Tonal height, or frequency, of the voice, commonly describes the key most natural for the voice of the singer.
Read the Coding Guide for this Line. Listen to each example at least twice. Once you have listened to all the examples, take the Test which follows.
C. Asia. A Mongolian singer matches the top notes of a bowed lute. (Vargyas, D8) S. Asia. Tibetan Lamas using their voices to match the rumbling of big drums or gongs. (Crossley-Holland, A 10) C. Africa. A Babenzélé woman singing at her tasks. Such high, clear, yodeling calls represent one of the most ancient functions of song—to maintain contact between people at a distance. (Marshall, A2) S. America, E. Brazil, Xingu River, Trumai. Very low register, often a male gender marker, is notably frequent in this region. (Schultz & Chiara, B5) S. Asia. Like Europeans, Tibetans produce hard grains and milk products. A Tibetan woman sings a Lamaistic legend, employing a calling style at the top of the human vocal range. (Nebesky-Wojkowitz, A3) W. Europe, C. Spain. A Castilian farmer sings to spur on his mules as they circle the threshing floor, treading out the grain, an ancient Mediterranean method. (Lomax #25, B2) W. Europe, France, W. France, Poitou. Verses from an ironic ballad about how a lover hidden in a chest is forgotten and eaten by rats, sung in the impersonal storytelling style of W. European ballads. Male solo. (Marcel-Dubois & Andral, B28) N. America, E. Canada Southampton Island. Inuit shamans employ a low-pitched, raspy delivery in their healing songs, exaggerating the vocal qualities usually distinctive of males. The message may be “Father (or Grandfather) is looking after you.” (Boulton #3, A7) S. Asia, Tibet. The same vocal strategy carried a step farther endows this monk’s choir with the voice of muttering thunder. (Crossley-Holland A9)Which form of Vocal Pitch is recorded here?
For each example below, choose the feature that best fits from the following scale.
Very high
High
Mid-voice
Low
Very low
Consult the Coding Guide as needed. Note your answers in order to check them against the answer key.
N. Japan. Hokkaido fisherman’s song with flute accompaniment. (See Line 17, #2.) (Masu, A2) Reveal Answer N. America, C. Canadian Plains, Káínawa (Blood). The “Grass Dance,” a war song in a high-pitched, forceful style once cultivated by Native American hunters. Male chorus with drum. (Peacock, B2) Reveal Answer N. America, Southwest U.S. A:shiwi (Zuni). A carefully rehearsed rainmaking song performed by a male choir. (See Canela Krahô and Cayapo examples for similar pitch levels.) (Rhodes #3, A4) Reveal Answer N.W. Europe, Ireland, S. Ireland. Cork was famous for the light, dewy voices and the precise, ornamented delivery (blas) of its female singers. (Ennis & Lomax, B7) Reveal AnswerS. Europe, Italy, N.E. Italy. A group of dockworkers from Genoa sing a trallalero at a local bar. These contrapuntal choruses employ three bass parts, one of which is demonstrated here. (Lomax #39, A1.3) Reveal Answer N. America, Southwest U.S. Dené (Navaho). Is this cooing night chant performed by males identifying with females in a matricentric culture, or recalling its Plains hunter origins? (Rhodes #3, B1) Reveal Answer C. Africa. Ekonda. An extended, multi-parted composition about the Ekonda tribe’s resemblance to the stately, big-rooted bokunga tree. Male groups. (Merriam #1, B3) Reveal Answer N. America, Southwest, U.S. Akimel O'odham (Pima). A male group sings about a warrior, exhausted from fighting to protect his people, made famous by admiring maidens. Male group. (Boulton #1, B7) Reveal Answer C. Africa, Lake Albert, Mayogo (Gogo). Polyphonic, polyrhythmic overlapping singing between a leader and male and female groups, three mbiras, and a basket rattle. The Gogo subsist on taro, bananas, and other forest crops. (Tracey #2, (TR-118), B4) Reveal Answer E. Africa, Hehe, a grain and cattle-raising people. A man sings for his own amusement as he strums his zither. (Tracey #2 (TR-156), B7) Reveal AnswerLine 32 Test Answers: 1) Mid. 2) Very high. 3) Low. 4) High. 5) Very low. 6) Very high. 7) Mid. 8) Very low. 9) High. 10) Low.