1232 



ON VOCAL SOUNDS. 



the sign of two separate resonances, has reported upon two examples of sung 

 by Hermann, both at 132 v. d. The amplitudes were as follows : 



v. D. 

 132 

 132 



67 



7-8 



107 

 23-4 



3 



18-4 

 11-2 



4 



14-6 

 7-0 



5 



18-1 

 17-0 



47 

 3-6 



2-5 

 2-1 



1-3 

 1-2 



9 10 



ro 0-5 



0-6 ro 



To these he adds two other examples of the same vowel, one sung at 1 48 

 v. d. by M'Kendrick, and the other at 1'28 v. d. by Boeke. 



v. D. 



148 

 128 



1 2 

 1 1-12 

 1 2-32 



3 



1-73 



5-81 



4 



0-19 

 2-10 



5 

 1-90 



5-48 



6 



0-97 

 0-32 



0-35 

 0-55 



076 



The fourth partial in each of these four analyses shows a palpable falling 

 off in strength, as compared with its neighbours on either side, and this falling 

 off marks in each case the gap between an a-resonance of 300 to 400 v. d. 

 and a ^-resonance of 600 to 800 v. d. The vowel 0, however low it may be 

 sung, can hardly have more than two partials, intermediate to the two culmina- 

 tions. In three out of the four cases above given it has only one intermediate 

 partial. This common partial must be subject to a strong influence from both 

 resonances at one time. All the other partials are situated so much nearer to 

 the one resonance than to the other, that they may be regarded as being under 

 the sole influence of the former. 



The common partial, on the other hand, receives a stimulus from each ; 

 and it must be remembered that these stimuli are mutually independent, as the 

 one operates in the oral and the other in the pharyngeal cavity, and that it is a 

 matter of chance whether, in any phonogram analysed, these two stimulations 

 operate to exaggerate or to conceal each other in the tabulated numerical 

 strength of the partial. Thus it comes to be a question of phase. 



Lloyd has evaluated the a- and /J-resonances of the vowel (0) as above given, 

 and stated the result in the following table : 



These four available instances give an average of 368 v. d. for a-resonance, 

 of 688 v. d. for /3-resonance, and of 1 - 916 for the radical ratio. A sounder 

 method would be to take from one voice a sufficient number of analyses to 

 constitute an average, thus eliminating the chances which cause the common 

 partial to vary to such a noticeable degree. 



In some vowel tones the intensity of the fundamental or prime 

 tone is weaker than one of the upper partials. Helmholtz lays 

 special emphasis on this observation, and he put the statement 

 conversely, namely, that vowel tones differ from those of ordinary 

 musical instruments in that one of the upper partials is more marked 

 than the prime. Hermann also supports this view, and, in a communi- 

 cation to the writers, Boeke expressly states that his analyses bring out 

 the same fact. On the other hand, Auerbach l maintains that the prime 

 tone is always the strongest. Lord Bayleigh 2 is also of this opinion, 



1 Ann. d. Phys. u. Chem., Leipzig, 1876, Erganzungsband, Bd. viii. S. 177. 



2 "Theory of Sound," 1896, vol. ii. p. 477. 



