The vocal score profile/vocal range profile rate and APM in artistic voice evaluation: application tested on opera and musical singers An evaluation of voice suitability and vocal fatigue Dr. Nico Paolo Paolillo ENT dep. Mandic Hospital - Milan Phonitatrician Teatro alla Scala of Milan Dr Franco Fussi Phoniatric Centre of Ravenna Phoniatrician Teatro Comunale of Bologna Vocal fatigue and glottal damage risks • • • • Wrong repertoire Inadequate technical qualities Inadequate work planning Phonatory behaviour (total phonation time during rehearsals, performances, break-times, teaching, private life etc.) • Lifestyle • Working environment • It’s necessary to calculate the right vocal cost Dr. Nico Paolo Paolillo – Dr. Franco Fussi WATH THE SINGERS FEEL ABOUT CHARACTER FEATURES • Interview before analysis Assessing accordance between subjective feeling and objective analysis • Interview after analysis Assessing the reliability of a predictive evaluation • Relationship between the patient's medical history (any vocal desease or phonosurgery) and results of the analysis Dr. Nico Paolo Paolillo – Dr. Franco Fussi Donna Anna High Notes Passage Notes Middle Notes Low Notes Donna Elvira A# 24 11 A 76 24 G# 39 40 G 296 185 F# 148 99 F 379 187 E 337 210 D# 208 263 D 492 416 C# 120 177 C4 377 362 B 135 208 A# 196 294 A 194 202 G# 31 80 G 76 172 F# 39 45 F 29 129 E 9 27 D# 10 15 D 4 15 C# 2 C3 3 B2 2 TOTAL 3219 3144 VOCAL SCORE PROFILE COUNT OF NOTES FOR EACH SEMITONE statistic method for vocal score (partitura) semeiotic Through this kind of analysis different parameters can be detected High 100 80 Middle 60 Low 40 Passage 20 0 Donna Anna Donna Elvira Comfortable Range Prevalent Octave Comparison regarding ranges percentage VOCAL SCORE PROFILE Highlights the vocal role various musical features through histogram graphics VOICE RANGE PROFILE (VRP) VRP points out dynamic and frequency range of singers voice Passage DYNAMIC AGILITY CURVE Dynamic Agility is the value of differential between forte and piano calculated for each tone. Passage COMPARATIVE EVALUATION VOCAL SCORE PROFILE VS DYNAMIC AGILITY CURVE (P/P rate Pariturogram/Phonetogram rate) Passage Passage Donna Anna 1st Act Passage Donna Anna 2nd Act Donna Elvira from “Don Giovanni” W.A. Mozart – Full Score Passage • P/P Rate is a reliable method to identify a right repertoire and to predict performance risks for vocal effort or glottal damage • In low and high ranges a gradual dynamic agility reduction is acceptable (not for coloraturas restricted range of dynamic all range long) • In low female voices it’s necessary always to evaluate both vocal registers passages. • Accordance between subjective singers’ feeling and objective analysis • Possibility and reliability of a predictive evaluation • Relationship between the patient's medical history, like any vocal desease (even if unknown) or phonosurgery, and analysis results. Dr. Nico Paolo Paolillo – Dr. Franco Fussi Singer with unsuited dynamic agility to a specific role Can all the same excel in performing it HIGHER VOCAL COST Dr. Nico Paolo Paolillo – Dr. Franco Fussi Vocal Dosimetry in Teatro alla Scala in Opera soloist singers and in Musical soloist singers Dr. Nico Paolo Paolillo – Teatro alla Scala in Milan Dr. Franco Fussi – teatro Comunale in Bologna APM during live performances on stage (Model 3200 APM) • Phonatory behaviours before, during and after performances • Absolute index for vocal fatigue or vocal recovery??? • Possible fatigue threshold vs recovery threshold??? Dr. Nico Paolo Paolillo – Dr. Franco Fussi Preliminary Evaluation • Anamnesis • Tonal audiometry • Videolaryngostroboscopy • What singers feel about character features (fatiguing and resting moments) Dr. Nico Paolo Paolillo – Dr. Franco Fussi “Aida” vs “I due Foscari” tenor role at Teatro alla Scala in Milan Dr. Nico Paolo Paolillo – Dr. Franco Fussi Radames – 1st Tenor – Complete Performance Aria “CELESTE AIDA” – 1st Act Break between 2nd and 3rd Act + non singing part during beginning of 3rd Act Speech and soft fonation Jacopo Foscari – 2nd Tenor – Warm-up “Brezza del suol natio… Dal più remoto esilio” Aria + Cabaletta – 1st Act RADAMES BEHAVIOURAL HABITS AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JACOPO FOSCARI RADAMES SUCH AS A “REAL” VOCAL SCORE PROFILE JACOPO FOSCARI Radames 1st Act Jacopo Foscari 1st Act RADAMES SUCH AS AN “ON STAGE” RELATIVE DINAMIC AGILITY JACOPO FOSCARI 1st tenor - RADAMES Speech and soft fonation VOCAL, TECHNICAL AND BEHAVIOURAL FEATURES 2nd tenor - JACOPO FOSCARI Speech and soft fonation T. Carroll, M. Abaza et al. – 2006 Difficulties • APM size VS acting, dancing and costumes • Singers’ helpfulness • Calibration in singers who use both classical and modern technique • Not much literature on APM in singers Dr. Nico Paolo Paolillo – Dr. Franco Fussi Total Phonation Time a Week • Liric soloist singer Greater likelihood of damage from acute fatigue • Musical soloist singers Greater likelihood of damage from chronic fatigue Dr. Nico Paolo Paolillo – Dr. Franco Fussi • 2-3 performances a week + rehearsals (total sung phonation time less than 5 hours a week) • 8-9 performances a week + rehearsals + often hard bodily fatigue in dancers (total sung phonation time more than 10 hours a week) • • • • Hard Wearability Discomfort Higher availability of numeric data from APM Possibility to “reshape” recorded data (cut, paste, copy etc.) Future APM improvement • Technical and behavioural measures • Fatigue and damage risk reduction • Do technique and voice features influence dose parameters??? the same role from different singers • More studies to establish standard fatigue and recovery thresholds and ranges (differences between males and females and between different vocal classes???) Recovery index??? Thank you for attention