their resume, photo and audio/video recordings of two contrasting selections to: [email protected] by March 28.

30 Vol. 16, no. 2, November-December 2018 © NYSTA NYSTA Professional Development Program Since its earliest years, NYSTA has sought to foster standards in the profession. In the 1920s and 1930s, the organization led efforts to require certification by the New York State government for all voice teachers. While state certification was never implemented, its intent came to fruition with the establishment of our Profes- sional Development Program (PDP). The program was guided by noted pedagogue Oren Lathrop Brown, and spearheaded by past NYSTA President Janet Pranschke. Thanks to the continued ef- forts of Past President David Sabella, online courses were devel- oped in 2007. Every year, the NYSTA board strives to bring new and innovative courses to all interested in learning more about the teaching of singing, bringing the most up-to-date information and filling the gaps that may be missed by traditional pedagogy classes. Currently, 48 people have earned the honor of being a NYSTA Distinguished Voice Professional.

NYSTA’s Professional Development courses are led by top experts in the areas of voice pedagogy and voice health. The courses are designed to give a well-rounded education to those wanting to learn more about fact-based teaching of singing. After completing the five core courses (Vocal Anatomy and Physiology, Voice Acoustics and Resonance, Vocal Health for Voice Professionals, Singer’s Developmental Repertoire, and Comparative Pedagogy) and successfully passing the exams, registrants earn a Certificate of Completion and the honor of being a NYSTA Distinguished Voice Professional. Congratula- tions to all those who have earned this honor!

CALL FOR SINGERS: Master Class with John Bucchino Sunday, December 2, 2018, 6-8 PM EST Marc Scorca Hall at National Opera Center, NYC Submission Deadline: November 3, 2018 Singers will be selected to perform in the master class. To be considered, send the following materials to: [email protected]. ■ Resume ■ Photo ■ Audio/Video recordings of two songs by John Bucchino Suggested song list is posted on the NYSTA website. Please select from the suggested song list which can be downloaded from: http://nyst.org/events. To narrow down further from the list, Mr. Bucchino’s favorites, in no particular order, are: “Not A Cloud in the Sky,” “One White Dress,” “This Moment,” “On My Bedside Table,” “Love Quiz,” “I’ve Learned to Let Things Go,” “I’m Not Waiting,” and “When You’re Here.” If possible, please learn the songs in the original songbook key, even though there are some transposed versions available on the website.

31 Vol. 16, no. 2, November-December 2018 © NYSTA VOWEL MIGRATION AND MODIFICATION by Kenneth Bozeman, Professor of Music, Lawrence University

In 2007 I was invited to write an article for the Journal of Singing, for the Richard Miller Festschrift edition, since Richard had been a mentor of mine.1 That was the first time I outlined in print the notion 1 Kenneth Bozeman, “A of vowels turning over when the second harmonic of the voice source Case for Voice Science in the crosses the first resonance of the vocal tract, an observation I had Voice Studio,“ Journal of made as early as 1989. In that article I introduced the notion of Singing 63, No. 3 (January/ passive vowel modification—a change in vowel color caused not February 2007): 265–270. by reshaping or retuning the vocal tract, rather by the changing relationships of source harmonics with vocal tract resonances. I noted especially the strong migrations that occur when the second harmonic from the voice source crosses the first resonance of the vocal tract.2 2 Vocal tract resonances At the end of that article I posed the following questions: have been referred to as formants in much voice Given the observation that vowels vary significantly in timbre acoustic literature, which and behavior across range as described above, further questions uses the terms “vocal tract suggest themselves relative to effective passaggio training. resonance” and “formant” 1) What exactly is meant by vowel modification? Is it: interchangeably as ● the deliberate substitution of a different shape or sound synonyms. I inherited and than that to which we are accustomed in speech? (Vowel used that language, though substitution: sing // instead of /a/ at that pitch.) I noted the distinction ● the slight coloration of a vowel that we still perceive to be already in a footnote in the spoken vowel? (Vowel coloration: (think more / / in Practical Vocal Acoustics your /a/ at that pitch.) (p.11). The importance of ● the fact that the same shape of tube yields vowels that differ the distinction has become as a function of frequency? (Vowel migration: the shape for increasingly apparent, such /a/ in typical speech range yields more of an // in the upper that some authors are now voice. Therefore, leave the shape basically the same, but realize using the closer definitions: [anticipate and allow] that the vowel will migrate somewhat a “vocal tract resonance” is towards an //on its own as you ascend.) a sound transfer character- ● simply the need to open the mouth more with ascending istic of the vocal tract; a pitch, while continuing to think the intended vowel? “formant” is a spectral peak ● perhaps a combination of some or all of the above? in the radiated spectrum. Hence, vocal tract reso- 2) Given the aesthetic and historic pedagogic goals of vowel nances populated by voice purity and intelligibility, what then is acceptable vowel source harmonics cause modification versus disturbing vowel distortion? formants in the resultant radiated sound. 3) And of course, how do vowel modifications differ in training the female passaggio? These questions remained only partially answered at the time of publication in 2013 of my first book, Practical Vocal Acoustics: Pedagogic Applications for Teachers and Singers, a text which aspires to describe in accessible language the acoustic landscape all singers inhabit. The subsequent work of colleague Ian Howell of New

