 The term Voice is used in two
different senses - (a) to denote the vocal mechanism which acts as an instrument of speech
and song (b) and the sound produced by the voice. A voice may be regarded as the first
musical instrument of man because mankind was endowed with voice even before the invention
of instruments. It is a universal instrument of music. It is the only musical instrument
common to all musical systems in the world.
The Sanskrit treatise Aitereya Aranyaka
describes the voice as deyvi-vina or divine lute, sarira-vina or bodily lute. Narada
siksha uses the word gatra-vina (bodily lute) in place of Sarira-vina. The Sanskrit idea
of considering throat or voice as vina was also accepted in the literary traditions of
Tamil Country. The commentator of Silappadikaram explains mitaru (literally throat) as
kantappata (the song by the throat) in one place and sarira-vina (bodily lute) in another
place. Jivakachintamani, another Tamil work also uses the term mitaru and the commentator
has explained the term as sarira-vinai (bodily lute). The idea that the throat (mitaru)
was considered as bodily lute is clearly stated in one place in Jivakachintamani as
narampotu-vinai.
The human voice is a delicate, sympathetic and perfect musical
instrument according to a musician. The psychologist views the voice as an indicator of
character and personality of a person whereas in the view of the physiologist the human
voice mechanism is an indispensable organ for the survival of mankind. In every respect,
the human voice is superior to all man-made instruments. All man-made instruments are
designed to cover a fixed range. This God-made instrument - the human voice - does not
have a definite range and the range of this instrument is extended through practice.
Muscular movements that help to make hundreds of phonetic sounds can modify the shape of
the resonators. To date no inventor has built a musical instrument in exact imitation of
the ingenious flexible vocal tract with its elastic and marvelously mobile walls. One of
the unique features of the human voice is that the size and shape of the resonators are
under the conscious control of the performer. A variety of tone colours are produced by
this instrument either orally or nasally by the adjustable resonators of the human voice.
This instrument consists of four parts namely (a) the vibrator, (b) the
resonator, (c) the motor and (d) the articulator. Many musical instruments have the first
three parts in some form or other. But the articulator is the characteristic of the human
voice. It is here that the instrument voice becomes human' and transcends mechanism. It is
the most articulate instrument since it can be made to utter words according to the
musical laws by modifying the sound produced by the vocal cords into vowels and consonants
by the shape of the lips, the placement of the tongue and the soft palate. It conveys
poetic thoughts and produces impressive music. Other instruments merely play the tune,
while the voice plays and says at the same time.
 No
other instrument can duplicate the sense of feelings the voice puts forth. The extreme
flexibility of the control of the frequency, the timbre and the output of the voice make
the instrument express all emotions. Varying the dimensions of the vibrators and
resonators makes the colouring of the tone. As the voice is the only living instrument of
music, it exudes personal warmth. It is an undeniable fact that the most perfect and
beautiful musical instrument is the human voice. So far, the human voice has not been
equalled by any musical instrument that man has devised in possible variations of pitch
and intensity. Therefore it is up to us to cultivate and preserve this divine instrument
'Singstemme' a God given gift to humanity to sing his glory.
Everyone is endowed with a gift to sing but that gift will be obtained
only through practice, especially for the highly cultivated classical type of music. A
singer exhibits his musical skill only through the medium of his musical instrument -
Voice. Voice, the most delicate and wonderful instrument requires very careful handling.
Voice training is essential for every singer of classical music to improve the voice
quality, range of the voice and to produce the ornamentation of the particular musical
style. Great men, in all walks of life, have expounded the greatness of the voice - the
God made instrument. This precious gift of God needs to be kept in perfect condition by
proper cultivation to sing the glory of God. Otherwise we are deprived of the greatest of
joys - the spiritual realisation of God through melodious sounds.
Dr.S.A.K.Durga
(Mail id: sakdurga@hotmail.com
)
Dr. Durga is an internationally well-known voice training specialist
for singers. She received her research degree M.Litt., from the Madras University, for her
thesis on Voice-Culture. Indian Musicological Society, Baroda, has brought out her book on
Voice Culture. Carnatica, Chennai, has brought a video out titled "The Ideal
Voice" with her presentation on Voice Culture. She has conducted many workshops on
Voice-Culture in India including the Shibir for Gujarat - Sangeet Natak Academy, India,
and in other foreign countries including Bharathiya Vidhya Bhavan, London. Dr. Durga is a
visiting professor for Voice Culture at S.N.D.T., Women's University, Bombay and The Music
Academy, Madras.
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