A capella voice -- Matthew King
Exhibit: Captivating Voices
Referenced Sounds
This is the voice of Matthew King, who has the voice I will be analyzing as captivating. Matthew is an opera singer who performs in an a capella group, and one of the first things that comes to mind when listening to him sing is how impressively low he can get his voice. it is not captivating simply by being low, but the fact that Matt's body does not fit the classic definition as a generalized barritone opera singer is pretty impressive. This adds to the overall captivating quality of his voice, simply because one is not expecting it. Matt's voice fits the defintion of a polished operatic voice, it is low clear and he can hold his notes for an extended period of time while it remains pleasent to the ear. This is all evident in this portion of "Joy to The World" in which Matt showcases his vocal abilities.
This is Matt's voice in a more relaxed setting. Here he is auditioning for a role in his a capella group and he is singing the male part in "Baby it's Cold Outside". I chose to add this recording to my exhibit because it shows how Matt's captivating operatic voice is not confined to an operatic setting, but it is also just as enjoyable in a more relaxed form such as Christmas music. Here he is able to apply his smooth barritone to a song that isn't classified as opera but still gnerously accepting of Matt's style. In this excerpt, Matt's voice compliments the female singer's well in a way that accurately portrays the mood of the song.
This is a recording of Rhythm and Blue's pre-practice routine. On the day I came to record I found this very interesting because I was captivated by the simplicity of the monosylabic pitch variation style warm up. This is one of the few times each member of the group sang in unison and I was enthralled by its simple elgegance. Overall this applies to my main captivating voice because Matt is able to contribute his voice to this warm although it gets disguised by all the other voices in participation. Remnents of his voice are still discernable through careful listening but it easily meshes in with the others. This contributes to the captivating quality of his voice because it shows how it can serve a purpose in a group style perforance, even if it is just a practice.
I chose to incorporate this recording into my exhibit because I feel it serves as a good comparison to Matt's voice. The singer in this recording is Lawrence Brownlee who is one of the most sought after opera vocalist of this time. He basicly possesses the ideal characteristics of an opera singer. Matt's voice, being taylored to opera, can more easily be compared to one that is operatic than not. Naturally he isn't as talented as Brownlee but similarities in the two are present. Both singers are able to hold clear melodic vowels over extended periods of time. An esence of power exists in both singers' voices as well. Brownlee's voice is considered captivating by most all opera enthusiasts and it is beneficial to show the similarites between him and Matt.
I chose to use the voice of another opera singer who is prevelant in the opera world today. Gerald Finley posesses another operatic voice that is widely considered to be captivating or else he would not have the success he has. I'm using his voice to see if there are any other qualities that can characterize a captivating opera singer. Essentially I can place his voice in conversation with Brownlee's and Matt's to see the consistencies in captivating operatic voices. Finley's style of Belting while being able to maintain that classicaly low pitch is present in Brownlee's and Matt's voices. It is evident that each voice, although distinct from one another, share similar characteristics that msake an operatic voice captivating.