DOCSLIB.ORG

Defining a Character Through Voice

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

DEFINING A CHARACTER THROUGH VOICE QUALITY: AN ANALYSIS OF THE CHARACTER “GEORGE” IN SONDHEIM AND LAPINE’S SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE USING THE ESTILL VOICE MODEL by MICHAEL DENTON SWICKARD B.F.A. Emporia State University, 2004 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in the Department of Theatre in the College of Arts & Humanities at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Spring Term 2007 © 2007 Michael Denton Swickard ii ABSTRACT This thesis explores the use of the Estill Voice Model, in particular six voice qualities (Speech, Twang, Falsetto, Cry/Sob, Belt and Opera) and their permutations, to define character, character traits and emotions. Traits and emotions that specific voice qualities can influence are, but are not limited to, location, age, background, socioeconomic status, genre, intelligence, nationality, class, culture, gender, promiscuity, disposition, pain and revelations. In particular, this thesis explores the use of voice qualities to show specific human qualities of the character “George” from Sondheim and Lapine’s Sunday in the Park with George and the people he imitates in his painting by letting the characters’ given circumstances (textual and subtextual), the way other actors portray the characters and the director’s and musical director’s input inform the choices in voice quality. By using the specific technical aspects of the Estill Voice Training System™ and combining them with the limitless aesthetic aspects of theatrical character, this thesis shows that this new structural analysis does not pigeonhole an actor, but rather it makes one more aware, accessible, adept and flexible to the needs of the character and the spontaneity of each new performance. This thesis provides a new paradigm of character analysis through voice. iii This thesis is dedicated to my fiancée, Alissa Fox, whose constant patience, support, and encouragement helped me succeed with this project. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I need to thank my outstanding Thesis Chair, Dr. Steven R. Chicurel. His mentorship and friendship is something that I will cherish for my whole life. I also need to thank John Bell for his direction and guidance during the process, Earl Weaver for his careful eye, Justin Fischer for his meticulousness and perfectionism, Mark Brotherton for his willingness and assistance, and Kerrie Obert for the scientific perspective. This thesis could not have succeeded without each and every one of these remarkable people. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................ xii LIST OF MEDIA.............................................................................................................xiii LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................ xiv CHAPTER 1 - STATEMENT OF PURPOSE.................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2 - RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS................................................................. 2 Georges Seurat................................................................................................................ 2 Early Life .................................................................................................................... 2 Works.......................................................................................................................... 5 Later Life .................................................................................................................. 23 Influences of Seurat .................................................................................................. 24 Sunday in the Park with George ................................................................................... 26 Original Production................................................................................................... 26 Author Process.......................................................................................................... 29 Critical Response ...................................................................................................... 35 Estill Voice Training System™ .................................................................................... 44 History....................................................................................................................... 44 Voice Qualities.......................................................................................................... 50 Comparison to Other Techniques ............................................................................. 56 CHAPTER 3 - STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS................................................................... 67 Dramatic Structure........................................................................................................ 68 Prologue .................................................................................................................... 68 Act I .......................................................................................................................... 69 Epilogue of Act I....................................................................................................... 86 Act II ......................................................................................................................... 89 Synthesis Epilogue.................................................................................................... 99 Classification............................................................................................................... 104 vi Musical Structure........................................................................................................ 107 CHAPTER 4 - ANALYSIS OF ROLES ........................................................................ 160 Character Analysis...................................................................................................... 160 Director’s Concept...................................................................................................... 172 CHAPTER 5 – DEFINING A CHARACTER THROUGH VOICE QUALITY........... 173 Introduction................................................................................................................. 173 Delsarte ....................................................................................................................... 174 The Voice and the Actor............................................................................................. 181 Creating a Character with EVTS™ ............................................................................ 185 Finding the “Right” Vocal Quality ............................................................................. 190 What is my gender? ................................................................................................ 191 How old am I?......................................................................................................... 191 In what time period do I live?................................................................................. 192 Where do I live?...................................................................................................... 192 Where did I grow up? ............................................................................................. 193 What is my level of education?............................................................................... 193 What is my nationality? .......................................................................................... 194 What is my socioeconomic status? ......................................................................... 194 What is the size of my family? ............................................................................... 195 What is my occupation?.......................................................................................... 195 How is my health? .................................................................................................. 196 Am I shy or outgoing? ............................................................................................ 197 Are my mannerisms masculine or feminine?.......................................................... 197 What is my cultural level? ...................................................................................... 197 How promiscuous am I? ......................................................................................... 198 What is my general disposition?............................................................................. 198 Do I have any great pains or stresses? If so, what are they?.................................. 199 Have I just discovered any important things?......................................................... 199 What genre is the play?........................................................................................... 199 Are there any other specific character traits that define me?.................................. 200 vii Translating into EVTS™ ............................................................................................ 201 EVTS™ in Application and Performance .................................................................. 206 Conclusion .................................................................................................................
Recommended publications
  • The Rise of the Tenor Voice in the Late Eighteenth Century: Mozart’S Opera and Concert Arias Joshua M

