Preocupaciones comerciales planteadas en otros órganos de la OMC

Areas for Further Research

Considerable scientific research remains to be done to better understand the physiological phenomenon of belting. The term “belting” applies to such a wide spectrum of repertoire, which is one reason why the term is confusing for professionals. Jeannette LoVetri states: “it is simply not true that there is one way to make a ‘belt’ sound, any more than there is one way to sing a classical

sound…each of these kinds of singing requires a different configuration of the source and filter, different activities in the articulators, and use of the breath.”66

Quantifiable research is sparse on what is aesthetically acceptable for nonclassical singing. Some nonclassical sounds are not considered “beautiful,” but rather thrilling, intense, dramatic, and realistic.

This author plans to further develop a pedagogy by which symbols could be used to expand on standard western music notation to include color, timbre and other features specific to belting and flexibility of style. A variety of such symbols can be seen in nonwestern music notation (Japanese, Korean, etc.) and

can offer a creative solution to teaching voice.67

Vocal pedagogues could draw upon common ground between classical singing and belting, while acknowledging the significant differences in source filter production while embracing those differences. This author recommends

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66 _{LoVetri, “More Than One Way to Use the Vocal Tract,” 250-251.}

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Correspondence with Dr. Cynthia Schmidt regarding Non-Western notation methods, June 27, 2014.

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that university voice teachers engage to familiarize themselves with the sounds, styles, techniques and performance practices of belting.

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APPENDIX A DEFINITION OF TERMS

Pedagogical

Belting (vocal belting) is a technique of singing by which a singer produces a very loud sound in the upper-middle part of the vocal range. This range is sometimes referred to as a vocal register, but that term is a misnomer, as the larynx itself does not change its oscillation during a belt.68

Chest voice is one of the terms most consistently misused by voice professionals. It can mean a vocal register, part of the vocal range, a vocal resonance area, or a specific vocal timbre.69

For the purpose of this essay, chest voice describes singing produced primarily by the thyroarytenoid (TA) muscles of the larynx, resulting in excessive resonance in the lower formants. The vocal production may be perceived as “heavy.” Chest voice is used more regularly and carried higher through the vocal range in musical theater singing than in classical singing.

The thyroarytenoid (TA) muscle is a paired intrinsic laryngeal muscle that makes up the bulk of the vocal fold. Also called the vocalis muscle, it is the primary muscle for producing the lower pitches of the singing voice.70 _{In musical}

theater singing, this muscle is used at higher pitches than in classical singing.

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68

Karyn O’Connor,“Sing Wise”, [website] http://www.singwise.com/cgi- bin/main.pl?section=articles&doc=BeltingTechnique Accessed July 19, 2014

69

McKinney.

70

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Head voice denotes a particular part of the vocal range, type of vocal register, or a vocal resonance area.71

The term is used to describe singing produced primarily by the cricothyroid (CT) muscles of the throat. Head voice has become common parlance to distinguish the sympathetic vibrations in the head area felt when singing higher pitches. It is produced in the larynx. Classical singing is dominated by the use of head voice.

The cricothyroid (CT) muscle is a set of paired intrinsic laryngeal muscles that are used primarily to control the vocal folds and help the vocal folds to vibrate by stretching them. In the classical female voice, the vocal production is head voice (CT) dominant, while much of the singing for the musical theater female voice is chest voice (TA) dominant. The CT muscle also helps to control pitch and is therefore used in all singing.72

Mixed voice is more difficult to define than head and chest voice. However, it is an important vocal technique for any musical theater singer and is the most common vocal technique used today. It is a blend between chest and head voice, and is an important transitional technique between the two. While scant research exists regarding mixed voice, it employs a combination of both TA and CT

muscles, balanced via vowel and resonance tuning to smooth the transition between head and chest voice. This concept is controversial, as some voice specialists regard it as a perceptual phenomenon rather than a physiological !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

71

Ibid.

72

This definition is drawn from two sources, Karyn O’Connor, “The Larynx: Structure and Function: Intrinsic Muscles of the Larynx” Singwise [website] available from:

http://www.singwise.com/cgibin/main.pl?section=articles&doc=LarynxStructureAndFunction &page=2 Accessed 12 October 2012 and Mary Saunders Barton, “Bel Canto, Can Belto: Teaching Women to Sing Music Theater” producer Penn State Public Broadcasting, Penn State Media Sales, 2007, DVD video.

