University of Iowa

Iowa Research Online

Theses and Dissertations

Summer 2014

Belting is beautiful : welcoming the musical theater

singer into the classical voice studio
Colleen Ann Jennings
University of Iowa

Copyright 2014 Colleen Ann Jennings

This dissertation is available at Iowa Research Online: http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/1340

Recommended Citation
Jennings, Colleen Ann. "Belting is beautiful : welcoming the musical theater singer into the classical voice studio." DMA (Doctor of
Musical Arts) thesis, University of Iowa, 2014.
http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/1340.

Follow this and additional works at: http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd

Part of the Music Commons

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BELTING IS BEAUTIFUL: WELCOMING THE MUSICAL THEATER SINGER

INTO THE CLASSICAL VOICE STUDIO

by
Colleen Ann Jennings

An essay submitted in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the Doctor of
Musical Arts degree
in the Graduate College of
The University of Iowa

August 2014

Essay Supervisor: Associate Professor Rachel Joselson

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Copyright by

COLLEEN ANN JENNINGS

2014

All Rights Reserved

!
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Graduate College
The University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL

_______________________

D.M.A. ESSAY

_______________

This is to certify that the D.M.A. Essay of

Colleen Ann Jennings

has been approved by the Examining Committee

for the essay requirement for the Doctor of Musical Arts
degree at the August 2014 graduation.

Essay Committee: __________________________________

Rachel Joselson, Essay Supervisor

__________________________________
John Muriello

__________________________________
Stephen Swanson

__________________________________
L. Kevin Kastens

__________________________________
William LaRue Jones

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!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you to my committee, Dr. Muriello, Prof. Swanson, Prof. Kastens,

and Dr. Jones, all of you have been very supportive in seeing me through this

process, and I have enjoyed working with each of you. Dr. Joselson, in particular,

you have been my staunch supporter and have been invaluable in propelling me

to complete this degree.

Thank you to my husband, Ernest Jennings, for believing in me and

supporting me in so many ways. I love you!

Thank you to my mother and sisters and their families, for their

encouragement and the healthy competition only a house with three sopranos in

it would generate.

Thank you to my past voice teachers and vocal coaches, especially

Marguerite Gignac Hedges, Renee Skrevanos Root, Virginia Croskery, and Shari

Rhoads for giving me the tools to be a fearless vocal explorer.

Thank you to Pauline Wieland Plowman and the Graduate College staff,

including Eunice Prosser, for your support.

Thank you to my colleagues from Mahidol University, especially Daren

Robbins, Eun-Young Suh, Cassandra Fox-Percival, Servio Bona, Danny Keasler,

James Ogburn, Amy Galbraith Ogburn, Parvati Mani, Yavet Boyadjiev, Paul

Cesarczyk, Joe Bowman, and Wannapha Yannavut, for providing support,

friendship, and lots of memorable collaborations.

Thank you to my readers Dr. Cynthia Schmidt, Prof. Shari Rhoads, and

Dr. Yasmin A. Flores.

To friends from The University of Iowa, thank you for your friendship!

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES.............................................................................................................. v

LIST OF FIGURES........................................................................................................... vi

CHAPTER 1 DEVELOPMENT OF BELTING AND ITS INFLUENCES ..................1

Purpose of This Study...................................................................................8

Historical Overview (Early 20th century to present).................................9
Late 1800s – Early 1900s................................................................................9
Cultural Changes.........................................................................................10

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW .........................................................................16

Rachel Lebon ................................................................................................16

Karen S. Hall.................................................................................................19
Robert Edwin................................................................................................23
Anne Peckham .............................................................................................30
Jeannette LoVetri .........................................................................................30
Lisa Popeil.....................................................................................................32
Ingo Titze ......................................................................................................35

CHAPTER 3 APPLICATION IN THE VOICE STUDIO ..........................................36

Back to Basics ...............................................................................................36

First Steps......................................................................................................36
Breath and Alignment.................................................................................37
Vocalises for Belting ....................................................................................41
1. Calling-Voice Exercise .....................................................................41
2. Siren Exercise ....................................................................................41
3. Cross-Register Arpeggios................................................................42
4. Messa di voce exercise........................................................................42
5. Invention of vocal études from repertoire .....................................43
Mouth, Head, and Jaw Position for Belting.............................................44
Twang Resonance ........................................................................................47
Methodology for Specific Repertoire........................................................48
1. “Roxie,” from Chicago ......................................................................49
2. “On the Steps of the Palace,” from Into the Woods .......................50
3. “Adelaide’s Lament” from Guys and Dolls ...................................53
4. “Always a Bridesmaid” from I Love You, You’re Perfect,
Now Change............................................................................................56
5. “I Know the Truth” from Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida .........57
6. “I Got Rhythm” from Girl Crazy or Crazy for You ........................58
7. “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee” from Grease ..................................59
8. “My New Philosophy” from You’re a Good Man, Charlie
Brown ......................................................................................................60
9. “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” from Anything Goes ..................................61
10. “On My Own” from Les Misérables ..............................................62

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CHAPTER 4 CONCLUSION .......................................................................................64

Areas for Further Research ........................................................................64

APPENDIX A DEFINITION OF TERMS....................................................................66

Pedagogical...................................................................................................66
Repertoire .....................................................................................................71

APPENDIX B CONTEMPORARY COMMERCIAL MUSIC 1930S -

PRESENT ......................................................................................................72

APPENDIX C REPRESENTATIVE VIDEOGRAPHY ..............................................76

1. “Roxie” from Chicago performed by Renee Zellweger ...............76

2. “On the Steps of the Palace” from Into the Woods
performed by Kim Crosby ..................................................................77
3. “Adelaide’s Lament” from Guys and Dolls performed by
Vivian Blaine .........................................................................................77
4. “Always a Bridesmaid” from I Love You, You’re Perfect,
Now Change performed by Traci Laborde.........................................78
5. “I Know the Truth” from Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida
performed by Sherie René Scott .........................................................79
6. “I Got Rhythm” from Girl Crazy or Crazy for You
performed by Ethel Merman ..............................................................79
7. “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee” from Grease performed by
Stockard Channing...............................................................................80
8. “My New Philosophy” from You’re a Good Man, Charlie
Brown performed by Kristin Chenoweth ..........................................81
9. “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” from Anything Goes performed by
Sutton Foster .........................................................................................82
10. “On My Own” from Les Misérables performed by Lea
Salonga...................................................................................................82

APPENDIX D REPRESENTATIVE MUSICAL SCORES .........................................84

APPENDIX E PERMISSIONS ......................................................................................85

APPENDIX F ADDITIONAL VOCALISES FOR BELTING....................................87

BIBLIOGRAPHY.............................................................................................................88

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LIST OF TABLES

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Table 1: “Roxie” from Chicago. ......................................................................................50

Table 2: “On the Steps of the Palace” from Into the Woods........................................52

Table 3: “Adelaide’s Lament” from Guys and Dolls. ..................................................54

Table 4: “Always a Bridesmaid” from I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. .....56

Table 5: “I Know the Truth” from Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida.........................57

Table 6: “I Got Rhythm” from Girl Crazy or Crazy for You........................................58

Table 7: “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee” from Grease..................................................59

Table 8: “My New Philosophy” from You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown................61

Table 9: “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” from Anything Goes. .................................................62

Table 10: “On My Own” from Les Misérables..............................................................63

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LIST OF FIGURES

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Figure 1: An open glottis from Henry Gray, Anatomy: Descriptive and ....................5
Surgical, 20th ed. (Grammercy Books, New York, 1918):
Figure 956. The 20th edition of Gray’s Anatomy is available in
public domain in the USA.

Figure 2: Jo Estill’s comparison of spectra for three qualities: speech, opera, ........6
and belting at five frequencies: 196, 294, 392, 587, and 784 Hz.
Each envelope represents the average of all tokens for that
condition. The horizontal line in each cell is the amplitude of the
fundamental. The hatched vertical line is the 3 kHz marker for the
area in the spectrum to which the ear is most sensitive. Acoustic
energy where the two lines intersect is a measure of relative
loudness. From “Belting and Classic Voice Quality Some
Physiological Differences ,” Medical Problems of Performing Artists
Volume 3, March 1988, page 39. Used with permission from the
publisher. Permission in Appendix C.

Figure 3: The Atlanto-Occipital Joint, Henry Gray, Anatomy: Descriptive .............39

andSurgical, 20th ed. (Grammercy Books, New York, 1918): Figure
305. The 20th edition of Gray’s Anatomy is available in public
domain in the USA.

Figure 4: Siren Exercise. ................................................................................................42

Figure 5: Cross-register arpeggios................................................................................42

Figure 6: Messa di voce Exercise. ....................................................................................43

Figure 7: The author demonstrating a classical mouth position, taken by . ..........44

Brian Kastens with Nikon D-60. July 21, 2014. Photography
Copyright Release in Appendix C.
Figure 8: The author demonstrating a belting mouth position, taken by ..............45
Brian Kastens with Nikon D-60. July 21, 2014. Photography
Copyright Release in Appendix C.

Figure 9: The author in profile singing classical style, taken by Brian ..................45
Kastens with Nikon D-60. July 21, 2014. Photography Copyright
Release in Appendix C.

Figure 10: The author in profile, singing belt style, taken by Brian Kastens ........46
with Nikon D-60. July 21, 2014. Photography Copyright Release
in Appendix C.

Figure 11: The author singing classical style, taken by Brian Kastens with...........46
Nikon D-60. July 21, 2014. Photography Copyright Release in
Appendix C.

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Figure 12: The author singing belting style, taken by Brian Kastens with.............47
Nikon D-60. July 21, 2014. Photography Copyright Release in
Appendix C.

Figure 13: The aryepiglottic fold, Henry Gray, Anatomy: Descriptive and...............48
Surgical, 20th ed. (Grammercy Books, New York, 1918): Figure
953. The 20th edition of Gray’s Anatomy is available in public
domain in the USA.

Figure 14: The larynx, Henry Gray, Anatomy: Descriptive and Surgical, 20th..........70
ed. (Grammercy Books, New York, 1918): Figure 959. The 20th
edition of Gray’s Anatomy is available in public domain in the
USA

Figure 15: Additional vocalises for belting. Use [æ] or [i]. .......................................87

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! "!

CHAPTER 1

DEVELOPMENT OF BELTING AND ITS INFLUENCES

Belting, long disparaged by many in musical academia, has grown over

the past 100 years or more to be a more important and respected component of

contemporary commercial music. Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM) is a

descriptor by Jeannette LoVetri, vocal pedagogue, to describe all types of non-

classical singing. CCM styles are cabaret, country, experimental, gospel, jazz,

musical theater, pop, rock, and rhythm and blues. “The term was developed to

call CCM styles by what they are rather than what they are not – non-classical.”1

It has also, to some extent, crept into modern classical music. This essay will

establish the importance of belting on today’s musical scene, dispel certain fears

associated with belting, and offer a basic methodology for teaching belting

technique.

Belting is one of many vocal techniques demanded of the 21st-century

singer. The American public’s ear has become accustomed to various styles of

belting, now a firmly established as a mainstream vocal technique. Belting style

has expanded a new standard of what many consider “beautiful” singing and

has become an important area for research. In a study conducted in 2003, LoVetri

and Edrie Weekly, instructors at Shenandoah Conservatory2 concluded that

many teachers of musical theater and responders, 19 percent had no professional

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1
Hall, Karen Sue, “Music Theater Vocal Pedagogy and Styles: An Introductory Teaching
Guide for Experienced Classical Singing Teachers” (Ed.D. diss., Columbia University, 2006): 14.
2
Both are founders of Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM) Vocal Pedagogy
Institute at Shenandoah Conservatory.
! #!

experience or training in this style of singing, and while 66 percent use the term,

only half actually teach the technique.3

Belting is a powerful voice quality; some believe it is foreign to classical

singing. An under-studied part of the science of singing, and much knowledge of

belting is yet to be discovered.

Belting must be regarded and presented as high-efficiency

phonation – that is, it exacts tremendous energy, sustained
projection and support, and thus optimal vocal technique,
control, and efficiency. An integral part of belting pedagogy
must therefore include explanations that foster knowledge
of the vocal mechanism, awareness of what constitutes
vocal abuse and misuse, and strategies to produce the
vocal sounds that are demanded, efficiently, with the
objective of vocal endurance. Equipped with this factual
information, the professional singer would be better able
to deal with the pressures placed on vocalists who are
often made to feel that they are being “prima donnas” or
labeled as “difficult” when they are merely exercising
good vocal maintenance.4

The demand for belting, and for singers who can belt, continues to grow.

Singers who are only classically trained are often at a disadvantage in the job

market. A balanced, holistic, and efficient approach to healthy vocal function is

crucial, regardless of idiom.

The musical theater industry – indeed the contemporary commercial

music industry in general – is currently promoting the idea that “bigger” and

“more powerful” are better when it comes to vocal production. The key driver of

this idea is the wave of massively popular televised reality shows and talent

contests (American Idol, The Voice, et al.) whose judges have little or no musical

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3
Edrie Means Weekly and Jeannette LoVetri, “Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM)
Survey: Who’s Teaching What in Nonclassical Music,” Journal of Voice 17, no. 2 (June 2003): 208-9.
4
Lebon. The Professional Vocalist: A Handbook for Commercial Singers and
Teachers. Lanham, Md. and London: The Scarecrow Press, 1999: 117.
! $!

education. The judges’ assessments of the performances displayed on these

shows have placed too many misconceptions in the minds of many young

singers. Aspiring young singers are guided only by these TV shows, or by star

judges, many of whom proclaim themselves vocal experts. A lack of sound vocal

training can result in bad habits and vocal problems. The popularity of these

television reality illustrates the need for better training in belting. A thorough

understanding of belting techniques will provide the necessary tools for

vocalists/teachers to better fulfill the demands of current trends in musical

theater.

