A capella voice -- Matthew King

In this exhibit I will be analyzing the voice of Matthew King. Matt sings bass in an a capella group of Duke University called Rhythm and Blue. Matt's voice is unique and uncharacteristic to most male singers. He is able to sing at a low pitch with great volume and power over an extended period of time. These aspects of his voice make him the ideal opera singer and also give his voice a captivating quality that even if one is not a particular fan of will still be enthralled by. So what makes a voice captivating? It could be the overall sense of pleasure one receives while listening, it could be what one is saying that draws one to listen, and it could even be a snese of dislike that keeps one captivated. One could argue that any voice is captivating. As long as someone wants to listen, it can be considered captivated. The reason why I find Matt's voice captivating is because there is a sense of uniqueness to it that one would definitely not expect to hear simply by looking at him. Matt is a small man with a huge voice, and the simple auditory to visual dichotomy adds to the whole captivation when he sings. One wants to keep listening because it is unfamiliar and surprising as well as pleasant to listen to. However that isn't the sole reason why Matt's voice is captivating. The qualityiess of his voice fit the perfect description of a well polished opera singer. Any opera enthusiast would find Matt's voice captivating because of his ability to produce powerful unwavering sound over extended periods of time. In an operatic context Matt has an exceptional voice that few would not be captivated by. In this exhibit I plan to prove my claims through different samples of Matt's voice combined with comparisons of similar voices. 

By Donald Eklund.