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register. An important factor to consider is vocal cord adduction, which is a critical variable for register manipulation. The shape of the vocal fold medial surface must be considered as it becomes more convergent when the singer moves into head voice. This is due to decreasing contraction of the TA muscle.73

The larynx is an organ in the neck of amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. The primary function of the larynx is to protect the trachea from food aspiration. Breathing and sound production are spandrels. This organ houses the vocal folds, which are essential for phonation.74 _{Sound is generated in the larynx and}

that is where pitch and volume are manipulated. The larynx is capable of

movement up and down. As it relates to belting, this movement is the subject of much scientific investigation. Some scientific data show the larynx assumes a high position in belting, and is lowered in classical singing.75

The pharynx is part of both the digestive and respiratory systems and is the region directly above the larynx, below the velum (soft palate) and posterior to the oral cavity. It is a flexible tube that can both stretch and constrict. In classical singing, it is stretched, whereas in musical theater singing, the position can be slightly lowered.

The vocal folds are a paired system of ligaments in the larynx that oscillate to produce sound. The vocal folds consist of two wedge-shaped, multi-layered bundles of muscles with ligamental edges covered by a mucous membrane. The vocal folds are a complex tensing and relaxing system; they can shorten, contract

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73

Boardman. 2.

74

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laterally, and vary in length and thickness during vibration. Part of them can tense while the rest stay relaxed.76

(Figure 13)

Closed Quotient (CQ) refers to the duration of the closed phase of the vibratory cycle in which the vocal folds close the glottis. Generally, in classical (CT) vocal production,77 _{the CQ is less than 40 percent. Fifty-two percent is the}

marker for chest voice (TD) production while belters can exhibit a CQ as high as 70 percent.

Formants are resonances in the vocal tract. Their frequencies and amplitudes shape the radiated spectrum. To achieve the best sound, singers regularly modify the dimensions of the vocal tract, adjusting the resonance frequencies of the vocal tract to amplify certain harmonics of the voice source. Resonance strategies are well documented for classical singing; they have not been systematically studied in belting.78 _{(Figure 4)}

Singer’s formant is a prominent cluster of intense acoustic energy

consisting of strong third, fourth, and fifth formants. This cluster results from the cumulative distribution of upper harmonic partials that is present in the

frequency spectra of trained singing voices only. This formant, which seems to be independent of the particular vowel and pitch, adds brilliance and carrying

power to the voice.79

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76

Boardman. 2.

77

Generally, belting is a Thyroarytenoid dominant type of vocal production, and classical singing is a more Cricothyroid dominant type of vocal production.

78

Schutte and Besterbreurtje, 194.

79

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Figure 14: The larynx, Henry Gray, Anatomy: Descriptive and Surgical, 20th ed. (Grammercy Books, New York, 1918): Figure 959. The 20th edition of Gray’s Anatomy is available in public domain in the USA.

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Repertoire

Ballad is a term used in CCM and describes a song in a slower tempo. All styles of musical theater repertoire that employ a slow tempo are ballads.80

Up-tempo is a term used in CCM to describe a song with a fast moving tempo.81

Triple threat is a term used in theater to describe someone who can sing, dance, and act.

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80

Lebon. 34. Most musical theater auditions require a singer to come prepared with 16 bars of a ballad and 16 bars of an up-tempo selection to demonstrate vocal and stylistic contrast. In the past, there was no distinction of genre or style, but that is changing.

81

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APPENDIX B

CONTEMPORARY COMMERCIAL MUSIC 1930s - PRESENT

Musical exchange between performers gained importance, as the leading singers of the time acquired their skill and training by performing with big bands and listening to each other’s shows and recordings. Female big band singers of the time included Billie Holliday, performing with Count Basie and Artie Shaw; Ella Fitzgerald with Chick Webb and Duke Ellingtion; Sarah Vaughan with Billy Eckstine; and Peggy Lee with Benny Goodman. Two of the marquee82_male

performers were Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby.

