THE VOCAL RANGE OF THE VOICE 519 



and vice versa, without intervals; such as is heard in the crying in children 

 and in the howling and whining of dogs. The third mode of sequence of the 

 vocal sounds is the musical, in which each sound has a determinate number 

 of vibrations, and the numbers of the vibrations in the successive sounds have 

 the same relative proportions that characterize the notes of the musical scale. 

 The different sounds made by the musical voice are characterized by the 

 three properties of tones in general, viz., the pitch, which is dependent on the 

 rate of vibration of the vocal cords; the loudness, which depends on the force of 



FIG. 349. View of the Upper Part of the Larynx as Seen by Means of the Laryngo- 

 scope during the utterance of a grave note, c, Epiglottis; s, tubercles of the cartilages of 

 Santorini; a, arytenoid cartilages; z, base of the tongue; ph, the posterior wall of the pharynx. 

 (Czermak.) 



the vibration, and the quality or timber, which is dependent on the resonance 

 of the cavities of the respiratory apparatus, particularly of the mouth, phar- 

 ynx, and nasal cavities. 



The Vocal Range of the Voice. In different individuals this com- 

 prehends one, two, or three octaves. In singers, that is, in persons trained in 

 singing, it extends to three or more octaves. But the male and female voices 

 commence and end at different points of the musical scale. The lowest note 

 of the female voice is about an octave higher than the lowest of the male voice; 

 the highest note of the female voice about an octave higher than the highest of 

 the male. The entire scale of the average human voice includes, from the 

 lowest male note to the highest female, about three to three and a half octaves. 

 Some remarkable musical voices have had a range of three and a half octaves. 

 A principal difference between the male and female voice is, therefore, in their 

 pitch. But they are also distinguished by the quality of the tone. The voices 

 of men and of women differ among themselves, both in the general pitch and 

 in the quality. There are two kinds of male voices, technically called the bass 

 and tenor, and two of female voices, the contralto and soprano, all differing 

 from each other in general pitch. The bass voice reaches lower than the 

 tenor, and its strength lies in the low notes. The contralto voice is of lower 

 range than the soprano, and is strongest in the lower notes of the female voice. 

 The barytone and mezzo-soprano voices are intermediate in range; the bary- 

 tone being intermediate between bass and tenor, the mezzo-soprano between 

 the contralto and soprano. The difference in the pitch of the male and the 

 female voices depends primarily on the different size of the larynx and the 



