VOX HUMANA

ALFRED WOLFSOHN’S

Experiments in Extension of The Human Vocal Range

FOLKWAYS RECORDS FX 6123

FOLKWAYS RECORDS Album No, FX 6123 © 1956 Folkways Records and Service Corp. 701 Seventh Ave., NYC USA YOX HUMANA N S

= Alfred. Wolfsafun's Axperiments An 2ensior oF fuuman vocal nonge

Introduction Ly Dr. Henry Cowell ADDITIONAL FOLK WAYS/SCHOLASTIC RECORDS OF INTEREST

SCIENCE: JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

+ 6200 VOICES OF THE SATELLITES. + 6120 SOUNDS OF A TROPICAL Rec. & notes by T. A. Benham. Tracking RAIN FOREST IN AMERICA. signals from U.S. & Russian satellites; also Dawn-to-Dusk in 32 rec. min. Prod. for inc. heartbeat of Leika, first dog in space. Amer. Museum of Natural History. Illus. 1—12” LP—$5.79 animal, bird, & natural sounds found in dry JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL & rainy seasons. 1-12” LP—$5.79 6431 INTRODUCTORY HUMAN BIOLOGY Vol. 1. 6122 SOUNDS OF A basic course by George E. Caraker. inc. THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST. The Cell, Reproduction, Basis of Heredity, Rec. by Charles M. Bogert. Dawn-to-Dusk; Human Inheritance, & Structure of Human wild animals & natural sounds, inc. rattle- + 6101 SCIENCE IN OUR LIVES. Body; text & dictionary of terms inc. snakes, owls, toads, thunderstorm, flash- Narr. by author-scientist Ritchie Calder. 1-12” LP—$5.79 floods; more. Rec. in varying locations; in Inc. aspects of science devel.; origins, terms, dry & rainy season. 1—12” LP—$5.79 evolution, & man’s relationship to land. Inc. text. 1—12” LP—$5.79 6123 VOX HUMANA. Alfred Wolfsohn’s experiments in extension + 6124 SOUNDS OF ANIMALS. of human voc. range; rec. in England; intro. How animals express their emotions & wants by Henry Cowell. Inc. nine-octave range, through sounds: puma, lion, elephant, SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL voice versus instru., double & multiple stop- chicks, goat, sheep, etc. Good study of ani- ping; more. 1—12” LP—$5.79 mal behavior. 1-12” LP—$5.79 6125 SOUNDS OF SEA ANIMALS Vol. 2. 6130 SOUND PATTERNS. Rec. & narr. by W. N. Kellogg, Oceano- Compiled by Moses Asch. Natural, man- graphic Inst., Florida State U. Study of un- made, mus., human & location sounds of the derwater sounds prod. by fish species & world. Basic intro. to sound for students of + 6007 THE SCIENCE OF SOUND. porpoise, rec. at normal & reduced speeds. all levels. 1-12” LP—$5.79 Prod. by Bell Telephone Labs. Demos. of 1-12” LP—$5.79 + 6136 THE SCIENCE OF SOUND. acoustic phenomena inc. how we hear, fre- 6161 HERE AT THE WATER’S EDGE. Prod. by Bell Telephone Labs. (Abridged quency, pitch, vibration, resonance, Dop- From the sound track by Leo Hurwitz & version of 6007.) Demos. var. phenomena pler effect, & masking distortion; others. Charles Pratt. Rec. in & around Port of N.Y. inc. how we hear, frequency, pitch, Dop- Acquaints h.s.-col. students with sound. Inc. water sounds & men on shore; notes inc. pler effect; more. Acquaints upper elem-h.s. 2—12” LPs—$11.58 1-12” LP—$5.79 students with sound. 1—12” L.P—$5.79 6100 SOUNDS OF FREQUENCY. + 6201 MAN IN SPACE. 6161 HERE AT THE WATER'S EDGE. Notes & rec. by Peter Bartok. Test rec. for Docu. rec. of Alan B. Shepard’s 1961 Mer- From the sound track by Leo Hurwitz & checking equipment: frequency, response, & cury flight from countdown to evaluation. Charles Pratt. Rec. in & around Port of N.Y. distortion. Demos. RIAA curve & SINE Inc. conversation to Mercury control center Inc. water sounds & men on shore; notes inc. wave. 1—12” LP—$5.79 during flight. 1—12” LP—$5.79 1—12” LP—$5.79 + 6166 SOUNDS OF : 6250 SCIENCE FICTION NORTH AMERICAN FROGS. 6115 THE BIRD’S WORLD OF SONG. ELECTRONIC SOUND EFFECTS. Docu., & field rec. by Charles M. Bogert in By Hudson & Sandra Ansley. Songs of wren, Rec. by Mel Kaiser; inc. rocket blast-off & U.S. & Mexico. Study of biological: signifi- field sparrow; mockingbirds; others; rec. cosmic bombardment indicator. cance of 92 frog voices; inc. var. calls & with sound microscope. Scientific transcrip. 1—12” LP—$5.79 sounds. Illus. docu. text. 1-12” LP—$5.79 of vocal expressions. Docu. rec. in Mary- land. 1—12” LP—$5.79 6401 THE FIRST ENCOUNTER. 6178 SOUNDS OF INSECTS. By Arcangelo Calobrisi, M.D., F.A.P.A. Dis- Rec. by Albro T. Gaul. Courtship & protec- 6116 THE LYREBIRD: A Documentary Study cussion of contemp. psychiatry in U.S.; role tive calls, sounds in response to stimuli or of Its Song. & techniques of therapist. For h.s.-col. intro. by-product of motion; inc. cicadas, crickets, Rec. in Australia. Demos. lyrebird’s social to psychology. Inc. complete text. & beetles. J—12” LP—$5.79 life & ability to compose. 1—12” LP—$5.79 1-12” LP—$5.79