Rock and roll, and the emergence of rhythm and blues, dominated the period from 1950-1960. The term “rhythm and blues” (R&B) became vernacular in the 1940s when Billboard magazine used it as a substitution for the term “race records.” The use of electric guitars distinguished the idiom. Due to the

amplification and the pervasive dance rhythms, singers of rock and roll and R&B reverted to an aggressive, shouted delivery. The emphasis was on audience impact rather than content. B.B. King, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard were the leading artists in this style and influenced the future British rock invasion.83

The dance-driven style of R&B was eventually adopted and adapted by white artists, and became popular with white youth. This style, dominated by male performers like Bill Haley and Elvis Presley, is rock and roll. Top female performers during this time – including Connie Francis, Patti Page, Rosemary !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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A marquee performer is the main performer in a show, whose name will attract the most attendance.

83

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Clooney, and Doris Day – sang in an understated style. Not many female R & B performers gained nationwide prominence, with the exception of Dinah

Washington and Della Reese. Washington and Reese performed with a more aggressive singing style associated with male R & B performers. Several all- female groups also performed in this style, including the Crystals, the Ronnettes, and the Chiffons.84

Female vocalists from the country-western idiom of the 1950s displayed a more powerful belted vocal delivery. Tammy Wynette, Patsy Cline, Brenda Lee, and Loretta Lynn all sang within their speaking range, with regional accents. The incorporation of “vocal cry” (a sob-like style) was one important aspect in their interpretations. The merger of country and R&B produced country rock and rockabilly, typified by the musical styles of Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis.85

Another important vocal development was the arrival of the “teen idol“: a crooner with a large teenage fan base. These heartthrobs included Fabian, Bobby Rydell, Bobby Vee, Paul Anka, and Frankie Avalon. Television became an

important medium for the development of hit tunes. By the early 1960s, the popularity of the crooner and over-commercialized white performers was waning, setting the stage for the British Invasion.86

By 1963, several British groups that claimed influence from African-

American musicians such as Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters became popular in

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 84 Ibid. 30. 85 Ibid. 31. 86 Ibid.

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the USA, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, and the Who. The leading British female vocalists of that time, such as Petula Clark, Lulu, and Leslie Gore, used a more aggressive, belted approach to singing.87

By the late 1960s, the sought-after vocal style sought was aggressive belting. Rock music incorporated stylistic elements from soul, folk, country, and jazz, resulting in hybrid forms such as jazz-fusion, country rock, and funk. Leading female artists of this time included Grace Slick, Janis Joplin, Linda Ronstadt, Helen Reddy, and Olivia Newton-John.88

Soul is a sub-genre of R&B. Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin contributed to the secularization of gospel into soul. Motown, the Detroit-based recording company, was the heartbeat of an entire style that provided the connection

between gospel and popular music. Characteristics of the soul vocal style include slurring into the beginning of the vocal line; improvisations and ornamentations of words; wide vibrato; and the use of falsetto, growls, screams, wails, and shouts.89

The 1970s also brought more sophisticated studio equipment, plus the development and refinement of electronic drums, keyboards, and synthesizers. Notable artists of that era include Donna Summer, a belter, and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, also known as the “Demon of Screamin’”.

The 1980s continued the high-level wave of vocal exertion. Popular male belting artists such as Steve Perry of Journey and Lou Gramm of Foreigner had

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 87 Ibid. 88 Ibid. 89 Ibid.

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high, edgy voices. Their exploration of chest voice belted to their highest limits was an inspired progression from the high falsetto singing of the Bee Gees. Female belters of this era included Irene Cara, Juice Newton, Laura Branigan, and Pat Benatar.90

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90

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APPENDIX C

REPRESENTATIVE VIDEOGRAPHY

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When this author was first asked to teach musical theater and belting years ago, there were few pedagogical resources. The belting technique was self- taught. Observation of live performances and videos were an important resource for the author to acquire the necessary techniques.

1. “Roxie” from Chicago performed by Renee Zellweger

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-_HTUapDQo

Summary: Observe how Renee Zellweger uses the resonance of her natural speaking voice to her advantage with very little visible tension. Note the use of TA dominant belt at the end on “Sophie Tucker’ll shit, I know”.

Renee Zellweger had not studied voice before appearing in the film version of Chicago. In his interview for Playbill, Andew Gans asked:

What was your musical background? Had you done musicals in high school or college?