    The Rise of the Tenor Voice in the Late Eighteenth Century: Mozart’S Opera and Concert Arias Joshua M

    University of Connecticut OpenCommons@UConn Doctoral Dissertations University of Connecticut Graduate School 10-3-2014 The Rise of the Tenor Voice in the Late Eighteenth Century: Mozart’s Opera and Concert Arias Joshua M. May University of Connecticut - Storrs, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://opencommons.uconn.edu/dissertations Recommended Citation May, Joshua M., "The Rise of the Tenor Voice in the Late Eighteenth Century: Mozart’s Opera and Concert Arias" (2014). Doctoral Dissertations. 580. https://opencommons.uconn.edu/dissertations/580 ABSTRACT The Rise of the Tenor Voice in the Late Eighteenth Century: Mozart’s Opera and Concert Arias Joshua Michael May University of Connecticut, 2014 W. A. Mozart’s opera and concert arias for tenor are among the first music written specifically for this voice type as it is understood today, and they form an essential pillar of the pedagogy and repertoire for the modern tenor voice. Yet while the opera arias have received a great deal of attention from scholars of the vocal literature, the concert arias have been comparatively overlooked; they are neglected also in relation to their counterparts for soprano, about which a great deal has been written. There has been some pedagogical discussion of the tenor concert arias in relation to the correction of vocal faults, but otherwise they have received little scrutiny. This is surprising, not least because in most cases Mozart’s concert arias were composed for singers with whom he also worked in the opera house, and Mozart always paid close attention to the particular capabilities of the musicians for whom he wrote: these arias offer us unusually intimate insights into how a first-rank composer explored and shaped the potential of the newly-emerging voice type of the modern tenor voice.
  • Falsetto Head Voice Tips to Develop Head Voice

    Falsetto Head Voice Tips to Develop Head Voice

    Volume 1 Issue 27 September 04, 2012 Mike Blackwood, Bill Wiard, Editors CALENDAR Current Songs (Not necessarily “new”) Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight Spiritual Medley Home on the Range You Raise Me Up Just in Time Question: What’s the difference between head voice and falsetto? (Contunued) Answer: Falsetto Notice the word "falsetto" contains the word "false!" That's exactly what it is - a false impression of the female voice. This occurs when a man who is naturally a baritone or bass attempts to imitate a female's voice. The sound is usually higher pitched than the singer's normal singing voice. The falsetto tone produced has a head voice type quality, but is not head voice. Falsetto is the lightest form of vocal production that the human voice can make. It has limited strength, tones, and dynamics. Oftentimes when singing falsetto, your voice may break, jump, or have an airy sound because the vocal cords are not completely closed. Head Voice Head voice is singing in which the upper range of the voice is used. It's a natural high pitch that flows evenly and completely. It's called head voice or "head register" because the singer actually feels the vibrations of the sung notes in their head. When singing in head voice, the vocal cords are closed and the voice tone is pure. The singer is able to choose any dynamic level he wants while singing. Unlike falsetto, head voice gives a connected sound and creates a smoother harmony. Tips to Develop Head Voice If you want to have a smooth tone and develop a head voice singing talent, you can practice closing the gap with breathing techniques on every note.
  • Perception of Singing

