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Human voices may be classified according to their vocal range — the highest and lowest pitches that they can produce[1].

Voice Type (ranges)
Female voices
Soprano
Mezzo-soprano
Contralto

Male voices

Countertenor
Tenor
Baritone
Bass

Related concepts

Coloratura
Chest voice
Head voice
Sprechgesang
Vocal registration
Vocal resonation

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Contents

Vocal range defined

The broadest definition of vocal range, given above, is simply the span from the highest to the lowest note a particular voice can produce. A voice type is a particular kind of human Singing voice perceived as having certain identifying qualities or characteristics This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. The tenor is the highest male voice within the Modal register, just above the Baritone voice This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. Coloratura has several meanings The word derives from the Italian colorare (to Colour; to heighten to enliven or colorazione (colouring coloration Chest voice is a term used within vocal music The use of this term varies widely within vocal pedagogical circles and there is currently no one consistent opinion among vocal music professionals Head voice is a term used within vocal music The use of this term varies widely within vocal pedagogical circles and there is currently no one consistent opinion among vocal music professionals Sprechgesang and Sprechstimme ( German for spoken-song and spoken-voice) are musical terms used to refer to an expressionist vocal A vocal register in the human voice is a particular series of tones produced in the same vibratory pattern of the Vocal folds and possessing the same quality Vocal resonation is the process by which the basic product of Phonation is enhanced in timbre and/or intensity by the air-filled cavities through which it passes on its way to This broad definition, however, is quite often not the one meant when someone speaks of "vocal range. " This is because some of the notes a voice can produce may not be considered "musically useful" for a particular purpose. For example, when speaking of the vocal range of a male opera singer, one usually excludes falsetto pitches, which are not used in most opera. The term falsetto (Italian diminutive of falso, false refers to the Vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the Modal voice register and A male doo-wop singer, on the other hand, might quite regularly deploy his falsetto pitches in performance and thus include them in determining his range. Doo-wop is a style of vocal-based Rhythm and blues music which developed in African-American communities in the 1940s and which achieved mainstream popularity both in the 1950s

For this reason, it is important to clearly define what is meant when discussing a vocal range. For example, one might say of a man that he has a two and one-half octave range in full voice and an additional one half octave in falsetto. In Music, an octave ( is the the use of which is "common in most musical systems Similarly, when discussing the range of a woman one might say that she has a "useful" two octave range with an additional major third on the bottom that is only audible with amplification. Unfortunately, there is no standardization in this nomenclature outside of classical unamplified singing. A voice type is a particular kind of human Singing voice perceived as having certain identifying qualities or characteristics

Vocal range in classical music

Vocal range is generally very important in classical music. In opera and solo classical music, two considerations are paramount in determining vocal range: consistency of timbre across the vocal range, and ability to project the pitches (that is, to be heard clearly over an orchestra without amplification). Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto Of course, if any pitch cannot be properly projected, it is not considered part of the range. See voice type. A voice type is a particular kind of human Singing voice perceived as having certain identifying qualities or characteristics

Choral music is somewhat less stringent than opera. For the musical composition see Chorale. A choir, chorale, or chorus is a Musical ensemble of Singers Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto In contrast to opera, the large number of voices that can be deployed in each group make it somewhat less important that each individual voice be flawlessly produced and completely audible. Thus, for example, choirs can often deploy notes that are lower than those that might be deployed in an operatic performance - no single member of the choir might be able to project such a low note individually, but taken together the note might be quite audible.

In much choral music the vocal ranges are often divided not into the three parts per sex as they are in operatic solo music but into only two parts per sex - Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass - or into four parts per sex - Soprano I, Soprano II, Alto I, Alto II, Tenor I, Tenor II, Bass I (or baritone), Bass II. For example see the Mass in B Minor. The Mass in B minor ( BWV 232 is a musical setting (or more formally a Missa tota) of the Latin Mass by Johann Sebastian Bach, also There is therefore some ambiguity in mapping the solo baritone voice defined in the three way solo system to the four way choral system. Many high baritone soloists like Sherrill Milnes might have sung Second Tenor in a chorus, (usually not a preferred compromise) whereas other baritones such as Bryn Terfel might have sung First Bass. Sherrill Milnes (born January 10, 1935) is an American operatic Baritone most famous for his Verdi roles Bryn Terfel Jones CBE (brɨn ˈtɛrvɛl born November 9, 1965) is a Welsh Bass-baritone opera and concert singer They would have had to choose one or the other as any baritone part is labeled in that manner.

Classification of vocal range

Common vocal ranges represented
on a musical keyboard
Soprano
Soprano
Alto
Alto
Tenor
Tenor
Bass
Bass

Basic Choral Ranges:

Note: Depending upon the conductor's vocal exercises & observations, an individual may possess an extended range which may allow a shifting of choral sections. A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a Musical instrument, particularly the piano This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. Alto is a musical term derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" that has several possible interpretations The tenor is the highest male voice within the Modal register, just above the Baritone voice This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. Alto is a musical term derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" that has several possible interpretations The tenor is the highest male voice within the Modal register, just above the Baritone voice This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type.

