THE MODIFICATIONS OF THE VOICE. 209 



sex, the two latter of the female ; there are besides, two subdivisions 

 known as the baritone and mezzo-soprano, the baritone being interme- 

 diate between the tenor and bass, and the mezzo-soprano intermediate 

 between the soprano and alto. The lowest note of the contralto 

 voice is about an octave higher than the lowest note of the bass voice : 

 and the highest soprano, about an octave higher than the highest 

 tenor. As a rule, the bass voice possesses a lower range than the 

 tenor, and the tenor a higher range than the bass ; in the same man- 

 ner, the contralto extends lower than the soprano, and the soprano 

 higher than the contralto. These varieties of the human voice differ, 

 therefore, in their pitch ; this is due to the different dimensions of the 

 vocal cords ; thus, their length in the male and female, when in a state 

 of tension, is as three to two ; and, moreover, their breadth and thick- 

 ness are greater in the former than in the latter. 



Besides differing in pitch, the various kinds of voice differ in their 

 quality, tone, or timbre, and this is a most marked difference ; for a 

 bass voice can frequently sing the higher notes of a tenor voice, and 

 the alto the higher notes of a soprano ; and yet there is a great and 

 essential difference, in either case, between the notes produced, a dif- 

 ference which must be dependent on peculiarities in the form and 

 structure of the vocal apparatus. The difference in the tone, or 

 timbre, of the male and female voice, is due to the great differ- 

 ence in the walls of the larynx in the two sexes; in the female, the 

 laryngeal cavity is not so capacious as in the male, the angle formed 

 by it in front is much less acute, and the cartilages themselves are 

 softer. The voice of boys is, like that of women, either soprano or 

 alto ; it is, however, louder, and possesses a different tone. The 

 larynx presents no difference in the two sexes, until the period of 

 puberty is reached; in boys, this organ then rapidly increases in size, 

 the vocal cords become longer, thicker, and coarser in structure, and 

 the voice, which at first is imperfect, and often hoarse, at length 

 becomes tenor, or bass, finally attaining that deep tone characteristic 

 of man. 



The general strength of the voice is influenced by the capacity of 

 the chest, the development of the muscles engaged in vocalization, the 

 extent to which the vocal cords can vibrate, and the power of communi- 

 cating resonance, possessed by the air-passages and neighboring cavi- 

 ties and sinuses. When the loudness or intensity of a vocal sound is 

 increased, the pitch remaining unaltered, the vocal cords undergo a 

 certain degree of relaxation, in order to compensate for the increased 

 strength of the blast, which would otherwise heighten the pitch; this 

 relaxation of the cords is, of course, proportional to the increased force 

 of the air-current. Experiments on the human larynx show that, in 

 this manner, one and the same note can be obtained by a stronger 

 tension and a weaker blast, as by a weaker tension and a stronger 

 blast; these notes, although of the same pitch, differ considerably in 

 tone, being, in the latter case, harsh and disagreeable. 



The vocal sounds are further modified by the elevation and depres- 

 sion of the larynx; for when the voice is raised from a low to a high 

 pitch, the whole larynx is elevated towards the base of the skull, 



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