    Perception of Singing

    Dept. for Speech, Music and Hearing Quarterly Progress and Status Report Perception of singing Sundberg, J. journal: STL-QPSR volume: 20 number: 1 year: 1979 pages: 001-048 http://www.speech.kth.se/qpsr STL-QPSR 6/1979 r, I , -1 . I. MUSICAL ACOUSTICS .- . .'' , A. PERCEPTION UF*SINGING . ' %L J. Sundberg <j. , - ,. ... .T ., ., .. , - ' .: , .$:.. , ,i... .-, "' ,, . ....,.<.,:,, '.. .... .................: :. :..... , . , . ' .' '\ Abstract 9s .This article reviews investigations of the singing voice which ,. possess an interest from a perceptional point of view. Acoustic hnction, formant frequencies, phonation, pitch, and phrasing in , singing are discussed. It is found that singing differs from speech in a highly adequate manner, k. g. for the pufpose of increasing the loudness of the voice at a minimum cost as regards vocal ef- fort. The terminology used for different type's of voice timbre . seems to depend on the properties and use of. the voice organ rather than on specific acoustic signal characteris tics. - Pr- STL-QPSR f/i979 ? c 4. partials decrease monotonically with rising frequency. As a rule of thumb a given partial is 12 dB stronger than a partial located one oc- tave higher. However, for high degrees of vocal effort this source spectrum slopes less than 12 d~/octave. With soft phonation it is I steeper than 12 d~/octave. On the other hand, the voice source ;n+rr,. spectrum slope is generally not,,dependeet on which voiced sound is produced. :: br:,iec,:.ceii~9 !: -<; c,*>iriF cat i~::5~:- I VIXJ ko 31i30e .JTT The spectral differences between various voiced sounds arise when the sound from the voice source is transferred through the vocal tract, i.
  • Lessons for the Vocal Cross-Training Singer and Teacher Lara C

    Lessons for the Vocal Cross-Training Singer and Teacher Lara C

    University of South Carolina Scholar Commons Theses and Dissertations Spring 2019 Bel Canto to Punk and Back: Lessons for the Vocal Cross-Training Singer and Teacher Lara C. Wilson Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd Part of the Music Performance Commons Recommended Citation Wilson, L. C.(2019). Bel Canto to Punk and Back: Lessons for the Vocal Cross-Training Singer and Teacher. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/5248 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you by Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Bel Canto to Punk and Back: Lessons for the Vocal Cross-Training Singer and Teacher by Lara C. Wilson Bachelor of Music Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, 1991 Master of Music Indiana University, 1997 Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance School of Music University of South Carolina 2019 Accepted by: E. Jacob Will, Major Professor J. Daniel Jenkins, Committee Member Lynn Kompass, Committee Member Janet Hopkins, Committee Member Cheryl L. Addy, Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School © Copyright by Lara C. Wilson, 2019 All Rights Reserved ii DEDICATION To my family, David, Dawn and Lennon Hunt, who have given their constant support and unconditional love. To my Mom, Frances Wilson, who has encouraged me through this challenge, among many, always believing in me. Lastly and most importantly, to my husband Andy Hunt, my greatest fan, who believes in me more sometimes than I believe in myself and whose backing has been unwavering.
  • A Countertenor's Reference Guide to Operatic Repertoire

    A Countertenor's Reference Guide to Operatic Repertoire

    A COUNTERTENOR’S REFERENCE GUIDE TO OPERATIC REPERTOIRE Brad Morris A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF MUSIC May 2019 Committee: Christopher Scholl, Advisor Kevin Bylsma Eftychia Papanikolaou © 2019 Brad Morris All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Christopher Scholl, Advisor There are few resources available for countertenors to find operatic repertoire. The purpose of the thesis is to provide an operatic repertoire guide for countertenors, and teachers with countertenors as students. Arias were selected based on the premise that the original singer was a castrato, the original singer was a countertenor, or the role is commonly performed by countertenors of today. Information about the composer, information about the opera, and the pedagogical significance of each aria is listed within each section. Study sheets are provided after each aria to list additional resources for countertenors and teachers with countertenors as students. It is the goal that any countertenor or male soprano can find usable repertoire in this guide. iv I dedicate this thesis to all of the music educators who encouraged me on my countertenor journey and who pushed me to find my own path in this field. v PREFACE One of the hardships while working on my Master of Music degree was determining the lack of resources available to countertenors. While there are opera repertoire books for sopranos, mezzo-sopranos, tenors, baritones, and basses, none is readily available for countertenors. Although there are online resources, it requires a great deal of research to verify the validity of those sources.
  • Common Opera Terminology

    Common Opera Terminology

    Common Opera Terminology acoustics The science of sound; qualities which determine hearing facilities in an auditorium, concert hall, opera house, theater, etc. act A section of the opera, play, etc. usually followed by an intermission. arias and recitative Solos sung by one person only. Recitative, are sung words and phrases that are used to propel the action of the ​ ​ story and are meant to convey conversations. Melodies are often simple or fast to resemble speaking. The aria is ​ ​ like a normal song with more recognizable structure and melody. Arias, unlike recitative, are a stop in the action, where the character usually reflects upon what has happened. When two people are singing, it becomes a duet. ​ ​ When three people sing a trio, four people a quartet. ​ ​ ​ ​ backstage The area of the stage not visible to the audience, usually where the dressing rooms are located. bel canto Although Italian for “beautiful song,” the term is usually applied to the school of singing prevalent in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries (Baroque and Romantic) with emphasis on vocal purity, control, and dexterity blocking Directions given to actors for on-stage movements and actions bravo, brava, bravi An acknowledgement of a good performance shouted during moments of applause (the ending is determined by the gender and the number of performers). cadenza An elaborate passage near the end of an aria, which shows off the singer’s vocal ability. chorus master Person who prepares the chorus musically (which includes rehearsing and directing them). coloratura A voice that can sing music with many rapid notes, or the music written for such a voice with elaborate ornamentation using fast notes and trills.
  • Proutskova, Polina. 2019. Investigating the Singing Voice: Quantitative and Qualitative Ap- Proaches to Studying Cross-Cultural Vocal Production

