Academic literature on the topic 'Singing – Physiological aspects'

Introduction. The traditional way of facilitating a good singing voice has been achieved through rigorous voice training. In modern days, however, there are some aspects of the singing voice that can be enhanced through digital processing. Although in the past, the frequency or intensity manipulations had to be achieved through the various singing techniques of the singer, technology today allows the singing voice to be enhanced from the instruments within recording studios. In essence, the traditional voice pedagogy and the evolution of digital audio processing both strive to achieve a better quality of the singing voice, but with different methods. Nevertheless, the major aspects of how the singing voice can be manipulated are not communicated among the professionals in each field. Objective. This paper offers insights as to how the quality of the singing voice can be changed physiologically through the traditional ways of voice training, and also digitally through various instruments that are now available in recording studios. Reflection. The ways in which singers train their voice must be mediated with the audio technology that is available today. Although there are aspects in which digital technology can aid the singer’s voice, there remain areas in which the singers must train their singing system at a physiological level to produce a better singing voice.

This study focuses on one of the most spectacular aspects opera singer’s evolution – the change of vocal subrange, or even of vocal range. We identified the most frequent reasons prompting artists to such changes, the prerequisites, the most frequent types of specific evolutions, the advantages and risks inherent to such choices. Besides physiological particularities, opera singers have available certain technical parameters which, when carefully adapted and fine-tuned, may lead to spectacular results. We presented several case studies reflecting the performance of famous artists, whose vocal technique illustrates the solutions and adjustments mentioned above.

Singing pedagogy has increasingly adopted guide awareness through the use of meaningful real-time visual feedback. Technology typically used to study the voice can also be applied in a singing lesson, aiming at facilitating students’ awareness of the three subsystems involved in voice production—breathing, oscillatory and resonatory—and their underlying physiological, aerodynamical and acoustical mechanisms. Given the variety of real-time visual feedback tools, this article provides a comprehensive overview of such tools and their current and future pedagogical applications in the voice studio. The rationale for using real-time visual feedback is discussed, including both the theoretical and practical applications of visualizing physiological, aerodynamical and acoustical aspects of voice production. The monitorization of breathing patterns is presented, displaying lung volume as the sum of abdominal and ribcage movements signals. In addition, estimates of subglottal pressure are visually displayed using a subglottal pressure meter to assist with the shaping of musical phrases in singing. As to what concerns vibratory patterns of the vocal folds and phonatory airflow, the use of electroglottography and inverse filters is applied to monitor the phonation types, voice breaks, pitch and intensity range of singers of different music genres. These vocal features, together with intentional voice distortions and intonation adjustments, are also displayed using spectrographs. As the voice is invisible to the eye, the use of real-time visual feedback is proposed as a key pedagogical approach in current and future singing lessons. The use of such an approach corroborates the current trend of developing evidence-based practices in voice education.

The article reveals the features and specifics of teaching vocal art, which is particularly difficult for a number of reasons. There is still a lot of controversy in the vocal community. This article is the first in a planned series of articles that will cover the most controversial aspects of vocal pedagogy and performance. This article deals with the question of the opening and shape of the mouth when singing. The author highlights this issue from the perspective of his own pedagogical and performing experience. In his pedagogical activity, the author uses a physiological approach, finding for the explanation of complex vocal techniques associativity with vital physiological sensations that are familiar and understandable to everyone.

The article is devoted to the actual problem of contemporary art education ἦ#x201C; to improve the professional training of future music art teachers for children’s inclusive education. Its purpose is to present the results of theoretical understanding of the developmental and healing potential of music, to develop technological support in future music art teachers’ professional training for children’s inclusive education. According to the results of the study, the basic concept of the study was defined as: “professional training of future music art teachers for inclusive education”, which is seen as an educational process aimed at ensuring students’ readiness to provide a system of educational services to persons with special educational needs in their future professional activity, and it involves mastering their inclusively oriented musical and pedagogical knowledge, skills and personal qualities. To improve the professional training of future music art teachers for children’s inclusive learning, the findings of the latest research in the field of art and musicpedagogical theory concerning the harmonizing and music-therapeutic influence of music on the personality of a child in need of educational inclusion were used; criteria of musical works selection for children with psycho-physiological disabilities have been identified; there was developed and substantiated developmental and corrective technique of training singing that can be used in inclusive classes of different age, gender and cognitive abilities of children. Developmental and corrective technique of training singing includes innovative content of children’s teaching, comprising a specially selected vocal repertoire; lesson and extracurricular forms of training; specific teaching methods for students with special educational needs.

