The Continuum of words, voice and music.

Summary, in English

This text offers some principal and methodogical issues on studies of timbre in words, music and vocal performance. Timbral relationships between word and music can be conceptualized as a continuum following an fictive axis running from meaning and timbre of words, through melody and music to performance. Sometimes the order might be different, but the ingredients will always be there. To get a grip on the totality of timbre and meaning involved in the songs and performances of one single artist, Swedish balladeer Olle Adolphson, a study was conducted along this research design. The interplay between the inherent timbres in vowel sounds and melody were firstly studied in the songs themselves and relationships were noted that showed signs of systematic appearance. Perspectives from these observations were intergrated with analyzes of timbral bearings on meaning and signification in words and musical settings of a number of songs.

Following the axis to performance, aspects of timbre were studied with aid of visual representations of the signal as waveforms, melograms and spectograms, verifying observations and as tools for identification and discussion. The study points further towards timbre and emotional cues in vocal performances as signs of individual/envi¬r¬o¬ment interactions.

• Author: Frans Mossberg
• Department/s: Musicology
• Publishing year: 2005
• Language: English
• Publication/Series: CIM05 - Colloque interdisciplinaire de musicologie, 10-12 mars, Montreal 2005]
• Full text: - 909 kB; Download statistics
• Document type: Conference paper
• Publisher: CIM 05
• Topic: Musicology
• Keywords: song; Swedish ballad art; voice; Musicology; Popular music
• Conference name: CIM05 - Colloque interdisciplinaire de musicologie
• Conference date: 2005-03-12
• Status: Published