VARIATIONS IN THE HUMAN VOICE.

Otaki Mail, Volume XXVIII, 9 August 1920, Page 4

VARIATIONS IN THE HUMAN VOICE.

ALL VOICES GETTING LOWER. A famous singing-master lias recently caused some sensation in the musical world by declaring that he lias not had a real soprano through his hands for years, and that he is of the opinion that before many-years are over the true soprano voice will be a j thing of the past. Most of the risiijg | generation of sopranos are not really j sopranos at all, but mezzo-sopranos, or J half-way to being contraltos. | The reason seems to be that the | human voice tends' to get slightly J deeper with each generation. TcmH' | videos are getting rarer, and many (if ( them deepen into baritones when lli | age of thirty pr so is reached. A conI Inry ago a tenor was a tenor for 1 fe. | 'J'hc vast majority of men speak and ij sing baritone nowadays, and tli■■ I modern baritone singer's voice is of j a deeper pitch than those for wh'.c)i I baritone songs \\fiQ written , half a . century ago. I A well-known historian aroused a I go.id deal, of discussion last year lo Si declaring that in his opinion our mi- | I cestors in the middle ages had voiced || ko high that .'ill their speaking and J singing were done in falsetto. It is I- a curious fact that the voice is lower I in pitch before than alter a meal. J That is why tenor singers are careful I to arrange their meals so as not to I I sing till some hours after eating.