Choral Scholar

Voice Science in the Choral Rehearsal: Examining Glottal Onset Duane Cottrell

he word attack is a most unfortu- William Shakespeare, all elite singers and voice nate choice to describe the initiation teachers, and all of whom agreed with and ad- of any kind of artistic singing activi- vocated the practice of the coup de la glotte.1 It Tty. Conjuring images of violence, tension, and seems improbable that a technique so harmful stress, it is no surprise that “glottal attack” is a and ruinous to the voice would be so strongly despised — if not dirty — phrase among choral advocated by so many great singers and teach- directors. Prominent nineteenth-century voice ers for such a long period of time. There must teacher Manuel Garcia’s technique called the have been a very compelling reason for Garcia coup de la glotte, or “stroke of the glottis,” sim- and the others to have advocated a glottal on- ilarly evokes ideas of war and aggression, and set, and perhaps there has been a misunder- like the glottal attack, it has been the subject standing of Garcia’s own instructions regarding of considerable controversy. The two concepts, the coup de la glotte itself. Upon closer exami- glottal attack and coup de la glotte, have been nation of the voice science related to the issue mistakenly considered synonymous. Sadly, it has as well as a survey of the pedagogical literature throughout history evoked a similar firestorm from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, of controversial sentiment and has been con- it becomes clear that not only has the coup de sidered by some to be synonymous with “glottal la glotte been misunderstood by its critics both attack.” Arguments opposing any kind of glot- past and present, but its correct use can actual- tal onset frequently center on their supposed ly aid singers in achieving a clear, brilliant, and harm to the vocal mechanism. Because glottal beautiful tone without any damaging effect on attacks are violent and damaging to the voice, the voice. Perhaps if we as choral directors fully the reasoning goes, it is necessary to avoid them in order to maintain vocal health. As choral di- 1 Stephen F. Austin, “The Attack on the coup rectors for whom the vocal health of our singers de le glotte,” Journal of Singing 61, no. 5 (May/June is of paramount concern, we generally stay away 2005): 527. from glottal onsets, faithfully teaching softer aspirate onsets, using a “silent h” or some other The device. Is the glottal onset really so injurious? Manuel Garcia was arguably one of the great- C HOR A L est teachers of singing in the nineteenth century, and the list of those who followed him SThe OnlineCH Journal of the NationalO CollegiateL ChoralA OrganizationR includes Blanche Marchesi, Francesco and Giovanni Lamperti, Julius Stockhausen, Carlo Volume 1, Number 1 Spring 2009 Bassini, Charles Bataille, Edmund Meyer, and Cottrell / Glottal Onset 32 understood the principles of Garcia’s coup de la Daniel Boone adds, “the abruptly starting phe- glotte, and could differentiate between it and a nomenon of hard glottal attack requires much harmful hard glottal attack, we would be able unnecessary effort,” 5 and defines the hard glot- to employ it in our rehearsals to help train sing- tal attack as “the slamming approximation of ers to achieve firm glottal closure and eliminate the vocal processes of the arytenoid cartilages.”6 breathiness in their tone. It is important to note the use of phrases such as “unnecessary effort” and “laryngeal hyperfunction” within these definitions. A basic re- The Attack of the Glottal Plosive view of phonatory anatomy will lend more clar- ity to these definitions.