As a result of the demand for the big and powerful, as well as the ever-

rising popularity of show tunes and popular songs that require the technique,

belting has become an indispensable weapon in a singer’s arsenal. For many

classically trained vocal instructors, belting remains an elusive and mysterious

term. A large number of experienced vocal coaches and voice teachers disparage

belting, believing that it will damage the voice, lead to bad singing habits, and is

incompatible with classical training. “Singing for musical theater is enormously

demanding,” writes singing technique pioneer Joan Melton. “It requires the

ability to handle a wide variety of vocal genres, as well as the robust good health

to do eight shows a week on a regular basis.”5 Musical theater is the only singing

genre that demands a successive weekday performance schedule. Classical

singers and singers of other Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM) styles such

as pop, rock, rhythm and blues (R & B), and country schedule days off during

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5
Joan Melton, Singing in Musical Theatre: The Training and Singing of Singers and Actors,
(New York, New York: Allworth Press, 2007): xiii.
! %!

their performance weeks. Many vocal pedagogy texts6 are classically focused

with belting often only briefly mentioned. Regrettably, numerous textbooks

intended for class voice contain little or no mention of belting.

Belting extends naturally from speech and is an aggressive, visceral, and

intense technique of vocal production used for dramatic effect. It is a vocal skill

that must be cultivated with the discipline required of classical singers. Jeannette

LoVetri, one of the leading experts on belt defines it thus:

Belting is just a label given to a certain aspect of

chest register function. This definition is supported
by decades of use in the theatrical community to
characterize a specific type of singing and singer
who could be heard at the back of the house long
before there was electronic amplification.7

Many pedagogues, including LoVetri, Karen S. Hall, Anne Peckham, and Mary

Saunders Barton, have attempted to agree on a definition for belting. Susan

Boardman, emeritus faculty of voice at Pennsylvania State University, defines it

as “a tense, rough, driving, bright, vibrato-less, assertive yell.”8 Beth Miles and

Harry Hollien, authors of the article “Whither Belting?,” describe belting “as a

mode of singing that is typified by unusually loud heavy phonation that exhibits

little or no vibrato but a high level of nasality.”9 Harm K. Shutte and Donald G.

Miller, authors of “Belting and Pop, Non-Classical Approaches to the Female

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6
Such as: William Vennard’s Singing: The Mechanism and Technic; Richard Miller’s
Structure of Singing: System and Art in Vocal Technique; and Oren Brown’s Discover Your Voice.

! 7
Jeannette LoVetri, “Voice Pedagogy: Female Chest Voice,” Journal of Singing 60, no. 2
(November/December 2003): 162.
8
Susan D. Boardman, Voice Training for the Musical Theater Singer, (Ann Arbor, Mich.:
UMI Research Press, 1987), 25.
9
Beth Miles and Harry Hollien, “Whither Belting?” in Journal of Voice. 4:1 (March 1990),
69.
! &!

Middle Voice” further specify belting as “a manner of loud singing that is

characterized by consistent use of ‘chest register’ (less than 50 percent closed

phase of glottis – Figure 1) in a range in which larynx elevation is necessary to

match the first formant with the second harmonic on open (high F1) vowels, that

is G4-D5 in female voices.”10

Figure 1: An open glottis from Henry Gray, Anatomy: Descriptive and Surgical,

20th ed. (Grammercy Books, New York, 1918): Figure 956. The 20th edition of

Gray’s Anatomy is available in public domain in the USA.

This process is known as formant tuning. Rachel Lebon, Professor of Jazz Vocal

Performance at The University of Miami Frost School of Music, characterizes

belting as “vocal production that proceeds out of the speaking range, with the

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10
Harm K. Schutte and Donald G. Miller, “Belting and Pop, Nonclassical Approaches
to the Female Middle Voice: Some Preliminary Considerations,” in Journal of Voice 7:2 (1993), 147.
! '!

prosody of speech, and that promotes a sense of spontaneity and

aggressiveness.”11 (Figure 2)

Figure 2: Jo Estill’s comparison of spectra for three qualities: speech, opera, and

belting at five frequencies: 196, 294, 392, 587, and 784 Hz. Each envelope

represents the average of all tokens for that condition. The horizontal line in each

cell is the amplitude of the fundamental. The hatched vertical line is the 3 kHz

marker for the area in the spectrum to which the ear is most sensitive. Acoustic

energy where the two lines intersect is a measure of relative loudness. From

“Belting and Classic Voice Quality Some Physiological Differences ,” Medical

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
11
Rachel L. Lebon, “The Effects of a Pedagogical Approach Incorporating Videotaped
Demonstrations on the Development of Female Vocalists “Belted” Vocal Technique.” PhD. Diss.
University of Miami, 1986, 80.
! (!

Problems of Performing Artists Volume 3, March 1988, page 39. Used with

permission from the publisher. Permission in Appendix C.

In her dissertation, Lebon asked undergraduate students to articulate their

concepts of belting. The following are some of the responses:

• A louder sound – a clearer sound. Strong and loud, but clear, not
distorted.”
• “Chest voice – loud singing– big voice – musical
comedy.”
• “Broadway, but not legit – chest voice – more
forward.”
• “I’m scared of the word – I really tense up.”
• “Whenever I try to belt or hear someone trying it,
it sounds like they’re yelling and pushing – I
think of nodes.”
• “Pop style – Broadway.”
• “Loud projection – powerful.”
• “Loud, sometimes strident – a real musical
comedy type of sound.”
• “Musical theatre – very straight tone.”
• “Stretching chest voice up to where it should be
head – screaming.”
• “Something negative – pushed – heavy sound.12

This author asserts that belting is a pragmatic technique, essential to the

study of voice for musical theater students. “As more and more classical singers

consider the possibility of branching out into non-classical singing and as actors

acknowledge the very real possibility of getting more work if they can sing

musical theatre, belting becomes a particularly attractive option for both

groups,” Melton writes.13 Belting, with proper instruction, can be sung without

danger of damaging the voice or losing range.

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12
Ibid. (These responses are not credited to specific students in the dissertation.)
13
Melton, xiii.
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Purpose of This Study

!
This essay provides an historical perspective on the art of belting, reviews

the physiological function of the vocal instrument during belting, attempts to

establish that belting increases the stamina and strength of the classical singer,

and reinforces the benefit of classical vocal training for musical theater singers.

One major goal of this essay is to mitigate the fears associated with belting, both

from the perspective of voice quality and vocal technique. Another goal is to

provide a teaching method for belting, develop neutral terminology, and review

pedagogical writings of belting experts, including Rachel Lebon, Karen S. Hall,

Robert Edwin, Jeannette LoVetri, and Lisa Popeil.

This author perceives a distinct disconnect between the majority of

university vocal training programs and the stylistic and technical demands

placed on young singers who move on to professional careers. Many university

voice teachers offer lessons in classical technique exclusively.14 However, in the

21st century, vocalists must perform in a variety of styles and idioms. Female

singers must be able to not only sing in head voice, but to belt, if they aspire to

sing musical theater. Versatile ”crossover” artists have many more employment

opportunities than singers who know only classical technique.

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14
Bethany Barber, “Pedagogical Approaches to ‘Belting’”, D.M. diss., Indiana University,
2011, 4.
! *!

Historical Overview (Early 20th century to present)

!
Musical theater has absorbed many musical and cultural influences in the

past century. It is a popular form of public entertainment and is easily accessible

to the general public. Musicals have become standard repertoire in many

American opera companies. This brief overview will introduce several theater

and commercial music genres that have influenced the art of belting.

Late 1800s – Early 1900s

Minstrelsy, vaudeville, and burlesque shows, popular in the late 1800s

and early 1900s, were the earliest forerunners of the American musical. Shows of

this type required performers to project their voices outdoors without

amplification, a departure from the European classical vocal tradition in which

vocal projection is achieved through enhancement of resonance or ring in the

voice.15 Emphasis on singing in the speaking range is an inherent characteristic of

singing in these idioms.16 Belting consisted of white performers imitating the

singing style of blacks, inspiring laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of

serious works and/or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.17 May Irwin, a

Canadian actress and singer, became a popular burlesque/vaudeville performer

in the 1890s, the foremost “coon shouter” of her time. Coon shouters were
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
15
William Vennard. Singing: The Mechanism and Technic. (New York: Carl Fischer, Inc,
1967): 89.
16
Lebon, Ph.D. diss., 9.
17
“Burlesque,” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, [website]
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/burlesque Accessed
March 12, 2014.
! "+!

typically white female performers portraying black female caricatures. Pre-

dating electronic amplification, the vocal delivery was shouted and aggressive.

Irwin was a versatile and gifted performer, not limited to such roles. She

recorded several Broadway hit numbers from the 1890s to 1900s in other vocal

styles and influenced future musical theater belters such as Celeste Holm and

Bernadette Peters.18

Another major transformation occurred in the 1880s with the emergence

of Tin Pan Alley music publishers. The name refers to a neighborhood in New

York City, where many of these publishers had offices. Songs performed by May

Irwin or Sophie Tucker emphasized the consonants and clarity of vowels rather

than the beauty of tone.19

Cultural Changes

Before the 1920s, the lines between opera, operetta, musical theater, and

popular music were not as clearly drawn as they later became. Metropolitan

Opera divas were the celebrated popular music singers of the day. Between the

1930s and 1950s, the stars of the Met often crossed over into musical theater and

starred in Hollywood movies.20

Up to about 1920, a singer was a singer. That is, he was

someone with a highly polished and sizable voice that
gave evidence of having been trained. The leading singers

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
18
Mark N. Grant, The Rise and Fall of the Broadway Musical (Boston: Northeastern
University Press, 2004), 20.

! "*!,-./0!

!
20
Robin Lee Morales, “A Performer’s Guide to the American Musical Theater Songs of
Kurt Weill (1900-1950),” DMA University of Arizona, 2008, 41.
! ""!

were often borrowed from the Metropolitan Opera.

In Victor Herbert’s Mlle. Modiste there was Fritzi Schieff,
who became a bigger star on Broadway singing
“Kiss Me Again” than she had been at the Met singing
Musetta in La bohème. Later, Herbert used Emma
Trentini (coloratura) of the Manhattan Opera House
and Orville Herrold (the Met’s Parsifal) in Naughty
Marietta. In a sense, the vocal requirements of the time
were nearly synonymous with those of opera.21

The changes in American cultural tastes necessitated a new approach to musical

theater. The average American had become more interested in jazz, radio, and

the latest dances. Plot started to play a more important part of musical theater,

and song lyrics became more integral to the story line. The works of Victor

Herbert, Sigmund Romberg, and Rudolf Friml had featured an operatic singing

style. In the 1920s, Broadway shows gave way to a more natural and speech-like

way of singing.22 This necessitated the lowering of vocal range and tessitura. In

musicals of the late 1800s and early 1900s, higher tessitura were composed for

women and men. Consonants were less audible, especially for sopranos, and the

natural vowel sounds required some modification to maintain vocal beauty.

Another important development was the new conception of theater

melody. While Friml, Romberg, and Herbert wrote soaring vocal lines, George

M. Cohan and Irving Berlin composed melodies of diatonic simplicity (utilizing

primarily the piano’s white keys in C major). These songs were free of intervallic

leaps with little chromaticism. While this style was prevalent in 19th-century folk

songs, Cohan, Berlin, and other Tin Pan Alley composers constructed their songs

on direct repetition of short melodic motives. “Yes Sir, That’s My Baby” is

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
21
Lehmann Engel. Getting Started in the Theater: A Handbook for Breaking into Show Business
(New York, Macmillan, 1975), 85-86.
22
Morales, 41-2.
! "#!

perhaps the best example. This novel style is called riff-songwriting,23 and many

examples of the riff song survive from this era. Berlin’s “Alexander’s Ragtime

Band” although not from a musical, has an initial four-note motive repeated

twice, then again three times at a higher pitch. Riff songs could be described as

under-composed, with short, repeated, catchy patterns. Other examples include

George M. Cohan’s World War I anthem “Over There,” Vincent Youman’s “Tea

for Two,” and “I Wish I Were in Love Again,” in which Richard Rodgers repeats

the same riff six times in the opening. In each of these songs, the tessitura lies in

the middle of the voice and imitates speaking.

Berlin, Rodgers, Jerome Kern, and George Gershwin took Herbert’s cue by

simplifying the melody and developing riff songs influenced by operatic style.

Berlin’s “Cheek to Cheek” begins with a riff he borrowed from Chopin’s A-flat

major Polonaise Op. 53. He repeats the riff, then uses soaring lines similar to

those found in a Herbert or Romberg melody. Gershwin’s “Mine” contains

continual riffs as well as chromatic intervals characteristic of operatic melody.

Rodgers’ “Johnny One Note,” a belter’s staple, uses pure riffs interspersed with

gradually larger vocal leaps.24 Although memorable, riff songs lack vocal power

and deep emotion. A classically trained vocalist has few opportunities to

showcase dynamic and pitch range, or capacity to hold long notes.25

The development of the microphone, invented in the 1870s and gradually

perfected over ensuing decades, transformed both popular music and musical

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
23
Grant, 29.
24
Ibid. 30.
25
Ibid.
! "$!

theater. The microphone gained currency in the 1920s and projection became less

of a necessity. Singing styles became relaxed and more speech-like, lyrics gained

importance, and songs were more often written in keys that centered in the

speaking range, regardless of voice type. The approach to singing became more

personalized, with singers adding variations that reflected their own style.26

The period from 1927-1966 is considered the golden age of the Broadway

musical and saw the heyday of some of the greatest singing actors. Jazz

improvisation and a personalized song style influenced theater songwriting.27

Ethel Merman was the iconic belter of this era, recognizable by her personalized

style. Critics often described her belting style as brassy. “Merman’s chest voice

was highly unusual in not being dusky but rather bright and almost a spinto

soprano in timbre – in a word, brassy.”28

She made her Broadway debut in 1930 with Gershwin’s Girl Crazy, and

became an overnight sensation. She is credited with single-handedly making

belting style legitimate during her 40-year singing career. In 1970, Walter Kerr

called her voice “exactly as trumpet-clean, exactly as pennywhistle-piercing,

exactly as Wurlitzer wonderful as it always was.”29

The golden age of Broadway musicals paralleled the rise of the great

signature pop song stylists. During the Big Band Era of the 1930s-1950s, singers

who sang with the top bands gained celebrity status. This era represents the

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
26
Lebon, Ph.D. diss., 10.
27
Grant. 44.
28
Ibid. 38.
29
Brian Kellow, Ethel Merman: A Life (New York: Viking, 2007), 223.
! "%!

fusion of European-American and African-American elements in music. In the

past 30 years, musical theater has become the repository for every popular music

style on the market.30 Shows such as Mamma Mia!, Movin’ Out, The Look of Love,

and American Idiot are straightforward revues of the music of ABBA, Billy Joel,

Burt Bacharach, and Green Day respectively. Many pop singers have graced the

Broadway stage in the past 40 years, including Sting (The Last Ship); Adam Pascal

(Rent, Aida, Cabaret); Reba McIntyre (Annie Get Your Gun); Carly Rae Jepsen

(Cinderella); Elton John (Composer of The Lion King, Aida, Billy Elliott: The

Musical); U2 (Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark); Tommy Shaw of STYX and Kevin

Cronin of REO Speedwagon (both appearing in Rock of Ages). During this time,

virtually no opera singers had crossed over to the Broadway stage.

