VOICE. The voice (from the Latin vex) Is an audible sound pro duced in the larynx. The design of the present article is to treat of the sounds of the human voice in its two great functions of Song and Speech. The nomenclature and notation of music [Musts] are here adopted, with such an extension, based upon the same principles, as is necessary for the purpose.
The infinite varieties of sounds heard in the human voice are all embraced under the general terms Pitch, Loudness, Quality, and Duration.
The scale of the human voice, from the lowest note of the bass to the highest note of the soprano, within which limits composers write vocal music, is four octaves in extent, namely, from mi, E, -0 in the bass cliff to mi, t', in the treble cliff. There have been instances, but they are very rare, of voices capable of descending lower, and others of ascending higher than those limits. This scale of sounds is divided Into sere niaschile (male voice), which extends from mi (c) in the bass to do in the treble cliff; and rose feutinilc, or voce biancha (female voice) which extendi from fa (FI) to tai (0) in the treble cliff.
The lower or male voice part of the scale is subdivided into Bass and Tenor, each containing two octaves : the bass extends from mi (c) to fa (0) ; and tho tenor exteude from do (0) to do The upper or female voice part of the scale Is subdivided into Con tralto and Soprano, each containing two octaves : the contralto extends from fa (0) to fa (es) ; and the soprano extends from do (c") to mi (e). These are the four scales within which musicians compose vocal music for each class of voice. Tho following exhibits the scale of the human voice and the relation of its subdivisions :— Intermediate between the bass and tenor is another male voice, extending from la (A) to fa (0), and termed the Barytune. And between the Contralto and the Soprano is another female voice, extending from /a (al) to /a and termed the Mezzo-Soprano. The voices of eunuchs and boys are classed with female voices.
By reference to the diagram it will be seen that the scales of the several voices overlap each other in the great compass of the human voice ; thus the bass overlaps the tenor eleven notes, so that the tenor descends to within five notes as low as the base ; while the bass ascends to within four notes as high as the tenor. Eleven notes are common
to both bass and tenor scales, and any music whose variations of pitch are within the range of those eleven notes can be sung either by a tenor or a base voice. It appears also by the diagram that a tenor voice reaches to within three notes as high as the contralto, and mid-way up the soprano compass ; giving twelve notes common to the tenor and contralto, and eight notes common to the tenor and soprano scales, which explains the wide range of music which tenor voices can sing.
The ordinary compass of a voice is about twelve notes. Many singers' voices however extend to two octaves ; some even beyond two, and some have reached three octaves. Catalani's compass is said to have been three and a half octaves.
Tho compass of soprano and some other voices is divided into registers, of which there are two, namely, the natural and the falsetto. The former ia termed in the Italian school rose di petto, which means chest voice; and the latter rocs di testa, which means head voice. To these the Italians add another, which joins the two registers, and which somewhat partakes of the character of both; it is named the mezzo false, or middle falsetto. The extreme upper notes of tho falsetto are by sone termed the jfeatimo, or flute register, but this appears to be an unnecessary- subdivision. The following table exhibits at a view the voices and their registers :— • In this musical distribution of the registers of the voices there is uo falsetto given to the basses. The bass and barytone voices however are both capable of extending their compass by running up into a falsetto, and hence they must each have a mezzo.falso register also. The falsetto is commonly adopted by bass singers to imitate a woman's voice in the opera buffo.