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UTHO IN U.S.A. ee cerpt from a Brahms ‘Hungarian Dance’, in the latter half of which the tone color is Introduction by Henry Cowell SIDE I, Band 7: FIVE FEMALE VOICES repeat varied. Here the human voice shows a vers- the last example, down to the last note of the atility which is not possessed by the stringed The human voice is capable of doing a great SIDE I, Band 1: "LEND ME YOUR EARS!" piano keyboard. instrument; JENNY JOHNSON; variety of different things. Usually singers in Demonstrates that intelligible phonation of words (AVIS COLE; GIL JOHNSON; c) Coloratura of 4-1/2 octaves in excerpt from training are discouraged from experiment, and can be made in ranges beyond those thought. MARITA GUNTHER; IRMGARD WERSANER). 'Villanelle' (Eva dell'Acqua); focus on an equalization of tone-quality, so that practical by previous theory. d) 'WATER BOY" - an octave below the usual the voice will have a blend of "head" (pure) tone Female Voice MARITA GUNTHER in a range of SIDE I, Band 8: THE MALE & FEMALE VOICES contralto. A free arrangement which includes in singing and "chest" (rich) tone throughout a range which Seven Octaves. of the last two examples now combine ascent to D an octave above the coloratura; a theme from "Chanson Triste" (Tchaikovsky). e) Free arrangement of the Alabieff-Liebling usually varies in a cultivated voice from about one octave and a fourth to two octaves or so. SIDE I, Band 2: DUET IN NEW VOCAL SOUND To show that these octaves which are below the "NIGHTINGALE" (from Russian folksong) in RANGE: recognized deepest male and female range can range of Four Octaves. In the Far East, singers are trained to produce Two female voices, singing arpeggios, cross be very expressive when used melodically. several (usually seven) stylized tone -qualities, one descending. In each other, one ascending, each for a specific traditional dramatic or ex- a range of Five Octaves. (MARITA GUNTHER, SIDE I, Band 9: NEW REGISTERS. (MALE & VOICE versus INSTRUMENTS: FEMALE VOICE). pressive use. While the Western teacher descending arpeggios; JENNY JOHNSON, "places'' the voice so that it has command of It is said that there was one tenor in the world SIDE II, Band 3: Duet between female voice ascending arpeggios: between Bass F, and F one tonal blend (usually with severe warnings high F, i.e., just who sang F above Top C. As one will see from and a Viola (descending scale). Repeated with one octave above coloratura to the student that any tampering with this will below top of piano). this item, there is no break inside the three female voice lying a third below instrument. octaves, and no falsetto sounds are used. ruin the voice), the Oriental students suffer no a) Male Voice ERNEST COLE Side II, Band 4: Male voice and Cello. injury to the voice by their command of seven SIDE I, Band 3: BOY'S VOICE: types of tone. This item shows that the possibilities of a range A series of arpeggios, their starting notes Descending scale. Repeated with male voice moving upwards from the tenor High C to octave below cello register (to show that human which was never before thought possible, are Among the Oriental techniques there is the latent already in the child. Demonstrating that the C above. voice continues register without break). use of falsetto, a vocal harmonic or overtone b) Repetition of the item by Female Voice GIL these items are not simply developed experi- an octave or more higher than the "normal" ments, but the exploitation of possibilities pre- JOHNSON. SIDE I, Band 5: Female voice and Violin. First violin plays three descending scales in voice. This is used, for instance, on the viously unsuspected in the human being. Chinese stage where male singers impersonate MICHAEL FARADAY (aged 12 years): top register of instrument, repeated by female NINE OCTAVES... women. The upper part of Swiss yodelling is a a) Range of Seven Octaves on the word "BELLA" SIDE I, Band 10: voice (Jenny); THOMAS FARADAY. falsetto tone, and such tones were sometimes b) Short coloratura from highest D on the piano a) Male Voice Then violin plays (in same top register) phrase that in this development