Review of the Literature on Vocal Registers

Many eminent scientists are at work in the field of vocal research, and considerable attention is being focused on the problem of voice registers. However, information that emanates from the laboratory is not easily comprehended by the teacher of singing because it covers such highly technical areas and techniques as physiology, neurology, acoustics, stroboscopy, spectral analysis, and electrical analogs of tonal utterance. There is little reference to the musical expression of the voice, and the communication gap between science and art is evident. Numerous references to vocal registers also appear in the pedagogical literature. But these are often conditioned by feeling rather than fact and are loosely organized, ambiguous, opinionated, and controversial. The situation is compounded by an ambiguous terminology. Subjectivity in the teaching approach is apparent. The teacher observes the singing performance as the embodiment of certain esthetic values, which, in his opion, cannot be dissociated from the vocal act. An approach is needed that will correlate a diversified and widely diffused scientific arena with the pedagogical scene and focus attention on possible pedagogical applications and interpretations of research in this subject.