32 Vol. 16, no. 2, November-December 2018 © NYSTA England Conservatory in psychoacoustics offers a promising lens through which to view questions of vowel modification. Specifically, the proposal that vowel-like tone color percepts are attached to specific frequencies—a hypothesis Howell names absolute spectral tone color3—yielded the following pedagogic 3 Ian Howell, “Parsing the implications: Spectral Envelope: Toward a 1) Vowel migration across range is inevitable. Individual General Theory of Vocal Tone source harmonics each have an inherent tone color. As the Color,“ DMA thesis, New fundamental frequency (pitch) is raised, its harmonic set also England Conservatory of rises in frequency, causing each harmonic gradually to move Music, 2016, 29, https:// through the vowel color spectrum. Furthermore, individual www.academia.edu/29162454. harmonics increase in intensity as they climb into vocal tract resonance peaks and diminish as they descend out of them, contributing first more, and subsequently less, of their color to the overall composite timbre. 2) In general, vowels other than [i] and [u] initially close and round somewhat with pitch ascent. Back vowels simply round toward a closer round neighbor. Front vowels take on some mixed quality from this rounding factor. Prior to the sung pitch matching the first formant of the vowel being sung (i.e., prior to arrival into whoop timbre) these changes can occur purely from pitch change, not from shape change, hence are considered vowel migrations, not active modifications. For pitches above the normal first formant locations, the first resonance must be raised to track the rising fundamental (pitch) in order to maintain timbral fullness. Vowels in whoop mode will continue to migrate in perceptual timbre, necessitating active shape opening while taking on more of the rounded under-vowel quality. 3) When source harmonics rise into and through the first resonance peak, their timbral changes are more dramatic and contribute to a percept of acoustic register transition. This occurs at pitches that match the first formant location (whoop timbre), one octave lower (turning over from open to close timbre), an octave and a fifth lower (a mini-turn or closure), two octaves lower (another mini-closure), etc. These are all pitches at which a source harmonic interacts with a vowel’s first resonance location. 4) Allowing appropriate vowel migrations as well as engaging appropriate active vowel modifications across range assists phonation efficiency by means of acoustic feedback on the vocal folds. It can reduce excess airflow and the sub- to supra-glottal pressure difference without the need to increase glottal resistance force (i.e., without pressing). In other words, it increases the closed quotient of the phonation and the efficiency of the vocal tract as a resonator. 4 Kenneth Bozeman, Kinesthetic Voice Pedagogy: Motivating I wrote about these vowel migrations in some detail in a second Acoustic Efficiency (Gahanna, book, Kinesthetic Voice Pedagogy: Motivating Acoustic Efficiency, 4 OH: Inside View Press: 2017). published by Inside View Press in 2017, and in a subsequent