Rock singing may be described as modern day bel canto. In the mid-

nineteenth century the school of bel canto became the measuring stick of vocal

technique. Likewise, rock singing – which emphasizes improvisatory

ornamentation and the delivery of broad strokes of emotion, and places the main

focus on vocal style – draws attention away from the plot of the song. This is a

pivotal development in the history of singing. The rock singing in Rent is as

important as the bel canto singing in La Sonnambula. Rock-style singing draws

attention to the singer and away from the character. Both rock singing and bel

canto have this in common. The performer’s emotion can become “prefabricated,

taking the specificity out of the dramaturgy.”31

Musicals with psychological complexity, such as those of Stephen

Sondheim, require the singer to subordinate their personal style to the demands
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
30
Grant. 45.
31
Ibid. 46.
! "&!

of the music. Megamusicals, such as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s the Phantom of the

Opera, or Claude-Michele Schönberg’s Les Misérables and Miss Saigon, marry

memorable melodies with a contemporary pop sound. Body microphones have

made it possible for voices to compete with the amplified instruments of a rock

band or a large pit orchestra, in a 3,000-seat hall, ensuring preservation of the

vast musical theater repertoire of the past. Singing in musical theater can be

distinguished from other popular music idioms in that the singer typically does

not perform directly on microphone. There have been many shifts in style from

the origins of musical theater to the present. Belting has changed from the coon

shouters of the early 20th century, to the “riff” songs of the 1920s, to the soaring

lines of today, and every popular music idiom in between.

! "'!

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

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Rachel Lebon

Rachel Lebon is Professor of Jazz Vocal Performance at the University of

Miami. She has written two books: The Professional Vocalist and The Versatile

Vocalist. Her Ph.D. thesis is entitled “The Effects of a Pedagogical Approach

Incorporating Videotaped Demonstrations on the Development of Female

Vocalists’ ’Belted‘ Vocal Technique.” All three publications are excellent

resources for information about belting and contemporary styles of singing.

Chapter 3 of Lebon’s dissertation is organized like a classical vocal pedagogy

text. She examines aspects of registration, resonance, respiration, attack in

phonation, and articulation. Lebon is an advocate for the exercise and use of the

entire vocal range, including falsetto for men, and whistle register for women.

Vennard describes these as the unused registers. Blend and equalize the registers

to avoid fragmentation of the registers, where one extreme of timbre and

dynamic is altered abruptly to the other extreme. Negotiate passaggio in a covered

rather than an open manner.

Many students and performers of the mass music idioms believe head

voice is not a useful tool for development. Lebon advocates for integration of
! "(!

head voice or mixed voice into the singer’s speaking range. No integration

results in an uneven development of the registers. Developing the unused

register builds strength, flexibility, facilitates equalization of the voice, and helps

vocal preservation.

Lebon also notes that the manner in which a singer uses chest voice is

significant. Much popular music emanates from the speaking or modal register.

She makes a distinction between chest voice and modal register, as head voice

resonance and tone focus can be used in modal register. Modal register is used

most frequently in speech and singing in most languages. Chest voice, however,

excludes head resonance. Lebon believes a good belt voice will coordinate with

head voice and mixed voice, rather than a chest voice that is too heavily

produced and without resonance.

Those belters with longevity, such as Barbra Streisand, Melissa

Manchester, Ethel Merman, and Linda Ronstadt, use more head and mixed voice

in their coordination. Having a well-supported, equalized, and resonant

speaking voice will help the singer transfer this type of balance in singing that

proceeds from the speaking range.

Using covered voice as a method to blend and smooth transitions between

registers is fundamental to a good vocal technique. Singing with a covered voice

is a beneficial way to counteract the exertion required of the vocalis muscle when

belting. In covered voice, the soft palate is arched and the larynx is lowered.

Moreover, the vocal cords do not lengthen as the pitch rises, and are shorter,

thinner, and more relaxed. Covered voice, or voce piena in testa, means the proper

acoustical space and balance with a relaxed tongue to navigate the passaggio.
! ")!

Covered voice is very similar to belt voice, except in belting the vowel is not

darkened.

Successful belters will direct resonance sensations away from the throat

and aim these sensations toward the teeth and head cavities. Lebon considers it a

fundamental dimension of vocal efficiency. This strategy also helps to relieve the

natural tension in the throat and neck experienced during belting. The palate

should be arched, although not as extremely as in classical singing, to prevent a

twang or other constricted voice quality.

It has been shown since Lebon wrote her dissertation that the larynx is

slightly raised when belting, but this is in comparison to the lower position of the

larynx for classical singing. A neutral larynx may prove better for belting, as

some singers may press to try to raise the larynx. Release the larynx when

inhaling. Not releasing will cause vocal fatigue. This allows for a moment of rest

between phrases.

There has also been some research involving the Closed Quotient (CQ) of

the vocal folds during belting. Vocal folds produce sound by oscillation, and the

vocal folds are more closed – up to 70 percent closed – thus producing less

oscillation and less airflow. Lebon effectively addresses this in her discussion of

respiration and intensity. She believes the voice should be efficiently produced,

regardless of idiom, and she provides teaching strategies to solve problems

associated with inefficient belt technique.

Lebon devotes only 15 pages of her book The Professional Vocalist to

belting. However, the book is a good resource for any classical voice teacher with

questions about teaching any of the CCM idioms. Much of the section on musical

theater is devoted to arriving at a definition of belting. She defines it as “vocal

! "*!

production that proceeds out of the speaking range, with the prosody of speech,

and promotes a sense of spontaneity and aggressiveness.”32 She prescribes

spoken exercises to teach inflection and projection, but no vocalises. She does not

address the physiological aspects of belting.

In Lebon’s last publication, The Versatile Vocalist: Singing Authentically in

Contrasting Styles and Idioms, she mentions belting only twice. This book contains

information on popular singing styles, voice use with microphone, and singing

in ensembles.

Conclusions: This author asserts that physiological function in belting is a

very important aspect for developing technique. Belting feels different, as there is

more physical exertion. The discussion of covered voice as a possibility to access

belting is interesting, but somewhat confusing. Covered voice emanates from a

more vertical timbre, while belting is more horizontal. Vocalises addressing these

issues could provide more clarity.

Karen S. Hall

Karen S. Hall33 maintains a private voice studio: Songwerks in Santa Fe,

N.M. She is associate editor for the Journal of Singing for the “Independent

Teacher” column. This summer Scarecrow Press will publish her book, So You

Want to Sing Music Theater. This book is based on research completed for her

dissertation, “Music Theater Vocal Pedagogy and Styles: An Introductory

Teaching Guide for Experienced Classical Singing Teachers.” Hall chose to focus
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
32
Lebon, The Professional Vocalist, 112.
33
Dr. Karen S. Hall and I taught together briefly at Mahidol University in Bangkok,
Thailand in the summer of 2010.
! #+!

on experienced classical singing teachers because they have a developed set of

teaching skills. A classical singing teacher’s ability to use observation to detect

tension in a singer’s voice and body is one of the critical skills, Hall says. One of

the biggest challenges for musical theater singing teachers is helping their

students sing with functional freedom. Note that functional freedom does not

mean singing without tension. Especially helpful is a chart that details stylistic

and pedagogical differences between classical and musical theater singing on

pages 132 and 133. Also helpful are examples of the character physical types

found in musical theater and on page 134 gives an example role for each type.

Hall explains that classical and musical theater students both learn

abdominal breathing. Musical theater students will have had varying degrees of

dance training. Dancers are trained to pull in the abdominal muscles to create a

strong core in the body. This causes high intake of air into the lungs, resulting in

clavicular breathing. Teach these students to release the lower abdominals on the

intake of air. 34

She also notes that less airflow is used during belt singing, as the closed

phase of the glottis is longer. She recognizes that voices have different weights,

colors, and ranges. This knowledge informs her technique for belting: the lighter

the voice, the lighter the belt. Hall notes that more airflow is present in lighter

voices while belting.

She believes that posture is essentially the same in classical singing and

musical theater singing. It is vitally important that the head and neck be free of

tension. Head position may be different in musical theater. In belting, the larynx

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
34
Hall, 136.
! #"!

rises and the singer may tilt the head upward to accommodate this laryngeal

position. In classical singing, the female singer tilts her head upward in whistle

tone.35 Whistle register is the highest phonational register. Vibration of the vocal

folds occurs only in the anterior portions. The epiglottis closes over the larynx

and the resonating chamber assumes its smallest dimensions.36

Hall describes the use of chest and head registers as the defining

difference between musical theater and classical singing. Female musical theater

singing requires more use of chest register, especially in the middle voice.

Classical singing almost exclusively uses head voice in this tessitura.

She also stresses that mixed voice has a very different meaning in musical

theater singing, compared to voix mixte in classical singing. Musical theater

mixed register, she explains, is a blend of head and chest registers with a

predominance of chest register, while the head register predominates in classical

singing voix mixte.37 She also notes that perceptual results will be different

depending on the weight of the voice. She recommends belting only on occasion

and to emphasize dramatic parts in the music or story line. The healthy balance

uses more mixed voice and belt voice for emphasis. However some singers

successfully use more belt voice than mixed. This is an area for further study by

voice scientists. Most musical theater singers will use more head voice as they

ascend in range, but rarely as much head voice as a classical singer.38

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
35
Ibid.
36
McKinney.
37
Hall. 138.
38
Ibid. 139.
! ##!

Musical theater singers favor a brighter, more speech-like approach to

resonance. The vowel shape is altered to a more forward, but not nasal

placement. The shape of the mouth is horizontal in musical theater singing and

vertical in classical singing. The pharyngeal shape resembles speech, in musical

theater singing, rather than stretched for classical singing. The text or style of a

musical theater song determines the type of resonance.

The range is also lower for both men and women in most musical theater

pieces. In some of the literature for men, the range is actually higher than in

classical singing and encompasses the tenor, baritone, and bari-tenor tessitura.

Contemporary composers often look for non-classical sounds in the high range,

such as falsetto and belt.39 Much of the tessitura is written in the middle range,

facilitating clear enunciation of the text. Dynamics also need to be developed

throughout the entire range from pianissimo to fortissimo.

Many styles of singing are associated with musical theater, including

country, folk, gospel, jazz/swing, pop, rock, and R&B. Hall gives the definitions

of these styles and describes them in their purest form. These sub-genres are not

musical theater forms; rather, musical theater has adapted them. The teacher

must listen to and understand these styles of singing in their original form. Hall

gives examples of musicals that represent these styles.

Hall draws on the commonalities (use of register, posture, breathing)

between musical theater and classical singing as the basis for pedagogy, and

points out the areas of difference (use of larynx, pharynx, and articulators). She

stresses that experimentation and creativity with technique and styles is a must,

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
39
Ibid. 141.
! #$!

just as much as continual study and knowledge of the current and rapidly

changing repertoire.40

Conclusions: Hall’s discussion of whistle register is somewhat outdated

and does not account for current research in this area. Although the parallel she

draws between the head positions for belting and whistle register are interesting.

There is also a parallel in the function of the epiglottis between whistle register

and belting. As the epiglottis closes over the larynx, it is difficult to film the

action of the vocal folds.

Robert Edwin

Robert Edwin maintains a private voice studio in Cinnaminson, N.J. His

column “The Bach to Rock Connection” (1985-2002) was the first column in the

NATS Bulletin (which became the NATS Journal of Singing), to address CCM or

non-classical vocal pedagogy. He also served as associate editor of the Journal of

Singing for the “Popular Song and Music Theater” column. He is also a member

of the prestigious American Academy of Teachers of Singing, elected in 2001.

Edwin advocates for college and university vocal pedagogy programs to

include CCM voice technique and repertoire in the syllabus. College and

university musical theater continues to be heavily populated with classical

singers, as it is commonly believed that “If you learn to sing classically, you can

sing anything.”41 Edwin disputes this idea by drawing a sports analogy: “if you

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
40
Ibid. 152.
41
Robert Edwin, “Popular Song and Music Theater: Contemporary Music Theater:
Louder Than Words,” Journal of Singing, 61:3 January/February 2005, 291-292.
! #%!

can learn to play tennis, you can play any sport.”42 Edwin urges less disparity

between CCM and classical singing, in pedagogy and repertoire.

Edwin states that by singing with less vocal intensity, the student cannot

master non-classical singing styles. The student will find measurable differences

in vibrato, mouth positions, and loudness levels between classical and non-

classical vocalizations. He advises that when preparing to cross over into non-

classical singing, a singer might develop a non-classical vocal technique so as to

sing that new style spontaneously and naturally. Many classical singers do not

allow themselves to experiment with these new sounds.