Most of our current negative opinion of the The Arytenoid Cartilages glottal attack began with laryngologists and speech therapists. Directly applying their warn- The physiological phenomenon we call sing- ings to the singing voice, pedagogues such as ing could be considered quite unnatural.7 At its Barbara Doscher declare, “The glottal plosive 2 most basic level, the human larynx, much like is destructive, and may lead to vocal nodules.” the larynges of all animals, serves the primary However, a thorough search of the published function of acting as a valve to protect the air- research in this area reveals that empirical evi- way from foreign objects. Our highly evolved dence of this destruction is scarce if extant at usage of this valve for speech is supplementary all, and as renowned speech pathologist Morton to this and other basic functions, and is noth- Cooper states, “the harmful effects of this type ing short of astonishing. Therefore it is impor- of vowel production have been assumed rather 3 tant to note that all vocal sounds are produced than researched.” In order to understand the by a process that involves, among other things, apparent discrepancies of opinion in this mat- a rapidly recurring “slamming together” of the ter, a clearer definition of the often overlapping vocal folds as pressurized air passes between terms “hard attack,” “glottal plosive,” “hard on- them. Singing is even more demanding than set,” “coup de la glotte,” and “firm onset” must speech, considering that when we sing our vo- be sought. From the perspective of a laryngol- cal folds come into repeated contact at a very ogist or speech therapist, a hard glottal attack high frequency — approximately 262 times per is an indicator of unnecessary tension. Cooper second when singing C4 (“middle C”) and as elaborates: high as 1047 times per second for C6 (soprano A plosive type of vowel production indi- “high C”). The characteristic sound of the hard cates that the vocal cords are closed with un- glottal attack is not necessarily a result of the necessary effort just prior to phonation and vocal folds slamming together; it is the result must be forced open with a strong burst of of another kind of process that begins with the air. The plosive quality appears to stem from complete closure of the laryngeal air valve and a tonic fixation of the folds preceding phona- subsequent bursting apart of the vocal folds. tion, indicating laryngeal hyperfunction.” 4 There are several sets of muscles in the larynx, but most important to this discussion

2 Barbara Doscher, The Functional Unity of the 5 Daniel R. Boone, The Voice and Voice Therapy Singing Voice (Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press Inc., (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1977), 36. 1988), 61. 6 Ibid., 5. 3 Morton Cooper, Approaches to Vocal Rehabilita- 7 William Vennard, Singing: The Mechanism tion (Springfield, IL: C.C. Thomas, 1977), 219. and the Technic (New York: Carl Fischer, Inc, 4 Ibid. 1967), 162.

The Choral Scholar : www.ncco-usa.org/tcs Cottrell / Glottal Onset 33 are the interarytenoids (IA) and the lateral cri- low subglottal pressures and low muscular ten- co-arytenoids (LCA).8 Both are attached to, and sion, is not likely to have any harmful effect.9 define the movement of, the arytenoids — the Merely pronouncing the American phrase “uh- pyramid-shaped cartilages which are the pos- oh” requires a mild glottal plosive, as do several terior point of attachment for the vocal folds other spoken sounds. and are crucial to the closure of the larynx (see In the realm of speech and voice thera- fig. 1.1). The synovial joint of the arytenoids py, the hard glottal attack is linked to several allows them to rotate as well as slide together types of laryngeal dysfunction. While it would and apart. To initiate any kind of vocal phona- appear that the hard glottal attack is harmful, tion, the LCA muscles must contract, rotating the glottal plosive of normal speech is not. (The the arytenoids and bringing the vocal folds to- term “onset” or “glottal onset” is specifically ap- gether. However, this medial compression only plied to singing and, as will be discussed below, partially closes the glottis (see fig. 1.2). In or- warrants a different definition entirely, along der to completely adduct the vocal folds, and with Garcia’s concept of the coup de la glotte.) eliminate the triangular shaped glottal “chink,” The issue at hand is the muscle tension in the the IA muscles must bring the arytenoids to- larynx, specifically in relation to the arytenoid gether (see fig. 1.3). However, without the me- cartilages, not in the glottal sound that is pro- dial compression provided by the LCA, there is duced as a result. In singing, tension has a neg- only loose glottal closure. Firm glottal closure ative connotation and many teachers encour- requires both the action of the IA plus the me- age singers to release all tension. However, as dial compression of the LCA (see fig. 1.4). Friedrich Brodnitz points out, complete relax- The most dramatic example of complete ation is a myth. All muscles, whether tensed or glottal closure is known as the “Valsalva ma- relaxed, have tonus — complete muscular re- neuver,” and is commonly utilized when en- laxation only occurs in death.10 These muscu- gaging in strenuous muscular activity, such as lar tensions are to be balanced, though, and it is lifting heavy objects or in childbirth. Taking a the control of tensions that results in good vo- breath, completely closing the glottis, and en- cal function.11 The issue, then, is not whether gaging the expiratory muscles in the rib cage the presence of tension in the larynx is health- creates a buildup of high subglottal pressure ful or harmful; rather, it is the degree of tension that acts as a lever against which our abdominal that is in question. While a moderate amount muscles can work during these activities. Should of tension is necessary to balance the larynge- the pressure become too great for the laryngeal muscles for speech and singing, an excessive al muscles to resist, the vocal folds are quick- amount of tension is unhealthy and damaging ly forced open and an audible “grunt” is heard. to the vocal mechanism and can lead to disor- This is the sound of a very hard glottal attack. ders such as nodules, cysts, and dysphonia. The relative “hardness” of a glottal attack is determined by the amount of tension in the mus- Laryngeal Hyperfunction cles of the closed larynx, which is determined by the amount of subglottal pressure being re- Laryngologist Emil Froeschels introduced sisted. It would be expected that the lower the the term hyperfunction to describe the use of ex- subglottal pressure, the softer the “attack.” In cessive force in the laryngeal muscles, and hy- contrast to the hard glottal attack, the normal pofunction to describe the opposite state of mus- glottal plosive is used in many spoken languag- es such as English and German and, due to the 9 McCoy, 119. 10 8 Scott McCoy, Your Voice: An Inside View (Princ- Stark, 20. eton, NJ: Inside View Press, 2004), 115. 11 Ibid., 21.