This case study explores the objective and psychologically perceived effects of the menstrual cycle and the use of a combined oral contraceptive pill on the singing performance of a western classical female singer. Objective measures of vocal parameters and hormonal concentrations were assessed during her natural menstrual cycle and during the use of an oral contraceptive pill. A diary was kept throughout the six months duration of the study and one lengthy semi-structured interview was also carried out with the singer, focussing on perceptions of her singing quality over the entire study. Aural analyses of the singing recordings were also undertaken by two independently qualified judges to see whether or not vocal changes were perceptible to listeners. The results suggest that: (i) hormonal variations during the natural menstrual cycle affected physiological and psychological aspects of the singer's performance; (ii) the pattern of vibration of the vocal folds seems to be more regular, and vocal control seems to be improved during oral contraceptive pill use; (iii) the singer reported better voice control during oral contraceptive pill use; (iv) listeners perceive intonation problems and wider vibrato during the natural menstrual cycle. This study suggests that further research on the effects of female sexual hormones on the singer's voice is necessary, and that female singers should be educated regarding these matters, in order to protect their voices and careers.

AbstractNeonatal estradiol injections masculinize both the singing behavior and some morphological aspects of the song control nuclei in female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), but there is to date no physiological evidence that estrogens are responsible for the differentiation of song and the song control nuclei in male zebra finches during normal ontogeny. Injections of estrogen into young males demasculinizes their copulatory behavior, so that it is difficult to understand how the same endocrine environment could simultaneously masculinize song and demasculinize copulation. Attempts to block early estrogen action in males have resulted in a paradoxical hypermasculinization of several aspects of the song control nuclei. In the present experiment, we tried to evaluate the role played by estrogens during zebra finch differentiation by blocking their secretion with the non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor, R76713 or racemic vorozole. Zebra finches received at 2-3 days post-hatch one Silastic implant filled with R76713 or left empty as a control. Implants were left in place until about 45 days of age and birds were then gonadectomized. At the age of 105 days, all birds received a Silastic implant filled with T and, starting two weeks later, they were repeatedly tested for singing and copulatory behavior during a period of 3 weeks. They were then perfused and their brains were analyzed by histological methods to measure the volume of the song control nuclei, HVc, RA, area X and MAN. Treatment with R76713 significantly decreased (± 50%) the number of song bouts produced by the birds but did not affect the copulatory behavior of the males. The behavior of females was not changed by the aromatase inhibitor and, in particular, no increase in mounting behavior was seen in the treated females. The presence of a strong sex dimorphism in the size of all 4 song control nuclei was confirmed but no significant effect of R76713 on these measures could be detected. These data are therefore consistent with the idea that estrogens are implicated in the differentiation of singing behavior in the zebra finch but the small amplitude of the behavioral effect observed and the absence of morphological effect suggest that either other factors also play a major role at this level or that higher doses or longer treatments with the aromatase blocker should be tested.

Music performance belongs to music recreation activities, is through singing, musical instrument performance, and vocal conductor, including a variety of artistic means, to convey music to the audience with real sound effects that can be felt, and can play its social function. Emotional state is a part of the whole attitude, which is consistent with introverted feelings and intentions in attitude, and is a complex and stable physiological evaluation and experience of attitude in physiology. This paper first introduces the concepts of music performance from the perspective of music appreciation and music ability. Then based on the emotional feature learning of matrix factorization constrained nonnegative matrix factorization and model optimization algorithm are used to analyze the emotional aspects of music. Finally, through the experimental comparison of the difficulty of emotion in various artistic creations, a conclusion is drawn. The research involves matrix decomposition, mathematical modeling, model optimization, digital audio technology application, and other fields. In the third part of this paper, the constrained nonnegative matrix factorization, the constrained nonnegative matrix factorization with external information, and the model optimization algorithm are used to study the mathematical modeling.