Another important point Edwin makes is about the use of microphones by

classical singers. Classical singers should not decrease their sound when using a

microphone for non-classical singing, he argues, or they will hold back their

emotions as well.43 Many classical singers discover that they need to acquire new

communication skills with a different emotional base when crossing over to non-

classical singing. Style is more that just sound. Vocal technique, characterization,

use of language, point of view, traditional expectations of the audience, and the

desire to tell a story honestly and entertainingly: these all inform style.44

In Edwin’s strong opinion, teaching non-classical vocal technique requires

commitment and scholarship. Teachers of non-classical singers should immerse

themselves in the music, the literature, and the culture of non-classical genres

just as teachers of classical singing commit to a full understanding of classical

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
42
Ibid.
43
Robert Edwin, “From Classical to Pop: A Case Study,” Journal of Singing 56:3 January
2000, 72.
44
Ibid.
! #&!

music. If teachers are not willing to commit to the scholarship necessary to teach

non-classical singing, he says, they should not try to teach it. A teacher imposing

classical vocal technique by using low larynx, long mouth, and full vowels can

harm belters. He advises not to demonstrate non-classical singing for their

students unless they are able to do so in a professional manner.45

Edwin classifies vocal categories for Broadway as: traditional legit,

contemporary legit, traditional belt, and contemporary belt. Legit is shorthand

for legitimate, referring to singing in a classical-like style. In traditional legit, the

vocal tone will have a chiaroscuro fullness, the vowels and consonants will have

clarity of sound that is more sung than spoken, and the vibrato will be active

throughout the phrases. Chiaroscuro in Italian literally means light-dark. Used in

the Italian singing technique known as bel canto, it incorporates vocal brilliance

(chiaro) with a dark timbre or color (oscuro).46 Traditional legit favors a sound that

is classical in nature and is heard in many of the pre-1960s musicals, such as

Carousel. Contemporary legit is less formal and more speech-like in sound, and

will include pop or rock-influenced sounds.47 Traditional belt predates rock and

roll and is sung with a fuller tone quality. It has minimum use of vocal

ornaments, as in Anything Goes. Contemporary belt makes full use of vocal

ornaments (melismatic runs, growls, slides) associated with pop, rock, R&B, jazz,

and gospel. Contemporary belt appears prominently in The Who’s rock opera,

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
45
This is summarized from the following article: Robert Edwin, “The Bach to Rock
Connection: Apples and Oranges: Belting Revisited,” Journal of Singing 57:2 November 2000 44.

! %'!Daniel
Orama, “The School of Singing”, [website]
http://www.theschoolofsinging.com/chiaroscuro/ Accessed July 20, 2014.
47
Robert Edwin. “A Broader Broadway,” Journal of Singing 59:5 May 2003 431.
! #'!

Tommy. Voice qualities can be breathy, raspy, whiny, and nasal. Belt ranges are

extremely high for both men and women.

Edwin challenges teachers to identify and understand the vocal styles

used in musicals and then provide the vocal technique, performance skills, and

repertoire to help their students be successful in the style they wish to sing. One-

size-fits-all vocal training, he warns, is not conducive to helping singers become

more diverse.

The supply of singing teachers is not keeping up with the demand of the

CCM vocal community. Many singers do not receive assistance with CCM

technique and repertoire from their private and independent teachers.48 Edwin

urges voice teachers to have good belting sounds stored in their aural memory.

Belting is not chest voice singing, though it is chest voice dominant. Singers

trying to belt by carrying their chest voice up through the lower passaggio with a

classical vocal posture put a tremendous strain on the vocal mechanism. This is

more common for females than for males. Male belting is closer in vocal function

to male classical singing.49

Singers need to achieve balance in vocal function to become well-rounded

performers. Cross training is good vocal pedagogy. Edwin relates the story of a

classically trained DMA student who came to him to study principles of belt

voice with the permission of her classical teacher. The agreement was that if the

lessons with Edwin compromised her classical vocal technique in any way the

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
48
Robert Edwin, “Popular Song and Music Theater: What’s Going on on Broadway?,”
Journal of Singing 66:1 September 2009, 71.
49
Robert Edwin, “The Bach to Rock Connection: Belting 101, Part 2,” Journal of Singing,
55:2, November 1998, 61.
! #(!

lessons would end. The opposite happened. The student’s voice and overall

performance skills improved. Learning how to belt brought more texture,

flexibility, and expression to her classical voice.50

It is advised not to dismiss belting as categorically unsafe, abusive, or

artistically inferior singing. The professional music world is full of vocally

healthy, critically acclaimed belters, and teachers who teach them. Belting’s

negative reputation, Edwin argues, is based on a lack of knowledge of belters,

and of belting technique, physiology, and tradition.51 The question is no longer

“Should belting be considered a legitimate use of the voice?” but “How can we

most effectively and efficiently teach the belting style of singing?”

Edwin advises that just as classical singers listen to their vocal idols like

Luciano Pavarotti, Renée Fleming, Sherrill Milnes, and Lily Pons, the belter-to-be

should acquire belting vocal models such as Christina Aguilera, Tina Turner, Eric

Clapton, Barbra Streisand, Sutton Foster, Linda Eder, Idina Menzel, and Adam

Pascal. He advises that role types be physically and emotionally similar to the

size of the singer’s own instrument He further recommends exploring the new

sound of belting under the guidance of a voice teacher or colleague who can

expertly monitor and inform the singer’s efforts.

Edwin divides the study of belt voice into three categories: sound, feel,

and look. The sound of belt voice, using a chiaroscuro scale, is very chiaro, using

bright, speech-like, colloquial vowels in contrast to the taller, fuller, more formal

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
50
Robert Edwin, “Popular Song and Music Teacher: Cross Training for the Voice,”
Journal of Singing, 65:1, September 2008, 76.
51
Robert Edwin, “The Bach to Rock Connection: Belting 101,” Journal of Singing, 55:1,
September 1998, 53.
! #)!

vowels of classical singing. Nasality is not a prerequisite for belting, although

some singers will choose to lower the soft palate to introduce nasality to the belt

voice.

As noted before, belted vocal production is not as challenging for male

classical singers, since both male classical singers and male belt singers

(baritones) use a chest-dominant voice to produce their respective sounds. Some

singing teachers state that the only belters are altos and baritones. Female belters

switch registers and are required to use a more thyroarytenoid, chest-dominant

voice versus cricothyroid, head-dominant voice. (Appendix 1.) This is a radical

difference in non-classical female vocal production and often draws the most

negative comments from the classical voice community regarding belting.52

Modern voice science has shown that most vocal activity is shared muscle

activity, and that the TA and CT muscle groups work together, closing and

stretching, respectively, to produce vocalized sound.53

For the beginning female belter, the increased TA activity and the longer

closed phase of the vocal folds produces the effect of less air escaping. This

creates a heightened sense of awareness of tension in the body, specifically the

throat. In belting, the vocal adjustment is radical. Edwin (and other teachers such

as Mary Saunders Barton and Joan Melton) have found the best way to introduce

the novice belter to the sound and feel of belting is through the use of the [æ]

vowel, as in the word “apple.” If during a beginner’s lesson, belting is produced

in an exaggerated fashion, the twangy, bright [æ] vowel virtually assures the

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
52
Robert Edwin, “Popular Song and Music Theater: Belt Yourself,” Journal of Singing,
60:3, January 2004, 286.
53
Ibid.
! #*!

classically trained singer will use more TA-dominant vocal production. It

discourages the singer from producing full, formal, classical vowels in the TA-

dominant voice, and prevents the singer from introducing a personally familiar

aesthetic “beauty of tone.” Eventually, other vowels may be introduced,

producing a more balanced, less twangy belt tone. Belt voice will inherently

possess some element of twang. Twang quality can be nasalized or oral

depending on the position of the velopharyngeal port: open or closed. Accessing

this quality helps boost vocal resonance and helps develop the singer’s formant.

Imitating ducks quacking or cats yowling are great exercises to access and

develop this quality. Belting does have a look: The mouth will be in a horizontal,

narrow position with more teeth showing, especially when ascending in pitch.

Edwin warns new belters that they might tire easily because belting

involves different muscle activity. Beginning sessions on belting should be

limited until the student develops the stamina to deal with the new muscle

activity. Allow for diversity: There is no one belt sound, just as there is no one

classical sound. Vocalize on front vowels in the beginning, as it is easier to keep

them twangy, forward, and bright. Some classical teachers will use the term

“healthy” belting, actually referring to faux belting or no belting. Chest-voice-

dominant, loud, and high singing can be done in a healthy manner and this is the

type of belting the CCM world wants to hear. Edwin advises beginning belters to

get acquainted with the look, feel, and sound of their own belting through the

use of mirrors and audio/video recording. Early guidance from a trusted teacher

or colleague familiar with belting is essential.

Conclusions: This author asserts that Edwin has much to offer as a leading

pedagogue in belting. However, there is a clear bias in his writings. He discusses

! $+!

a lack of diversity of technique in many vocal studios. Still, the use of similar

vocalises and technical exercises are important measures of student progress.

Anne Peckham

Anne Peckham is chair of voice for Berklee College of Music and the

author of Elements of Vocal Technique for the Contemporary Singer and Vocal

Workouts for the Contemporary Singer. Peckham’s books provide good basic

information for beginning singers, recreational adult singers, and contemporary

singers. They are suitable for beginning voice classes. The information on belting

is perfunctory and serves as an introduction to the style. Peckham uses simple

language in presenting the practical tools and fundamental principles for

singing.

Conclusions: Although focused on the contemporary singer, the book

contains no section on singing technique using a microphone. Contemporary

singers are often reluctant to vocalize due to a lack of understanding of the

purpose of vocal exercises and inability to vocalize independently. Peckham’s

books help this type of singer. However, it is recommended they be used with

the guidance of a professional voice teacher.

Jeannette LoVetri

Jeannette LoVetri founded the CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute at

Shenandoah University in 2003 to address the needs of 21st-century singing and

teaching. CCM has become a multibillion-dollar business and is quickly

becoming the dominant force in musical theater. However, few institutes exist
! $"!

where the student can learn to sing, teach, and adjudicate CCM singing. The lack

of knowledgeable, experienced teachers of CCM not only creates problems in the

studio setting, but in competitions.

LoVetri stresses the importance of understanding the source of vocal

sound before dealing with issues of the filter. The vocal tract, including its

component parts – source and filter – is an almost infinitely variable tube,

capable of many resonance possibilities.54 Without an understanding of the

function of the vocal folds, the student will not understand the actions of the

mouth and articulators (filters). Also essential to the achievement of personal

goals in singing is an understanding of the function of register. Other important

points LoVetri makes in her writings:

• The TA and CT muscles are the driving forces of register change.55

• The voice does not have to be restricted to a particular physical coordination.

• Change is allowed depending on the style of music.

• As long as teachers of singing look for one type of vocal behavior or one type of

production, an impasse concerning CCM styles of singing will continue to exist.

• Teachers are advised to be creative and resourceful in acquiring and

implementing new vocal techniques.56

Classical singing puts more emphasis on resonance than on registration.

This leads to confusion about belting as a quality, and is one reason why many

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
54
Jeannette LoVetri, “Contemporary Commercial Music: More Than One Way to Use the
Vocal Tract,” Journal of Singing, 58:3, January 2002, 249.
55
“Jeannette LoVetri. “A Conversation with Jeannette LoVetri.” interview by Joan
Melton (New York City, 2004), In Singing in Musical Theatre: The Training of Singers and Actors
(New York: Allworth Press, 2007), 47.
56
Ibid. 250.
! $#!

opera singers are unsuccessful as pop singers. When changing registration, the

singer should be mindful of the vocal musculature and differences in

physiological response. Register qualities cannot all be treated the same. LoVetri

insists that chest-dominant vocal production should feel different from head-

dominant production – and that this is not a bad thing.57 The differences between

registers lie not just in style, but also in physiological processes. Although

changes in breathing, posture, nasality, or resonance will change the sound, the

registration (meaning the function) of the source will not change. LoVetri

emphasizes that this information is vital to any classical teacher wanting to take

on non-classical students.

Conclusions: This author appreciates LoVetri’s discussion of registration

provides an excellent basis for teaching belting technique. Specific vocalises

would be a helpful addition.

Lisa Popeil

Lisa Popeil is a celebrity voice coach and one of America’s foremost

experts in singing. She is the creator of the Voiceworks Method and the Total

Singer instructional DVD. In her teaching, Popeil has made the conscious choice

to sidestep the terms ”head voice” and ”chest voice.” Instead, she focuses on an

increasing awareness of different sensations in the larynx. A singer can make a

visceral and direct connection with voice registers, she states, by directing

attention to vocal fold thickness, tension, and length.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
57
Ibid.
! $$!

Popeil notes that the singer will find many timbres of belt in musical

theater, and that this sonic diversity can be used as a teaching tool. The different

timbres of belt convey different emotional contexts and characterizations. The

heavy belt can convey age and anger; nasal belt is used for heightened projection

and conviction; twangy belt is penetrating and is used in comedic settings or for

dominating characters; brassy belt (like Ethel Merman) is associated with

confident and mature characters; speech-like belt is used for pleasant, natural,

and sincere characters. Popeil believes style choices in musical theater should be

character-driven rather than based on the singer’s limitations. The more versatile

performer will thus be better able to express human emotion.

Popeil has found that the biggest challenge for a classical teacher new to

teaching belting is to understand what makes speech-like sound, speech-like.

The sung sound will not have residual sympathetic vibrations in the head. The

belted sound feels as if it is coming straight out of the mouth. CT activity

continues while the TA remains active.

In the September 2007 Journal of Singing column, “Popular Song and

Music Theater: The Multiplicity of Belting,” Popeil gives good aural examples of

each belt type. These are particularly helpful to the classical teacher. Popeil also

reminds the classical singing teacher that vocal beauty is not the primary goal of

musical theater singing.

In the same column, Popeil lists the qualities that characterize belt

production:

• thicker edge of vocal fold; tenser TA muscle;

• lack of zippering action in vocal fold opening/closing (more of a clapping

action and high speed quotient);

! $%!

• vocal folds shutting quickly;

• a high closed quotient (longer closed phase – over 50 percent).

Belting is characterized by an even distribution of amplified harmonics up

to 4 kHz and spectral energy up to 15 kHz.58 There will be an increased sensation

of breath-holding during the belt, plus heightened activity of jaw and extrinsic

laryngeal muscles, possible pulling forward of the hyoid bone, higher larynx

position (yet with the ability to lift and lower the larynx), a more horizontal

epiglottis, decreasing space in vallecula, and increased sub glottal pressure.

Vallecula is an anatomic term for a space, depression, or furrow. Popeil

refers to the epiglottic vallecula, which is just behind the root of the tongue

between the folds in the throat. It serves as a spit trap to prevent inhalation of

spit during the swallowing reflex.

In Popeil’s opinion, vocal pedagogues can benefit from analysis of their

preconceived notions of vocal beauty and become more aware of CCM singing

styles. Listening and learning is recommended, rather than painting belting

technique with one broad brush.59

Conclusions: This author disagrees with Popeil’s assertion that vocal

beauty is not a primary goal for musical theater singing. Voice teachers want

their students sounding as good and singing as healthily, as possible. This

involves some aspect of vocal beauty.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
58
Lisa Popeil, “Popular Song and Music Theater: The Multiplicity of Belting,” Journal of
Singing, 64:1, September 2007, 80.