The Choral Scholar : www.ncco-usa.org/tcs Cottrell / Glottal Onset 34

1 1

3 3 3 3

4 4

2 2 2 2

Figure 1.1: Breathing Figure 1.2: Medial compression Within the thyroid cartilage (1), the arytenoids (Glottal “Chink”) (2) are apart and the vocal folds (3) are com- Within the thyroid cartilage (1), the arytenoids pletely abducted for normal breathing. (2) are apart and the vocal folds (3) are completely abducted for normal breathing.

1 1

3 3 3 3

4 4

5 5 4 2 2 4 2 2

Figure 1.3: Loose glottal closure Figure 1.4: Firm glottal closure Within the thyroid cartilage (1), the arytenoids Within the thyroid cartilage (1), the arytenoids (2) draw the vocal folds (3) together by the (2) draw the vocal folds (3) together by the ac- action of the interarytenoids (4), resulting in a tion of both the LCA (4) and the IA (5). loose glottal closure.

The Choral Scholar : www.ncco-usa.org/tcs Cottrell / Glottal Onset 35 cular exhaustion.12 According to Holmberg, et such a hard attack — as well as its frequent rep- al., “it is generally held that an underlying com- etition — cumulative with other environmental ponent in vocal nodules is vocal hyperfunction, and personality factors. It is also important to a hypertonic state of both intrinsic and extrin- note that most of the studies of the hard glottal sic laryngeal musculature.” 13 Cooper adds that attack are in relation to speaking, not singing. “the problem [of voice disorders] in most cases Judging from Boone’s statement that “the hy- results from the cumulative burden of several perfunctional overadduction of the vocal folds factors acting upon the vocal mechanism over will result typically in limiting free vibration a period of time. Hard glottal attack appears to of the folds producing the tight dysphonia of have no effect upon a healthy voice during nor- the harsh voice or perhaps the laryngeal stut- mal use.” 14 Casper further defines hard glottal ter of spastic dysphonia,” 18 it is hard to imagine attack as a manner of initiating vowels in which a singer utilizing this degree of hyperfunction the vocal folds adduct rapidly and complete- and still being able to produce a beautiful tone. ly prior to the initiation of phonation, and she The kind of laryngeal hyperfunction related to states that “the production of hard glottal at- the hard glottal attack would most certainly be tack can be associated with muscle tension. The detected aurally by voice teachers, choral direc- effort to produce it and its excessive repetition tors, and fellow choristers, and it would hardly can injure the vocal folds.” 15 With regard to vo- be considered an acceptable, let alone beautiful, cal nodules, several studies have correlated their singing tone. incidence to such personality traits as high so- All of this suggests that the glottal attack in cialization rates and extraversion, as well as to singing, if not a result of laryngeal hyperfunc- health factors, such as allergies.16 17 tion, might be safe to use and will not likely What is clear from these statements is result in vocal stress or damage. Stating that a that the hard glottal attack by itself is not the particular practice is not harmful, however, is a cause of the damage, it is but one component. far cry from justifying its place as a fundamen- The problem results from the excessive ten- tal technique used by many of the greatest voice sion (hyperfunction) that is required to create teachers of the nineteenth century. Nor does it explain Stark’s assessment of Garcia’s coup de la 12 James Stark, Bel Canto: A History of Vocal Pedago- glotte as “the single most important pedagogical gy (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999), 20. concept in the history of singing.”19 Finally, just 13 Eva Holmberg, Patricia Doyle, Joseph Perkell, because an exercise or technique is not damag- Britta Hammarberg, and Robert Hillman, “Aero- ing to the voice does not warrant its inclusion dynamic and acoustic voice measurements of pa- in a choral rehearsal; pedagogical techniques tients with vocal nodules: variation in baseline and and practices must be judiciously chosen for changes across voice therapy,” The Journal of Voice 17, their benefits to the development of the singing no. 3 (September 2003): 270. 14 voice. Therefore Garcia’s coup de la glotte must Cooper, 219. have not only been safe and vocally healthy, it 15 R. H. Colton and J. K. Casper, Understanding must have produced extraordinary results. Voice Problems: A Physiological Perspective for Diag- nosis and Treatment (Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, 1996), 79–80. 16 Roy, Holt, Redmond and Muntz, “Behavioral Characteristics of Children With Vocal Fold Nod- ules,” Journal of Voice 21, no. 1 (March 2007): 166. 17 Roy, Bless, and Heisey, “Personality and voice 18 disorders: A multitrait-multidisorder analysis,” Jour- Boone, 5. nal of Voice 14, no. 4 (December 2000): 540. 19 Stark, 32.