Basic Operatic ranges:[2]

Hear the basic choral ranges (soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass) played on the piano.
Hear the basic choral ranges (soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass) played on the piano. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. The tenor is the highest male voice within the Modal register, just above the Baritone voice This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type.

A soprano who can sing higher than C♯6 is known as a sopranino and a Bass who can sing G1 or lower is known as a sub-bass, or contrabass, singer or a basso profundo. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. Sub-bass is a term used to describe audible sounds below 90Hz - sound in the range below this (under 16-17Hz would be termed Infrasound. However, many people will still call sopraninos sopranos and bassi profundo basses/bassi. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type.

Falsetto and flageolet register can extend the vocal range of a singer higher. The term falsetto (Italian diminutive of falso, false refers to the Vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the Modal voice register and The whistle register (also called the flageolet register or whistle tone) is the highest register of the Human voice lying above the Modal

Males who possess high ranges or can project falsetto in a clear sound, are referred to as countertenors and possess ranges equivalent to those of the female ranges, alto, mezzo-soprano and soprano (a male soprano is specifically referred to as sopranist). This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. A sopranist (also sopranista or male soprano) is a male classical singer who is able to sing in the vocal Tessitura of a Soprano usually through Contraltos have been known to sing Tenor (although this is strongly discouraged, especially among younger contraltos), and occasionally men will sing in the upper three ranges. Boy singers are referred to as boy soprano and younger men as Male Alto, if they sing in the higher ranges. A boy soprano is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the Soprano range

In addition to these general classifications, additional subdivisions are very commonly deployed in opera and other classical music for solo voice. There are a number of such detailed classification schemes, some of which are historical or country-specific. See voice type. A voice type is a particular kind of human Singing voice perceived as having certain identifying qualities or characteristics

Induced vocal range

Where the above are largely achieved through practice and natural aptitude, adult vocal ranges can be obtained by means of physiological modification. Physiology (from Greek grc φύσις physis, "nature origin" and grc -λογία -logia) is the study of the mechanical physical The most notable example of this would be castrato singers, although modern examples include the lowering of the voice through tobacco smoking. A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, or Contralto voice produced either by Castration Tobacco Smoking is the inhalation of smoke from burned dried or cured leaves of the Tobacco plant most often in the form of a Cigarette.

Vocal range in terms of frequency

In terms of frequency, human voices are roughly in the range of 80 Hz to 1100 Hz (that is, E2 to C6) for normal male and female voices together. Frequency is a measure of the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit Time.

*This chart displays only to a low C, though the octocontrabass clarinet extends down to at least a low A.

The world records for high and low pitch extend well outside of this range, and extend outside the range of human hearing.

World records and extremes of vocal range

As noted above, claims of exceptionally wide vocal ranges are not uncommon among some singers. The biggest claim came from Charles Kellogg, who claimed to have a vocal range of 12. Charles Kellogg ( October 2, 1868 – September 5, 1949) was an American Vaudeville performer who imitated Bird songs 5 octaves. Kellogg could accurately imitate birdcalls, which sometimes went up into the ultrasonic range, according to Kellogg as high as 14,000 Hz (14 080Hz is A9). Some recordings of Kellogg's birdcalls still exist. However, Kellogg's claims are very hard to verify. [3] Nicola Sedda Hit an A9 14079 Hz broke Adam Lopez's record for highest vocal note and claims to have a vocal range spanning 8. 5 octaves but has not been recognized by the Guinness Book of Records yet. Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U In 2006 the Guinness Book of Records published several categories relating to extremes of "Human vocal range. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U " It stated the following:

Females


Males

References

  1. ^ Titze, I. R. (1994). Principles of Voice Production, Prentice Hall (currently published by NCVS. org), ISBN 978-0137178933.
  2. ^ Vocal ranges
  3. ^ Mythbusters Episode 76: "Voice Flame Extinguisher"

See also

External links

For the musical composition see Chorale. A choir, chorale, or chorus is a Musical ensemble of Singers This article discusses the use of ambitus in the Middle Ages for other uses see Vocal range The ambitus of a Gregorian chant A voice type is a particular kind of human Singing voice perceived as having certain identifying qualities or characteristics The German Fach (pl Fächer, literally "compartment" (ˈfax) system is a method of classifying Singers primarily Opera singers There is currently no authoritative voice classification system within non-classical music Voice projection is the strength of speaking or Singing whereby the Voice is used loudly and clearly. Vocology, originally coined by voice scientist Ingo R Titze has been defined as the science and practice of voice habilitation.
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