! &*!!Ibid.!
! $&!

Ingo Titze

Ingo Titze, Distinguished Professor of Speech Science and Voice at the

University of Iowa and executive director of the National Center for Voice and

Speech, explains why the larynx is higher in belted singing. In his column,

“Voice Research and Technology: Belting and a High Larynx Position,”

published in the Journal of Singing in May 2007, Titze states that in belting,

“acoustically there is an advantage to having the first formant frequency rise

with pitch.”60 He also stresses that singers who wish to perform in multiple styles

in a healthy manner must strike a healthy balance among those styles.

Titze also found it very likely that singers will seek out certain vocal tract shapes

to reinforce the sound source for a style of singing, but the hypothesis needs

more support, especially in how the pharyngeal and epilaryngeal portions of the

vocal tract change in comparing classical singers with belters.

Conclusions: More theoretical, Dr. Titze’s writings detail the anatomy,

physiology, and physics of acoustics. This information is helpful from a teacher’s

perspective although for beginning students of belting compellingly scientific.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
60
Ingo Titze, “Voice Research and Technology: Belting and a High Larynx Position,”
Journal of Voice 63:5, May 2007, 557.
! $'!

CHAPTER 3

APPLICATION IN THE VOICE STUDIO

Back to Basics

Although the following information may be considered basic to an

advanced teacher or singer, but it is essential to start with the basics. This

information is an amalgamation of many pedagogies, including my own

creations. These exercises and training methods are employed regularly in my

own studio teaching.

First Steps

“With the changing face of voice teaching in the 21st century, it is

imperative for voice teachers to seek to understand the distinctive characteristics

of excellent theater singing.”61 It is paramount to develop both chest and head

registers completely so that they possess equal vigor. By bringing parity to the

two registers, one fosters mixed voice. Once able to sustain a mixed voice at a

mezzoforte dynamic, the singer may advance to belt voice training. When

embarking on this training please note that vowel modification is radically

different for classical singers and belters. Classical singers modify vowels by

lengthening the space in the mouth (long, tall vowels). Belters modify by

widening that space. (Figures 4-9.) It is difficult to advance mixed or belt voice

training using the classical singing standard. Belters with longevity have voices

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
61
Julie E. Balog, “Popular Song and Music Theater: A Guide to Evaluating Music Theater
Singing for the Classical Teacher,” Journal of Voice 61, no. 4 (March 2005), 404.
! $(!

that are well developed across the full vocal range, including chest, mixed, and

head voice.

Breath and Alignment

Breath provides the power to create vocal sound. Developing an efficient

breath management system is key to sustainable vocal technique. Kinesthetic

awareness is crucial to the resolution of various alignment issues singers face.

Mismanagement of breath can create too much or too little subglottic pressure

and create muscular tensions, producing inadequate tone, and, in worst cases,

vocal pathologies. Concepts of alignment and breath should be taught from a

solid knowledge basis in anatomy. Using movement to release physical tension is

useful, but it is important for singers to be able to access freedom of movement

on their own.

Musical theater is a physically demanding art form, requiring singers to

perform lying down, dancing, and bent over while singing. Full body awareness

and optimal function are essential. Singers are required to dance and freely move

about the stage. Flexibility and grace is essential for healthy breath/vibration

coordination. Singers face many breath management challenges because of

advanced stage movement and heightened emotional states required.

A balanced, flexible approach to posture provides a sense of physical

freedom and can lead to more flexibility and clarity in the voice. Exercises such

as circular arm swinging while rising on the toes, or the rag doll exercise are

useful to establish a buoyant feeling while singing. In the rag doll exercise, the
! $)!

torso becomes limp and moves around as if attached to a string, thus avoiding

rigidity and stiffness.

Belted vocal production is easier to achieve while maintaining an engaged

posture. “Noble” posture for singing consisting of a lifted sternum and expanded

rib cage. This allows for strong yet flexible interactions between the upper chest,

intercostals, and abdominal muscles. Another example of an engaged posture is

spreading the arms when approaching a high note. This also allows for flexible

interactions between the large muscle groups listed above and counterbalances

gravity’s effects. This can be an important tool to achieve a clean, grounded belt

sound.

Movement studies such as Alexander Technique can be helpful for

correcting habitual poor posture, while more specifically addressing balance of

the head on the Atlanto-Occipital (A-O) Joint. When belting, the head tends to jut

out, contracting numerous neck muscles resulting in constricted tone and

discomfort. Singers sometimes tuck the jaw down to achieve the feeling of an

open throat. Practical experience involving the optimal function of the A-O Joint

allows singers to free their neck and laryngeal muscles by slightly tilting the

head up. Unaddressed alignment issues can become significant in an eight-

performances-per-week schedule of the musical theater performer. (Figure 3)

! $*!

Figure 3: The Atlanto-Occipital Joint, Henry Gray, Anatomy: Descriptive and

Surgical, 20th ed. (Grammercy Books, New York, 1918): Figure 305. The 20th

edition of Gray’s Anatomy is available in public domain in the USA.

This author asserts that flexible and elastic balance between inhalatory

and exhalatory muscles of the ribcage and abdomen, or “balanced” breathing is

optimal for belting. The singer achieves finer control via muscular antagonism
! %+!

over the exhalation process. The inhalation muscles (diaphragm, external

intercostals, pectoralis major, sternocleidomastoid, scalenes, serratus anterior,

serratus posterior superior, and latissimus dorsi) stay active in order to delay the

action of the exhalation muscles (rectus abdominus, external oblique, internal

oblique, and transverse abdominus). Balanced breathing technique avoids the

feeling of holding the breath in, which creates unnecessary muscular tension.

Richard Miller analyzed this as follows:

Neither physical exertion nor excessive energy produces

skillful singing. However, beginning singers of all ages
tend to use energy levels befitting folk-like [singing].
The normal breath cycle appropriate to speech is not
identical to that required for singing…the tasks of
skillful singing require higher rates of breath energy…
Elongation of the breath cycle for singing is dependent
on a learned technique…appoggio…that results from
the thorax and the abdominal wall [the tranverse
abdominus, the internal oblique, the external oblique,
and to a lesser extent, the rectus abdominus.62

Body mapping, the study of brain maps or the conception of the structure,

function, and size of our own bodies and how that conception affects the use of

our bodies,63 may be a useful tool for students unaware of the location of these

muscles. Balanced breathing avoids the collapse of the ribcage and high position

of the diaphragm and is essential for healthy vocal function in all styles of

singing.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
! 62
Richard Miller, Training Soprano Voices, London: Oxford University Press, 2000: 36.
63
Amy Likar, “Musicians as Movers: Body Mapping and the Alexander Technique for
Musicians and Music Educators” [website] available from http://bodymap.org/main/?p=301
Accessed June 10, 2014.
! %"!

Vocalises for Belting

Healthy belting requires smooth transitions between the registers. Specific

vocalises train muscle memory and strength for mixed voice and belted

production.

1. Calling-Voice Exercise

The first example is a calling-voice exercise, engaging the upper head

register, as though calling to someone about 20 feet away. Calling-voice exercises

produce a bright, clear tone at a high pitch level. Vowels such as [æ] and [i] (as in

the word “taxi”) are most effective. Singers might experience a” buzzy”

sensation in the cheekbones, lips, molars or even behind the nose.

2. Siren Exercise

Exercises resembling the sound of sirens, as in a police car or ambulance

are especially effective for developing the high belt sound required in a song like

“Fly, Fly Away” from Catch Me If You Can, or “Defying Gravity” from Wicked. A

siren utilizes the complete spectrum of an individual’s vocal range. These

exercises are effective in teaching all singers, but are especially suited to giving

lighter classical soprano voices better access to the belt. The siren exercise helps

to smooth the transition between registers. If, initially, the sirens are too stressful

– if for example you experience excessive cracking (which is tiring and abusive to

the voice), try singing cross-register scales on a lip buzz or tongue trill. (Figure 4)
    
      
! %#!


 
  


Figure 4: Siren Exercise.

      
  

!  
  
   
!
!


  
  
   
3. Cross-Register Arpeggios
     
    


Also essential are cross-register

 arpeggios that leap over breaks

rather




    
 
than pass directly
 through them. Extending overlap between the registers  is
  

important to cricothyroid-dominant production throughout the range.

Establishing mixed voice is easier in the lower part of register overlap. (Figure 5)
       

   
      

Figure 5:

Cross-register 
arpeggios.
  
!

!
!

4. Messa di voce exercise

  
  
  


 Messa di voce exercises are

excellent

 exploration
for  of
the
 transitions
  

between the different timbres required for musical theater singing. Choose one

note in an easy, conversational register on the vowel [æ] or [i], beginning with a
       
  





  

!      %$!
   
soft, balanced onset and increasing volume, with the apex of the crescendo

becoming a belted vocal production. (Figure 6)

   
   
!
!
!

  

Figure 6: Messa di voce Exercise.

!
!
!
Pay special attention to breath management. The use of a resistance band can

help counteract this: The student pulls the two ends of the band apart during the

crescendo, but not so much that the band gets thin and rigid, thus helping the

student physicalize and visualize the transverse and oblique action of the

intercostals required for smooth vocal transitions. This extends the range of the

belt voice and ensures vocal health.

5. Vocal études from repertoire

Inventing vocal études from the singer’s selected repertoire is an effective

tool when approaching a vocal challenge, especially if the singer’s repertoire

moves back and forth between belted and operatic vocal production – such as

selections from Wicked. This allows the singer to understand the technical

demands of both the belt and operatic voice. Using fragments as études helps

avoid unnecessary tensions associated with learning new repertoire.

! %%!

Mouth, Head, and Jaw Position for Belting

The difference in mouth position, between classical singing and belting, is

noteworthy. (Figures 7 through 12.) Experimentation is vital, as relatively little

pedagogical study has been devoted to mouth position. Familiarity with and

ability to model the technique allows beginning belters to benefit from good

aural examples.

Classical singers are trained to use the inside smile which raises the soft

palate. Belters need to actually smile. The horizontal mouth shape brings the

resonance forward, which is a necessary for belting A suggested rectangular

shape, even to the back of the pharynx, provides the edginess required of a

belted sound.

In Figures 7 and through 12, note the clear contrast between the classical

and belting postures, head positions, facial expressions, and mouth position.

When belting, the head is positioned higher, the eyebrows are not raised, and the

mouth is clearly in a horizontal position.

Figure 7: The author demonstrating a classical mouth position, taken by Brian

Kastens with Nikon D-60. July 21, 2014. Photography Copyright Release in

Appendix C.

!
! %&!

!
!

Figure 8: The author demonstrating a belting mouth position, taken by Brian

Kastens with Nikon D-60. July 21, 2014. Photography Copyright Release in

Appendix C.

!
!

Figure 9: The author in profile singing classical style, taken by Brian Kastens with

Nikon D-60. July 21, 2014. Photography Copyright Release in Appendix C.

!
! %'!

!
!

Figure 10: The author in profile, singing belt style, taken by Brian Kastens with

Nikon D-60. July 21, 2014. Photography Copyright Release in Appendix C.

!
!
! %(!

Figure 11: The author singing classical style, taken by Brian Kastens with Nikon

D-60. July 21, 2014. Photography Copyright Release in Appendix C.

!
!
!
! %)!

Figure 12: The author singing belting style, taken by Brian Kastens with Nikon

D-60. July 21, 2014. Photography Copyright Release in Appendix C.

!
!
!

Twang Resonance

Narrowing the aryepiglottic folds (Figure 13) creates twang resonance,

which amplifies the resonances at about 3 kHz, also known as the singer’s

formant. The throat should not feel constricted. Constricted twang will likely feel

brittle or stuck. The bridge of the nose and area above the upper lip are focus

points are optimal twang resonance.

! %*!

Figure 13: The aryepiglottic fold, Henry Gray, Anatomy: Descriptive and Surgical,

20th ed. (Grammercy Books, New York, 1918): Figure 953. The 20th edition of

Gray’s Anatomy is available in public domain in the USA.

!
!
!

Methodology for Specific Repertoire

Ten songs have been selected in order to provide detailed teaching

strategies for a young beginning to more advanced students of belting. This

author charted where to use belt or other types of registration in Tables 1

! &+!

through 10. Appendix B contains a list of representative videos for these

selections. Appendix C contains the references for the source scores used for

study.

1. “Roxie,” from Chicago

This song is recommended for the beginning student, as its range is not

extensive and the belted parts are not extremely high, even though the role as

whole is challenging when one considers the acting, dancing, and singing

requirements. Although the range is low for a soprano, belt emanates from

speech. A young soprano for whom the range is problematic can speak-sing the

beginning line from mm. 4-8. In mm. 10, the singer will find an opportunity to

introduce mixed voice on the first syllable of “rakin’.” The first chance to belt

comes in mm. 28-30 on the word “art.” Belted production also comes back at the

end, from mm. 67 beginning with the words “And Sophie Tucker’ll shit.” This

song possesses so much joie de vivre, and thus an uninformed choice would be to

belt the entire piece. Keep in mind, though, that the purpose of belting is to

underscore the drama. The voice teacher has an obligation to young students to

guide them by identifying areas of rest where less vocal intensity is required.

(Table 1)
! &"!

Measure Range Registration

5-9 A-flat to G Mix (TA dominant)

10 G to D (descending) Belt (TA dominant)

11-28 A-flat to G Mix (TA dominant)

End of 28-30 G (single note) Belt (TA dominant)

End of 30-37 Middle C to A-flat Mix (TA dominant)

42-65 B-flat to A-flat Mix (TA dominant)

!
Table 1: “Roxie” from Chicago.
!
!

2. “On the Steps of the Palace,” from Into the Woods

“On the Steps of the Palace” is appropriate for a young, slightly more

advanced singer because of range, tessitura, intervallic leaps, and both rhythmic

and comedic timing required. The intervallic leaps often require a sudden change

of register. Good musicianship, and acting skills are also required. The singer

will use a combination of mixed voice (CT dominant) or head voice (CT

dominant) for a majority of the song. The few opportunities to use belt voice

occur in mm. 63, on the second syllable of the word “scary,” to mm. 72 on the

word “steps,” and mm. 105 to mm. 107. In these ending measures, it is important

to keep the CT engaged while belting so that the vocal folds will have the

necessary length. The singer will encounter a few places where the mixed voice

should be sung in CT dominant rather than TA dominant registration, so the

mixed voice will have more emphasis on head rather than chest voice. These

occur in mm. 3-4, mm. 9-21, as an option in mm. 27-29, mm. 30-34, and as an
! &#!

option in mm. 47-63. The registration is especially challenging in mm. 39-46

where the singer is required to shift quickly between mixed voice that is TA

dominant and mixed voice that is CT dominant.

