Summary
Students admitted to the solo singing education at the University of Music Dresden,
Germany have been submitted to a detailed physical examination of a variety of factors
with relevance to voice function since 1959. In the years 1959–1991, this scheme of
examinations included X-ray profiles of the singers' vocal tracts. This material of
132 X-rays of voice professionals was used to investigate different laryngeal morphological
measures and their relation to vocal fold length. Further, the study aimed to investigate
if there are consistent anatomical differences between singers of different voice
classifications. The study design used was a retrospective analysis. Vocal fold length
could be measured in 29 of these singer subjects directly. These data showed a strong
correlation with the anterior-posterior diameter of the subglottis and the trachea
as well as with the distance from the anterior contour of the thyroid cartilage to
the anterior contour of the spine. These relations were used in an attempt to predict
the 132 singers' vocal fold lengths. The results revealed a clear covariation between
predicted vocal fold length and voice classification. Anterior-posterior subglottic-tracheal
diameter yielded mean vocal fold lengths of 14.9, 16.0, 16.6, 18.4, 19.5, and 20.9 mm for sopranos, mezzo-sopranos, altos, tenors, baritones, and basses, respectively.
The data support the assumption that there are consistent anatomical laryngeal differences
between singers of different voice classifications, which are of relevance to pitch
range and timbre of the voice.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 07, 2008
Accepted:
December 6,
2007
Footnotes
A preliminary version of this investigation was presented at the PanEuropean Voice Conference, Stockholm, August 2001.
Identification
Copyright
© 2009 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
