Vocal Timbre / Quality & Dynamics

timbre

also known as tone color or tone quality is what distinguishes different types of sound production in voices. just as musical instruments have different classes, so does the human voice.

soprano

is the highest voice range, usually in the females. it comes from the italian word ‘sopra’, meaning “above” / “over”

alto

the second highest voice range, usually in the females. from latin tenere, meaning “to hold”

tenor

the highest type of male voice range. from latin tenere, meaning to hold.

bass

the lowest type of male voice range

singing

can also be classified according to the manner of pronouncing its lyrics

syllabic

type of singing where each syllable is matched with a single pitch

melismatic

type of singing where a syllable is distributed or stretched to sound for several pitches.

-lan

the syllable from ( ? ) is sung across different pitches in this passage

dynamics

refers to the loudness and softness of sounds. these are used to show different kinds of intensity and expression in a musical piece.

pianississimo (ppp)

very very soft

pianissimo (pp)

very soft

piano (p)

soft

mezzo piano (mp)

moderately soft

mezzo forte (mf)

moderately loud

forte (f)

loud

fortessimo (ff)

very loud

crescendo (cresc.)

gradually getting louder

decrescendo (decresc.)

gradually getting softer

crescendo

has a hairpin like symbol wit the end pointed to the left

decrescendo

has a hairpin like symbol, with the end pointed to the right