Influence of vowels on note pitching in a cappella vocal quartet performance

This paper notes that accurate tuning in a cappella (unaccompanied) choral music is a two-step process requiring (1) making pitch shifts on individual notes to sing intervals in just intonation thereby providing beat-free tuning for the consonant musical intervals that underpin the underlying harmony and (2) tuning different vowels to account for any additional pitch changes that are made in the context of the intrinsic pitch relating to the specific vowel being produced. This paper explores the second of these in the context of a part-by-part vowel variation during a sustained chord sung by the other three parts by a quartet of professional singers.

Source: Journal of Voice - November 29, 2023 Category: ENT & OMF Authors: David M. Howard Source Type: research