(Table 2)
! &$!

Measure Range Registration

3-4 B to A (ascending) Mix (CT dominant –

except, possibly, the lowest
note – B)
5-6 E to C-sharp (ascending) Head (CT dominant)

7-8 A octave (descending) Mix (TA dominant)

9-21 C-sharp octave Mix (CT dominant)

22-23 F-sharp to D Head (CT dominant)

24-26 D to B (descending) Mix (TA dominant)

End of 26- 27 (“caught”) F-sharp to D Head (CT dominant)

End of 27-29 A octave Mix (TA or CT dominant)

End of 30-34 F-natural to C-natural Mix (CT dominant)

End of 35-37 F-sharp to D (ascending) Head (CT dominant)

End of 37-39 A to B (descending 7 th

Mix (TA dominant)
interval)
End of 39-46 D to A (descending) Mix (Using both CT and
TA dominant registration)
End of 47- 63 D octave Mix or Head (CT

dominant)

End of 63 (“ry” of “sca-ry”) - D to B-flat Mix or Belt (TA dominant)

72 (“steps”)
End of 72 (“better”)- 77 D to B Head (CT dominant),
possible Chest (TA
dominant) on “sion” of
“collision”
End of 77 – 83 A – B-flat (ascending 9 ) th
Mix (TA dominant)

84-88 E octave Head (CT dominant)

End of 88-104 A octave Mix (TA dominant)

105-107 E to D Belt (TA dominant, with

CT engaged)
!
! Table 2: “On the Steps of the Palace” from Into the Woods.
!
! &%!

3. “Adelaide’s Lament” from Guys and Dolls

“Adelaide’s Lament” is appropriate for beginners as the range is limited,

but does require a good sense of comedic timing and the ability to act. Good

musicianship skills are important because the vocal line is often exposed. The

ability to change vocal style between sung and spoken text quickly, as in mm. 8-9

and 29 is important. In the effort to portray having a cold for most of the show, it

is also important not to lose the integrity of the mixed or belt voice. Regular

alternation between mixed and belt voice with TA dominant registration is

recommended. Loesser gives the instruction “with sweet meditation” in mm. 35,

CT dominant registration is recommended here through mm. 38.

This is one of the greatest character pieces in the repertoire. Scott Simon,

host of the National Public Radio broadcast on the 50th-anniversary retrospective,

observed “Adelaide’s Lament” is “a perfect comic song.”64 Simon interviewed

lyricist Fred Ebb, who provided his take on its appeal:

“Here’s a girl who’s got a cold all through the play and she
says she has a cold ‘cause somebody isn’t going to marry
her. That’s a very rich comic notion. And she’s got these
hilarious punch lines. You know, “if she’s getting a kind of
a name for herself and the name ain’t his; if she’s tired of
getting the fish eye from the hotel clerk.” Every line in it is
worth something. It means something; has impact. It has
vitality. It has humor and charm and appropriateness.
And I don’t know how you can get much better than that.”65

(Table 3)

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
64
Scott Simon (host). “Creation of the musical Guys and Dolls, Weekend Edition Saturday,
National Public Radio, November 25, 2000. [website] Accessed June 22, 2014. Clip 14
http://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-editionsaturday/2000/11/25/13003410/
65
Ibid.
! &&!

Measures Range Registration

1a-8a A-flat to B-flat (ascending) Mix (TA dominant), top B-

flat could be belted
10a-16a A-flat octave Mix (TA dominant),
possible belt from mm. 14-
16
End of 17a – 25a D-flat to C-flat Mix (TA dominant)

End of 25a– 27a E-flat to C-flat Belt (TA dominant)

End of 27a – 29 D-flat to B-flat Mix (TA dominant)

Repeat: end of 29-9b A-flat to B-flat (ascending) Mix (TA dominant), top B-
flat could be belted
Repeat: 10b-13b A-flat to G natural Mix (TA dominant)

Repeat: end of 13b – 16b E-flat to repeated A-flat Belt (TA Dominant)

Repeat: End of 17b – 25b D-flat to C-flat Mix (TA dominant)

Repeat: End of 25b – 30 D-natural to C-flat Belt (TA dominant)

End of 30-34 D-natural to C- natural Mix (TA dominant)

End of 34 – 38 E to B-flat Head (CT dominant)

End of 38 – 40 E to C Belt (TA dominant)

End of 40 – 48 D to B Mix (TA dominant)

49-51 D to G (descending) Belt (TA dominant)

!
Table 3: “Adelaide’s Lament” from Guys and Dolls.

4. “Always a Bridesmaid” from I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change

Another great comic song, “Always a Bridesmaid” is especially good for

beginning belters whose head voice is relatively undeveloped. The song has a

decided country-western feel. Twang resonance, typical of that style, is very

helpful in strengthening the belt voice. A more advanced belter will appreciate

this song for acting and comedic possibilities. At times it is quite low for a

soprano, with a G-sharp and F-sharp in mm.24 and mm. 25. This is a great
! &'!

opportunity for a higher-voiced singer to employ speak-singing. Mostly sung in

TA dominant mixed or belt voice, there is an opportunity to CT dominant head

voice production in mm. 104-111 and 130-135. (Table 4)

! &(!

!
Measures Range Registration

4-33 F-sharp to G-sharp (ascending Mix or Chest (TA

9th) dominant)
34-37 B to G-sharp Belt (TA dominant)

39-43 B to G-sharp Mix (TA dominant)

43-46 G-sharp to C-sharp Belt (TA dominant)

(descending)
End of 46-49 G-sharp to B (descending) Mix (TA dominant)

50 D-sharp to G-sharp Mix (TA dominant) to

(ascending perfect 4th) Head (CT dominant); like a
yodel
51-52 D-sharp to G-sharp Mix (TA dominant)

53-55 E to B (descending) Belt (TA Dominant)

End of 55-57 B to G-sharp Mix (TA dominant)

End of 57-59 Approximately D to F-sharp Speech Singing (TA

(descending) dominant)
End of 59-70 B to G-sharp Mix (TA dominant)

71-79 C-natural to A Mix (TA dominant)

End of 79-86 C to G Belt (TA dominant); End of

mm. 82 to beginning of
mm. 83 can be speech
singing
88-104 A to C Mix (TA dominant)

End of 104-111 A to F-sharp (descending) Head (CT dominant)

112-115 C to A (ascending) Belt (TA dominant)

End of 115-121 G to C Mix (TA dominant)

122-130 C to B-flat (ascending) Belt (TA dominant)

End of 130-135 A to C (descending) Head (CT dominant)

136-144 A to C (descending) Belt (TA dominant)

!
Table 4: “Always a Bridesmaid” from I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now
Change.
! &)!

5. “I Know the Truth” from Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida

This is appropriate for a young singer comfortable with rhythm and blues

style and improvisation. R & B is sung slightly behind the beat. The

improvisations can be sung in the CCM genre that best suits the voice, such as

gospel or pop/rock, and most improvisations will occur at the end of a vocal line

or with a note substitution. This author recommends the song begin and end

with CT dominant alternation between head and mixed voice, reserving TA

dominant alternation between belt and mixed voice for the middle section. Most

R & B improvisation is recommended for the middle section between mm. 41-47.

The musical is based on Giuseppe Verdi’s opera of the same name and the

children’s storybook version of the opera written by Leontyne Price. This

character is a powerful and manipulative princess. (Table 5)

Measures Range Registration

1-15 G to F-sharp Head (CT dominant)

16-28 F-sharp to B (ascending Mix (CT dominant)

perfect 11 , compound
th

interval)
End of 29-31 B octave Head (CT dominant)

33-39 A to F-sharp Mix (TA dominant)

41-44 B to D (descending) Belt (TA dominant)

45-55 A octave Mix (TA dominant)

56-60 D to E (descending) Belt (TA dominant)

End of 60-63 B octave (ascending) Mix (CT dominant)

64-66 B to G (descending M3) Head (CT dominant)

!
! Table 5: “I Know the Truth” from Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida
! &*!

6. “I Got Rhythm” from Girl Crazy or Crazy for You

This song is appropriate for an intermediate to advanced belter as the

range is high when sung in Gershwin’s original key of D-flat major. Any note

that may be too high to belt could be sung in head voice with similar vowel

quality and vibrato rate. There are opportunities for improvisation, based on

Ethel Merman’s iconic interpretation of the song, in the repeat from mm. 29b-

44b.

The song has become a jazz standard. Its chord progression, known as

“rhythm changes,” can be called in any key. The form of the refrain is a 32-bar

AABA. It is commonly performed in B-flat major. (Table 6)

Measures Range Registration

3-26 G to D Mix (CT dominant)

29a-44a F to E-flat Mix (TA dominant)

45a-52a E-natural to G Mix (TA dominant); could

be Belt (TA dominant)
53a-59a F to E-flat Mix (TA dominant)

60a F Head (CT dominant)

End of 60a-62 E-flat to B-flat (descending Mix (TA dominant)

P4)
Repeat: 29b-36b F to E-flat Belt (TA dominant)

Repeat: 37b-56b F to E-natural Mix (TA Dominant)

Repeat: 57b-60b F octave Belt (TA dominant)

Repeat: End of 60b-63 E-flat to B-flat (descending Mix (TA dominant)

P4)
!
Table 6: “I Got Rhythm” from Girl Crazy or Crazy for You.
! '+!

7. “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee” from Grease

This song is appropriate for the beginning belter as the range not

challenging. There are lots of opportunities to either belt or use speak-singing

(mm. 38-53, 71-78, and the end of mm. 82 to the beginning of mm. 83) if the belt

voice is not fully developed. This is a fun song, but not musically demanding.

The original stage version lyrics reference former teen idol Sal Mineo. He was

stabbed to death one year before 1978 film began production, so the line was

changed to refer to Elvis Presley instead. (Table 7)

Measures Range Registration

7-18 A octave Mix (TA dominant)

End of 18-21 E to B Belt (TA dominant)

23-35 A octave Mix (TA dominant)

End of 35-37 G-sharp to B Belt (TA dominant)

38-53 E to B Mix (TA dominant); can be

speech singing
55-66 A octave Mix (TA dominant)

End of 66-70 G to B Belt (TA dominant)

71-78 C to A Mix (TA Dominant); can be

speech singing, text
changed in film version
79-82 B-flat octave Mix (TA dominant)

End of 82-beginning of 83 Approximately G Speech Singing (TA

dominant)
End of 83-89 A to C Belt (TA dominant)

!
Table 7: “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee” from Grease.
! '"!

8. “My New Philosophy” from You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown

This song is appropriate for a young singer with strong musicianship

skills due the exposed nature of the vocal line. A common pitfall to be avoided is

constriction to achieve a “child-like” sound. The song alternates between mixed

and belt voice TA dominant production and there are several opportunities to

employ speak-singing in mm. 19-23, 49-50, and 53-54. The song appears as a duet

between Sally and Schroeder with a guest appearance by Lucy at the end in the

show. The composer Andrew Lippa, as a solo version for publication, created the

score used for study in this essay. (Table 8)

! '#!

Measures Range Registration

3-17 B octave Mix (TA dominant)

19-23 Approximately B Speech Singing (TA

dominant)
25-38 D octave Mix (TA dominant)

39-45 B to E-flat Belt (TA dominant)

47-48 E to B-flat Mix (TA dominant)

49-50 Approximately G Speech Singing (TA

dominant)
51-52 E to B Mix (TA dominant)

53-54 Approximately G Speech Singing (TA

dominant)
55-60 C to F-natural Mix (TA dominant)

61-62 C to F-sharp Belt (TA dominant)

66-73 B octave Mix (TA dominant)

78-85 (Short Ending) D octave Belt (TA dominant)

78-84 (optional long D octave Belt (TA dominant)

ending)
End of 89-91 (optional long D octave Belt (TA dominant)
ending)
!
Table 8: “My New Philosophy” from You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.

9. “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” from Anything Goes

This song is for an intermediate to advanced student with well-established

belt voice as the range is quite high. A charismatic performer with the ability to

command the stage as a singer, actor, and dancer is recommended. The song

begins with speak-singing in mm. 1-8 then regularly alternates between belt and

mixed TA dominant production. Students without well established high belt

technique could sing the highest notes in head voice with similar vowel quality

and vibrato rate. (Table 9)

! '$!

Measures Range Registration

1-8 Approximately B Speech Singing (TA

dominant)
End of 8-12 F to C Mix (TA dominant)

13-16 D to G (ascending P4) Belt (TA dominant)

End of 16-24 A octave Mix(TA dominant)

End of 24-37 G to A (ascending 9 )

th
Mix (TA dominant)

End of 37-40 C to D (descending) Belt (TA dominant)

End of 40-49 G to A (ascending 9 )

th
Mix (TA dominant)

End of 49-56 A to C (ascending 10 )

th
Belt (TA Dominant)

End of 56-61 C to A Mix (TA dominant)

End of 61-63 E to A Belt (TA dominant)

64-76 A to C (ascending 10 )
th
Belt (TA dominant)

End of 76-88 D to C Mix (TA dominant)

End of 88-100 C to E (ascending 10 )

th
Belt (TA dominant)

!
Table 9: “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” from Anything Goes.

10. “On My Own” from Les Misérables

This ballad could fall into the “overdone” category and is recommended

for assignment to an intermediate to advanced student with a well developed

mixed and belt voice. “On My Own” is straightforward in terms of registration

issues. It is suggested that the young singer begin and end the song in CT

dominant head voice, mm. 7-17 and 51-55. It is recommended the singer be

comfortable with the contemporary pop sound. (Table 10)

! '%!

