OF THE HUMAN VOICE. 
567 
Tenor, the Contralto, and the Soprano ; the usual compass of each kind in the adult 
is represented in the annexed table. 
r 
"1 
Soprano*. 
Alto. 
C D E F G A B C 1 D 1 E 1 F 1 G 1 A 1 B 1 C 2 D 2 E 2 F 2 G 2 A 2 B 2 C 3 D 3 E 3 F 3 G 3 A 3 B 3 C 4 
I BaSS - 1 J Tenor. 
In addition to these characteristic and principal divisions of the voice, there are 
certain others called the Baritone, the Mezzo-soprano, and the Soprano-sfogato, which 
are subdivisions of the foregoing, and the place of either of which in the scale is in- 
dicated by its name, We see by this table what an extensive variety of harmonious 
sounds may be produced by the combinations of the different kinds of voice. In 
ordinary singers the range seldom exceeds two octaves, except in those endowed 
with a falsetto. There have been some celebrated singers, such as Catalan!, Malibran, 
and others, whose compass has even exceeded three octaves, but such instances are 
rare. The voices in both male and female are nearly of the same pitch until the age 
of puberty, at which period the voice of males sinks an octave. This change of pitch 
is owing to a sudden enlargement of the larynx, whereof the antero-posterior diameter 
is augmented by from one-fourth to one-third, with a simultaneous lengthening of 
the vocal ligaments. During this process the voice is hoarse, and there is a tempo- 
rary inability to regulate it. Eunuchs do not undergo this change. Bennati is of 
opinion that the voice should not be exercised at this time of life, and in support of 
his views he cited the cases of Donzelli and Donizetti, of whom the latter lost his 
voice by singing, whilst the former retained it by abstaining from singing at that 
period. There are, however, many examples of persons possessing fine voices, who 
never paid the least attention to this rule. 
The oral, nasal, and pharyngeal cavities exercise an important influence on the 
quality of sounds after their production by the larynx. Further effects are ascribed 
by Bennati to the arches of the palate, the uvula, and velum, all of which appear to 
contract with the acute, and relax with the grave tones, and are in constant motion 
during the modulation of the voice. The contraction of these parts during the pro- 
duction of acute sounds has also been observed by Fabricius ab Aquapendente, 
Meyer, Gerdy, and Dzondi. Bennati conceived, as has been already mentioned, 
that the falsetto notes, which he calls notes “ sur laryngiennes,” are produced ex- 
clusively in the superior part of the vocal tube, but it has been shown that this hypo- 
thesis is contrary to acoustic principles, and that the same motions of the palate are 
also equally observable during the production of acute tones of the ordinary register. 
* The two first of these belong to the male sex, and the two last to the female. In this table C is the pitch 
of the 8-feet organ pipe, or the fundamental of the fourth string of the violoncello ; the ciphers denote the 
octaves, that is, C 1 , G 2 , &c. are the first and second octave of C. 