33 Vol. 16, no. 2, November-December 2018 © NYSTA article for the Journal of Singing, “The Pedagogic Use of Absolute Spectral Tone Color Theory” in the November/December 2017 issue. 5 In those writings I concluded from Howell’s work that 5 Kenneth Bozeman, “The an intended target vowel is actually comprised of at least two Pedagogic Use of Absolute vowel colors.6 Each of these component tone colors comes from Spectral Tone Color Theory,” the spectral centroid7 (an intensity weighted average) of the Journal of Singing 74, No. 2 harmonics being featured by the first two vocal tract resonances— (November/December 2017): the so-called vowel formants. These two vowel-like colors are 179-183. then blended in our aural perception much like blue and yellow 6 Ian Howell, “Parsing the blend to form green to visual perception. The singer’s formant Spectral Envelope,“ 32-33, 72, i cluster additionally supplies an [ ]-like ringing quality atop the 74. two vowel formant colors.8 7 Ibid., 35. First Formant “Under-Vowel” Tone Color 8 Ibid., 47, 74, 80-83. The harmonics within range of the first formant (from about C4 to G5) are all essentially in contact with the treble clef in the spectral range of [u] or [o]-like tone color—with an []-like color at G5. Therefore, the first formant provides the defining quality for the vowels [u] and [o]. For vowels other than [u] and [o], the first formant contributes a complementary warming, rounding quality. As the lowest resonance of a sung tone, the contribution of the first formant can be considered a kind of “under-vowel” tone color component. Second Formant “Over-Vowel” Tone Color The tone colors of frequencies within the scope of the second formant, which lies from about G5 above the treble clef up to D7, range from [  a æ  e i]. The second formant provides the defining quality for those brighter vowels and adds a complementary brightness to [u] and [o]. The contribution of the second formant can be considered a kind of “over-vowel” tone color component. Singer’s Formant Tone Color The singer’s formant cluster resides in the top octave of the piano and therefore is in the spectral tone color range of [i] and hyper- bright [i]. The ringing projection of the singer’s formant cluster is then simply some amount of very bright [i] tone color above the primary vowel defining formants. The over- and under-vowel percepts of the first two formant contributions can be approximated as shown below. The intended vowels are matched with their defining formant contributions by means of color coding.

Appropriate Perceptual Spectral Tone Colors of the Vowel Formants (F1 , F2)

From: Bozeman, Kenneth. Kinesthetic Voice Pedagogy: Motivating Acoustic Efficiency. Inside View Press, 2017.

34 Vol. 16, no. 2, November-December 2018 © NYSTA Front and Mid-Vowels Notice that for all front and mid-vowels ([i] through [] (shown in the diagram on page 34 in red), the intended vowel is the over-vowel (the spectral tone color of the harmonics being featured by the second formant). The under-vowel for those (the green IPA symbols between the clefs) provides a complementary depth to the defining over-vowel. The under-vowel tone color for these vowels is actually an [u] or an [o], which can be demonstrated when that first formant contribution is excerpted and played alone (for example, with an analysis program such as VoceVista Video Pro), and can even be heard as such by individuals who either hear spectrally by nature or train themselves to hear spectrally. However, in context and without special training, the complementary tone color to the target vowel is not usually perceived in isolation by most humans, rather is heard as blended in color with that of the intended over-vowel. It is noteworthy that the perceived tone colors of these complementary under-vowels are quite similar to historically suggested vowel substitutions for the intended target vowels when sung at higher pitches. Teachers using active vowel modification toward those substitutions heard correctly that the target vowel needed more of that complementary color. The significant difference suggested here is simply that these complementary tone colors are passively present, without requiring the mouth and/or lips to be reshaped as if the substitute modifications were now the target vowels. Back-Vowels For the two back-vowels [u] and [o], the defining quality comes from the under vowel tone color being featured by the first formant. The over-vowel for [u] and [o], possibly an [] or an [], then supplies a complementary, brighter and slightly more open spectral tone color (the green IPA symbols above the top clef), that assists the singer’s formant cluster in giving projection. Without this over-vowel help, these back vowels easily dull and lose power and projection. This is aided by not over-opening the mouth nor creating a hollow shape in the front of the mouth, but rather by using a fairly close, high articulation of the [u] and [o] with a relatively high mid-back tongue dorsum. The Role of Affect Before going further with vowel motivation, it must be noted that human voicing, from birth on, is essentially motivated by the impulse to communicate feelings. Building on that core expressional motivation tends to coordinate respiration with phonation and resonation more efficiently. This is called primal sound generation by some

