A Longitudinal Study of Intonation in an a cappella Singing Quintet

Sara D'Amario,David M Howard,Helena Daffern,Nicola Pennill

doi:10.1016/j.jvoice.2018.07.015

Sara D'Amario, David M Howard + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2018.07.015

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Abstract

The skill to control pitch accurately is an important feature of performance in singing ensembles as it boosts musical excellence. Previous studies analyzing single performance sessions provide inconclusive and contrasting results on whether singers in ensembles tend to use a tuning system which deviates from equal temperament for their intonation. The present study observes the evolution of intonation in a newly formed student singing quintet during their first term of study. A semiprofessional singing quintet was recorded using head-worn microphones and electrolaryngograph electrodes to allow fundamental frequency (fo) evaluation of the individual voices. In addition, a camcorder was used to record verbal interactions between singers. The ensemble rehearsed a homophonic piece arranged for the study during five rehearsal sessions over four months. Singers practiced the piece for 10 minutes in each rehearsal, and performed three repetitions of the same pieces pre-rehearsal and post-rehearsal. Audio and electrolaryngograph data of the repeated performances, and video recordings of the rehearsals were analyzed. Aspects of intonation were then measured by extracting the fo values from the electrolaryngograph and acoustic signal, and compared within rehearsals (pre and post) and between rehearsals (rehearsals 1 to 5), and across repetitions (take 1 to 3). Time-stamped transcriptions of rehearsal discussions were used to identify verbal interactions related to tuning, the tuning strategies adopted, and their location (bar or chord) within the piece. Tuning of each singer was closer to equal temperament than just intonation, but the size of major thirds was slightly closer to just intonation, and minor thirds closer to equal temperament. These findings were consistent within and between rehearsals, and across repetitions. Tuning was highlighted as an important feature of rehearsal during the study term, and a range of strategies were adopted to solve tuning related issues. This study provides a novel holistic assessment of tuning strategies within a singing ensemble, furthering understanding of performance practices as well as revealing the complex approach needed for future research in this area. These findings are particularly important for directors and singers to tailor rehearsal strategies that address tuning in singing ensembles, showing that approaches need to be context driven rather than based on theoretical ideal.

Highlights

Tuning is an essential characteristic of good choral singing practice, at the forefront of critical reviews, director's manuals, and singing tutors.[1]
Beyond the importance of pitch matching, whereby singers produce accurate unison singing within their respective parts, in a cappella part singing there is the additional issue of which tuning systems and temperaments should and are employed for a group to be ‘‘in tune.’’ There are different ways to consider tuning in singing ensembles and pitch drift is a topic of common interest to researchers and practitioners alike
Horizontal tuning Visual inspection of the horizontal analysis of tuning clearly demonstrates that each singer was closer to equal temperament than just intonation, and this distinctive behavior was consistent and repeatable during and across rehearsals

Summary

Introduction

Tuning is an essential characteristic of good choral singing practice, at the forefront of critical reviews, director's manuals, and singing tutors.[1] Beyond the importance of pitch matching, whereby singers produce accurate unison singing within their respective parts, in a cappella part singing there is the additional issue of which tuning systems and temperaments should and are employed for a group to be ‘‘in tune.’’ There are different ways to consider tuning in singing ensembles and pitch drift is a topic of common interest to researchers and practitioners alike (see Havrøy[2] for a discussion of the complex tuning issues for a cappella singing groups) Empirical research in this area, whilst sparse, has focused on different perspectives of choral tuning including predictions of pitch drift, pitch drift in performance, and perception preferences for different intonation systems.[3] Investigating tuning practices in a cappella part singing, Devaney et al[4] found no evidence of pitch drift in an exercise written by Benedetti in the sixteenth century to illustrate potential pitch drift associated with ‘‘pure tuning,’’ when performed by four expert 3-part ensembles. In two performances of the same piece from the prior study, sung by a different quartet comprising music students, it was found that the singers drifted beyond the just intonation prediction and a long way far from equal temperament.[6]

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