Measures Range Registration

7-17 A to B-flat (ascending 9 ) th

Mix (CT dominant)

End of 17-18 G to D (descending P4) Belt (TA dominant)

19-25a A octave Mix (TA dominant)

End of 25a-27a G to A (descending 7 )th

Belt (TA dominant)

End of 27a-20b (repeat) A to E Mix (TA dominant)

End of 20b-21b (repeat) A to D Belt (TA dominant)

End of 21b-25b (repeat) A to F-sharp Mix (TA dominant)

End of 25b (repeat)-33 D to B-natural Belt (TA Dominant)

End of 33-35 B-flat to E Mix (TA dominant)

End of 35-37 C octave Belt (TA dominant)

End of 37-43 C to B-flat Mix (TA dominant);

possible crescendo to Belt
(TA dominant) at 41-43
End of 43-51 C octave Belt (TA dominant)

End of 51-55 C to A Head (CT dominant)

!
! 15-?3!"+E!FG:!H@!G=:I!>98D!"#$!%&$'()*+#$,
! '&!

CHAPTER 4

CONCLUSION

Areas for Further Research

Considerable scientific research remains to be done to better understand

the physiological phenomenon of belting. The term “belting” applies to such a

wide spectrum of repertoire, which is one reason why the term is confusing for

professionals. Jeannette LoVetri states: “it is simply not true that there is one way

to make a ‘belt’ sound, any more than there is one way to sing a classical

sound…each of these kinds of singing requires a different configuration of the

source and filter, different activities in the articulators, and use of the breath.”66

Quantifiable research is sparse on what is aesthetically acceptable for

nonclassical singing. Some nonclassical sounds are not considered “beautiful,”

but rather thrilling, intense, dramatic, and realistic.

This author plans to further develop a pedagogy by which symbols could

be used to expand on standard western music notation to include color, timbre

and other features specific to belting and flexibility of style. A variety of such

symbols can be seen in nonwestern music notation (Japanese, Korean, etc.) and

can offer a creative solution to teaching voice.67

Vocal pedagogues could draw upon common ground between classical

singing and belting, while acknowledging the significant differences in source

filter production while embracing those differences. This author recommends

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
66
LoVetri, “More Than One Way to Use the Vocal Tract,” 250-251.

! 67
Correspondence with Dr. Cynthia Schmidt regarding Non-Western notation methods,
June 27, 2014.
! ''!

that university voice teachers engage to familiarize themselves with the sounds,

styles, techniques and performance practices of belting.

! '(!

APPENDIX A

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Pedagogical

Belting (vocal belting) is a technique of singing by which a singer produces

a very loud sound in the upper-middle part of the vocal range. This range is

sometimes referred to as a vocal register, but that term is a misnomer, as the

larynx itself does not change its oscillation during a belt.68

Chest voice is one of the terms most consistently misused by voice

professionals. It can mean a vocal register, part of the vocal range, a vocal

resonance area, or a specific vocal timbre.69 For the purpose of this essay, chest

voice describes singing produced primarily by the thyroarytenoid (TA) muscles

of the larynx, resulting in excessive resonance in the lower formants. The vocal

production may be perceived as “heavy.” Chest voice is used more regularly and

carried higher through the vocal range in musical theater singing than in classical

singing.

The thyroarytenoid (TA) muscle is a paired intrinsic laryngeal muscle that

makes up the bulk of the vocal fold. Also called the vocalis muscle, it is the

primary muscle for producing the lower pitches of the singing voice.70 In musical

theater singing, this muscle is used at higher pitches than in classical singing.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
68
Karyn O’Connor, “Sing Wise”, [website] http://www.singwise.com/cgi-
bin/main.pl?section=articles&doc=BeltingTechnique Accessed July 19, 2014
69
McKinney.
70
Ibid.
! ')!

Head voice denotes a particular part of the vocal range, type of vocal

register, or a vocal resonance area.71 The term is used to describe singing

produced primarily by the cricothyroid (CT) muscles of the throat. Head voice

has become common parlance to distinguish the sympathetic vibrations in the

head area felt when singing higher pitches. It is produced in the larynx. Classical

singing is dominated by the use of head voice.

The cricothyroid (CT) muscle is a set of paired intrinsic laryngeal muscles

that are used primarily to control the vocal folds and help the vocal folds to

vibrate by stretching them. In the classical female voice, the vocal production is

head voice (CT) dominant, while much of the singing for the musical theater

female voice is chest voice (TA) dominant. The CT muscle also helps to control

pitch and is therefore used in all singing.72

Mixed voice is more difficult to define than head and chest voice. However,

it is an important vocal technique for any musical theater singer and is the most

common vocal technique used today. It is a blend between chest and head voice,

and is an important transitional technique between the two. While scant research

exists regarding mixed voice, it employs a combination of both TA and CT

muscles, balanced via vowel and resonance tuning to smooth the transition

between head and chest voice. This concept is controversial, as some voice

specialists regard it as a perceptual phenomenon rather than a physiological

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
71
Ibid.
72
This definition is drawn from two sources, Karyn O’Connor, “The Larynx: Structure
and Function: Intrinsic Muscles of the Larynx” Singwise [website] available from:
http://www.singwise.com/cgibin/main.pl?section=articles&doc=LarynxStructureAndFunction
&page=2 Accessed 12 October 2012 and Mary Saunders Barton, “Bel Canto, Can Belto: Teaching
Women to Sing Music Theater” producer Penn State Public Broadcasting, Penn State Media Sales,
2007, DVD video.
! '*!

register. An important factor to consider is vocal cord adduction, which is a

critical variable for register manipulation. The shape of the vocal fold medial

surface must be considered as it becomes more convergent when the singer

moves into head voice. This is due to decreasing contraction of the TA muscle.73

The larynx is an organ in the neck of amphibians, reptiles, and mammals.

The primary function of the larynx is to protect the trachea from food aspiration.

Breathing and sound production are spandrels. This organ houses the vocal

folds, which are essential for phonation.74 Sound is generated in the larynx and

that is where pitch and volume are manipulated. The larynx is capable of

movement up and down. As it relates to belting, this movement is the subject of

much scientific investigation. Some scientific data show the larynx assumes a

high position in belting, and is lowered in classical singing.75

The pharynx is part of both the digestive and respiratory systems and is the

region directly above the larynx, below the velum (soft palate) and posterior to

the oral cavity. It is a flexible tube that can both stretch and constrict. In classical

singing, it is stretched, whereas in musical theater singing, the position can be

slightly lowered.

The vocal folds are a paired system of ligaments in the larynx that oscillate

to produce sound. The vocal folds consist of two wedge-shaped, multi-layered

bundles of muscles with ligamental edges covered by a mucous membrane. The

vocal folds are a complex tensing and relaxing system; they can shorten, contract

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
73
Boardman. 2.
74
McKinney.
! (+!

laterally, and vary in length and thickness during vibration. Part of them can

tense while the rest stay relaxed.76 (Figure 13)

Closed Quotient (CQ) refers to the duration of the closed phase of the

vibratory cycle in which the vocal folds close the glottis. Generally, in classical

(CT) vocal production,77 the CQ is less than 40 percent. Fifty-two percent is the

marker for chest voice (TD) production while belters can exhibit a CQ as high as

70 percent.

Formants are resonances in the vocal tract. Their frequencies and

amplitudes shape the radiated spectrum. To achieve the best sound, singers

regularly modify the dimensions of the vocal tract, adjusting the resonance

frequencies of the vocal tract to amplify certain harmonics of the voice source.

Resonance strategies are well documented for classical singing; they have not

been systematically studied in belting.78 (Figure 4)

Singer’s formant is a prominent cluster of intense acoustic energy

consisting of strong third, fourth, and fifth formants. This cluster results from the

cumulative distribution of upper harmonic partials that is present in the

frequency spectra of trained singing voices only. This formant, which seems to be

independent of the particular vowel and pitch, adds brilliance and carrying

power to the voice.79

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
76
Boardman. 2.
77
Generally, belting is a Thyroarytenoid dominant type of vocal production, and
classical singing is a more Cricothyroid dominant type of vocal production.
78
Schutte and Besterbreurtje, 194.
79
O’Connor.
! ("!

Figure 14: The larynx, Henry Gray, Anatomy: Descriptive and Surgical, 20th ed.

(Grammercy Books, New York, 1918): Figure 959. The 20th edition of Gray’s

Anatomy is available in public domain in the USA.

!
!
!
! (#!

!
!
!

Repertoire

Ballad is a term used in CCM and describes a song in a slower tempo. All

styles of musical theater repertoire that employ a slow tempo are ballads.80

Up-tempo is a term used in CCM to describe a song with a fast moving

tempo.81

Triple threat is a term used in theater to describe someone who can sing,

dance, and act.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
80
Lebon. 34. Most musical theater auditions require a singer to come prepared with 16
bars of a ballad and 16 bars of an up-tempo selection to demonstrate vocal and stylistic contrast.
In the past, there was no distinction of genre or style, but that is changing.
81
Ibid.
! ($!

APPENDIX B

CONTEMPORARY COMMERCIAL MUSIC 1930s - PRESENT

Musical exchange between performers gained importance, as the leading

singers of the time acquired their skill and training by performing with big bands

and listening to each other’s shows and recordings. Female big band singers of

the time included Billie Holliday, performing with Count Basie and Artie Shaw;

Ella Fitzgerald with Chick Webb and Duke Ellingtion; Sarah Vaughan with Billy

Eckstine; and Peggy Lee with Benny Goodman. Two of the marquee82male

performers were Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby.

Rock and roll, and the emergence of rhythm and blues, dominated the

period from 1950-1960. The term “rhythm and blues” (R&B) became vernacular

in the 1940s when Billboard magazine used it as a substitution for the term “race

records.” The use of electric guitars distinguished the idiom. Due to the

amplification and the pervasive dance rhythms, singers of rock and roll and R&B

reverted to an aggressive, shouted delivery. The emphasis was on audience

impact rather than content. B.B. King, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard were the

leading artists in this style and influenced the future British rock invasion.83

The dance-driven style of R&B was eventually adopted and adapted by

white artists, and became popular with white youth. This style, dominated by

male performers like Bill Haley and Elvis Presley, is rock and roll. Top female

performers during this time – including Connie Francis, Patti Page, Rosemary

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
! 82
A marquee performer is the main performer in a show, whose name will attract the
most attendance.
83
Lebon, 12.
! (%!

Clooney, and Doris Day – sang in an understated style. Not many female R & B

performers gained nationwide prominence, with the exception of Dinah

Washington and Della Reese. Washington and Reese performed with a more

aggressive singing style associated with male R & B performers. Several all-

female groups also performed in this style, including the Crystals, the Ronnettes,

and the Chiffons.84

Female vocalists from the country-western idiom of the 1950s displayed a

more powerful belted vocal delivery. Tammy Wynette, Patsy Cline, Brenda Lee,

and Loretta Lynn all sang within their speaking range, with regional accents. The

incorporation of “vocal cry” (a sob-like style) was one important aspect in their

interpretations. The merger of country and R&B produced country rock and

rockabilly, typified by the musical styles of Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, and Jerry

Lee Lewis.85

Another important vocal development was the arrival of the “teen idol“: a

crooner with a large teenage fan base. These heartthrobs included Fabian, Bobby

Rydell, Bobby Vee, Paul Anka, and Frankie Avalon. Television became an

important medium for the development of hit tunes. By the early 1960s, the

popularity of the crooner and over-commercialized white performers was

waning, setting the stage for the British Invasion.86

By 1963, several British groups that claimed influence from African-

American musicians such as Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters became popular in

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
84
Ibid. 30.
85
Ibid. 31.
86
Ibid.
! (&!

the USA, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, and the Who. The

leading British female vocalists of that time, such as Petula Clark, Lulu, and

Leslie Gore, used a more aggressive, belted approach to singing.87

By the late 1960s, the sought-after vocal style sought was aggressive

belting. Rock music incorporated stylistic elements from soul, folk, country, and

jazz, resulting in hybrid forms such as jazz-fusion, country rock, and funk.

Leading female artists of this time included Grace Slick, Janis Joplin, Linda

Ronstadt, Helen Reddy, and Olivia Newton-John.88

Soul is a sub-genre of R&B. Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin contributed

to the secularization of gospel into soul. Motown, the Detroit-based recording

company, was the heartbeat of an entire style that provided the connection

between gospel and popular music. Characteristics of the soul vocal style include

slurring into the beginning of the vocal line; improvisations and ornamentations

of words; wide vibrato; and the use of falsetto, growls, screams, wails, and

shouts.89

The 1970s also brought more sophisticated studio equipment, plus the

development and refinement of electronic drums, keyboards, and synthesizers.

Notable artists of that era include Donna Summer, a belter, and Steven Tyler of

Aerosmith, also known as the “Demon of Screamin’”.

The 1980s continued the high-level wave of vocal exertion. Popular male

belting artists such as Steve Perry of Journey and Lou Gramm of Foreigner had

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
87
Ibid.
88
Ibid.
89
Ibid.
! ('!

high, edgy voices. Their exploration of chest voice belted to their highest limits

was an inspired progression from the high falsetto singing of the Bee Gees.

Female belters of this era included Irene Cara, Juice Newton, Laura Branigan,

and Pat Benatar.90

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
90
Ibid.
! ((!

APPENDIX C

REPRESENTATIVE VIDEOGRAPHY

!
When this author was first asked to teach musical theater and belting

years ago, there were few pedagogical resources. The belting technique was self-

taught. Observation of live performances and videos were an important resource

for the author to acquire the necessary techniques.

1. “Roxie” from Chicago performed by Renee Zellweger

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-_HTUapDQo

Summary: Observe how Renee Zellweger uses the resonance of her

natural speaking voice to her advantage with very little visible tension. Note the

use of TA dominant belt at the end on “Sophie Tucker’ll shit, I know”.

Renee Zellweger had not studied voice before appearing in the film

version of Chicago. In his interview for Playbill, Andew Gans asked:

What was your musical background? Had you

done musicals in high school or college?
RZ: I tried out for Hair in college, and I watched
Hair from the audience and enjoyed it very much . . .
I sang in the shower a lot, and my brother told me
to shut up a lot, and I sang a couple of notes in
"Empire Records." I played a girl who wants to be
a singer but who's too scared to sing and can't really
sing, so there's that. And, then, of course, there were
a couple of fabulous vocal moments in "Bridget Jones."

Q: Did you study voice at all for the film?