of used by such tenors as John McCormack for to the F a fourth above. This item shows of Brahms; repeated by female voice. the human voice, depth is connected with Then same phrase in lowest register of instru- high, sustained sounds. Today the falsetto is extreme height. First the voice soars well ment, which is then repeated by female voice considered, in Western music, in poor taste; SIDE I, Band 4: FOUR & FIVE OCTAVE LEAPS yet in large male choruses such as Leonard de on the word "VIOLA": beyond the top of the piano into near ultra- twice, using different coloration (i.e. violin singer descends Paur's Infantry Chorus, a few men unobtrusive- a) Boy (MICHAEL FARADAY); sonic range, then the same must keep same color which is characteristic low Bass F! ly sing high parts in falsetto, to give a brighter b) Female Voice (JENNY JOHNSON); to three octaves down from for the instrument, but the voice has greater show a quality to the ensemble. c) Male Voice (ROY HART). This item is a These two examples from this singer resource of coloration). range of Nine Octaves in the human voice. Five-Octave jump, others are four octaves. The deepest notes lie below the lowest organ SIDE II, Band 6: Female voice and Flute. Another Oriental technique is that of producing singing sounds while breathing in as well as SIDE I, Band 5: DOUBLE & MULTIPLE STOP- notes. They descend scale together in thirds; followed below the bottom of while breathing out, so that the singer never PING BY THE VOICE: N.B. On the last notes by same scale staccato, down to lowest notes of the piano, you hear the finger tapping the needs to interrupt the song for purposes of Such effects have been known to occur accident- the instrument. —— wood as there are no more notes... breathing. The line of sound can be continuous, ally; these examples, however, are deliberate: although "breathy" in quality. a) MARITA GUNTHER - Multiple-stopping in b) Female Voice MARITA GUNTHER. extremes of range, first sing- chords stretching over two octaves; Shows similar THE SINGERS: up to the B flat two The Vox Humana group of singers in England b) JENNY JOHNSON - Double-stopping running ing some staccato sounds octaves above High Soprano; subsequently includes women, men and at least one child. in octaves. Female: MARITA GUNTHER; JENNY JOHNSON; descending down to the F just below the It is frankly experimental, and dedicates itself Double stopping is a resource of the stringed GIL JOHNSON; AVIS COLE; IRMGARD bottom note of the piano. WERSANER. to a great extension of vocal range, and the instrument as opposed to wind instrument. ability of any one singer to produce a variety Here the human voice produces such sounds. Male: MICHAEL FARADAY (aged 12 years); of sorts of timbre. Since the human voice is potentially the greatest musical instrument SIDE I, Band 6: DEMONSTRATION OF DIFFER- THOMAS FARADAY; ROY HART; SIDE II, Band 1: 'STRING QUARTET' FOR there is, one welcomes greatly this exploration ENT COLORATIONS ON SAME ERNEST COLE; JULIAN KEEBLE. FOUR FEMALE VOICES. of its further possibilities. NOTES. This item not only proves that the range of four This item shows nuances and colors which are octaves can be easily used, but shows how the SOUND RECORDING by Thomas Faraday. The fact that this group does not always do possible in an octave which is not used in music exactly what they claim to do, that they might instrumental quality of the human voice can be literature. explore profitably in many directions now un- FOUR MALE VOICES descend from the F in utilized. (JENNY JOHNSON; GIL JOHNSON; AVIS COLE; touched by them, and finally that what they do Middle Register, to the Bass E, repeating each MARITA GUNTHER). has a rather tenuous relationship to music as it note on the words ''VIOLIN, VIOLA, CELLO", now exists is perhaps beside the point. One does with their appropriate colorations. Then they SIDE I, Band 2: EXAMPLES IN SINGLE VOICE. not have to dismiss the fact that interesting descend from the deep Bass C to the A just over Separate resources demonstrated by the various things are done by voices, things which might two octaves below, on the word 'DOUBLE-BASS'"! have a good application to music in the hands of female voices, are shown to be con- (ERNEST COLE; ROY HART; THOMAS FARA- male and tained in one female voice - JENNY JOHNSON: suitable composers. If composers know that DAY; JULIAN KEEBLE). a) "VIOLIN, VIOLA, CELLO; DOUBLE-BASS" they