RZ: I tried out for Hair in college, and I watched Hair from the audience and enjoyed it very much . . . I sang in the shower a lot, and my brother told me to shut up a lot, and I sang a couple of notes in "Empire Records." I played a girl who wants to be a singer but who's too scared to sing and can't really sing, so there's that. And, then, of course, there were a couple of fabulous vocal moments in "Bridget Jones." Q: Did you study voice at all for the film?

!RZ: Yeah, we had class. I didn't know how to sing properly. I didn't know how to enunciate. I thought singing was hitting the tunes . . . I didn't understand about the silent breath, the diaphragm. I didn't understand about enunciating and elongating your words, and I

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didn't know how to breathe properly and how to protect your vocal chords. I didn't know, so I learned. And, I didn't know the songs [laughs], and that's kind of a problem, so I had to become familiar with that. And that was all part of singing class at the Rob Marshall School of "Chicago" in Toronto.91

2. “On the Steps of the Palace” from Into the Woods performed by Kim Crosby

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NV_Cd3csTA

Summary: Notice Kim Crosby’s lovely mixed voice quality (CT dominant) in the opening sung measures. Crosby uses this quality to move easily into her head voice for the higher pitches. Also employing the natural resonance of her speaking voice for dramatic or comedic effect.

Into the Woods has been produced many times since its premiere in San Diego in 1986. The musical intertwines several Brothers Grimm Fairytales and follows them to explore the characters wishes and quests. It has also been

adapted to a “junior” version suitable for schools with the entire 2nd _{act removed,}

allowing it to fit into a 60- to 80-minute performance time versus the original 3 hours. The song keys are also transposed to be more suitable for young voices. !

3. “Adelaide’s Lament” from Guys and Dolls performed by Vivian Blaine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovsb8_vjWLE&feature=kp

Summary: Vivian Blaine uses forward placement while keeping the naso- pharyngeal port closed. The soft palate is highly placed. Mostly sung in mixed

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! *"_{!Andrew Gans, “Diva Talk: A Chat with Renee Zellweger, the ‘Hart’ of ‘Chicago’, plus}

Diva News”, Playbill [website] http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/77137-DIVA- TALK-A-Chat-with-Rene-Zellweger-the-Hart-of-Chicago-PLUS-Diva-News Accessed July 27, 2014.

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voice that is either TA or CT dominant until the last page where she employs TA dominant belt voice.

The role of Adelaide was specifically created for Vivian Blaine after she was not chosen to portray Sarah Brown. The ability to do a dialect could be helpful as well, dependant upon director’s choice. It’s a great piece for anyone beginning to belt; on the other hand, the character should be cast a bit older for the show, since Adelaide has been engaged to Nathan Detroit for 15 years. This show is also popular among high school musical directors.

4. “Always a Bridesmaid” from I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change performed by Traci Laborde

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhMIvVfmYyA

Summary: Notice Traci Laborde’s classic “belter’s mouth”, narrow, horizontal shape with lots of teeth showing. She is able to employ the twang resonance required of the style without using full nasal resonance. Observe the modified open vowel on “own” on the last page.

I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is the second longest running Off- Broadway musical. It closed at the Westside Theater on July 27, 2008 after a run of 5,003 performances.92 _{The musical has been translated into at least fourteen}

languages.

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92

Andrew Gans, “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change Ends NYC Run After More Than a Decade July 27” [website] http://www.playbill.com/news/article/119818-LAST-CHANCE- Playbillcoms-Reminder-of-NYC-Shows-Closing-July-27 Accessed June 22, 2014.

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5. “I Know the Truth” from Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida performed by Sherie René Scott

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw0yt8it134

Summary: Sherie René Scott begins in CT dominant mixed voice making the intervallic leaps more accessible. Sung in R & B style, slightly behind the beat. Scott moves into a TA dominant belt in the second refrain. She also employs typical R & B ornaments. Scott ends the song in the same registration in which she began, CT dominant mixed voice.

Disney had acquired the rights for an animated feature film, but the project was shelved. The source material for the film developed into the

Broadway musical. This song appears in Act II; the singer, Amneris, is trying to face the fact that her upcoming marriage to Radames is bogus. Sherie René Scott originated the role of Amneris and received the award for Most Promising Actress in 2000 for her performance. Notable replacements for the role include Idina Menzel, Taylor Dayne, and Lisa Brescia.

6. “I Got Rhythm” from Girl Crazy or Crazy for You performed by Ethel Merman

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