5 Oct 2019

The Voice Box (Part One)

From Appointment, 7:00 pm on 5 October 2019
Crying baby

Crying baby Photo: Memekode CC by 2.0

Have you ever wondered why singing 'Happy Birthday' can feel so awkward, what babies have in common with monkeys and how you know I am smiling even though you can’t see my face?

In Part One Clarissa Dunn explains how the voice works from our baby babblings to the effect puberty and sexual intimacy has on our sound; demonstrates the extremes of range from the crackling growl of vocal fry to the piercing whistle register; reveals some of the mysteries and bad habits of vibrato; and delves into the effect of emotion on the voice.

Listen to the highest vocal note ever recorded C#8 (even a grand piano doesn’t stretch that high) and hear sound bites from a broad variety of artists including Tom Waits, Edita Gruberova, Britney Spears, Russian oktavists, Mariah Carey, death metal band Iniquity, Britney Spears and even Cookie Monster.

From baby cries to flamenco cante, Clarissa Dunn looks at the extremes of pitch, the mysteries of vibrato and the expression of emotion through the human voice.

Listen to Part Two of The Voice Box