35 Vol. 16, no. 2, November-December 2018 © NYSTA pedagogues, Janice Chapman, for example.9 This reality 9 Janice Chapman, Singing and Teaching would seem to indicate that all other motivations for or Singing (San Diego, CA: Plural refinements of voicing must be built on that organizing Publishing, 2012), 17-22. principle in order to be holistic, fully integrated and embodied. Howell’s work in psychoacoustics would suggest further that since all sound is processed by the human brain as compilations of the vowel-like tone colors of its inherent frequencies, we must also motivate voicing via vowel-like intentions. That would be our only option, no matter how complex the frequency composition of the intended utterance. Humans can only conceive of sound in terms of spectral tone color combinations, along with the variables of intensity, duration, and pitch. And since melodic inflection of the voice is also motivated by the expressional path of our prosody, we come full circle back to the innate impulse to communicate feelings. I generally counsel students against making sung sounds without some expressive, affective intent, however light. All suggested explorations will benefit from some sincere, affective motivational component. In sum, it could be said that human voicing is essentially expressive “voweling.” Playing Percentages of the Under- and Over-Vowels A student’s attention can be led to notice the two vowel tone colors of a given target vowel. With appropriate exploration, they can learn to sense how these two tone colors are “tuned” by the vocal tract. They are in fact tuned by means of affect and a somewhat blended vowel tone color intention. With practice, the singer can then manage the percentages of each in the composite sound. There are a number of strategies for accomplishing this: ● First, it is necessary to know the likely tone color components for a given vowel. For example, an [a] is made of the tone colors [a] plus [] or []. ● Second, with practice the student can use a chiaroscuro whisper 10 to locate and explore the two 10 A chiaroscuro whisper is a whisper vowel sounds and their inherent “pitches.” The over- from a settled larynx and relatively vowel component will be more prominent. A gentle open throat, in contrast to a typical glottal click into the whisper can assist in hearing the whisper that is done with a high under-vowel component. larynx. The typical whisper reduces or eliminates under-vowel ● It can help to imagine a quick “grace note” of the contribution and exaggerates the target vowel color into the complementary vowel color. over-vowel component. ● Alternatively, the student can imagine mentally trilling between the under- and over-vowel colors at about his/her vibrato rate. This is not a pitch trill, rather a rapid imaginary tone color alternation between two color thoughts. ● The student can make the shape of the intended