The Choral Scholar : www.ncco-usa.org/tcs Cottrell / Glottal Onset 36 Garcia’s Glottal Onset: The coup de la glotte folds are abducted when the airflow begins (see fig. 1.1), and phonation occurs when the vocal folds are brought together. The result of this There are three forms of vocal onset com- type of onset is an audible [h] before the tone monly recognized today: the soft or aspirate begins. Quite frequently when using this type of onset; the hard or plosive onset, sometimes onset the vocal folds are only partially adduct- called the glottal onset; and the simultaneous ed during phonation (see fig. 1.2), leaving a tri- or instantaneous onset, sometimes referred to 20 angular shaped opening at the posterior of the as the coordinated or balanced onset. Manuel glottis. This opening, or glottal “chink” allows Garcia’s coup de la glotte is a firm onset, not an a significant amount of air to pass through dur- abrasive glottal plosive, and could be argued to ing phonation, thus causing an airy or breathy be a separate type of onset altogether, clearly sound. Garcia’s onset is clearly not an aspirate distinguished from, and an alternative to, the 21 onset. Yet, as arguments against Garcia’s tech- three types of onsets mentioned above. He nique rose, so did the number of voice teach- describes the coup de la glotte this way: ers who made attempts to re-interpret the coup After you are thus prepared and when de la glotte as something it was not. William the lungs are full of air, without stiffening Vennard wrote, “I am convinced that Garcia either the phonator or any part of the body, did not mean the glottal plosive when he coined but calmly and easily, attack the tones very the expression coup de la glotte.”23 He went on distinctly with a light stroke of the glottis on to explain that he believed Garcia’s onset was a very clear [a] vowel. The [a] will be taken more like an aspirate akin to Vennard’s “imagi- well at the bottom of the throat, in order that no obstacle may be opposed to the emission nary [h].” Looking again to Garcia’s own words, of the sound. In these conditions the tones however, it is hard to imagine that he meant would come out with ring and roundness…It anything but a glottal attack when he wrote, is necessary to prepare the stroke of the glot- “The vowels should always be attacked by the coup tis by closing it, which stops and momentari- de la glotte, and with the degree of force that is ap- ly accumulates some air in the passage; then, propriate to the phrase. One should scrupulously much as a rupture operates as a means of re- 24 laxation, one opens it with an incisive and avoid having them preceded by an aspiration.” vigorous stroke, similar to the action of the (Italics are Garcia’s.) lips in pronouncing the consonant [p]. This stroke of the throat also resembles the action The Hard Onset of the palatal arch performing the movement necessary for the articulation of the conso- Garcia’s stroke of the glottis is without 22 nant [k]. question a glottal onset, although the degree of muscular tension is much less than the level warned against by laryngologists and speech The Aspirate Onset therapists. In the hard or plosive onset, the vo- The type of onset Garcia describes in his cal folds are completely adducted just prior to Complete Treatise cannot be confused with an phonation (see fig. 1.4). There is a buildup of aspirate onset. In the aspirate onset the vocal subglottal pressure below the larynx as the expiratory muscles are engaged. As the pressure 20 Stark, 21. builds, the muscular tension in the larynx re- 21 Ibid., 20. sists the pressure right up to the point at which 22 Manuel Garcia, A Complete Treatise on the Art the pressure overcomes the laryngeal muscular

of Singing: Part One, The editions of 1841 and 1872 23 collated, edited, and translated by Donald V. Pas- Vennard, 189. chke (New York: GB Putnam’s Sons, 1984), 41–2. 24 Stark, 23.

