From physics to music: an analysis of the role of overtones in the improvement of choral tone
- Authors: Starker, Leonard Bonn
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Choral singing , Choral singing -- Intonation , Choral singing -- Instruction and study , Voice culture
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:8518 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1012937
- Description: Numerous studies exist examining the link in solo singers between timbre and overtone spectra. The purpose of this study is to examine if similar results can be obtained by applying the same techniques to choral singing. The study is aimed at non-scientific readers and therefore introduces the subject with background to the relevant physics. In this study a number of recorded samples of choirs were taken from www.youtube.com and analyzed. The analysis included computation of long-term average spectra (LTAS) and singing power ratio‟s (SPR), which provided an indication of the relative energy in the higher overtone region of every choir. This was compared to a binary value judgment of the choirs. The results indicate that the SPR as applied to soloists cannot be directly applied to choirs. A link between SPR and a perceived “good” choral tone could exist but would have to be interpreted differently than in the case of soloists. It was also found that a possible link could exist between frequency peaks in LTAS and a choir‟s intonation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
From physics to music: an analysis of the role of overtones in the improvement of choral tone
- Authors: Starker, Leonard Bonn
- Date: 2011
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:8502 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1650
- Description: Numerous studies exist examining the link in solo singers between timbre and overtone spectra. The purpose of this study is to examine if similar results can be obtained by applying the same techniques to choral singing. The study is aimed at non-scientific readers and therefore introduces the subject with background to the relevant physics. In this study a number of recorded samples of choirs were taken from www.youtube.com and analyzed. The analysis included computation of long-term average spectra (LTAS) and singing power ratio‟s (SPR), which provided an indication of the relative energy in the higher overtone region of every choir. This was compared to a binary value judgment of the choirs. The results indicate that the SPR as applied to soloists cannot be directly applied to choirs. A link between SPR and a perceived “good” choral tone could exist but would have to be interpreted differently than in the case of soloists. It was also found that a possible link could exist between frequency peaks in LTAS and a choir's intonation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011