36 Vol. 16, no. 2, November-December 2018 © NYSTA vowel while imagining the sound of the complementary vowel color through that shape. For example: form the bright [a] shape of your lower middle voice, but then sing a bright [] through it as you ascend, deliberately maintaining the [a] shape while singing the [] sound. It helps to conceive of the [] component as bright, to the front and above the palate. Approaching the first formant location, the [] color migrates further toward an [] while the shape remains that of an [a]. Location of First and Second Formant Sensations The entire vocal tract participates in the tuning of all vocal tract resonances, though certain behaviors along the vocal tract may have a greater influence on a given resonance tuning. It may nonetheless have a useful effect to conceive of a specific formant tone color as located in either the front room (oral cavity) or the back room (pharyngeal column). The imagined location may need to be adapted from one genre to another to achieve the desired timbre. In earlier acoustic science it was thought that the first resonance was more pharyngeal and the second more oral. 11 However, 11 Peter Ladefoged, Elements of harmonic singers report just the reverse—conceiving the Acoustic Phonetics (University of second resonance in the pharynx and the first orally. 12 Chicago Press: 1962), 103-104. This coordinates with some early Italian pedagogues who maintained that vowels are made in the pharynx. Since 12 Wolfgang Saus, from a private most vowels get their dominant tone color from the second conversation at the International formant, that Italian counsel would then imply sensing the Congress of Voice Teachers, higher resonance (second formant over-vowel) as coming Stockholm, Sweden, August from the pharynx. This also suggests a counterintuitive 2017. reversal of bright and dark. It seems fairly universal to conceive of bright as forward and dark as back. Reversing this percept has had very positive effects in this author’s experience: ● It tends to prevent tongue backing/lowering and the hollow darkening of a false open throat sensation. ● It enables maximizing both ring and depth. The intuitive front-is-bright and back-is-dark percept tends to make ring and depth into a mutually antagonistic, either/or, binary option, resulting in an in-between averaging rather than a maximizing of both. Vowel Migration and Range We are reminded by absolute spectral tone color that singing is necessarily voweling. Humans experience sound in vowel-like percepts and therefore necessarily conceive sounds in vowel-like tone colors. This is inherent in Italian, which uses a common root for vowel and vocal: vocale. Vowel color inevitably migrates with range, as does acoustic sensation. No step higher will have exactly the same vowel quality. It will either be actively opened by changing the

37 Vol. 16, no. 2, November-December 2018 © NYSTA shape, or if shape is maintained, it will migrate closer until the sung pitch equals the first resonance of the vowel being sung, i.e., at which point the tone will have arrived in whoop timbre. Each vowel migrates to include a greater percentage of its complementary vowel quality with ascent (see the chart on page 34). Central and back vowels [a] through [o] passively round somewhat in color toward a closer neighbor, without any need to round the lips further than they already were for the speech version of the vowel. For example, [a] takes on more [] or [], [] takes on more [o] or [], etc. These migrations occur with every step of the scale, but are especially apparent when source harmonics cross the first resonance of the vocal tract at acoustic register transitions. In order to avoid the instinctive tracking of rising harmonics by the first resonance, these migrations need to be anticipated and deliberately allowed until their migratory paths are second nature. The students of Kenneth Bozeman, MM, have sung with opera companies Front vowels both close and round in color, resulting in including Houston Grand, Boston a mixed vowel timbre, again without the need for any Lyric, Opera Colorado, Washington, additional lip rounding. [i] takes on more [], [e] and [] Wolf Trap, Seattle, Deutsche Oper take on more [œ], etc. The brighter over-vowel component Berlin, New York City, San Francisco, can be imagined as emanating from the back room (pharynx), the Metropolitan, Chicago Lyric, and and the under-vowel—which is complementary for all Santa Fe. vowels other than [u] and [o]—as existing in or above the front room. If the speech-like version of the vowel calls for He has been a frequent presenter no lip rounding, (as in [i] through [a]), neither will the under- at voice science conferences and vowel need any lip rounding. Its rounding, modifying effect universities, and written several will be passively present in a comfortable, well-shaped articles on the topic of voice acoustics version of the target over-vowel. As the mouth is opened to and two books, Practical Vocal track whoop timbre, convergence can be maintained by a Acoustics: Pedagogic Applications relatively high tongue dorsum. For front vowels in close or for Teachers and Singers, and whoop timbre, it will seem to the singer that the tongue is Kinesthetic Voice Pedagogy: “in the way” as if she is singing “through the tongue” rather Motivating Acoustic Efficiency. than over the tongue and out the mouth. Past presentations on vocal acoustic Conclusion pedagogy include the 2012, 2014 and 2018 NATS conventions, the 2014 In sum, the addition of absolute spectral tone color theory to Winter Workshop, a 2016 online the knowledge of acoustic register locations and transitions NATS Chat, and frequent lecture has enabled significant progress in understanding what demonstrations for universities and causes vowel migration and what necessitates vowel local NATS chapters. He was a master modification. Allowing appropriate migrations and teacher for the 2013 and 2017 NATS transitions as well as knowing when active modification is Intern programs, and leads the needed greatly facilitates dynamic laryngeal registration. faculty for the Summer Acoustic Vocal Pedagogy Workshop at the New England Conservatory. [email protected] http://faculty.lawrence.edu/bozemank/