The Choral Scholar : www.ncco-usa.org/tcs Cottrell / Glottal Onset 37 tension and the vocal folds burst apart, initiat- The Coordinated Onset ing phonation with a hard, glottal sound. The problem with this type of onset is multi-facet- The third, and most preferred, type of onset ed. The issue of vocal health is a primary con- recognized today is the balanced or coordinat- cern and, as discussed above, if there is too ed onset. In this type of onset, the vocal folds much muscular tension in the larynx, the glot- are abducted prior to phonation. At the precise tal onset can be a factor that contributes to vo- moment the airflow begins, the vocal folds are cal disorders. Another difficulty with this type brought together and put into oscillation. In of onset is that when the pressure and resist- theory, this type of onset eliminates both the ing tensions are too high, the plosive sound is breathy [h] of the aspirate onset as well as the rarely attractive or artistic. Finally, this type of plosive of the glottal onset. The apparent dif- onset can actually weaken glottal closure. Even ficulty with the coordinated onset, however, is though the vocal folds are completely adduct- the complexity inherent in adducting the pho- ed prior to phonation, the burst of air through natory muscles at the exact moment the airflow the glottis is so strong that the vocal folds are begins, which can be quite a challenge for sing- blown apart and sent into loose phonation (see ers. In addition, there is little room for error, in fig. 1.3). Although this type of onset seems that adducting the folds too early will produce a similar to Garcia’s coup de la glotte, it is entirely slight glottal, while adducting the folds too late different in character and thus has led to years will yield an aspirate [h], neither of which would of confusion and misunderstanding about the fall within the definition of a coordinated on- distinctions between the two. set. Many voice teachers like William Vennard Garcia himself expressed this difference have taught the coordinated onset through the 26 when he wrote, use of a silent “imaginary h,” which seems to lean toward the aspirate onset and loose glot- One must guard against confusing the tal closure. Perhaps the most important rea- stroke of the glottis with a stroke of the chest son the coordinated onset is incomplete is that [coup de la poitrine], which resembles a cough, or the effort of expelling something which is does not specify the type of glottal closure during phonation, and could allow either firm is obstructing the throat. The stroke of the 27 chest causes the loss of a large portion of the or loose phonation. Garcia’s description of his breath, and makes the voice sound aspirat- onset specifies a firmly adducted glottis prior to ed, stifled, and uncertain in intonation. The phonation, not allowing for any kind of loose chest has no other function than to nourish closure, thus leading to firm phonation and an the tones with air, and it should not push them or shock them.25 ideal tone quality. It is primarily for this reason the coup de la glotte has been so successful. The point of Garcia’s coup de la glotte was firm adduction of the vocal folds leading to firm Using the coup de la glotte: Benefits phonation. Once the subglottal pressure in- When working with singers, whether in a creases to the point at which the vocal folds will choral rehearsal or a voice lesson, the goal is be blown completely apart when the muscular always efficient vocal production and a bril- tension is released, firm phonation becomes an liant, high quality tone. Garcia believed that impossibility. Garcia’s own description clearly the brilliance of the vocal tone was a direct re- eliminates the hard glottal attack or glottal plo- 28 sult of firm glottal closure during phonation. sive as a viable interpretation of the coup de la glotte. 26 Vennard, 186. 27 Stark, 22. 25 Garcia, 42. 28 Austin, 526.