may write freely for the voice in a high (In this example, as in the later examples of area, they can and will produce works in which the Male Voice, the piano plays an octave above as Item (6); b) The range of the violin shown in a short ex- the voice, in order to keep up with it). ) the truly musical side may be brought forth. to make a voice imitate certain known instru- Every now and then, the musical world is further, shout louder, or stand pain in a way It is offensive to the musical taste to take a ments, since the instruments can play for them- astonished to hear singers whose performance that was never before apparent! classical string quartet, and have the four parts selves; but it is very provocative to consider as regards range is so far above the normal taken by human. voices. It was not meant for that human voices can produce a myriad of as to appear a freak of nature. The latest Alfred Wolfsohn, who has been through two voices, and sounds far better for the strings different timbres, that a composer may call example is the Feruvian singer Yma Sumac. World Wars, knew these things, and in his for which it was written. What IS shown, how- for practically any sort of tone he wishes, and It has, however, been proved that far from work as a singing teacher he found that it was ever, is that voices can produce at will several that any Vox Humana-trained singer of any age being a freak or abnormal, these voices must necessary to be a psychologist too. He soon sorts of tone quality, some of them excellent or sex can sing it according to the composer's be considered to be much nearer to normal than became known for his uncanny abilities as a for use in quasi-instrumental style, and in desire. It would appear from the techniques the rest, if one agrees to a norm based on what ‘voice doctor'; he could restore voices lost chamber music. They do not have to sound just already developed that a musical tone of almost is inherently possible to man! through fear, overstrain or bad training. He like violins, violas and violoncellos to be any desired quality can be sounded from the could develop fine and beautiful tones from bass to an ultra-treble range, continuously and valuable. Can you imagine a dozen Sumacs, male or people who appeared to have no voices at all. smoothly. We hope that this group will continue female - able to sing arrangements of Granted, then, that before their experiments to experiment and grow, and that they will complicated classical arias? Can you imagine He has always believed that the human voice become an integrated part of music composers gather to them interested composers who will a singer with the range of Sumac multiplied by has been neglected compared with the develop- explore with them the really musical uses of must create things especially for them, let us two? ment of instrumental music, and he set out to examine just what new things the Vox Humana the new sounds. One foresees the growth of a discover how the voice could have as versatile singers bring forth. modern sort of English madrigalism. And do you believe that even you could sing a range as any instruments, and develop new the highest notes of the soprano as well as tone colors and dynamics in singing. In order to understand the result, it must be the lowest notes of the bass? pointed out that their teacher, Alfred Wolfsohn, To begin such an experiment, Wolfsohn need- abandons the older theory that human voices are Alfred Wolfsohn believes you could, and what ed support, and he found this in a strange way. "natural'' sopranos, contraltos, tenors or is more, he has been teaching people like you One of his first and most loyal supporters was Notes by Leslie Shepard basses, or mezzos or baritones. He takes the to develop this ability, as well as even more James Johnson, a man who had once been his position that all voices are capable of having astonishing performances! It is part of an enemy! During the first World War they were "THE VOICE OF THE WORLD' complete ranges of all musical sound from low experiment with the human voice, which has both soldiers, but on different sides, and they to high, whether of men, women or children. been conducted for some years without must have faced each other in the same village These ranges are extended from the middle in publicity or sensation. It is not a stunt or on the Somme on the same day! Johnson was a This is the story of a unique