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