Background. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in studying the processes of the development of the creative personality of the drama actor, amongst other things, the modern methods of vocal training, focused on his future activity in nowadays-scenic conditions. Therefore, there is a need to renew the traditional system of the vocal training of drama actors in accordance with the trends of contemporary theatrical art, namely, the introduction of the principles of person-centered pedagogy. Objectives, methodology. The research is an attempt to provide an overview of the principles of person-centered pedagogy in the making of the creative personality of the singing actor. The purpose of the article is to characterize the system of vocal training of the dramatic theater actor and new “technologies” of education aimed at developing the personality of a singing actor, which are based on the principle of person-centered pedagogy. On based of interdisciplinary approach the following methods are used in this paper: empirical (observation, discussion, retrospective analysis of vocal-performing and pedagogical experience of the author) and theoretical (analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalization of theoretical and research data). The results of the study. The history of the development of vocal performing, acting and pedagogy shows that for many years the attempts carried out to determine the principles of vocal education of the actor of the drama theater, implement their testing, introduce into the system of training of acting skills for improvement the process of onstage singing. The contemporary study of this problem requires a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach, extensive contacts of art historians, musicologists, theater critics, vocalists, actors, and teachers. The constant development of theatrical art dictates new methods of educating the actor’s creative personality, including approaches to his vocal training, focused on his future activities on the modern stage. In the making of scenic image, an actor-singer needs to be constantly improved in a personal and professional way. The basis of continuous work on a vocal creative product is a worked out system of reflection regarding a person himself with all psycho-physiological features, and the image, which an actor creates onstage. The basis of the author’s developed program of the complex and personal development of the singing actor is the factor of individual diagnostics. The author of the article offers a method of individual diagnosis of the creative state of the singing actor in the educational process, by which this state can be divided into three psychological and pedagogical zones: the area of the mainstream development; the area of the highest potential development; the area of the nearest self-development. For these parameters and criteria, the author has developed a scheme of a diagnostic characteristic map for each actor’s student, which contains: ● analysis of the peculiarities of the actor’s psyche; ● descriptions of his voice and external data; ● information about language and vocal defects of sound; ● information on the shortcomings of the voice of the actor and ways to overcome them; ● repertoire list of works; ● analysis of the technical part of the actor’s vocal training at the beginning of training and at the end of it; ● analysis of performances on the drama scene. Thus, the introduction of a person-centered approach makes it possible to outline the optimal trajectory of the formation of the creative personality of a singing student-actor. On an optimal path to forming a creative personality of a singing actor student, the main task of the vocal teacher is to ensure his development, taking into account his psychological and physiological abilities, as well as updating of incentives for self-development and self-realization. To solve this problem, first, it is necessary to organize a psychologically rich “counter activity” of a student, taking care of updating and forming his internal personal motivation to developing. This kind of education focuses not so much on the amount of knowledge that is acquired, but on the feelings and experiences that are associated with them, the personal inte­rests and features of the subject of the educational process. In contemporary theatrical and vocal pedagogy, there is a vicious regularity: on the one hand, all (both teachers and students-actors) know about the existence of the above-mentioned issue, discuss it, declare it, and on the other – because of imperfection elaboration of these issues, lack of research and others difficulties, it is simply not taken into account. The author has analyzed the apparatus necessary for the study of the category of the worldview and psychological aspects of education: the structure of the personality of the actor, his socio-biological patterns, needs, motivation, etc. Conclusions. The most important mean of the vocal up-bringing of an drama theater actor as a component of his professional development is a person-centered approach to a student. This approach involves two complementary moments: the true understanding by a teacher of the individuality of a singing actor, his personality traits and features; the presence of a student’s desire for self-development within his abilities to vocal stage activity. In the process of development of the creative person of a singing drama actor, the new technologies of education arise aimed at the vocal-scenic activity in a today theatre, which are based on the principle of person-centered pedagogy. In part, the study of the processes of reflection allowed us to develop the program for complex individual development of a student-actor. Within its framework, the author proposed a diagnostic characteristic map, revealing the features of the singing student-actor’s abilities.

