Chapter VII: The Human Voice in Its Relationship to Science

The human voice is a physiological phenomenon produced by the
vocal apparatus.

Two branches of science—Physiology and Acoustics—govern the
human voice. Physiology, which rules the functions of the human
body, controls the mechanism of voice production; and Acoustics,
which treats of the laws and properties of sound, controls the
physical product of the vocal apparatus—the sound.

As a fundamental element of the art of singing, however, voice
represents a higher and more complex factor than sound, as it
constitutes the artistic medium for expressing our thoughts and
feelings through music. Therefore, for the full exploitation of
the phenomenon—voice—the support of intellectual assistance is
required, and that is supplied by Psychology, the science of the
study of intellect and sentiment.

_Psychology_ lends to singing its mental contributions—its
inspiration, its emotions, its color, its style; all artistic
features which do not belong to the voice in its simple form of
physical sound.

This psychological contribution constitutes the most precious
equipment in the art of singing and can be defined as the _Sense
of Singing_. The sense of singing stands to the physical
phenomenon of voice as the painter’s conception of life and
colors—which he carries out through his imagination and
feelings—stands to his hand and brush.

We believe that the sense of singing is entirely a natural gift,
which no book or teacher can confer upon any pupil to whom
Nature has denied it. Education may assist in developing it, but
there must be a substrata of certain mental qualities which can
be cultivated to make it possible to achieve this fundamental
factor of the art of singing.

Therefore, the task of illustrating the contribution of
Psychology to this art will not be part of our aim in developing
this book. It is too important to be treated briefly, in outline
form, and it is of no real value in the preliminary, though most
essential, task of teaching the mechanism of voice production.
Students of singing, however, must note that psychology
constitutes the very soul of the art of singing, and must not
neglect the education of their minds, which comes first in the
exploitation of every art.

In regard to the physiology of the voice, in spite of all the
doctrines and books written about it, there seems to be no clear
understanding among professionals of the laws and rules which
constitute the foundation of the physiological voice production
and culture. Many, in fact, confuse _physiological functions_
with _physical efforts_, and their misconception goes to the
extent of condemning the real laws ruling the function of
singing because they attribute to the term “physiological” the
qualification of effort.

In reality _physiological_, when related to a function, is
equivalent merely to _normal_. The misunderstanding on this
subject is due principally to the fact that the greater part of
the singers of our times in producing their voices employ a
power which is the result of their maximum energy, and they
gauge it as normal, while in reality it is not. As a matter of
fact normal efficiency is produced by the minimum of energy. A
motor car running at the speed of one hundred miles is not ruled
by its normal power, its motor being under high pressure.

The voice produced by the maximum energy of the vocal organs is
under a strain, while the minimum of power produces its normal
efficiency. This normal efficiency is what should be conceived
as the _physiological function_.

The multitudinous theories about breathing, breathing
exercises, diaphragm development, voice building and many
other complicated suggestions related to the mechanism of the
voice, show how incorrect is the knowledge of the functions of
the vocal organs and how far these functions are from being
performed by physiological mechanism. Voice production in
reality is as simple and spontaneous as is any other function
of the human organism. That constitutes the wonderful asset of
Nature—simplicity.

A clear conception of the function of the vocal apparatus and
the mechanism of voice production cannot be attained without, at
least, an elementary knowledge of the anatomy of its different
organs, and of the fundamental laws of acoustics which rule
them. But a thorough anatomical study of the different organs of
the vocal apparatus is not really necessary for the
comprehension of the principles of voice culture. Such
information may be necessary for teachers, but it is as
unnecessary for the student to know the different muscles and
cartilages of the larynx as it is for the dancer to have a
detailed anatomical knowledge of the muscles of the legs. Too
much emphasis has been placed upon the necessity of the study of
anatomy for pupils. We believe that the student should know only
what the mechanism of the voice is, and what the different
organs are that take part in the production of this mechanism.
The teacher should acquire a thorough knowledge of the vocal
organs, but most essentially of their functions, in order to be
able to determine whether the pupil’s work is correct, according
to physiological rules, or whether it is incorrect because of a
faulty mechanism in the voice production.

In the next chapter an outline will be given of those few
anatomical parts which are necessary for the study of the voice,
omitting all unimportant and complicated data.

Of the other scientific branch, concerned with the phenomenon of
the voice—_acoustics_—it is enough to bear in mind a few
elementary principles related to the fundamental laws of the
sounds.

Sounds are the physical result of bodies in vibration.
Vibrations are movements traveling in every direction, which
reach our ears and are perceived in the complex form of sounds,
if periodic, of equal duration, regular and rapid. If they are
irregular and unequal in duration, they are perceived merely as
noises.

This difference is very important because it establishes from
the very roots of the physical formation of the voice the fact
that only _equal vibrations_ can produce _perfect sounds_ or
_tones_; therefore, equal vibrations are the fundamental asset
for a _correct form_ of _singing_. That makes it very evident
how strictly the laws of acoustics are connected with the rules
of physiology in the production of the laryngeal sound which is
the seed that generates the wonderful phenomenon of the human
voice.

Therefore, the correct physiological mechanism of voice
production, by generating equal vibrations, establishes the
basic foundation for a correct and natural method of singing. It
is obvious then that the mechanism of voice production is
fundamentally controlled by the laws of both sciences—Physiology
and Acoustics—working in harmonious coöperation.