Unveiling the Soprano: how do listeners process Western operatic singing?

Abstract

Why do listeners experience intense emotions to Western operatic singing? How does this genre of entertainment evoke chills and tears in listeners? So far, in research into music perception, voice perception and singing science, few studies have grappled with our perception of the operatic voice. This thesis comprises a series of studies that explores listener responses to soprano singing. These studies aimed to combine creative practice with experimental research to make novel contributions to the fields of singing practice and pedagogy, and to music and singing perception. A short pop-up operatic recital, Opera Shots, was designed and implemented to recruit participants and define the parameters of further studies. In responses to the concert survey, listeners rated "sound of the singing", rather than the musical line, rhythm, accompaniment, or visual aspects, as the main reason for their intense emotional and physical responses. To enable study of the "sound of singing", a novel set of soprano voice samples was designed, recorded and used to evoke experimental responses in listeners. This Library of Sung Sounds comprises combinations of graded modulations of key technical features of Western operatic singing: oscillations (vibrato) and vocal fold closure (glottal closure) at vocal onset, phonation, and release. It also includes similarly controlled non-verbal emotional utterances (Vocal Affective Bursts - VAB) which are understood to be used in operatic singing pedagogy. The 340 samples comprise 81 systematic variations of singing, along with laughs, sobs, sighs, and screams, each at four separate pitches. Selections from the Library were used as stimuli in two experimental studies. The first, a pairwise similarity study, measured participants' detection and perceptual ratings of vibrato, glottal onset, phonation, and release in singing. Novel perceptual relationships were found between vocal affective bursts and operatic singing, especially laughs and screams. The extent to which key vocal features were important to listeners' perception formed a hierarchy. Vibrato intensity was the most easily discerned feature, followed in descending order of detectability by breathiness of phonation, onsets and vocal releases. The second experimental study tested participants' physiological reactions to these key attributes through the pupil diameter response. The sound of 'optimal' operatic singing induced less pupil dilation than did non-optimal singing. Previously unexplored relationships were found between peak pupil diameter and characteristics of the participants, including their singing background and bilingualism. Two full-length public singing recitals, Primavera and Voice Unwrapped, were curated to illustrate and analyse practical applications of vibrato, phonation and specific VAB in operatic performance and programming. This thesis has made novel contributions to our knowledge of singing perception. The Library of Sung Sounds, grounded in singing technique, will enable further research and its translation in singing perception. Responses to features of natural singing and their associations with VAB were measured for the first time, providing new insight into the way emotion can be transferred vocally. Using innovative, research-led recital programs and performance insights, this interdisciplinary thesis has practically integrated vocal art and science to the benefit of both. Furthermore, a preliminary model of Western operatic singing perception has been proposed to provide a framework for future research. Show more