Exploring the vocal transition from lyric baritone to spinto tenor through action and performative research

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the journey I undertook while changing from baritone to spinto tenor. Before this study commenced, I had been trained as a baritone but several vocal coaches and teachers addressed the possibility that I might be a tenor. We ascertained that this incorrect voice classification was the consequence of an incorrectly manufactured timbre in my voice as well as my phonating with excessive vocal weight. In order to diagnose the factors which contributed to this manufactured timbre/chiaroscuro, excessive vocal weight and ultimately my incorrect voice classification, I used Technical Action Research (TAR) to remedy these faults. Following the principles of TAR , I commenced this study with six preparatory and reflective Action Research cycles, used to gather data, which allowed me to reflect upon my singing lessons and prepare for future lessons while addressing the vocal faults which emerged during those lessons. As a result of the data from the TAR, fifteen technical, pedagogical principles emerged, which I then used to inform my own singing, specifically the learning of three new operatic roles. What makes this investigation unique is that it is the first study to my knowledge which employs TAR with another methodology in research pertaining to vocal pedagogy and performance practice. In order to inform the learning of three new operatic roles, I employed Performative Research (PR) 1 as a second method. Through PR I was able to apply the vocal principles which emerged from the TAR to my singing while studying these roles. These roles included Erik from Wagner’s Der Fliegende Holländer, White Man from Van Dijk’s Mandela Trilogy, and The First Armoured Man from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. PR enabled me to reflect on notes I made in my vocal scores and to reflect upon audio/video recordings of my performances of these three operas. In doing so I was able to provide an overview of the way in which I approached these roles while changing from baritone to tenor and applying the technical principles which emerged from the research data. This study begins with a discussion on the German Fach System in order to place myself more precisely within this classification system. This study confirmed that I was singing with an overdarkened sound quality and excessive weight in my vocal production, and it also documented the way in which I remedied the situation. The combination of these two elements ultimately led to an

unauthentic singing sound, resulting in an incorrect voice type classification. The data which emerged indicated that an enlarged pharyngeal cavity, combined with correct support, the release of tension in the articulators, and the use of head-voice integration exercises, could assist singers in overcoming vocal issues pertaining to chiaroscuro balance and vocal weight management during their voice type transitioning journey. This dissertation also provides valuable information to tenors wishing to study the aforementioned roles concerning the possible technical pitfalls which these roles might present.