The Choral Scholar : www.ncco-usa.org/tcs Cottrell / Glottal Onset 38 Acoustically speaking, strong glottal closure hypothesized that “perhaps less forceful con- results in an increase in high-energy partials, traction of the interarytenoid muscles is adopted while loose closure results in fewer and weak- by young women as an economic measure or as er harmonics. Austin comments, “it is com- a means to accomplish a particular vocal qual- mon knowledge that when the vocal folds close ity aim, such as slightly breathy voice quality in firmly and are completely adducted during each terms of attractive appeal.” 31 If this is true, then glottal cycle the air flow cuts off suddenly and it is no wonder our choirs are filled with young the energy in the source spectrum is much women who sing with a breathy and airy tone higher than when a ‘loose glottis’ is allowed.” 29 quality. Unless trained to do otherwise, most This fundamental, brilliant tone quality associ- young singers will not completely bring the ated with firm phonation is separate and dis- arytenoids together while singing. Learning to tinct from timbre, which is produced in the vo- bring the arytenoids into full contact (see fig. cal tract. For example, a brilliant tone produced 1.4) is challenging to say the least — primari- by firm glottal closure can have a bright or dark ly because it is counterintuitive to many young timbre, it can be rich and warm, or it can be women’s everyday speech patterns. However, if thin and shrill. A tone produced by firm glottal there were a technique that could facilitate this closure can and should be used in choral set- type of glottal closure quickly and successfully, tings as well as on the opera stage or in the re- it would be well worth using. Garcia’s coup de le cital hall. The opposite of firm glottal closure glotte is such a technique,, and it has been used is loose glottal closure, which produces a tone since the late nineteenth century for precisely that is breathy, weak, and veiled. Loose glot- that purpose. tal closure is a result of a lack of tension in both Incorporating the coup de la glotte, or glot- sets of muscles that control the movement of tal onset, into a choral voice-building session the arytenoid cartilages. Recall that contracting is not difficult or time-consuming, and if done the IA without the LCA results in a loose vo- correctly, poses no proven risk to vocal health. cal fold closure (see fig. 1.3), while contracting Even Richard Miller, a strong advocate of the the LCA without the IA results in a triangu- coordinated onset, suggests that a slight glot- lar-shaped “chink” at the posterior of the glottis tal onset would be wise and appropriate if the (see fig. 1.2). This loose glottal closure is quite singer demonstrates a tendency toward breathi- common in, and natural to, the speaking voice. ness.32 In order to teach choral singers the feel- In a study conducted by Berit Schneider ing of firm closure, simply have them speak the and Wolfgang Bigenzahn from 1998–2000, American English phrase, “uh-oh.” This type 546 normal-speaking young females (17 to 41 of light glottal onset is not harmful and can years; mean 20.7 years) underwent videostro- be easily translated into a sung tone in a voice- boscopic and voice range profile examinations. building exercise (see ex. 1). They found that a large majority (76.2%) of Another variation on this technique was subjects in their study showed an incomplete purportedly taught by Garcia and described in glottal closure during soft phonation, both in 1931 by Homer Henley.33 By singing groups speaking and singing. When increasing the of five semitones in sharply struck staccato on intensity, a significant percentage (34.9%) still the vowel [o] or [i], the vocal folds are made to showed incomplete closure.30 The researchers re-engage with each note, rather than remain