experiment with both directions. He works to do this with no freak, but part of a serious contribution to the Chartered Accountant with the soul of a poet, the human voice. perceptible break in the voice, so that it does resources of music. From time to time and he understood the experiment and gave it not jump suddenly from a "natural" to a falsetto every support. He provided a studio in North- Ok Ok musicians and others who have been privileged tone, as in a yodel. Nevertheless, there are to have a preview of different stages of the work West London, and he and his two daughters elements of overtones in the extreme high tones; have been astounded by what they saw and heard. became some of the first subjects. and the unusually low ranges are produced by From time immemorial, legends about the voice have hinted at greater possibilities and what for want of a better word must be called The experiment began as a result of two ideas. One of the first problems was the terrifying are generally recognized in the bleating: that is to say, tones of the same pitch resources than sounds involved in training - before beautiful present century. are interrupted rapidly with silence. The The first was the power of the human voice. tones can be developed pupils make what can pitches that are actually sung are low, but not only be described as 'prehistoric' sounds, the extreme lows claimed; the rhythm of the You will remember the ancient Greek story of Wolfsohn lived in Germany at a time when the sounds in which one can hear primitive fear Orpheus who could charm wild animals and even tone-interruptions is correct for the vibrations voice of one man had power to change the life and hate. Even in later stages of training, the of the claimed pitches, but I admit I cannot hear trees by his songs - how his singing so moved of a whole nation in an evil way. This voice, amount of volume and resonance from any them, and feel it to be most doubtful whether the hearts of the guardians of Hades that they which came from an insignificant man, grew individual voice is overwhelming, in these days these sounds are physically produced. released his beautiful wife Eurydice. in a cellar; it spread out to street corners, and of microphones and electrical trickery! A then to the great square at Nuremberg with an group of a dozen young pupils can sound like a The extreme highs are another matter. They There is the Cabbalistic legend of the choir of fifty persons! are there, in clear, pure, in-tune tones, pro- Tetragrammaton - the 'Name that Rusheth audience of thousands. It was magnified and duced by a combination of harmonics or over- Through the Universe"; utterance of this holy relayed by radio all over the world, and where- ever it went it moved men to destructive acts So it was essential to have a soundproofed tones - a conscious division of the vocal chords name of God was reputed to have power to studio in which these experiments could be into halves (producing the first overtone, a change the form of the world as we know it. of folly, mad ambition, and unspeakable conducted. And here, a new human sound regular falsetto) and sometimes shorter sub- Similarly in Hindu legend there is the Sanskrit cruelty. s developed, moving from 2-1/2 to four octaves, divisions (making still higher overtones), in holy word ''AUM", aname that became power Before he escaped from Germany to serve from four octaves to eight and nine! combination with an over-blowing technique like through the forty different ways of pronouncing with the British forces, Wolfsohn had the idea that applied to all wind instruments; higher it. that it must be possible for the voice to have What does such an extension mean? pressures to produce higher pitches. In this power in a positive way, instead of a negative manner, musical tones are formed up to the Perhaps some of these legends may sound way. Look at the keyboard of a piano - there are very top of the piano range. foolish today, and yet - how much do we really roughly seven complete scales or octaves, know about the power of the voice? It is not so The second idea came as a result of these ranging from very deep sounds to very high It is possible to sing more than one overtone long since many Americans believed in the experiences. It was simply that ordinary men sounds. Now imagine a human voice which can simultaneously, or to produce one tone with the magic spells of the 'hex' books