Chapter 9 of Enjoyment of Music, human voices and instrument classifications

1. THE ENJOYMENT OF MUSIC
ESSENTIAL LISTENING
EDITION
THIRD EDITION
by
Kristine Forney
Andrew Dell’Antonio
Joseph Machlis
Lecture Slides

2. Chapter 9
Voices and Instrument Families

3. Musical Acoustics: The Science of
Sound
Air
Energy
source
Vocal
cords
Vibrating
element
Oral
cavity
Resonating
chamber
Waves
air
Ear
Ear
canals

4. Musical Instruments
• Can do four things:
– 1. Produce their
characteristic sound
– 2. Modify their basic
timbre
– 3. Play different pitches
– 4. Start and stop their
sounds

5. Voices and Instrument Families
• Musical Timbre
– tone color, sound quality
– determined by size, shape, proportions of an
instrument
• instrument: mechanism that generates musical
vibrations
– register: melodic range (low, middle, high)

6. The Human Voice

7. The Human Voice
• Sound production: vibration of vocal chords in the
larnyx, action of diaphragm pushing air through
the larnyx
• Basic timbre: depends upon shape of oral/nasal
cavities
• Pitch: determined by amount of tension in vocal
chords and length of vocal chords

8. Basic Voice Classifications
• Soprano: the highest female voice
• Mezzo-Soprano: a moderately high voice with a
more mellow timbre
• Alto: a low female voice, heavier and darker than
mezzo
• Tenor: the highest male voice
• Baritone: the middle range male voice, with darker
timbre than tenor
• Bass: the lowest male voice, dark timbre

9. Some Specialized Voices: Sopranos
• Coloratura Soprano: high range with great virtuosity
(can sing many fast notes)
• Dramatic Soprano: powerful voice for very dramatic
opera roles
• Lyric Soprano-lighter voice for sweeter opera roles or
solo recital singing

10. Some Specialized Voices: Tenors
• Robusto Tenor: a full, powerful tenor voice for strong
operatic roles
• Lyric Tenor: a lighter voice, for smooth lyrical singing
roles
• Heroic Tenor: a powerful, expressive, virtuostic voice
with great agility (can sing many fast notes)

11. Some Specialized Voices: Basses
and Baritones
• Profondo: deep range, powerful voice for solemn
roles
• Cantate: smooth, lyrical singing voice for lighter roles
• Buffo: agile voice for comic roles

12. Classical Female Voices
• Classical Female Voices

13. Classical Male Voices
• Classical Male Voices

14. The Voice as a Model for Instrumental
Sound
Soprano Schumann: “Die Soldatenbraut”
Mezzo-soprano Bizet: Carmen, “Habanera”
Alto Handel: Messiah, “O thou that tellest”
Tenor Verdi: Rigoletto, “La donna è mobile”
Baritone Rossini: The Barber of Seville
Bass

15. The World of Musical Instruments
• Aerophones
• Chordophones
• Idiophones
• Membranophones

16. Categories of Musical Instruments:
Overview
• String Instruments: vibrating strings are source of
sound
• Brass Instruments: vibrating lips are source of sound
• Woodwind Instruments: vibrating reeds OR air
blown over a mouth hole are sources of sound

17. Categories of Musical Instruments:
Overview
• Percussion Instruments: sources of sound
(examples)
– vibrating plates (cymbals)
– vibrating bars (marimba, xylophone)
– vibrating stretched skins, called membranes (timpani,
drums)
– other vibrating objects (claves, triangle, maracas)
– struck with the hands or with various mallets

18. Categories of Musical Instruments:
Overview
• Keyboard Instruments: sources of sound
– plucked vibrating strings (harpsichord)
– hammered vibrating strings (piano),
– air columns in pipes (organ)
– steel bars struck with hammers (celesta)
• Electronic Instruments: Electrical currents create
moving transistors that transmit sounds through
speakers or headphones

19. End Slide
THE ENJOYMENT OF MUSIC
ESSENTIAL LISTENING EDITION
http://wwnorton.com/web/enjoyess2
THIRD EDITION
by
Kristine Forney
Andrew Dell’Antonio
Joseph Machlis