Accuracy in pitch production is fundamental to both singing and language. Since accurate control of pitch is a complicated motor control process, no conclusions can be drawn yet for the reasons why some individuals have trouble producing accurate pitches in singing, although different possible causes have been proposed in the literature such as deficits in pitch perception, pitch memory and mismatch of pitch range. Additionally, since auditory feedback plays a crucial role in the pitch control, some behavioral experiments have been conducted in the literature that involve manipulation of auditory feedback so as to remedy those with inaccurate pitch during singing but the effects varied. However, those studies in the literature had various limitations and mostly recruited participants who were speakers of non-tonal languages. The present study investigated the effect of augmented auditory feedback (AAF) as a method of feedback manipulation on pitch accuracy as well as its relationship with the three possible causes for pitch inaccuracy mentioned above. A total of 43 tonal-language-speaking adult participants who had no formal training of singing were recruited to participant in two tasks to measure their pitch accuracy: single-tone pitch matching and singing a familiar song. All participants were native speakers of tonal languages: Mandarin or Cantonese. The results showed that pitch accuracy was not significantly improved by AAF although moderately inaccurate singers seemed to benefit consistently in pitch matching task. The post-hoc analysis revealed that the intertrial consistency of the singer’s performance was significantly improved for inaccurate singers in both tasks. As for the causes for pitch inaccuracy, both pitch perception and pitch memory were found to have moderate correlation with pitch inaccuracy while mismatch of vocal range of the participants and the pitch targets seemed to be a major cause for most of the inaccurate participants.
published_or_final_version
Speech and Hearing Sciences
Master
Master of Philosophy

Scientific knowledge of vocal function and vocal health has increased greatly in recent decades, with new technology capable of displaying the larynx in operation, measuring muscular effort, and acoustically analysing vocal sound. This research addresses five key questions: 1/. What is the current body of voice science knowledge relevant to singing? 2/. What do singing teaching practitioners currently know about the voice? 3/. How do practitioners' understandings of voice influence their teaching of vocal techniques? 4/. How does singing teaching in Australia relate to bel canto precepts? 5/. How does singing teaching in Australia relate to voice science? Data was collected from surveys conducted to answer these questions. Analysis of survey data indicates that practitioners see themselves less as teachers than as singers who teach, and that this role perception carries values that moderate voice knowledge and approaches to teaching. The implications of this conclusion for the professional training of singing teachers in Australia are discussed and suggestions made for further research. In particular, voice scientists and singing teachers need to collaborate more actively in research. Scientific research into singing would have broader application if a model appropriate to both male and female voices were utilised and if larger and better chosen selections of experimental subjects were used. Further research is needed into how the physical skills of singing are best imparted to students
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The primary purpose of this study was to clarify the underlying principles of singers' resonance and to examine some of the pedagogical practices associated with the traditional schools of singing and contemporary voice science. The secondary purpose was to determine which principles should be retained, discarded, or altered.An examination of the voice pedagogy literature revealed recurrent references to resonance. This implied that the concept is of some importance to voice pedagogy. Singers' resonance has, however, been presented in diverse contexts indicating that (1) it has a number of denotations and connotations, (2) it is sometimes used ambiguously, or inaccurately, and (3) a further investigation of the topic might yield clarity to the field of voice pedagogy.It was determined that though there are many important voice pedagogy methodologies, classically trained professional concert and opera singers of international reputation are taught to optimize singers' resonance both in order to be heard and to produce the accepted tone. It was found that those precepts which are based upon acoustic laws should be conserved and those which are not should be abandoned, altered, or when appropriate, acknowledged as metaphorical.
School of Music