like Hohman's and women have capabilities and potentialities sing from the top of the piano right down to and vocal chords and another by throat-whistling; "Long Lost Friend"! Since such stories occur that would surprise themselves. off the bottom edge, and you have some idea and so there is an example of a single singer in most countries of the world, we must what these singers can achieve! Next you must sounding a succession of two tones at once. As conclude that there is some truth in them that Normally we have little idea of the possibili- conceive that over the middle octaves of the yet, however, it is not controlled enough to be has been magnified and distorted in being ties that lie within ourselves, and are astounded piano such a voice can give you the tone-colors used for composed musical purposes. handed down the centuries. This is the story of when these things are brought to light by acci- of different instruments on the same note! an experiment to rediscover some of the old dent or stress. In times of war, for example, Perhaps the rhost interesting and valuable magic of the human voice. men have shown that they can be heroes or Where will it end? And what does it mean? contribution is the vocalising in quasi-instru- Oly.npic champions! They can achieve feats of mental tones and styles. It is not so important * OK OK physical endurance, they can run faster, see It has already been shown that both male and This extension of the Voice is therefore more Ok OK This extension of the voice must be considered female voices are capable of producing sounds than a new system of singing. Pupils are in the light of the general tendencies of our within a range of eight to nine octaves. How brought face to face with their own hopes and It will be seen that very large possibilities time. far this extension of the voice can ultimately be fears as people. Many of them did not start are concerned in the extension of the human pushed cannot accurately be gauged at the out with the idea of becoming singers, but only voice! Those who have come in contact with Modern psychology has now arrived at and moment, because the work has only been in of finding a way to overcome psychological this project have found that the questions raised developed the ancient Chinese concept of the progress for a few years, and, more important, problems. are universal ones, as well as personal ones. essential unity and sameness of the apparent because the final limit will depend on the ability opposites: height based on depth, sky on the of both brain and ear to imagine and hear the Strange possibilities have been released in A talented young orchestral conductor discov- earth, male on female. Throughout history, sound before attempting to utter it. Needless the course of training. Some pupils discovered ered this hidden urge to sing which is in all of men have been engaged in this quest for height to say, the same difficulty will exist to an even within themselves an unsuspected talent for us, and said he would give up all his orchestral and depth: Odysseus - Dante - Milton - Goethe greater extent at first for the untrained listener painting once a certain stage in the production work if he could only be a singer! - up to Professor Piccard of our own time. It - not that this is a new point in instrumental of sound had been passed! Some had strange is now possible to look at the phenomenon of the music, since many works need to be heard a and vivid dreams, others found moments of Where does the voice stand, compared with conquest of Mount Everest and the achievement number of times to comprehend their musical- telepathic power! Quite apart from the miracle the instruments ? of the four-minute mile of Roger Bannister, in ity. of the vocal extension itself, new inter-relation- an entirely new light. ships with psychology and paranormal phenom- If one accepts the view that the various instru- As might be expected, an extension of this ena have been discovered. ments created by man are but projections of his At no other time in history have all manner of kind must have repercussions in other direc- It is interesting to find in this connection own voice, one must also accept that the voice limitations been so furiously assaulted as today, tions also. It is not surprising to find it open- that certain experimenters in the, as yet, new must contain within itself all the possibilities of when old barriers