    Proutskova, Polina. 2019. Investigating the Singing Voice: Quantitative and Qualitative Ap- Proaches to Studying Cross-Cultural Vocal Production

    Proutskova, Polina. 2019. Investigating the Singing Voice: Quantitative and Qualitative Ap- proaches to Studying Cross-Cultural Vocal Production. Doctoral thesis, Goldsmiths, University of London [Thesis] https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/26133/ The version presented here may differ from the published, performed or presented work. Please go to the persistent GRO record above for more information. If you believe that any material held in the repository infringes copyright law, please contact the Repository Team at Goldsmiths, University of London via the following email address: [email protected]. The item will be removed from the repository while any claim is being investigated. For more information, please contact the GRO team: [email protected] Investigating singing voice: quantitative and qualitative approaches to studying cross-cultural vocal production Polina Proutskova PhD Thesis Department of Computing Goldsmiths, University of London 6 October 2017 I hereby declare that, except where explicit attribution is made, the work presented in this thesis is entirely my own. PolinaProutskova 2 Abstract This thesis was motivated by an experiment carried out in the 1960s that stud- ied the relationship between vocal performance practice and society by means of statistical analysis. Using a comprehensive corpus of audio recordings of singing from around the world collected over several decades, the ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax devised the Cantometrics project, the largest comparative study of music, in which 36 performance practice characteristics were rated for each recording. With particular interest in vocal production, we intended to formalise the knowledge of vocal production to enable statistical and computational approaches in the spirit of Cantometrics.
  • ESTILL Voice Training®

    ESTILL Voice Training®

    ESTILL Voice Training® Certification Manual Version 5.0 Effective Date: May 15, 2018 (clarifying edits added on September 20, 2018, October 31, 2018, and January 20, 2019; Voiceprint Protocol appendices added on April 29, 2019) ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Estill Voice International gratefully acknowledges the guidance of the Estill Certification Advisory Board in the preparation of the Certification Manual, Version 5.0. Both the previous and current Boards have contributed to the changes in terminology and procedural updates in this version. Special thanks are due to Naomi Eyers and Anne-Marie Speed who worked with Mary McDonald Klimek on the early drafts and to Julie Cimon Racine, Charlotte Xerri, Jenny Caire, Corinne Morini, Alizia Romero, and Kim McInnis who participated in final editing. Estill Certification Advisory Board 2015-2017 Naomi Eyers Alejandro Saorin Martinez Kerrie Beechler Obert Alizia Romero Anne-Marie Speed Marcello Zempt Estill Certification Advisory Board 2017-2019 Alessandro Campone Julie Cimon Racine Alejandro Saorin Martinez Alizia Romero Anne-Marie Speed Charlotte (Shorthouse) Xerri Estill Voice International, LLC Kimberly Steinhauer, President Mary McDonald Klimek, Vice President ADVISORY When pursuing certification at any level, please make sure that you have the most recent edition of this document, available for download at www.estillvoice.come. Table of Contents I. Introduction ....................................................1 II. Core Values and Practice Standards. 2 A. Preface ......................................................
  • Laryngeal Physiology and Terminology in CCM Singing

    Laryngeal Physiology and Terminology in CCM Singing

    Faculty of Education Ingvild Vestfall Master’s thesis Laryngeal physiology and terminology in CCM singing A thesis investigating research on the underlying laryngeal physiology of CCM singing techniques, and experiences of teaching CCM genres to adolescents Stemmefysiologi og terminologi i CCM/rytmisk sang En studie av forskning på stemmefysiologi knyttet til sangteknikker i CCM/rytmiske sjangere, og erfaringer med å undervise ungdommer i CCM/rytmisk sang Master in Culture and Language 2018 Consent to lending by University College Library YES ☒ NO ☐ Consent to accessibility in digital archive Brage YES ☒ NO ☐ ii TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS.................................................................................................................. III LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................... V LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ VI ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................. VII SAMMENDRAG (IN NORWEGIAN) .............................................................................................. VIII PREFACE ..................................................................................................................................... IX 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................
  • Using Bel Canto Pedagogical Principles to Inform Vocal Exercises Repertoire Choices for Beginning University Singers by Steven M