38 Vol. 16, no. 2, November-December 2018 © NYSTA BOOK REVIEW: Singing in Brazilian Portuguese: A Guide to Lyric Diction and Vocal Repertoire by Marcía D. Porter Review by Dr. Anthony P. Radford As we all know, the study of classical art song leads every student into an exciting discovery of other languages and cultures. Over the last seventy years, American singers have been proactive in educating themselves and their students on the nature of these song languages through the introduction of diction classes and new texts. Each new study opens up another world of song to the American student from the earlier texts addressing French, German, Italian, and in more recent years, with texts on Russian, Czech, the Scandinavian languages, Greek and Polish. A recent addition to the lyric diction series by Rowman & Littlefield is a Guide to Singing in Brazilian Portuguese by Florida State University professor Marcía D. Porter. I have already used this text in my studio and have enjoyed working on some of these songs with my students. Marcía D. Dr. Porter became interested in the songs of Brazil and over Porter the last two decades has studied the topic extensively. In 2005, Brazilian linguists came together to codify lyric pronunciation, providing some clarity on what Brazilians themselves prefer to hear. Porter’s book incorporates this earlier work as well as the Portuguese Language Orthographic Agreement (2016), which sought to standardize the spelling of Brazilian Portuguese across the Portuguese diaspora. However, as Porter points out, European Portuguese has different “variances and nuances,” and this text is primarily a study of Brazilian Portuguese. Porter’s work follows a similar format to the other books in the series. Part One explores the sounds of Brazilian Portuguese and Part Two explores the most popular Brazilian repertoire. Because of this familiar format, singers and teachers will find the edition easy to use. There is an extensive and detailed Table of Contents with page by page detail, so a reader can easily return to find certain topics when using the text as a reference. In Part Two the reader will find a treatment of the works of Brazilian composers in a section that could be titled “Beyond Villa-Lobos.” Readers have the chance to expand their repertoire horizons in these chapters, which are organized chronologically, starting with the compositions of the early nineteenth century and continuing into the late twentieth

39 Vol. 16, no. 2, November-December 2018 © NYSTA century. Detailed phonetic transcriptions and translations of selected songs from representative composers are explored here, and are one of the most indispensible aspects of all the books in this series. I find the appendices of a book particularly interesting, and this book doesn’t disappoint. Appendix A has a few biographies of the major Brazilian poets and Appendix E is a handy pronunciation checklist. The references are extensive and reflective of a thorough study. Other resources include a pronunciation listening guide found through the Rowman and Littlefield website. I found this to be very helpful, as many of the sounds are difficult to glean from symbols alone. For those who learn through imitation, this resource is invaluable. Anthony Radford is Professor of Voice and Opera at California State Timothy Cheek’s forward has a repeated paragraph, and there University, Fresno. He is a prolific are some errors in the text. For example, the author warns that reviewer of performances and books the [a:w] diphthong and glide should not be pronounced as [a:u] and his writings appear in national but then the diphthong is spelled exactly the way we are told journals and websites. He is active to avoid in the recording list. Since I am not an expert in the in coordinating voice and opera language, it makes me wonder about other errors and therefore study programs in Germany, damages the overall credibility of the study. In such a detailed England, Canada, and next year, and extensive volume, small typos are inevitable and I would China. In 2016 his opera program hope that these errors would be cleaned up in a second edition. commissioned the work Lucinda y las Flores de la Nochebuena, On the whole this is an indispensible work for the voice student an opera for children based on a and teacher interested in exploring Brazilian song. Mexican Folk tale which receives multiple performances across the US every year.

40 Vol. 16, no. 2, November-December 2018 © NYSTA