Thesis (MMus)-- Stellenbosch University, 2013.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: It is widely accepted that the singer’s formant cluster (Fs) – perceptual correlates being twang and ring, and pedagogically referred to as head resonance – is the defining trait of a classically trained voice. Research has shown that the spectral energy a singer harnesses in the Fs region can be measured quantitatively using spectral indicators Short-Term Energy Ratio (STER) and Singing Power Ratio (SPR). STER is a modified version of the standard measurement tool Energy Ratio (ER) that repudiates dependency on the Long-Term Average Spectrum (LTAS). Previous studies have shown that professional singers produce more Fs spectral energy when singing in ensemble mode than in solo mode; however for amateur singers, the opposite trend was noticed. Little empirical evidence in this regard is available concerning undergraduate vocal performance majors. This study was aimed at investigating the resonance tendencies of individuals from the latter target group, as evidenced when singing in two performance modes: ensemble and solo. Eight voice students (two per SATB voice part) were selected to participate. Subjects were recorded singing their parts individually, as well as in full ensemble. By mixing the solo recordings together, comparisons of the spectral content could be drawn between the solo and ensemble performance modes. Samples (n=4) were extracted from each piece for spectral analyses. STER and SPR means were highly proportional for both pieces. Results indicate that the singers produce significantly higher levels of spectral energy in the Fs region in ensemble mode than in solo mode for one piece (p<0.05), whereas findings for the other piece were insignificant. The findings of this study could inform the pedagogical approach to voice-training, and provides empirical bases for discussions about voice students’ participation in ensemble ventures.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Dit word algemeen aanvaar dat die singer’s formant cluster (Fs) – die perseptuele korrelate is die Engelse “twang” en “ring”, en waarna daar in die pedagogie verwys word as kopresonansie – die bepalende eienskap is van ’n Klassiek-opgeleide stem. Navorsing dui daarop dat die spektrale energie wat ’n sanger in die Fs omgewing inspan kwantitatief gemeet kan word deur die gebruik van Short-Term Energy Ratio (STER) en Singing Power Ratio (SPR) as spektrale aanwysers. STER is ’n gewysigde weergawe van die standaard maatstaf vir energie in die Fs, naamlik Energy Ratio (ER), wat afhanklikheid van die Long-Term Average Spectrum (LTAS) verwerp. Vorige studies het getoon dat professionele sangers meer Fs energie produseer in ensemble konteks as in solo konteks, in teenstelling met amateur sangers waar die teenoorgestelde die norm is. Min empiriese data in hierdie verband is beskikbaar, m.b.t. voorgraadse uitvoerende sangstudente. Hierdie studie is daarop gemik om die tendense in resonansie by individue uit die laasgenoemde groep te ondersoek, soos dit blyk in die twee uitvoerende kontekste: ensemble en solo. Agt sangstudente (twee per SATB stemgroep) is geselekteer om aan die studie deel te neem. Die deelnemers het hul stempartye individueel en in volle ensemble gesing, en is by beide geleenthede opgeneem. Deur die soloopnames te meng, kon vergelykings van die spektrale inhoud gemaak word tussen die solo en ensemble konteks. ’n Steekproef (n=4) is uit elke stuk onttrek vir spektrale analise. Die STER en SPR gemiddeldes was eweredig vir beide stukke. Resultate toon dat die sangers beduidend hoër vlakke van spektrale energie in die Fs omgewing produseer in ensemble konteks as in solo konteks vir een stuk (p<0.05), terwyl die bevindinge vir die tweede stuk nie beduidend was nie. Die bevindinge van hierdie studie kan belangrik wees vir die pedagogiese benadering tot stemopleiding, en lewer empiriese basis vir gesprekke oor die betrokkenheid van sangstudente in die ensemble bedryf.