are being overthrown and ing up the range of expression of the voice, and unconventional field of medical radies- these instruments, The inferiority and limit- cleared at an increasingly rapid pace, whether with everything connected with it. thesia have come to similar conclusions ations which the voice apparently has when com- it be the speed of sound, or the mass and energy independently. For example, G.de la Warr, pared with the instruments of the orchestra, equation ! As the true nature of the voice is approached A. [email protected].,°Gsl, Mech. E., B. R.S.A,),..in are overcome by the extension of the voice, and more and more closely, the wealth of colora- describing the experiments at his Oxford this to such an extent that it would be difficult Alfred Wolfsohn and his group of students have tion increases all the time. Even entirely new Laboratory, said: - for anyone to deny that the voice can more than started more than a technical innovation. This colors come into existence. A similar devel- Lea I now come to an extremely important hold its own in this comparison, both in range work throws light on one of the oldest conflicts opment takes place with regard to the dynamics "feature of this evocation of Fundamental and in variety of coloration and expression. of mankind in an age that has been losing faith. available to the singers. These developments "Energy inasmuch as we have found that air It is a symbol that power can be used creatively add up to an enormous gain in the expressive- "waves can be made to produce an almost The composer of the present and future should instead of destructively. ness of the human voice. "parallel effect to light waves. It is possi- be able to set the voice within the range of four "ble to stimulate any cell group in the body octaves, but even more important, he should be But this means that we need to have a new "by the appropriate combination of notes or able to treat the voice as an orchestra in minia- conception of the voice. It is usual practice to "chords of music. The chord must, of ture, divide the human voice into four main catego- "course, have a similarity with the waveform ries: soprano, contralto, tenor and bass. But "emitted by the particular cell group it is And, too, there is music in the spoken voice, SOME QUOTATIONS: in the moment in which one single voice can be "wished to stimulate...... I believe that the in the dramas of the playwright, and the verse extended to cover these four registers, they "correct combination of high intensity sound of poets. Centuries ago, minstrels and gleemen must cease to have their specific meaning, "waves would completely disrupt any cell were performers, too, who held their audiences 1. From "BRAVE NEW WORLD" by Aldous since it is shown that this apparently specific "group in the human body if scientifically spellbound with tones and colors that the modern Huxley (describing the "Feelies™ - part of the whole is contained in any one voice. "applied." poet cannot compass and the mind must supply a sort of Cinema of the Future:) from the printed page. It can further be shown that any male voice The de la Warr Laboratory has made some " ...... Thirty or forty bars - and then, contains female elements and conversely any interesting experiments in the medical use of In the use of this wide range in the speaking "against this instrumental background, a female voice contains male elements capable sound to correct disease conditions in the body. voice, there are new opportunities for the "much more than human voice began to of being developed fully if desired. This must, dramatist and the actor, as they find the courage "warble; now throaty, now from the head, of necessity, lead to the basic conception of Some people will say that such work and to use them, "now hollow as a flute, now charged with the human voice, as opposed to the specialized theories are too unorthodox to merit serious "yearning harmonics. It effortlessly passed one. Since the voice is not simply the function investigation, and yet so often we find the con- And, of course, courage is very much con- "from Gaspard Forster's low record on the of an anatomical structure called the larynx, ventional and the unconventional sciences mov- cerned in this development that has the power to "very frontiers of musical tone to a trilling but the expression of the personality as a ing in the same direction, In the last few years, eliminate