    Using Bel Canto Pedagogical Principles to Inform Vocal Exercises Repertoire Choices for Beginning University Singers by Steven M

    Using Bel Canto Pedagogical Principles to Inform Vocal Exercises Repertoire Choices for Beginning University Singers by Steven M. Groth B.M. University of Wisconsin, 2013 M.M. University of Missouri, 2017 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts College of Music 2020 1 2 3 Abstract The purpose of this document is to identify and explain the key ideals of bel canto singing and provide reasoned suggestions of exercises, vocalises, and repertoire choices that are readily available both to teachers and students. I provide a critical evaluation of the fundamental tenets of classic bel canto pedagogues, Manuel Garcia, Mathilde Marchesi, and Julius Stockhausen. I then offer suggested exercises to develop breath, tone, and legato, all based classic bel canto principles and more recent insights of voice science and physiology. Finally, I will explore and perform a brief survey into the vast expanse of Italian repertoire that fits more congruently with the concepts found in bel canto singing technique in order to equip teachers with the best materials for more rapid student achievement and success in legato singing. For each of these pieces, I will provide the text and a brief analysis of the characteristics that make each piece well-suited for beginning university students. 4 Acknowledgements Ever since my first vocal pedagogy class in my undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I have been interested in how vocal pedagogy can best be applied to repertoire choices in order to maximize students’ achievement in the studio environment.
  • THE MESSA DI VOCE and ITS EFFECTIVENESS AS a TRAINING EXERCISE for the YOUNG SINGER D. M. A. DOCUMENT Presented in Partial Fulfi

    THE MESSA DI VOCE and ITS EFFECTIVENESS AS a TRAINING EXERCISE for the YOUNG SINGER D. M. A. DOCUMENT Presented in Partial Fulfi

    THE MESSA DI VOCE AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS AS A TRAINING EXERCISE FOR THE YOUNG SINGER D. M. A. DOCUMENT Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Diane M. Pulte, B.M., M.M. *** The Ohio State University 2005 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Karen Peeler Approved by Dr. C. Patrick Woliver ______________ Adviser Dr. Michael Trudeau School of Music ABSTRACT The Messa di voce and Its Effectiveness as a Training Device for the Young Singer This document is a study of the traditional Messa di voce exercise (“placing of the voice”) and it’s effectiveness as a teaching tool for the young singer. Since the advent of Baroque music the Messa di voce has not only been used as a dynamic embellishment in performance practice, but also as a central vocal teaching exercise. It gained special prominence during the 19th and early 20th century as part of the so-called Bel Canto technique of singing. The exercise demonstrates a delicate balance between changing sub-glottic aerodynamic pressures and fundamental frequency, while consistently producing a voice of optimal singing quality. The Messa di voce consists of the controlled increase and subsequent decrease in intensity of tone sustained on a single pitch during one breath. An early definition of the Messa di voce can be found in Instruction Of Mr. Tenducci To His Scholars by Guisto Tenducci (1785): To sing a messa di voce: swelling the voice, begin pianissimo and increase gradually to forte, in the first part of the time: and so diminish gradually to the end of each note, if possible.
  • Existentialism and Vocal Instruction in Higher Education

    Existentialism and Vocal Instruction in Higher Education

    University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2013-12-09 Existentialism and Vocal Instruction in Higher Education Boddie, Susan Boddie, S. (2013). Existentialism and Vocal Instruction in Higher Education (Unpublished doctoral thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26038 http://hdl.handle.net/11023/1181 doctoral thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Existentialism and Vocal Instruction in Higher Education by Susan Alexandra Boddie A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF EDUCATION GRADUATE DIVISION OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH CALGARY, ALBERTA NOVEMBER, 2013 ©Susan Alexandra Boddie 2013 Abstract This study explores the source of inconsistent and unemotional performances by voice students in higher education music programs. The emphasis will be on how to address this through vocal instruction. Many varying approaches to vocal instruction exist in higher education programs which appear to prolong inconsistency and unengaged performing. The research explores several existentialist principles of Jean-Paul Sartre and how these principles may inform and enhance current vocal teaching practice in higher education and perhaps better prepare new voice teachers. The following study will consider the effectiveness of the application of Sartre’s existentialist principles and how they may inform vocal instruction and improve vocal development.