31 29 Ibid., 528. Ibid., 479. 32 30 Berit Schneider and Wolfgang Bigenzahn, “In- Richard Miller, The Structure of Singing (New fluence of Glottal Closure Configuration on Vocal York: Schirmer, 1986), 8. Efficacy in Young Normal-speaking Women,”Jour - 33 Homer Henley, “Garcia’s Second Discovery,” nal of Voice 17, no. 4 (December 2004): 478. Etude 49, no. 5 (May 1931): 361.

The Choral Scholar : www.ncco-usa.org/tcs Cottrell / Glottal Onset 39 Example 1: Light glottal onset 6 &8 œ œ ‰ œ œ ‰ ˙. œ. Œ. #œ œ ‰ œ œ ‰ #˙. œ. Œ. uh--oh, uh oh, ah uh--oh, uh oh, ah

Example 2: Staccato five-note chromatic scale 4 &4 œ #œ œ #œ œ. bœ. nœ bœ ˙ Ó œ #œ œ. #œ. œ. bœ. nœ. bœ. ˙ Ó oh. oh. oh. oh. oh oh oh. oh. oh oh. oh. oh oh oh oh oh oh oh loosely adducted in a legato gesture. Again, the that accompanies a closed glottis in order to be- light glottal onset is the key, as using an aspi- gin to understand firm adduction of the vocal rate ‘h’ will not likely yield the type of closure folds while singing. desired (see ex. 2). Using this type of onset in performance may be undesirable, since it can be hard to coordi- Conclusion nate among many singers. Also, depending on the pitch level of the note to be sung, beginning The glottal plosive has been avoided in cho- with a glottal onset can create unnecessary ten- ral singing primarily because of the assumed sion in the vocal mechanism. But by utilizing risk to the vocal mechanism. However, if it the light glottal onset during voice-building, were possible that a slight glottal onset such as singers can learn to feel the sensation of a firm Garcia’s coup de la glotte could be used without glottal closure, which is likely to translate into harm to the voice, it would be a great benefit firmer, clearer tone quality in all their singing. to choral directors in training young singers The coup de la glotte is significant because it to eliminate breathiness. By using a firmly ad- describes a type of onset that not only can elim- ducted pre-phonatory setting with a slight glot- inate breathiness, but promotes complete glottal tal onset, the vocal folds are set for what James 34 The relationship closure and firm phonation. Stark calls “firm phonation.” In his incredibly of onset to phonation is vitally important. If the detailed survey of the history of vocal pedago- vocal folds are set loosely during phonatory on- gy, he describes the process thus: set, they will retain that loose posture throughout phonation until the entire mechanism is re- In the instant before phonation begins, set with a new onset. Researchers Gould and the arytenoid cartilages are drawn firmly Okamura asserted that the pre-phonatory set- together. During phonation, the combined ting of the arytenoids is the crucial period dur- muscular forces of adductive tension, medial compression, and longitudinal tension main- ing which the entire character of phonation 35 tain strong glottal resistance to the breath. may be determined. This is the reason that the There is a large closed quotient of the folds, coup de la glotte is such an important pedagogi- a vertical phase difference in the pattern of cal tool. By firmly adducting the vocal folds pri- closure, and a muco-undulatory wave that or to phonation, singers will be setting the vo- may affect voice quality. Strong glottal re- cal mechanism to produce a firm, brilliant, and sistance leads to raised breath pressures and low rates of airflow through the glottis. The efficient tone. Singers must learn the sensation resulting voice quality at the sound source

