Kate's Voice

Years ago, I studied voice with Seth Riggs, a teacher who had a profound impact on my teaching.  He taught me that the voice is the same instrument whether you are singing or speaking.  Today, when I teach singing, I teach people to find their “speech level.”  When I work with speakers, I listen for dynamics, tone, and phrasing, just as I would if they were singing.: The same physiology with slightly different applications.

This is why I was fascinated to read about Brian Eno’s latest project.  The composer’s new album is poetry read and set to music. ” ‘We are all singing. We call it speech, but we’re singing to each other,” Eno said (sang?) from London .’I thought, as soon as you put spoken word onto music, you start to hear it like singing anyway. You start to develop musical value and musical weight, and you start to notice how this word falls on that beat, and so on.’ ”

About a year ago, this relationship between singing and speaking was discussed in an article in Scientific American.  There is evidence that humans learned to speak because of music, and that we love music because it reminds us of speech.  Or is it the other way around?  My own experience is that whichever it is,  music and speaking are connected.  Now, I ask you, my readers, how is your speaking voice like your singing voice and vice versa?  Have you ever thought of this?  If you have, I would love to hear from you.  If you haven’t, here are some ideas to start the exploration:

As a speaker, consider that your voice is a musical instrument.  As a musician, you can apply dynamics, tone, expression, phrasing, and pitch, volume, and many other aspects of sound production and expression to what you are doing.  If you play an instrument already, you are already trained to take this approach.  Try it.

As a singer, your speaking voice is a guide for your singing voice.  Try speaking phrases before singing them.  Notice how your production is similar and how it is different.  Strive to speak on pitch and to be aware of how you may be affecting the sound to create a pretty voice, or a pop voice, or a “legit” voice.  Style is closely related to registration.  Basic vocal production as a singer is akin to “Xtreme” speech.  If you want to know more about this, let me know.

To read more about Brian Eno’s project, Drum Between the Bells, please see this Los Angeles Times’ article .

And for more thoughts on this topic, please see The Eloquent Woman.  (Great minds think alike!)

Margaret Whiting was someone my mom talked about a lot.   Their birthdays were two days apart,  and Margaret’s music was some of my mom’s favorite.  They practically grew up together!  About twelve years ago, I had the privilege of meeting Margaret and her husband, Jack Wrangler.  Jack wrote my second cabaret show, and it was such great fun!  Margaret became a guest on that show.  She was so elegant and serene.  What a wonderful presence on stage and even then she still sang the hell out of  “One more for my baby.” Later that year, she returned to help us do a New Year’s Eve show to bring in the millennium, and again she wowed us with “What are you doing New Year’s Eve.”  She even sang a duet with my daughter, “I’m Old Fashioned.”

To hear more about Margaret, here is a lovely remembrance of her that was on NPR Fresh Air this morning.

I could not find any YouTube videos of Margaret in action, but below is one that features a recording of her singing “It’s a most unusual day.”  Listen to the clarity and speech -level singing.   (If you find any, let me know please!) She will be remembered for her clear voice and her career that spanned six decades.  And I will remember the day we went shopping together and the clip on earrings she gave me because I needed something more…well…sassy and fun!…

Update:  Lovely article on Margaret in the New York Times

Article on Cabaret Hotline Online with links to radio show tributes and other articles.