fears. "bat note high above the highest C to which whole, this is tantamount to the requirement the science of ''Ultrasonics'"' has shown indus- "(in 1770, at the ducal opera of Parma, and of a personality fully developed in every direc- trial applications of sound frequencies beyond There was a time when music, poetry and the "to the astonishment of Mozart) Lucrezia tion - not stunted in any one way by the over- the limits of the human ear. Well above the dance, were dynamic activities common to all "Agujari, alone of all the singers in history, specialization in one particular direction! upper limits of 16,000 cycles per second are people in a given culture. Everybody took part "once piercingly gave utterance...... zt the sounds of Grasshoppers, Bats, and the arti- themselves. The last traces of the wonderful All of us can remember feelings, aspira- ficial productions of ultrasonic apparatus. How creative work of those times are still collected tions, from the earlier parts of our lives that many people realise that such high-frequency by solemn professors of folklore and folkmusic. 2. From WILLIAM BYRDE, (famous musician became suppressed and submerged in the sounds have been used to guide ships in the And today, people leave it to the expert, with of the reign of Queen Elizabeth the everyday social compromise of adult life. dark? Modern scientists have devised the ultra- something wistful in their applause for the high First - an age when popular singing of Most of us who have not become hard and warp- sonic soldering iron, have used high sounds to skill of the specialized singer. great skill was common to nearly ed know that we are only half alive - that we shake dirt out of clothing, and to mix together everyone:) are capable of more than the sad, uneasy or liquids which will not normally mix. Can we The last two hundred years have been confus- hypocritical reasons that we give ourselves for doubt the strange possibilities of Sound when we ing ones for our own time, but out of this "The exercise of singing is delightful to being alive. learn that small living creatures and microbes melting-pot of violent contrasts, individual skill "Nature, and good to preserve the health of can be torn to pieces by ultrasonic frequencies. versus machine perfection, complex civilizations "man," Science is the modern magic! versus individual human needs, we are refining new truths and rediscovering old ones. eee SCIENCE SERIES FOLKWAYS Records AND SERVICE CORP., 117 W. 46 St., N. Y. C. Long Playing Non-Breakable Micro Groove 33!/3 RPM Copyright © 1956 by Folkways Records & Service Corp., NYC, USA VOX HUMANA Alfred Wolfsohn's Experiments in Extension of Human Vocal Range—Recorded in England No reproduction is permitted without the consent of the copyright owners. Bond 1. ‘*Lend Me Your Ears’’ Phonotation of words in range of 7 octaves; female voice

SIDE I * FPX 123 A

Band 2. Duet in New Vocal Sounds Arpeggios in range of 5 octaves; two female voices Band 3. Boy's Voice 1. The word ‘‘bella'’ in range of 7 octaves 2. Short Coloratura Band 4. Octave Leaps on the word ‘‘viola’’ 1. Boy-4 octaves 2. Female voice-4 octaves 3. Male voice-5 octaves Band 5. Double and Multiple Stopping by the Voice 1. Female voice-multiple-in chords 2. Female voice-double-running in octaves Band 6. Demonstration of Different Colorations On Same Notes Four Male Voices Band 7. Demonstration of Different Colorations On Same Notes Five Female Voices 3. Combination Singing of ‘‘Chanson Trieste’’ (Tschaikovsky) a. New Registers 1. Male Voice 2. Female Voice 10. Nine Octaves 1. Male Voice 2. Female Voice Male and Female Voices Custom molded by Plastylite SCIENCE SERIES FOLKWAYS Records AND SERVICE CORP., 117 W. 46 St.,.N. Y.C. Long Playing Non-Breakable Micro Groove 3343.RPM Copyright © 1956 by Folkways Records & Serv. Corp,. NYC,.USA VOX HUMANA Alfred Wolfsohn's Experiments in Extension of FHluman Vocal Range—Recorded in England No reproduction is permitted without the consent of the copyright owners SIDE Il e FX 6123 B

Band 1. ‘‘String Quartet’’ for Four Female Voices Band 2. Examples in Single Voice 1. ‘‘violin, viola, cello, double-bass"* 2. violin-voice 3. Coloration of 4 and 1/2 octaves 4. ‘‘Water Boy’’ 5. ‘‘Nightingale’’ DUETS (VOICE AND INSTRUMENTS) Band 3. Female Voice annd Viola Band 4. Male Voice and Cello Band 5. Female Voice and Violin Band 6. Female Voice.and Flute

Custom molded by Plastylite