34 is rich in high frequency components. The Stark, 22. pre-phonatory setting is under the voluntary 35 Ibid. control of the singer, since it is controlled by

The Choral Scholar : www.ncco-usa.org/tcs Cottrell / Glottal Onset 40 the motor system. The subsequent monitor- Colton, R. H. and J. K. Casper, Understand- ing of the vocal folds during phonation is ing Voice Problems: A Physiological Perspective controlled by the reflexogenic system, as well for Diagnosis and Treatment. Baltimore, MD: as by the control loop of the auditory feed- back system.36 Williams & Wilkins, 1996. Cooper, Morton. Approaches to Vocal Rehabilita- In other words, when the singer sets the vo- tion. Springfield, IL: C. C. Thomas, 1977. cal folds prior to phonation using the coup de la Doscher, Barbara. The Functional Unity of the glotte, the entire phonation process is positive- Singing Voice. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow ly affected and the result is a strong and bril- Press, 1988. liant tone. Manuel Garcia discovered this over Garcia, Manuel. A Complete Treatise on the Art one hundred years ago and used it to train some of Singing: Part One, translated and edit- of the best singers of the nineteenth century, as ed by Donald Paschke. New York: Da Capo did many of his followers. Unfortunately, his Press, 1984. concept of the coup de la glotte was misunder- Holmberg, Eva, Patricia Doyle, Joseph Perkell, stood and vilified over the next century — so Britta Hammarberg, and Robert Hillman. much so that many of us today have completely “Aerodynamic and acoustic voice measure- overlooked this simple and effective technique ments of patients with vocal nodules: vari- for developing beautiful tone in young singers. ation in baseline and changes across voice As Stark states, “Garcia recognized that the therapy.” Journal of Voice 17, no. 3 (September first step in vocal training is strong glottal clo- 2003): 269–282. sure. His coup de la glotte was the key to achiev- McCoy, Scott. Your Voice, An Inside View. Princ- ing firm phonation, and was arguably the single eton, NJ: Inside View Press, 2004. most important pedagogical concept in the his- Miller, Richard. The Structure of Singing. New 37 tory of singing.” As choral directors, we are York: Schirmer, 1986. the primary voice teacher for many of our sing- Roy, Nelson, Diane M. Bless, and Dennis ers. With care and prudence, we should be able Heisey. “Personality and Voice Disorders: A to employ the coup de la glotte in our rehears- Multitrait-Multidisorder Analysis.” Journal of als without risking vocal health. By doing so, Voice 14, no. 4 (December 2000): 521–548. we can help our singers discover the brilliant Roy, Nelson, Kellianne Holt, Sean Redmond, tone that results from singing with firm glot- and Harlan Muntz. “Behavioral Charac- tal closure. teristics of Children With Vocal Fold Nod- ules.” Journal of Voice 21, no. 1 (March 2007): 157–168. Schneider, Berit, and Wolfgang Bigenzahn, References “Influence of Glottal Closure Configuration on Vocal Efficacy in Young Normal-speaking Women.” Journal of Voice 17, no. 4 (De- Austin, Stephen F. “The Attack on thecoup de la cember 2004): 468–480. glotte.” Journal of Singing 61, no. 5 (May/June Stark, James. Bel Canto: A History of Vocal 2005): 525–529. Pedagogy. Toronto: University of Toronto Boone, Daniel R. The Voice and Voice Therapy. Press, 1999. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1977. Vennard, William. Singing: The Mechanism and the Technic. New York: Carl Fischer, 1967.

36 Stark, 31. 37 Ibid., 32.

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