While a limited body of research pertaining to vocal sound quality exists, technological advances in sound analyses have facilitated a reexamination of vocal timbre. The sound quality of sung vowels ([ a], [e ], C i ]) produced by ten baritone/bass singers at the University of North Texas was analyzed by the use of Fourier analysis and electronic digital equipment. This procedure and equipment produced results over a wider frequency range with greater accuracy than prior studies on vocal timbre. The study sought to answer the following questions: (1) Using formant regions between 0-20 kHz for comparison, what similarities and differences can be observed among spectra produced from [a], [e], and [ i ] vowels sung by baritone/bass singers? (2) Using formant regions between 0-20 kHz for comparison, what similarities and differences can be observed among spectra produced from [a], [ e ], and [ i ] vowels sung by baritone/bass singers with regard to individual singers? (3) Approximately what vocal-tract tube lengths were used by baritone/bass singers when performing [a], [e ], and [ i ] vowels? (4) What similarities in vocal-tract tube lengths can be generalized as to [ a], L e ], and [ i ] vowels sung by individual baritone/bass singers? The results of the study suggested that: (1) Below approximately 4 kHz formant frequency location can be generalized by a specific vowel between subjects. (2) Above 4 kHz the generalization of formant frequency location is difficult between subjects singing the same vowels, but general frequency location for formants can be identified between samples produced by the same singer performing different vowels. (3) Subjects did alter their vocal-tract lengths as different vowel sounds were performed, but no overall pattern of tube length with reference to specific vowels was indicated. (4) Each singer did use a unique vocal-tract length. The average estimated vocal-tract length for all subjects singing a specific vowel revealed little variation in tube length with an average tube length of 278.97 mm.

Good vocal health is a vital concern for those people who use the voice in a professional capacity, such as teachers, singers, actors, clergymen, and lawyers. Research in the area of vocal health reveals the need to determine if specific exercises are beneficial to the voice and if exercises used to train the singing voice might be beneficial to alleviate pathological and/or dysfunctional voice disorders. The purpose of this study was to describe the response of a variety of pathological voices to a selected set of singing exercises. Subjects were selected from the private practice of cooperating physicians who felt that the vocal instruction and exercise program might be helpful to the teachers, students, professional "pop" singers, and housewife-singers who were diagnosed to have muscle tension dysphonia, nodules, recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis, or iatrogenic dysphonia. Instrumentation for assessing conditions before, during, and after exercise included a brief case history, subject interviews, attending physicians' medical charts, flexible fiberoptic video nasolaryngoscopy, video cassette recorder and video tape segments, three physician/observers, and a specific diagnostic procedure which provided a method of assessing organic, functional, and perceptual variables. For the exercise program the researcher chose seven vocalises from the routine designed by Allan R. Lindquest, whose techniques combined those of the Italian school with those of Swedish studios which produced such singers as Flagstad and Bjoerling. The seven vocalises included a warm up "massage" and exercises for separation and blending of the registers, vowel clarity and modification, tone focus, vocal attack, and flexibility. Since all the subjects showed improvement after exercise in the vocal conditions observed in this study, these vocalises and technique may be helpful to alleviate pathological conditions and/or dysfunctional behavior in other subjects. The researcher further suggests that the voice profession investigate the efficiency of other techniques, exercises, and musical vocalises which might bring about positive changes in vocal conditions and behavior.

Master of Music
Throughout the 20th Century, female operatic singers in most of the major European opera houses were given “grace days” (where they were not required to sing) in recognition of the effect of hormonal changes on the singing voice. Financial constraints in professional companies have resulted in a reduction of such considerations, but to date, there has been no systematic study of the effects of hormonal fluctuations on the quality of the female singing voice, or of its potential adverse effects on the vocal apparatus for singers who are affected by pre-menstrual syndrome. This study investigated the effects of hormonal fluctuations on young professional female classical singers. Female and male professional singers in training (students) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney, were asked to participate as volunteers in the study by keeping daily diaries. The female singers kept a diary for two separate months beginning on the first day of menstruation, in which they recorded their daily basal temperature, mood, voice state and physical well being. The male control subjects kept daily diaries for one month. Acoustic analysis of two vocal samples taken during the second month, on days 1 and 14 of the cycle, were completed on the six most severely affected female subjects, who were identified through their diary ratings of changes in vocal quality during menstruation. The selected students assessed their own vocal samples, presented in random order, to determine whether they could reliably identify which of their samples were affected by menstruation. Vocal staff at the Conservatorium (pedagogues), who were blind to the purpose of the study, also assessed recordings presented randomly. Results indicated that self-perceived vocal quality varied over the course of the menstrual cycle, particularly during the first seven days of the cycle, that negative changes in mood affected the voice, and that fatigue, effort, hoarseness, weakness & peak performance were the most frequently affected vocal states. A surprising finding was that male self-perceived voice quality also varied over the course of one month of diary keeping. There was no consistent change in direction of scores during menstrual and non-menstrual phases. Five of the six most affected singers correctly identified their performance during menstruation but pedagogues were not consistently able to do so.. These results indicate that perceived quality of the voice through changes in the menstrual cycle may not be as obvious to a highly trained observer even though they were reliably perceived by the singer. This study demonstrates that menstruation has a discernible impact on the self-perception of female singers’ vocal quality and implies that the premenstrual or menstrual female may not feel able to present her peak performance at these times of hormonal fluctuation. Further detailed research in this area may be warranted on a larger scale to elaborate a more precise clinical management of the problem.