!RZ: Yeah, we had class. I didn't know how to sing
properly. I didn't know how to enunciate. I thought
singing was hitting the tunes . . . I didn't understand
about the silent breath, the diaphragm. I didn't understand
about enunciating and elongating your words, and I
! ()!

didn't know how to breathe properly and how to protect

your vocal chords. I didn't know, so I learned. And, I
didn't know the songs [laughs], and that's kind of a
problem, so I had to become familiar with that. And that
was all part of singing class at the Rob Marshall School of
"Chicago" in Toronto.91

2. “On the Steps of the Palace” from Into the Woods performed by Kim Crosby

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NV_Cd3csTA

Summary: Notice Kim Crosby’s lovely mixed voice quality (CT dominant)

in the opening sung measures. Crosby uses this quality to move easily into her

head voice for the higher pitches. Also employing the natural resonance of her

speaking voice for dramatic or comedic effect.

Into the Woods has been produced many times since its premiere in San

Diego in 1986. The musical intertwines several Brothers Grimm Fairytales and

follows them to explore the characters wishes and quests. It has also been

adapted to a “junior” version suitable for schools with the entire 2nd act removed,

allowing it to fit into a 60- to 80-minute performance time versus the original 3

hours. The song keys are also transposed to be more suitable for young voices.

3. “Adelaide’s Lament” from Guys and Dolls performed by Vivian Blaine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovsb8_vjWLE&feature=kp

Summary: Vivian Blaine uses forward placement while keeping the naso-

pharyngeal port closed. The soft palate is highly placed. Mostly sung in mixed

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
! *"!Andrew Gans, “Diva Talk: A Chat with Renee Zellweger, the ‘Hart’ of ‘Chicago’, plus
Diva News”, Playbill [website] http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/77137-DIVA-
TALK-A-Chat-with-Rene-Zellweger-the-Hart-of-Chicago-PLUS-Diva-News Accessed July 27,
2014.
! (*!

voice that is either TA or CT dominant until the last page where she employs TA

dominant belt voice.

The role of Adelaide was specifically created for Vivian Blaine after she

was not chosen to portray Sarah Brown. The ability to do a dialect could be

helpful as well, dependant upon director’s choice. It’s a great piece for anyone

beginning to belt; on the other hand, the character should be cast a bit older for

the show, since Adelaide has been engaged to Nathan Detroit for 15 years. This

show is also popular among high school musical directors.

4. “Always a Bridesmaid” from I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change performed
by Traci Laborde

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhMIvVfmYyA

Summary: Notice Traci Laborde’s classic “belter’s mouth”, narrow,

horizontal shape with lots of teeth showing. She is able to employ the twang

resonance required of the style without using full nasal resonance. Observe the

modified open vowel on “own” on the last page.

I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is the second longest running Off-

Broadway musical. It closed at the Westside Theater on July 27, 2008 after a run

of 5,003 performances.92 The musical has been translated into at least fourteen

languages.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
92
Andrew Gans, “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change Ends NYC Run After More Than
a Decade July 27” [website] http://www.playbill.com/news/article/119818-LAST-CHANCE-
Playbillcoms-Reminder-of-NYC-Shows-Closing-July-27 Accessed June 22, 2014.
! )+!

5. “I Know the Truth” from Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida performed by Sherie
René Scott

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw0yt8it134

Summary: Sherie René Scott begins in CT dominant mixed voice making

the intervallic leaps more accessible. Sung in R & B style, slightly behind the beat.

Scott moves into a TA dominant belt in the second refrain. She also employs

typical R & B ornaments. Scott ends the song in the same registration in which

she began, CT dominant mixed voice.

Disney had acquired the rights for an animated feature film, but the

project was shelved. The source material for the film developed into the

Broadway musical. This song appears in Act II; the singer, Amneris, is trying to

face the fact that her upcoming marriage to Radames is bogus. Sherie René Scott

originated the role of Amneris and received the award for Most Promising

Actress in 2000 for her performance. Notable replacements for the role include

Idina Menzel, Taylor Dayne, and Lisa Brescia.

6. “I Got Rhythm” from Girl Crazy or Crazy for You performed by Ethel Merman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4hI-xhGZug Televised in 1956.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJTsKhool5g Released in 1994.

Summary: Ethel Merman easily switches between nasal and non-nasal

belt. Easily moving into her upper register. Very clear articulation and phrasing.

Girl Crazy introduced Ethel Merman to Broadway in 1930. Merman’s tale

of her introduction:

Once upon a time, back in 1930, I stepped out on stage at

the Alvin Theater in New York, got hit in the kisser with a
big spotlight, and found myself in big-time show business.
! )"!

It was in a thing called Girl Crazy, which boasted Ginger

Rogers, Willie Howard, and the DeMarcos, and a great
score by George Gershwin. One of the songs I did that
memorable night was “I Got Rhythm.” And as I was
riveted in the second chorus I held on to a high C like it
was from Tiffany’s, and the last one in the world.
Anyway, it was a show stopper. It sort of launched me
on my way, so I guess you can’t blow the whistle on me
for saying it’s one of my special favorites. It goes like
this. And brother, how it goes.93

The song is also included in the 1992 Broadway show, Crazy for You.

7. “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee” from Grease performed by Stockard Channing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz5D-D7VYmY

Summary: Stockard Channing employs the natural resonance of her

speaking voice to her advantage. She mostly uses TA dominant mixed voice,

employing belt or speak-singing for key dramatic moments.

The score of Grease recreates the sound of early 1950s rock and roll. It is

named for the 1950s working class youth subculture known as greasers.

Originally, quite a raunchy show, subsequent productions were “sanitized.” The

show explores teenage sexuality, class-consciousness and conflict. This song is a

good example of this conflict. In the stage musical the song happens at a picnic.

Betty Rizzo is making fun of Danny Zuko for falling in love with a girl like Sandy

Dumbrowski comparing her to the virtuous teenage screen ingénue Sandra Dee.

In the film, this scene is at Frenchy’s pajama party where Rizzo makes fun of

Sandy after she falls ill from trying a cigarette, alcohol and getting her ears

pierced by Frenchy. The musical was first performed in 1971 in Chicago. It has
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
93
Ethel Merman, A Musical Autobiography, Decca DXB 153.
! )#!

been successful on stage and screen. The Chicago production moved to

Manhattan in 1972 and was deemed eligible for the 1972 Tony Awards. The first

New York production was presented Off-Broadway with first-class Broadway

contracts. The film was produced in 1978. The film version of this song was also

presented on the TV show Glee in Season 4, Episode 6. The film version is

included for study with this essay.

8. “My New Philosophy” from You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown performed by
Kristin Chenoweth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRa7WNmRakY

Summary: Kristin Chenoweth uses her the natural resonance of her

speaking voice to move easily between belt, mixed, and head voice. Observe the

“belter’s mouth” especially in the last measures.

This song, composed by Andrew Lippa, is from the 1999 revival of You’re

a Good Man, Charlie Brown. The show is made up of a series of character-centric

vignettes with a musical number for each one. In the revival, the character of

Patty was replaced with Sally Brown. Kristin Chenoweth created the character,

and her performance won her the 1999 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in

a Musical. Bruce Brantley, reviewer for The New York Times, wrote, “Kristin

Chenoweth’s performance as Sally will be the part that should seal her

reputation.”94 Sally Brown is a cute but angry kindergartener.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
94
Ben Brantley, “Theater Review: Your Sister’s Gutsy, Charlie Brown,” [website]
http://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/05/movies/theater-review-your-sisters-gutsy-charlie-
brown.html Accessed June 22, 2014
! )$!

9. “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” from Anything Goes performed by Sutton Foster

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-Ql-fduIdM

Summary: Sutton Foster begins the song with the “belter’s mouth.” She

also employs more twang resonance to move easily between the very low range

and the middle range. Notice Foster’s very centered, non-athletic breathing in the

dance section in the middle. She conserves breath energy and does not sound

winded in her sung entrance after the dance portion. There is no clavicular

breathing.

Ethel Merman (1937), Patti LuPone (Drama Desk Award 1987), Elaine

Paige (Nominated for Laurence Olivier Award 1989), and Sutton Foster (Tony

Award 2011) have created and re-created the role of Reno Sweeney. This

character is confident, sassy, and sexy. This song should also be assigned to a

triple threat singer who is an excellent tap dancer. In an interview for Dance

Magazine, Sutton Foster describes the role thus:

I had never really delved into a character so unlike me.

It’s the showiest, the brassiest – the most commanding
role I’ve ever played. I had to cover my mirrors with
words like “you’re awesome ,” “you rock ,” “you deserve
this” – you know total affirmations, so that I could stand
on stage and be like , “Yeeeeah”!95

10. “On My Own” from Les Misérables performed by Lea Salonga

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjfmP7h3gBw

Summary: Lea Salonga employs active articulation in the opening

recitative section as well as easily moving between TA and CT dominant mixed

voice. She uses contemporary pop inflection and phrasing when the song begins.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
! 95
Sylviane Gold, “She’s the Top,” Dance Magazine December 2011 [website]
http://www.dancemagazine.com/issues/december-2011/Shes-the-Top Accessed June 27, 2014
! )%!

Salonga employs TA dominant for the first in the bridge section. She uses

clavicular breathing for dramatic effect on “All my life I’ve only been

pretending.” Notice her vowel modification on “known” at the end of the song.

One of the most famous songs from this show, this is Éponine’s solo. Les

Misérables opened in 1985 in London by the Royal Shakespeare Company. The

initial reviews were negative. Literary scholars condemned the project for

converting a literary classic into a musical. The public disagreed: “Les Miz” put

up record numbers at the box office. As of November 2013, the show has

received 11,603 performances in the West End and it is still running. The

Broadway production closed in 2003 after 6,003 performances.

! )&!

APPENDIX D

REPRESENTATIVE MUSICAL SCORES

1. “Roxie” from Chicago Music: John Kander, Lyrics: Fred Ebb in The Singer’s
Musical Theatre Anthology, Volume 4, Mezzo-Soprano/Belter, Milwaukee, WI:
Hal Leonard Corp.

2. “On the Steps of the Palace” from Into the Woods Music and Lyrics: Stephen
Sondheim in The Singer’s Musical Theatre Anthology, Volume 4, Soprano,
Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard Corp.

3. “Adelaide’s Lament” from Guys and Dolls Music and Lyrics: Frank Loesser in
The Singer’s Musical Theatre Anthology, Volume 2, Mezzo-Soprano/Belter,
Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard Corp.

4. “Always a Bridesmaid” from I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change Music:
Jimmy Roberts, Lyrics and Book: Joe DiPietro in The Singer’s Musical Theatre
Anthology, Volume 3, Mezzo-Soprano/Belter, Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard Corp.

5. “I Know the Truth” from Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida Music: Elton John,
Lyrics: Tim Rice in The Singer’s Musical Theatre Anthology, Volume 4, Mezzo-
Soprano/Belter, Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard Corp.

6. “I Got Rhythm” from Girl Crazy or Crazy for You Music: George Gershwin,
Lyrics: Ira Gershwin in The New York Times: Gershwin: Years in Song, New York:
Quadrangle: The New York Times Book Co.

7. “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee” from Grease Music, Lyrics, and Book: Jim Jacobs
and Warren Casey in The Singer’s Musical Theatre Anthology, Volume 2, Mezzo-
Soprano/Belter, Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard Corp.

8. “My New Philosophy” from You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown Music, Lyrics,
and Book: Clark Gesner; Andrew Lippa added songs for the Broadway revival in
The Singer’s Musical Theatre Anthology, Volume 3, Mezzo-Soprano/Belter,
Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard Corp.

9. “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” from Anything Goes Music and Lyrics: Cole Porter in
Anything Goes: Vocal Selections: Revival Edition New York: Warner Bros.
Publications, Inc.

10. “On My Own” from Les Misérables Music: Claude-Michel Schönberg, Lyrics:
Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil in The Singer’s Musical Theatre Anthology,
Volume 2, Mezzo-Soprano/Belter, Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard Corp.
! )'!

APPENDIX E

PERMISSIONS

Re: Sciandmed.com Contact Form - MPPA Estill 6/19/14 11:59 AM

Re: Sciandmed.com Contact Form - MPPA Estill

M Bokulich [bokulich@sciandmed.com]
Sent:Tuesday, June 10, 2014 3:13 PM
To: Jennings, Colleen A

Date: May 22, 2014

Dear Ms. Jennings:

Material:
Figure: page 39 (Fig 2)
Article: Belting and classic voice quality: some physiologic differences.
Estill J.
Med Probl Perform Art 3 (1): 37, March 1988.

Proposed Use: dissertation

Title:
Publisher/university: Univ of Iowa
Pub Date: 2014

Thank you for your note requesting permission to reproduce/excerpt material

from Medical Problems of Performing Artists.

As requested in your email dated June 9, 2014, we hereby grant you

permission to translate the aforementioned material for use in print and
electronic format, as well as university archives, at no charge subject to
the following conditions:

1. Use is limited to one-time only in the current edition of the publication

and electronic editions of that publication (not derivatives) and is for
educational purposes only.

2. Credit to the source is given in a footnote to the figure legend, with

full reference given either in the legend and/or reference list.

3. This permission is granted for non-exclusive rights.

4. This permission does not include the right to grant others permission to
re-use or reproduce this material in other formats or publications [except
for versions made by non-profit organizations for use by the blind or
handicapped persons].

5. A fee of $ 0.00 is paid to the publisher.

Good luck with your thesis.

--
Best wishes,
Mike Bokulich
Publisher
Medical Problems of Performing Artists

T 610 660 9187

F 610 660 0348
C 610 247 2399
bokulich@sciandmed.com

https://email.uiowa.edu/owa/?ae=Item&t=IPM.Note&id=RgAAAACXvK…WejMJ4Y99fAABofW0eAAAJ&a=Print&pspid=_1403197108519_41095330 Page 1 of 2
! )(!
!


))!

APPENDIX F 

  
     
ADDITIONAL VOCALISES FOR BELTING

! 
     
   

These exercises can be sung on the vowel of choice. For beginning belters,


closed vowels allow for more facility.96 Sing these on [æ] or [i].
       




   
     
    
     
 
      

 


 
  
        

!
!
     
  
   
   


        

 

    
  
  






   



 !
!
     

   
   
 
 

  
     

       
  

 

 

   



 

   
 
!!
 

J.C693!"&E!K//.7.8:5?!;8<5?.434!>89!-3?7.:C0!L43!MNO!89!M.O0
  

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*'!Based on exercises from Mary Saunders Barton’s “Bel Canto, Can Belto”.
! )*!

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