Thesis (MMus (Music))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009.
The evolutionary origins of music, defined as “an intentional action in which complex, learned vocalizations (and/or instrumentally produced sound) are combined with the movement of the body in synchrony to a beat” is investigated through an appraisal of the musilanguage theory and relevant literature. The biological adaptations allowing the production and perception of music are identified and their evolutionary histories investigated. The critical adaptations that made rhythmical body movement possible evolved around 1.6 million years ago. These include habitual bipedalism and changes in the vestibular system. There is almost no fossil evidence to inform on the timing and nature of the complex, learned vocalization. However, that the thoracic vertebrate canal had modern proportions by 600 000 years ago indicates that archaic humans were able to achieve the respiratory control necessary to sing. The size of this canal is a proxy for the number of nerve cells that control respiration via the intercostal and abdominal muscles. Musicality is essential to the human mind. Infants are born with rudimentary musical skills with regard to melody, temporal sequences and vocal and bodily imitation. These capabilities are central to the newborns’ innate ability to elicit care by synchronizing their vocal and bodily actions with that of the caregivers. Musical rhythm is further used to entrain bodily and neural oscillations and this permit the creation of trust and social bonding. It is concluded that protomusic developed between 1.6 million and 600 000 years ago. Protomusic consisted of entrained rhythmical whole body movements initially combined with grunt-like vocalizations. The evidence investigated cannot be used to infer the origins of modern music. KEYWORDS: Music, Evolution, Synchronisation, Melody, Dance, Bipedality, Vestibular system, Thoracic vertebrate canal, Infant-directed communication, Neural entrainment

The purpose of this study was to compare the speaking fundamental frequency, physiological vocal range, singing voice quality, and self-perceptions of the singing and speaking voice between two groups of girls ages 11 through 15 years, who were pre-menarcheal by 6 months and post-menarcheal by 10 months or more. Subjects were volunteers who attended a North Texas public school system. Each subject was examined by an otolaryngologist. Age, height, weight, a hearing screening, and information on music classes and/or private music lessons were obtained. The speaking fundamental frequency measure was obtained by having each subject speak for 30 seconds on a subject of choice and read a passage of approximately 100 syllables. The vocal range measure was obtained by having each subject begin at an arbitrary pitch and sing mah and moo up the scale as high as possible and mah and moo down the scale as low as possible. These four measures were repeated with the researcher giving visual gestures. For singing-voice quality, each subject sang "America" in the key of her choice and again in the key of F major. Each subjects singing voice was rated according to breathiness. Data regarding self-perceptions of the singing and speaking voice were obtained through a rating assessment of 10 questions and a conversation with each subject. There were no significant differences between the means of the pre-meanarcheal and post-menarcheal girls on speaking fundamental frequency, physiological vocal range, and singing-voice quality. But, more of the post-menarcheal girls exhibited lower speaking pitches, lower singing ranges, and increased breathiness in their singing voices than did the pre-menarcheal girls. Two questions of the perceptions rating assessment were significant, with the post-menarcheal girls citing higher incidences of vocal inconsistencies than the pre-menarcheal girls. The findings of the qualitative data analysis indicated that more post-menarcheal girls had an adequate vocabulary to describe various aspects of their singing and speaking voices than did the pre-menarcheal girls.